🔆Warmer days and more time on the water! We are ready for summer to begin.🔆
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Scuttle Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) photo by Brian Kay
JUNE 2026 OCTOPRESS
🔆Warmer days and more time on the water! We are ready for summer to begin.🔆
MAY HIGHLIGHTS
Molt Search Trainings
An assortment of crab molts collected from the beach
In partnership with Washington Sea Grant and WSU Extension, PTMSC held 3 sessions, training 40 volunteers, to survey and identify crab molts found on local beaches. The ultimate goal is to assist in the early detection of the invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas). These trained volunteers now serve as additional eyes on local shorelines, helping in the monitoring efforts and providing valuable data to support rapid response.
WaterWorld
Centrum and PTMSC hosted 5th and 6th-grade students from across Washington state to dive into a week of art, poetry, music, dance, and marine science during a weeklong overnight camp. Students attended workshops and classes with PTMSC educators and Centrum arts faculty, as well as spending a day in an expedition circumnavigating Fort Worden at low tide.
The program culminated in a showcase for students to display their art, read poems, and perform music and dance numbers, all on the theme of water connecting humans, landscapes, and living things.
Rhody Bed Race
Representing the spirit of the Salish Sea, PTMSC staff members took 4th place in the annual bed-racing competition. The team dressed as marine animals and pushed the "Kelp Bed" down Water St in Port Townsend to a line of cheering fans.
Two orcas, an octopus, and a sea star push a shrimp in "The Kelp Bed" at the Rhody Bed Race
Puget Sound Express FAM Tour
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center and Puget Sound Express have been in partnership since 1994, with seasonal birdwatching tours around Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge. Today, these cruises might go around Smith Island as well.
This month, a handful of PTMSC staff and other community partners were invited to join a half-day whale watching tour where they encountered a charming Humpback whale, named Scuttle, Minke whales, Sea Lions, and an elusive tufted puffin.
We are so glad to continue this partnership with PSE in 2026. If you are interested in joining a birdwatching cruise, check out all of the dates and register below!
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