2/14 L112 dead, ferry routes, piping coho, Enviro Canada cuts

PHOTO: Vancouver Sun

Happy Valentine’s Day! If you like to watch, watch The Kissing Experiment

Sad news: It was L112, a female born in 2009, that died and washed up at Long Beach, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service and Center for Whale Research. Young orca from Puget Sound pod found dead

Yesterday’s story about NOAA undertaking a sea voyage to discover where southern resident orca whales disappear to during the winter [Researchers on hunt for killer whales' winter hideout ] brought the following comment from Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail: “It’s a misconception that the orcas ‘totally disappear’ over the winter. In fact for at least part of that time they are in central Puget Sound, following the winter salmon runs. We usually see them 2 - 3 times per month between October and February. This is incredibly important habitat to them, and all the more reason we should take better care of it. Hate to see that ignored/downplayed....subgroups of L and K pods were here for two days last week....”

Senator Mary Margaret Haugen of Camano Island, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, says not to take seriously what state ferry officials have been saying about budget problems requiring five current ferry routes being eliminated. The legislature will find the money. State ferry routes sustainable, say two key legislators

Chris Dunagan at the Kitsap Sun reports on how the Port Gamble Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe is now moving its juvenile coho salmon from shore to its net pens through pipes rather than from trucks loaded on a barge and floated to the pens. Less stress on both fish and crews. Tribe adopts piping system to transfer coho

Budget cuts at Environment Canada could go beyond ozone monitoring and extend to programs tracking pollution from Canada going to Asia, Europe and the U.S. Five U.S. atmospheric scientists question whether Canada will be able to fulfill its obligations under several international agreements if more cut go ahead. U.S. atmospheric scientists raise alarm over Environment Canada cuts  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE FEB 14 2012
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 15 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 5 TO 10 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 14 SECONDS.

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