The abundance of Chinook salmon returning to Puget Sound rivers has scarcely changed in recent decades, in large
part because much of their habitat has been lost entirely or degraded so it cannot support healthy runs as it once did. In addition, many juvenile Puget Sound salmon and steelhead do not make it through their first few months at sea. NOAA Fisheries researchers have further found that young Puget Sound Chinook salmon carry high levels of contaminants
of emerging concern such as prescription drugs and antibacterial compounds, likely from local wastewater, at levels high enough to adversely affect their growth, reproduction, and behavior