What's killing coho salmon?
Category
Writing > Writing: Research, Medicine, and Science News
Description
Best of CASE District VIII Award
Institution: University of Washington
Title of entry: What's killing coho salmon?
About this entry: Salmon is an iconic West Coast species, with cultural, ecological and economic importance. But more than half of coho salmon returning to urban streams die before spawning. In certain streams, no coho survive. For decades, nobody knew why.
The University of Washington led a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary quest to identify the culprit. UW civil and environmental engineers worked with salmon biologists at Washington State University to lead the project that involved institutions across North America. The UW press release described the painstaking process of elimination to find the molecule responsible: A chemical related to a preservative in car tires is fatal to the fish.
While the research was decades in the making, the press release for this highly anticipated paper also involved months of preparation. Science writer Sarah McQuate’s news release combines the mystery, importance and technical complexity of this story. Despite the additional challenge of pandemic restrictions, she coordinated a streamside photo and video shoot to provide accompanying visuals. The resulting media coverage included 26 major outlets, from The New York Times and The Guardian to local papers, including the Montana Standard and Tacoma News Tribune. These articles then spawned op-eds and letters to the editor, and the researchers subsequently discussed their results at a U.S. House subcommittee hearing.
The press release and coordinated publicity campaign showcased the UW's efforts as an interdisciplinary, collaborative institution, and furthered the UW president's goal to be "the number one public university as measured by impact."