8/28 Navy wharf, Issaquah salmon, Rayonier cleanup, Asian carp, abalone internship, seagull kill, blue moon

Carl Safina's Lionfish

Carl Safina writes: "About 20 years ago, one of the world’s most beautiful and otherworldly fish, the lionfish, started showing up in south Florida and the Caribbean. Now, they’re—let’s face it—they’re a plague. Millions of them now live from the northeastern South America to New York, in water you can stand in, down to depths of a thousand feet..." Scourge of the Lionfish, Part 1: The Scourge  

In a case involving tribal rivalries, the Suquamish Tribe has filed a lawsuit against the Navy and other federal agencies over their approval of a new explosives handling wharf at the Navy's Bangor facility. Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman said the lawsuit was necessary to protect the tribe's treaty rights in Hood Canal, where the Navy plans to build a $715 million explosives handling wharf. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall. The lawsuit seeks to halt construction of the wharf and obtain court recognition that federal agencies have violated the tribe's treaty rights. The Suquamish Tribe was left out of mitigation agreements with four other tribes that have uncontested treaty rights on Hood Canal. Under those agreements, the Navy will pay nearly $9 million to mitigate the loss of treaty resources. Christopher Dunagan reports.  Suquamish Tribe files suit over Navy's new wharf at Bangor  

Salmon spawning season at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery started early Aug. 25 as a hatchery docent-in-training spotted the first fish, a small chinook in Issaquah Creek. The recent drop in temperature aided the salmon on a long journey from the Pacific Ocean to Issaquah Creek. Cool conditions often prompt the fish to depart Lake Sammamish and head upstream. Spawning salmon reaches Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

A new state Department of Ecology open house on the Rayonier pulp mill cleanup project will be held in Linkletter Hall at Olympic Medical Center, 939 Caroline St., from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Ecology officials are seeking public comment on an amendment to the company’s agreed order. The amendment outline roles and responsibilities of Rayonier and the city of Port Angeles while pipeline trenches — about a mile — are dug on the property for the city’s $41.7 million combined sewer overflow project.  New hearing on Rayonier cleanup project set for Wednesday

An invasive species of carp could threaten salmon in the Fraser River. Fishermen are reporting sightings of what could be Asian carp near Lillooet and Lytton. The Asian carp is an invasive species that threatens indigenous species and preys on their larvae. They also jump out of the water, endangering recreational boaters and skiers. Shawn Conner reports.  Invasive species of carp could threaten salmon in the Fraser River.  

A mutual love of the water brought two students to Anacortes this summer to work on a project meant to restore native abalone to local waters. Annie Thomson attends the University of Washington and Anne Benolkin goes to the University of Alaska Southeast, and both finished their undergraduate research internships last week at the Shannon Point Marine Center. They lived at the center and worked in the surrounding waters and at the laboratory. Erinn Unger reports.  “…A beautiful place to do science.”

A U.S. Department of Agriculture employee has killed about 150 seagulls with a pellet gun at Swantown Marina since Oct. 1, 2011, under a gull management contract with the Port of Olympia designed to reduce gull droppings, the agency’s district supervisor for Western Washington said Monday. Port Harbor Director Bruce Marshall said the program is necessary to keep gull droppings from covering the docks and boats. The gull droppings are a source of constant complaints from boaters and visitors to the marina, he said.  150 gulls killed at Swantown  

Skygazers will be treated to a blue moon on Friday. But don't get overly excited. Under one widely accepted but disputed definition, a blue moon is simply the second full moon in a given month. The moon was also full on Aug. 2. Since full moons appear 29.5 days apart, it comes down to how long the month is and how early in the month the first full moon falls. In other words, math. 'Blue moon' is all about the math

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE AUG 28 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT EARLY...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 SECONDS.

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