9/13 Cooper's hawk, Atlantics, eco-seafood, Seattle sewer, Houston water, microplastics, Redefine Tacoma

Cooper's hawk [Kelly Brenner/Crosscut]

Lessons about Seattle from the Cooper's hawk
A visit with the Queen near Longfellow Creek in Seattle. Kelly Brenner reports. (Crosscut)

Atlantic salmon arrive in French Creek
Atlantic salmon, believed to be part of a cohort that escaped from a U.S.-based fish farm on Aug. 19, are being hauled in by anglers fishing out of French Creek on mid-Vancouver Island. Cameron Wheatley, owner of the French Creek Store at the marina just north of Parksville, received the head of an apparent Atlantic salmon from a local angler late Sunday morning, Sept. 10. He is freezing the head, along with two more fish heads and one whole farm-raised salmon, to turn over to Fisheries and Oceans Canada…. In the case of the whole fish Wheatley was provided to submit to DFO, it was also marked by a considerable number of bright red lesions on its belly. "That's gross," he said. "I asked the people that only brought the head in, did they have those lesions on them? And they all did. That's an unhealthy fish, as far as I'm concerned." (BC Local News) See also: Three weeks later, more than 100,000 Atlantic salmon could still be in local waters  Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)

SeaChoice raises red flags about eco-certified seafood
The eco-certified fish in your fridge may not be as virtuous as you think, according to a study released by SeaChoice. Only 15 per cent of Canadian fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council have met conditions to reduce bycatch and damage to eco-systems by changing fishing practices, according to Shannon Arnold, co-author of What’s Behind the Label? MSC certifies 36 Canadian fisheries — including B.C. sockeye, pinks, halibut and albacore tuna — representing about 66 per cent of Canadian wild seafood by volume. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

King County fined $361,000 over West Point treatment plant failure 
The Washington Department of Ecology hit King County with $361,000 in fines and massive improvement requirements to the West Point Treatment Plant that could cost an additional $1 million after the plant’s catastrophic failure Feb. 9. In the largest penalty for a publicly-owned treatment plant, DOE’s investigation determined inadequate maintenance, lack of equipment redundancy and reliability as well as lack of employee training led to the plant’s damage and dumping of untreated wastewater into the Puget Sound. Christine Willmsen reports. (Seattle Times)

Houston’s Floodwaters Are Tainted With Toxins, Testing Shows
Floodwaters in two Houston neighborhoods have been contaminated with bacteria and toxins that can make people sick, testing organized by The New York Times has found. Residents will need to take precautions to return safely to their homes, public health experts said. It is not clear how far the toxic waters have spread. But Fire Chief Samuel Peña of Houston said over the weekend that there had been breaches at numerous waste treatment plants. The Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday that 40 of 1,219 such plants in the area were not working. Sheila Kaplan and Jack Healy report. (NY Times)

Plastic fibres found in tap water around the world, study reveals
Microplastic contamination has been found in tap water in countries around the world, leading to calls from scientists for urgent research on the implications for health. Scores of tap water samples from more than a dozen nations were analysed by scientists for an investigation by Orb Media, who shared the findings with the Guardian. Overall, 83% of the samples were contaminated with plastic fibres. Damian Carrington  reports. (Guardian)

Under Pressure, Tacoma Environmental Movement Changes Its Name
One of the most powerful activist groups in Tacoma has changed its name after critics said the previous title was insensitive to people of color. The group known as RedLine Tacoma is now Redefine Tacoma. "We’ve made this change to address the concerns expressed by community members and to reflect more clearly the mission of our group," the group's organizers wrote on their website. African-American leaders in Tacoma and their supporters said the name RedLine was a painful reminder of redlining -- the systemic practice of concentrating people of color in certain neighborhoods while excluding them from others.  Will James reports. (KNKX)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  259 AM PDT Wed Sep 13 2017  
TODAY  Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 5 to 6 ft  at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 kt or less becoming light. Wind waves 1 ft  or less. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.

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