9/21 Fin whale, Lummi coal, Hood Canal, Whatcom DSP, Seattle waterfront, Bainbridge life, oysters, Shell barge, Bremerton Marina, San Juan Monument, Clean Samish

Fin whale (Jared Towers, DFO/Vancouver Sun)

If you like to listen and watch: Listening For Orcas

A massive fin whale cruised up the Strait of Georgia to Johnstone Strait this week for the first time in recorded history. “It was photographed off Campbell River and off Nanaimo. It is the first confirmed sighting of a fin whale in Georgia Strait,” said Jared Towers, a Fisheries and Oceans cetacean research technician who has spent the summer doing photo identification of the growing number of fin whales in Hecate Strait and Caamano Sound. Judith Lavoir reports. Rare Fin whale surfaces in Strait of Georgia  

The Lummi Nation in northwestern Washington is about to join other native people in the region who oppose plans to export coal through the Pacific Northwest. The tribe is expected to announce Friday its opposition to a proposed coal export facility in the Cherry Point area. That’s north of Bellingham and near its reservation. “We have a duty to the world,” [tribal member Jewell James] says. “All of us want cheap energy but we’re living in an era where the world’s heating up. Water is becoming scarce and we’re living in an environment that’s been destroyed. What does that say to our children and grandchildren." Ashley Ahearn reports. Wash. Tribe Comes Out Against Coal Export Terminal   The community is invited to the Lummi Nation’s event on Friday at 12:30. For directions, see  Lummi Nation speaking out against Cherry Point terminal

Christopher Dunagan in Watching Our Water Ways blogs: "Despite millions of dollars spent on research in Hood Canal, the precise causes of low-oxygen problems in Southern Hood Canal are still not fully understood, according to a report released this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology. News articles about the report have created some confusion, and I’ll get to that in a moment." Hood Canal report compiles oxygen studies

Whatcom County beaches remain closed to recreational shellfish harvesting as public health officials continue to study a new marine toxin found in higher concentrations here than anywhere else in the state. Responsible for diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, or DSP, the toxin can cause flu-like symptoms and sicken people who eat tainted shellfish, and is an emerging health threat. Kie Relyea reports. New toxin showing up in Whatcom County shellfish  

The Stranger asked local artists for Seattle waterfront ideas. "One: A just-for-tourists restaurant/sushi bar that serves only Duwamish River fish (caught by local fishermen). Two: A shuttle submarine from Queen Anne to Pioneer Square through storm-water pipes.-- Rodrigo Valenzuela, artist." Seattle Artists Redesign the Waterfront

With 53 miles of shoreline, Bainbridge Island has a unique relationship with the Puget Sound it is nestled within. This relationship will be the theme of the 12th Annual Bainbridge Island Environmental Conference, “Downstream: Surprising Connections Between your Life and the Marine Life of Puget Sound.” The event is co-sponsored by the Bainbridge Island Land Trust and the Association of Bainbridge Communities. From 1 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23 at IslandWood, islanders can get insight on a critical topic for a place like Bainbridge. Richard Oxley reports.  Stormwater will take center stage at 12th annual environmental conference

The oyster is more than a seafood favorite. It’s an ecological lynchpin in Puget Sound and on beaches around the world, so scientists are thankful the Pacific oyster is the latest creature to have its genetic code unveiled. The shellfish has a lot going on inside. Keith Seinfeld reports. Inside that mysterious goo, oysters have a story

The delay-plagued Shell Oil barge that would provide oil-spill containment for Arctic drilling has hit another bump: The project now needs environmental permits. The Washington Department of Ecology announced Thursday, Sept. 20, that it will require the companies retrofitting the Arctic Challenger to apply for stormwater permits. Ecology: Oil-spill containment barge work in Bellingham needs permits  

In a rare joint admission among commissioners and staffers that the Bremerton Marina wasn't working, port Chief Executive Officer Tim Thomson said the $34 million marina is twice as large as necessary. The underlying tone was that right or wrong, the facility was built, and now they have to find a way to sustain it. Rachel Pritchett reports. Bremerton Port leaders exasperated over marina's continued struggles

A proposal for a national monument in the San Juan Islands has garnered the San Juan County Council's unanimous support, but many locals see the plan as the death knell for a way of life the islands have long enjoyed. C.B. Hall writes. San Juans monument debate shows islands' fault lines

Residents of the Samish Watershed and concerned community members are encouraged to attend a public meeting on the Clean Samish Initiative from 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, September 27 in the Skagit County Commissioners Hearing Room at 1800 Continental Place in Mount Vernon. Partners of the Initiative will host an open house providing information about the group’s various efforts to combat fecal coliform pollution problems in the Samish Watershed.  Public meeting to help combat fecal coliform pollution

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT FRI SEP 21 2012
TODAY
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS. AREAS OF DRIZZLE IN THE MORNING.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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