9/28 Chum, fish ladder, tanker traffic, orca harassment, Whatcom park, Samish cleanup, spill readiness, Brightwater, Taylor oysters, seagull poop, Pt Roberts

Union Chum Run (PHOTO: Meegan Reid)

The chum salmon that swim up the Union River to spawn in August and September are a bewildering group of fish. After a depressingly low return last fall of 276 summer chum to the Union River, the population rebounded to 2,117 fish so far this year — and a few salmon are still making their way upstream and into the fish trap outside of Belfair, where the entire run is counted. The number of early chum returning this year to the Union River are beyond the expectations of anyone working with Hood Canal summer chum, said Mendy Harlow of the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group. Christopher Dunagan reports. Strong summer chum run reported for Union River

Volunteers have increased the odds of survival for wild salmon in Chambers Creek with a $1,200 investment and a year’s work. Local and county officials joined the Chambers Creek Restoration Team on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the rebuilt second fish ladder at the nearly century-old dam. Volunteers and officials said the additional ladder will make it easier for returning salmon to reach 10 miles of upstream habitat and evade predators, potentially increasing salmon runs in the future. The dam is located directly north of Steilacoom next to the Chambers Creek Properties. Christian Hill reports. Volunteers celebrate new Chambers Creek fish ladder  

A resolution calling for the Union of B.C. Municipalities to oppose any projects leading to expansion of oil tanker traffic through B.C. coastal waters narrowly squeaked through Thursday. The non-binding resolution, proposed at the group's meeting in Victoria by Saanich, passed with 51 per cent of the vote, with 450 votes cast, leaving both sides in the tanker debate claiming a measure of victory. Bid to stop more oil-tanker traffic approved by narrowest of margins  

A recreational boater has been convicted of racing his power boat toward two orcas as they surfaced and then dove. The charges were laid after an incident in August 2010 when Fisheries officers on patrol in the waters around Quadra Island, near Campbell River, observed a recreational power boat repeatedly accelerating toward the whales. A Fisheries news release says Peterson's boat eventually powered up to within 25 metres of the animals. Boater convicted of harassing orcas near Quadra Island

A vote to request the transfer of 8,844 acres of state land around Lake Whatcom to Whatcom County for use as a park has been postponed indefinitely so the proposal can be made more specific. The Whatcom County Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 25, to follow the course suggested by Executive Jack Louws in a Sept. 17 memo. Before the council votes on the transfer, Louws said, county staff should develop recreation, environmental and forestry management plans for the proposed parkland, along with a budget for park development and operations. The decision Tuesday cancels an anticipated vote on the land transfer, formally called a reconveyance, that was expected at the Oct. 9 council meeting. Ralph Schwartz reports. 8,000-plus acre Whatcom County park on indefinite hold

Discussion got heated at a meeting calling for public feedback on the Clean Samish Initiative on Thursday, as some stakeholders aired frustrations and called for further investigation into the source of the Samish River’s persistent fecal coliform problems. Further microbial testing is planned for the fall and spring, instead of simply in the fall as was done previously, Rick Haley, a water quality analyst with Skagit County Public Works, said during the question-and-answer period, as other audience members echoed Mcrae’s questions about the testing. During previous testing from Oregon State University, 58 percent of markers were from ruminants, 54 percent from birds and 17 percent from humans. There were no markers from horses, which Haley said they would look at in further testing. Erinn Unger reports. Strong opinions voiced at Samish River meeting  

Just as Washington environmental regulators finish up a series of meetings on oil spill readiness, a half-mile sheen appeared on the Columbia River near Longview. Contractors quickly contained the diesel spill this week. It’s one of about 1,800 spills in Oregon and Washington each year. A leaking fuel tank on a 100-foot fishing vessel poses a much smaller risk than the giant oil tankers that regularly ply Northwest waters. Environmental regulators say a spill larger than the one this week on the Columbia River could run into the billions of dollars in terms of clean-up costs and disrupted commerce. Chris Lehman reports. Columbia River Spill Comes During Series Of Oil Spill Readiness Hearings  The public comment period for both proposed rules is open until Oct. 4, 2012.

People are invited to an open house at the Brightwater Center on Saturday to learn about the facility through treatment plant tours, exhibits and nature walks. The open house is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 22509 Highway 9 SE, Woodinville. The event is free. Check out Brightwater on Saturday

Taylor Shellfish has raised the bar on the oyster experience with an award-winning variety that's not-so-local. In a blind tasting four years ago, sponsored by the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, those "west coast" Virginicas were judged number one. "Stunning," said Rowan Jacobsen, author of The Geography of Oysters. Ronald Holden writes. Taylor Shellfish: The belle of Puget Sound's oyster ball

Shoot ‘em, Dano. Old joke: Why are seagulls called seagulls? Answer – Because if they flew over the bay, they’d be called bagels. What to do about seagulls at Swantown? Those inconsiderate, over-abundant birds have been pooping all over the docks and the expensive boats moored at the Port of Olympia’s high-quality marina. Headache that won’t go away

There’s a tiny part of Washington state that is so remote you have to cross an international border twice to get there. Isolated, surrounded by water and Canadians … why did Point Roberts become a part of Washington and not Canada? Jennifer Wing wonders why. Why doesn't that part of Washington belong to Canada?

The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary has gained a new primary member and a new alternate member to serve on its advisory council.  The sanctuary, based in Port Angeles, is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Christopher Clark will serve as the primary member, and Alan Rammer has been named as the alternate and will fill a new Marine Resource Committee seat.  Marine Resource Committees — or MRCs — are science-based groups on the outer coast that promote marine resource stewardship and restoration. Clark serves on the North Pacific Coast MRC and also works for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission as a salmon and steelhead habitat inventory and assessment GIS specialist.  Rammer serves on the Grays Harbor MRC. Marine sanctuary gains two new members

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 246 AM PDT FRI SEP 28 2012
TODAY
NW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 14 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT.
SAT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT.
SUN
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT.

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