In 2012, scientists discovered a dead harbor porpoise with a fungal disease that had not been previously documented in marine mammals in the Salish Sea. Over the next eight years, 20 more marine mammals were diagnosed with that same disease: mucormycosis.

Mucormycosis is caused by a group of fungi called Mucorales, things commonly found in organic matter. People, terrestrial animals and marine mammals are all routinely exposed with little to no effects so long as they have no underlying health issues that weaken the immune system. However, once it takes hold, this disease spreads quickly and has a very high mortality rate.

As a playful prescription for troubled times, Dr. Joe “Fish Geek” Gaydos and Bob “Attenborough” Friel present a lighthearted take on SeaDoc’s citizen science partnership with the Reef Educational Foundation in our latest episode: The Natural History of the Fish Geek.

The European green crab is a damaging invasive species that has wreaked havoc on ecosystems around the world, and recently they’ve found their way into the Salish Sea. Thanks to Washington Sea Grant’s Crab Team, major scientifically based efforts are being made to stop its spread before it starts. For this use of science to improve the health of the Salish Sea, this Earth Day they have been announced as winners of the SeaDoc Society’s 2020 Salish Sea Science Prize, which comes with a $2,000 no-strings-attached cash award.

When introduced into ecosystems outside of its native range, the green crab’s impact has been both ecological and economic. Not only do they disturb native habitat, displace resident species and alter natural food webs, but they have decimated shellfish industries upon which livelihoods depend. Amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Crab Team’s work is a reminder that intervention is most effective before the impacts of an invasion even become visible.