But life on the Salish Sea is arduous, and not completely free of the problems we run into on land. In Liberty Bay, just outside Poulsbo, sits a constellation of sailboats.

This interview has been edited for clarity. Kim Malcolm: This report is called State of the Salish Sea.I understand it's been 25 years since the last in-depth look at the health of the Salish Sea.

The nameless, parentless 10-year-old protagonist in Scallywag on the Salish Sea lives aboard a pirate ship – christened the Greasy Lobster – but he has very little interest in a swashbuckling life.

The new book The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest (Sasquatch Books, $24.95) looks at these local waters through a scientific lens, illustrating the region’s unique geology (thanks to ...