Sailboats race across the Puget Sound in Washington state at sunset. In the last 30 years there has been a significant decline in the populations of the species that live in the Puget Sound. This decline is due to toxic pollution in the Puget Sound, decreased oxygen levels, and shore line habitat changes. Fortunately, in recent years there have been changes made in fishery practices and an increase in petitioning to add species to the Endangered Species Act. These efforts have lead to an increase in recovery as well as management plans for many different species in the area.