Craig Welch

Half an ocean from Seattle, on a green patch of island below a tropical volcano, a Washington state oyster family built a 20,000-square-foot shellfish hatchery. Ocean acidification left the Nisbet family no choice.

As researchers struggle to determine if a wild fish-killing pathogen is here or coming, Alexandra Morton -- a Connecticut native and former killer-whale biologist -- is everywhere. She's testifying in Canadian court, blogging about viruses, shuttling about in her sea dory. She hunts for clues to support her belief that Atlantic-salmon farms are big trouble.

As ocean scientists probe what ails some of the largest creatures in the sea, a wave of new research is urging them to look at the little things -- specifically, the tiny schooling fish that make up the cornerstone of ocean food webs.

Federal fish cops in Seattle bought a $300,000 luxury boat to spy on whale-watching tours -- but didn't go through an appropriate bidding process, held barbecues onboard, ferried friends and family across Puget Sound to restaurants and resorts, and used the boat for what one visitor called "a pleasure cruise."

A decade before this fall's salmon-virus scare, a Canadian government researcher said she found a similar virus in more than 100 wild fish from Alaska to Vancouver Island. Canadian officials never told the public or U.S. scientists.