8/16 Totem pole, bleeding herring, salmon catch video, sea level rise, pond turtles, cattle fences

Gwaii Haanas legacy totem pole (CBC News)

The Gwaii Haanas legacy totem pole was raised in Windy Bay, B.C., on Lyell Island in Haida Gwaii on Thursday, August 15, 2013. The 13-metre totem is the first monumental pole to be raised in the area in 130 years. It was carved to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement, a document that allows the government of Canada and the Haida Nation to co-manage and protect the region. Raising a totem pole in Haida Gwaii  

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is trying to confirm reports from an independent biologist that herring around northern Vancouver Island have a disease that is causing bleeding from their gills, bellies and eyeballs. Alexandra Morton wrote to DFO asking for an investigation and viral testing of the fish after she pulled up a net of about 100 herring near Sointula and found they were all bleeding. “It was pretty shocking to see,” said Morton, who has seen herring suffering from viruses before, but never so sick. “These are very strong disease symptoms. These fish are in much worse condition.” Judith Lavoie reports. Fisheries and Oceans Canada looking into claims of sick herring  

The commercial fishing industry has long claimed it strives to ensure salmon that can’t be legally kept are released alive and well. But a video shot by a conservation group in British Columbia shows seine boat crews kicking salmon across decks, or waiting for fish to stop moving before picking them up and throwing them overboard. An industry spokesman has dismissed the video as misleading, however, and says fishing crews are “doing a good job” of ensuring the safe release of fish that are accidentally taken in a by-catch. Watch the video.  Mark Hume reports. Video proves unwanted salmon being left for dead on seiners, group alleges

The warming climate is causing sea levels to rise as oceans expand, and, combined with more frequent storms, the effects could be devastating. A new map shows more than 1,400 towns in the U.S., 30 in Washington state, where half the population will be displaced by the end of this century if current trends continue.... In Washington, the report says 30 communities along the coast, Puget Sound, and the Columbia River would be so inundated that more than half the population would have to move. That would be the worst-case scenario, says Washington state’s climatologist Nick Bond, but it also shows real and possible impacts of climate change. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. Sea Level Rise Map Shows 30 Wash. Towns Inundated in 2100  

Last Friday morning, a team of individuals from the Woodland Park Zoo and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife met at a refuge site in Lakewood, Pierce County, to release 31 endangered juvenile western pond turtles. The 10-month- old turtles were hatched and raised at the Woodland Park Zoo as a part of the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project established in 1991. Twenty years ago, approximately 150 western pond turtles remained in the wild in Washington state. Predation by non-native bullfrogs as well as loss of habitat caused the only native western Washington turtle to become endangered. With the help of the recovery project, there are now between 1,200 and 1,500 turtles of this species found among six wetland sites, according to a press release by the Woodland Park Zoo. Jasmine Healy reports. Young endangered turtles released into wild  

Can regulators make a rancher fence in his land? The Washington Supreme Court Thursday said yes. The case pitted ranchers against environmentalists, with land rights and pollution enforcement at stake. Pataha Creek winds through Joe Lemire’s ranch in southeastern Washington. His 29 head of cattle regularly cross the creek to reach several pastures. Department of Ecology inspectors say trampled stream beds and cattle manure degrade water quality in this already unhealthy creek. Lemire refused to fence the creek and sued the department. Courtney Flatt reports. Washington Supreme Court: Rancher Must Fence In Land

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT FRI AUG 16 2013
TODAY
VARIABLE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG THIS MORNING. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
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