11/23 Jellies, humpbacks, crabs, Dungeness Bay, climate, coal, LNG, Alaska drill, Gulf dolphins, salty sewer

Lion’s mane jellyfish (Alexander Semenov/Daily Mail)

Pull, not push, propels jellyfish and lampreys, according to new study
Jellyfish suck, but that’s not what most people believe about their method of locomotion. It seems more likely that jellyfish thrust themselves through the water by pushing the water behind them. But complex experiments in fluid dynamics suggest that jellyfish, as well as eel-like lampreys, actually pull themselves forward by creating a low-pressure region ahead…. The new findings were published this month in Nature Communications. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Saving Our Water Ways)

Humpback comeback: They're ‘popping up everywhere’
The influx of whales in waters near Victoria is being hailed as a “humpback comeback,” as it represents one of the biggest upticks in cetacean activity in recent years. Researchers, marine scientists and whale-watching guides who cover the water between Victoria and Seattle have all reported significant humpback activity as the species begins to repopulate the Salish Sea, which includes the Strait of Georgia, Juan de Fuca Strait and Puget Sound. Mike Devlin reports. (Times Colonist)

Oregon and Washington delay crab season because of toxin
Oregon and Washington have joined California in delaying the start of their commercial crab seasons after dangerous toxin levels were found in the crabs. Officials say elevated levels of domoic acid were found in crabs in all three states. The toxin is naturally produced by microscopic algae in the Pacific Ocean, but the massive bloom of algae caused by warming ocean conditions this year has led to more toxins produced and consumed by shellfish. California had already delayed the Nov. 15 start of its season after finding dangerous levels of the toxin. (Associated Press)

Agencies honored for cleanup of Dungeness Bay, upgrading of shellfish beds
Collaboration among many agencies improved shellfish harvesting in Dungeness Bay, said the director of the Puget Sound Partnership at a ceremony honoring those who worked to clean up the bay. Members of the Sequim-Dungeness Clean Water Work Group were recognized Friday afternoon for their work to upgrade 728 acres of harvestable shellfish beds in Dungeness Bay. Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

King County judge denies kids’ petition on climate change
A judge has denied an appeal by eight young activists who petitioned Washington state to adopt stricter science-based regulations to protect them against climate change. King County Superior Court Judge Hollis Hill affirmed some of the children’s arguments, saying the state has a duty to protect natural resources for future generations. But she said the Washington Department of Ecology is already working on meeting that obligation by writing new rules for greenhouse-gas emissions ordered by Gov. Jay Inslee. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Coal export terminals: A source of jobs, or coal dust and climate change?
Two proposed coal export terminals in Washington are now undergoing environmental reviews. During an Oct. 19, 2015, visit to the proposed terminal site in Longview, a local resident explains why she opposes the coal terminal being built. Meanwhile, lawmakers from Washington, Wyoming and Montana told reporters at a press conference at the site that they need the jobs and economic boost the coal terminal would bring. Melissa Santos reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Coal not going away anytime soon despite renewables push
Coal: Can’t live with it and can’t live without it, at least not yet. It is the biggest source of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that negotiators around the world hope to limit in an agreement soon to be thrashed out in Paris. Demand for coal is leveling off, but it will remain a key energy source for decades, no matter how many billions of dollars of investment go into cleaner energy like wind and solar. Too much of the world depends on it for heating and power generation to suddenly live without it. Louise Watt reports. (Associated Press)

Analysis: Pressure to cut climate gases poses challenges for LNG
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new Liberal government and Christy Clark’s B.C. government get more serious about reducing carbon emissions, the nascent liquefied natural gas sector could face new challenges. Trudeau is meeting with premiers Monday to discuss the country’s strategy at climate talks in Paris next month, where countries will set new emissions targets. He has said his government will put a price on carbon, set emission-reduction targets and adopt tougher environmental reviews for energy projects. Gordon Hoekstra writes. (Vancouver Sun)

ConocoPhillips approves $900 million project in National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
ConocoPhillips has approved funding for its Greater Mooses Tooth development on Alaska's North Slope, a $900 million project expected to yield 30,000 barrels of oil daily at its peak. Production is expected to begin in 2018 at the field in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, an Indiana-sized Arctic reserve. Production at the field would be the first time oil has flowed from federal lands on the reserve. Oil also recently began flowing from the oil company's CD5 project within the reserve boundaries, but that was on land owned by Alaska Native corporations. Alex DeMarban reports. (Alaska Dispatch News)

Births Down and Deaths Up in Gulf Dolphins Affected by Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
…. This trend of reproductive failure and death in Gulf dolphins over five years of monitoring after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill is outlined in a November 2015 study led by NOAA and published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the Royal Society. Of the 10 Barataria Bay dolphins confirmed to be pregnant during the 2011 health assessment, only two successfully gave birth to calves that have survived. This unusually low rate of reproductive success—only 20%—stands in contrast to the 83% success rate in the generally healthier dolphins being studied in Florida's Sarasota Bay, an area not affected by Deepwater Horizon oil. (NOAA)

Costco says it won’t sell genetically modified salmon
Costco said Friday it does not intend to sell genetically modified salmon at this time, joining a list of retailers that say they will not sell the fish despite the approval Thursday by the federal Food and Drug Administration of such fish for human consumption. “Although the FDA has approved the sale of GM salmon, Costco has not sold and does not intend to sell GM salmon at this time,” the warehouse store chain said in a statement Friday. (Seattle Times, Associated Press)

Shell fined $77,000 for incident that caused odor
Shell Puget Sound Refinery was fined $77,000 on Nov. 10 for a February incident that brought numerous complaints of an odor. The state Department of Labor & Industries fined the refinery for two violations relating to improper operation of a flare, a gas combustion device that burns off substances that shouldn’t go airborne. The flare also prevents fires or explosions. The more serious violation alleges the refinery skipped decontamination steps when shutting down a flare for maintenance. Skipping those steps exposed workers to toxic substances, according to Labor & Industries. Aaron Weinberg reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Metro composting company seeks permit for higher emissions
Organics composter Harvest Power is seeking an air quality permit to increase its “authorized emissions” after significantly exceeding air and odour emissions for the past two years. The Richmond-based company, which composts most of Metro Vancouver’s food scraps, has asked the regional district to approve a permit based on “characterization studies” over the past two years that show emissions were more significant than expected, in some cases 11 times higher for certain compounds. Kelly Sinoski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Bremerton: Sewer saltwater coming from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
More saltwater is flowing into city sewers from the Navy’s home base, putting the city’s sewers at risk, the Kitsap Sun reported. While saltwater is not unusual in a sewer system surrounded by Puget Sound, the increased amount of saltwater could increase corrosion, rust and increase odors in the city’s system, the paper reported. The saltwater amounts are double their usual levels, Pat Coxon, the city’s wastewater treatment manager told the Sun. City and Navy officials have not been able to solve the problem, the Sun reported. John White reports. (KCPQ)

Feiro Marine Life Center preparing to say goodbye to Ursula the octopus as time for her release nears
Ursula, a giant Pacific octopus has been living at the Feiro Marine Life Center for over a year and a half, but now it’s time to go. Ursula has been living at the center on City Pier since February 2014 when she was caught at Freshwater Bay. Mark Swanson reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Anacortes fifth-graders help restore Bowman Bay
Bracing against the wind at Deception Pass State Park’s Bowman Bay, 10-year-old EmmaLee Grove put the force of her entire body into digging a hole on the beach’s newly restored shoreline. When the hole was sufficiently deep, EmmaLee and her best friend Kadence Yonkman placed the roots of a small, leafless tree — which they had named Wilbur — into it, then covered the roots with rich, dark gray mud. Kera Wanielista reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 232 AM PST MON NOV 23 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT THIS AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 14 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN
 THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 10 FT AT
 11 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"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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11/19 Statoil drill, sea rise, BC scallops, greenhouse gas, San Juan ridge, derelict boats, Fort Nisqually

Great Gray Owl (BirdNote)

The Ears of an Owl
Exactly where are an owl's ears? Well, the eyes of this Great Gray Owl are set in a broad, dish-shaped face. Ridges of tiny hair-like feathers rim the owl's face, creating "facial disks." Just below the margins of the facial disks, concealed by feathers, are the openings to the owl's ears. The facial disk acts as a sound collector — like an old-fashioned ear trumpet — and guides sound to asymmetrically placed ears. There's always more to learn about owls' ears! (BirdNote)

Another big global oil company abandons plans for Arctic offshore drilling in Alaska
The government-owned Norwegian firm Statoil said Tuesday it is pulling out of oil leases in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, just two months after Shell Oil abandoned its $7 billion Arctic program after drilling an unsuccessful well…. The company cited “recent exploration results in neighboring leases,” a direct reference to Shell’s failure. Statoil is walking away from 16 leases along with 50 stakes in ConocoPhillips leases. The leases were due to expire in 2020. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

If you dare to watch: The Coming of Climate Change and Mass Inundation of the Puget Sound
The progressive change that sea level rise could have locally is obvious. Entire communities like low-laying Georgetown and South Park could be swept away. Pioneer Square could finally sink back into Elliott Bay. And even Seattle's industrial economic engines south of Downtown — as widespread as the Green River Valley — could be permanently submerged. Only the freeways of I-5 and I-405 that once served them would remain, and that's merely because they're on higher ground. Stephen Fesler reports. (The Urbanist)

The B.C. Scallop Farmer's Acid Test
Rob Saunders points a flashlight into the depths of an immense plastic tank at his hatchery, illuminating millions of scallop larvae as tiny as dust particles. "Think of these as canaries in a coal mine," says the marine biologist turned embattled shellfish farming CEO. It is here at Island Scallops' facility in Qualicum Beach, located just inland from British Columbia’s shellfish farming epicentre of Baynes Sound, that ocean acidification wreaked havoc. Beginning in 2011, the company's scallop brood stock (adult shellfish bred over 25 years to be disease-resistant and exceptionally meaty), began to die. Christopher Pollon reports. (The Tyee)

Washington State Plowing Ahead With Greenhouse Gas Limits
The administration of Washington Governor Jay Inslee is moving ahead with a plan to limit greenhouse gas pollution from the state's largest industrial sources. State regulators fielded dozens of questions Wednesday about the efficacy, design and compliance costs of the proposal to slow climate change…. In late summer, Governor Inslee asked the Ecology Department to develop quickly what he called a "cap and reduce program." The carbon pollution limit ratchets down over time. Tom Banse reports. (KUOW)

Another Mount Constitution? Islanders unite to preserve San Juan ridge for views, trails
Approached on a winding road that leads from Friday Harbor, squat Mount Grant is cloaked under a canopy of old-growth trees, shrouding it from islanders who live on the pastoral lands at its feet. Virtually unbeknown to neighbors, it has long held one of the island’s great secrets: the 740-foot ridge’s spectacular views, taking in postcard vistas of surrounding islands, the Olympic Mountains, Mount Baker, the Twin Sisters — and, on a clear day, Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak…. Mount Grant has the potential to be the Mount Constitution of San Juan Island, said San Juan Preservation Trust executive director Tim Seifert, referring to the famed viewpoint on neighboring Orcas Island. Tan Vinh reports. (Seattle Times)

Victoria won’t make waves on derelict boat problem
Victoria will take a “slow and steady” approach to clearing out derelicts and other boats moored in the Gorge waterway, says Mayor Lisa Helps…. The city has been working for about two years to find a way to deal with the boats, some derelict, anchored just northwest of the Selkirk Trestle off Banfield Park. In the summer of 2014, councillors adopted a bylaw to rezone the waterway for recreational use only. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Future of Fort Nisqually public input wanted
Metro Park Tacoma is looking for public input on the future of Fort Nisqually. The board recently approved the Point Defiance Park Master Plan, so the next phase is public meetings to help refine programs and improvements on several focus areas within in the park…. Stepping into Fort Nisqually is like stepping back in time and seeing what life was like pre-Civil War. Fort Nisqually first opened in 1833, even before Washington was a state. British-based Hudson's Bay Co. established the first non-native settlement in the Puget Sound Region. The living and walking museum runs some amazing programs, camps, and tours. Teresa Yuan reports. (KING)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 316 AM PST THU NOV 19 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
NE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
NE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
--
"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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10/26 J53, boat deaths, culvert fix, shellfish land, marine protection, port vote, divestment, BC LNG

J17 and calf J53 (Simon Pidcock of Ocean EcoVentures/Seattle Times)

Experts have high hopes for survival of latest baby orca
The sixth orca calf born since December — and the fourth born into J pod — was spotted off the west coast of San Juan Island on Saturday. Two years of robust chinook salmon runs are being credited for the baby boom…. First spotted off the west coast of San Juan Island, J53 was a bit of a surprise and is the fourth calf born to J17 — a 38-year-old whale who is a grandmother to other orcas, J46 and J47, [according to Michael Harris of the Pacific Whale Watch Association.] Sara Jean Green reports. (Seattle Times)

1 still missing, 5 dead after whale watching boat capsizes off Tofino, B.C.  
Five people are dead and the search continues for one other after a whale watching boat capsized Sunday off the west coast of Vancouver Island, triggering a rescue effort that saw 21 others who were on board the vessel brought ashore. Lt.-Cmdr. Desmond James of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said the search for the missing person was called off late Sunday night and the RCMP was handling it as a missing-person case. (Canadian Press)

To help salmon, fixing culverts is key-- but state must find them all first
State officials were ordered more than two years ago to replace old culverts that block fish migration in the Puget Sound region. While the state is appealing that decision, officials are also making preparations to comply. And they’re realizing all their work could be for naught if they don’t fix other fish barriers, too — even ones that aren’t covered by the 2013 court injunction. Culverts are typically large pipes that allow water to pass under roadways. But they often block salmon and steelhead from reaching spawning grounds. That’s where state officials run into a problem: They don’t know where all the fish-blocking culverts in the state are, particularly the ones owned by city and county governments. Melissa Santos reports. (Olympian)

Taylor Shellfish sells land to state for conservation
Fifteen acres of land near the Taylor Shellfish hatchery has been added to the state-managed Dabob Bay Natural Area, the Northwest Watershed Institute announced. Taylor Shellfish Company sold four parcels totaling 15 acres of forested shoreline along Dabob Bay near Quilcene to the state Department of Natural Resources for $440,000 last month, said Peter Bahls, director of the nonprofit institute, which helped coordinate the project. (Peninsula Daily News)

More of the planet was protected in 2015 than ever. Few noticed because it was underwater
The Pacific island nation of Palau’s announced Thursday that it is designating a 193,000-square-mile fully protected marine reserve that would be the sixth largest such area in the world and would help protect over a thousand species of fish and some 700 species of coral. The news is even more momentous given that plans to set aside over 1 million square miles of highly protected ocean have now been announced in 2015 alone, more than during any prior year, according to figures provided by the Pew Charitable Trusts. That is an area bigger than Alaska and Texas combined. Chris Mooney and Juliet Eilperin report. (Washington Post)

Port of Seattle candidates’ views similar, backgrounds differ
The Port of Seattle commission seat that drew nine candidates for the primary is now a battle between two candidates who want to create jobs and expand business, but in an environmentally positive way. While the two candidates have similar positions on Port politics, their backgrounds set them apart: Fred Felleman’s experience is in maritime while Marion Yoshino’s is in economic development in airport communities. Coral Garnick reports. (Seattle Times)

‘Kayakctivists’ take their divestment cause to a famous Medina address
If Bill and Melinda had gazed out over Lake Washington from their home on Saturday afternoon, they would have been treated to Seattle area’s latest “Kayakctivist” demonstration, and the chant: “Be the leader, Be the best, Do the right thing, Gates divest.” Ex-Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and 34 other activists braved the weather — it often rains when McGinn does waterfront events — in hopes of persuading the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to jettison oil and coal stocks from its multi-billion-dollar portfolio. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

LNG line eyes new route over aboriginal concerns
TransCanada is making pipeline route changes to lock up First Nation support for a leading proposed liquefied natural gas mega-project on the northwest coast of B.C. The Calgary-based company has announced it will apply in November for an alternative route along a stretch of the pipeline on its $4.7-billion Coastal GasLink project that will supply the Shell-led LNG Canada export terminal with a price tag of $40 billion. TransCanada said it did so after “extensive” consultations with aboriginal groups in the area of the alternative route. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT SUN OCT 25 2015
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
MON
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT IN THE MORNING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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10/20 Liberal win, weather cams, Hood Canal shellfish, Shell oil trains

Kingfisher (Tony Angell/BirdNote)

Tony Angell Reflects on Nature
Tony Angell, gazing on Puget Sound, writes: "From the beach below, that evocative perfume of the sea, decaying kelp, is wafted up on the breeze... Near the shore, disputing kingfishers rattle in their mercenary manner, chasing one another... Behind me, in the woods, a Cooper's hawk chants and ravens chortle and croak, composing poems and telling jokes. For the moment, at least, all is right with the world." You can read more in Puget Sound Through an Artist's Eye. (BirdNote)

Justin Trudeau to be prime minister as Liberals surge to majority
Justin Trudeau will be Canada's next prime minister after leading the Liberal Party to a stunning majority government win, dashing the hopes of Stephen Harper, who had been seeking his fourth consecutive mandate, CBC News has projected. This will be the second time Canada will be led by a Trudeau, as the Liberal leader follows in the footsteps of his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who served as prime minister for almost 16 years before retiring in 1984. Mark Gollom reports. (CBC) Results: Everything you want to know about last night's election  (CBC) Election 2015: 5 B.C. storylines from election night  (CBC)

If you like to watch: Best Northwest Weather Webcams
One of the great advances in weather observations during the past few years has been the advent of high-definition weather webcams that allows one to enjoy high-resolution views of sky, usually including informative animations.    In addition, there has been an explosion of moderate-resolution webcams all over the region and nation that allows one to explore the weather virtually. Cliff Mass reports. (Weather Blog)

S’Klallam Tribe proposes shellfish nursery to aid Hood Canal
The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe is looking to boost the oyster population in Hood Canal by building a shellfish nursery. The Kitsap Sun reports the tribe has submitted a development permit for a 1-acre structure that would float in the middle of Port Gamble Bay and produce up to 12 million oysters annually. S’Klallam Natural Resources Director Paul McCollum says the oyster population in the Hood Canal has declined over the years, which scientists attribute to ocean acidification. He says the nursery would increase the survival rate. (Associated Press)

Residents raise concerns about additional oil trains
Hundreds of people gathered Monday in Lynnwood to raise concerns about Shell's plan to transport additional oil trains through the region. Crude oil shipments have been transported by train from Montana and North Dakota to Washington since 2012. But additional trains carrying crude oil to a proposed Shell Oil rail unloading facility in Anacortes is creating pushback from the public.  The new site would be approximately 50 acres and would include three miles of new train track. On Monday night there was a protest outside the Lynnwood Convention Center before a planned public hearing. Russ Bowen reports. (KOMO)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 241 AM PDT TUE OCT 20 2015
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

--
"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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10/15 Shellfish areas, Kply cleanup, oil port fires, Woodfibre LNG, Whatcom coal fight

(Andy Bronson/Everett Herald)

Photo: Great blue heron seeks a soft landing
A great blue heron on a fishing expedition prepares to land by GoGo’s Lake on Fourth St. SE Wednesday. The road leads into Spencer Island Park in Everett. (Everett Herald)

1,000 acres of Puget Sound shellfish harvesting areas open
Washington health officials say they've been able to open about 1,000 acres of shellfish harvesting areas in Puget Sound thanks to improved water quality. The pollution-reduction efforts included eliminating pollution sources, modifications in wastewater treatment and inspections of private septic systems. The biggest area to re-open was about 700 acres in Clallam County's Dungeness Bay. Other recent successes were at Ketron Island in Pierce County and Poverty Bay in King County. (Associated Press)

Port Angeles KPly site cleanup costs climb $2.13 million due to more contaminated soil
Dirty dirt costs a lot to dump. The price of cleaning up the former KPly mill site on Marine Drive leaped another $2.13 million Tuesday thanks to the need to truck away 16,600 more tons of contaminated soil. That comes atop the $1.36 million Port of Port Angeles commissioners approved last month for an additional 15,000 tons of soil that's been fouled by a variety of fuels, other hydrocarbons and assorted pollutants. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Vancouver [WA] firefighters union opposes oil terminal at port  Citing threats to public safety, the head of Vancouver’s firefighters union  told Port of Vancouver commissioners Tuesday that the union opposes a proposal to build the nation’s largest rail-to-ship oil-transfer terminal at the Port of Vancouver. The city is “not staffed appropriately” and “we don’t have the training, and we don’t have the equipment to effectively respond to an emergency at the oil terminal,” Mark Johnston, president of the Vancouver Firefighters Union IAFF Local 452, told port commissioners during the port’s regular public meeting. The meeting was packed with opponents of the oil terminal (one attendee spoke favorably about the terminal) who blasted the port for hiding information from people and ignoring their safety concerns. Aaron Corvin reports. (Columbian)

Squamish First Nation approves environmental agreement for Woodfibre LNG
The Squamish First Nation council voted Wednesday to approve an environmental assessment agreement for the controversial $1.6-billion Woodfibre LNG project that has divided its own band members. Squamish Chief Ian Campbell said in an interview that the agreement is an important step in the development's ultimate approval. Similar agreements remain to be signed with FortisBC and the B.C. government. Economic impact benefit agreements also remain to be negotiated. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Coal fight spills into Whatcom’s ‘constitution’
Coal interests and environmentalists have pitched a war of words and money over propositions on the Nov. 3 ballot in Whatcom County. None of the moves have proved to be illegal. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 241 AM PDT THU OCT 15 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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10/12 Oil export, Grays Harbor, diesel, microbead ban, coral bleach, smokers, Gov Pt., Padden Cr.

Elwha 10/9/15 (Tom Roorda and CWI)

House Votes to Lift Oil-Export Ban
The House voted Friday to lift the 40-year-old ban on oil exports, fueling a clash with President Barack Obama and acting on one of the oil industry’s top congressional priorities. Lawmakers voted 261-159 to lift a ban Congress first put in place after the 1970s Arab oil embargo that sent domestic gasoline prices skyrocketing. Debate on the issue now shifts to the Senate, where the measure faces steep hurdles to passage. Amy Harder reports. (Wall Street Journal)

Hundreds testify on Grays Harbor oil terminal plan
A few hundred people testified at a hearing on two proposed oil terminals at the Port of Grays Harbor in Hoquiam. Westway Terminal Co. and Renewable Energy Group want to expand existing facilities to bring crude oil by train from the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana to send it by tankers or barges to refineries in Puget Sound and Northern California. KXRO-AM reported that protesters from Grays Harbor, Olympia, Vancouver and Portland rallied before Thursday’s public hearing in Aberdeen. Hoquiam City Administrator Brian Shay acknowledged concerns about train traffic, oil spill risk and air quality. (Associated Press)

'Smell Of Money' Polluted This South Seattle Neighborhood
Tugboat captain Dave Stauffer used to reek of diesel. “It’s just the smell of a boat,” Stauffer says. “Just like standing by a fire, you’re going to get some of that smoke on your clothes.” Stauffer’s wife also grew used to the smell. “She’d say, ‘That’s the smell of money,’” he says. The veteran captain no longer smells like fuel because the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency helped Island Tug and Barge buy cleaner engines that don’t emit such strong fumes. Joshua McNichols reports. (KUOW)

California Becomes Latest State to Ban Plastic Microbeads
Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed legislation on Thursday that bans plastic microbeads, giving his state one of the country’s strongest laws against the tiny abrasives used in exfoliators and other products…. The consumer products industry had objected to certain aspects of the bill, arguing that it was overly restrictive and did not allow companies to come up with environmentally friendly alternatives. The California rules include a prohibition against biodegradable microbeads, which other states with similar legislation allow. At least six other states have passed laws restricting microbeads, including Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland and New Jersey. Rachel Abramsoct reports. (NY Times)

Scientists: Major coral bleaching crisis spreads worldwide
The bleaching of colorful coral is spreading into a worldwide, devastating crisis, scientists say, and they predict it will likely get worse. Triggered by global warming and the El Nino, record hot ocean water is causing fragile coral to go white and often die, threatening picturesque reefs that are hotspots of marine life, experts say. The spread of sickly white started more than a year ago in Guam, then devastated Hawaii, infected the rest of the tropical Pacific and the Indian oceans and has now infested Florida and the Caribbean. On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and international reef scientists pronounced it a global coral bleaching event, only the third in recorded history. Seth Borenstein reports. Associated Press)

If you like to watch: Smoke Underwater: Exploring B.C.'s Sunken Treasures
They’re one of the planet’s most hostile environments: Towering chimneys pouring out hot, poisonous smoke from cracks in the earth. The valuable metals they spew into the sea could be a literal gold mine, but scientists still have much to learn about the undersea marvels and the teeming life around them. Justine Hunter joined a crew of researchers mapping out the deep. (Globe and Mail)

OPINION: Stop political inaction, clean up Puget Sound — now
Puget Sound is a deceptive wonder. Its haunting beauty obscures the slow-flowing poison of urban runoff and the lowering of pH from ocean acidification. The result imperils shellfish and marine life. The jewel of Western Washington, Puget Sound is at risk. As The Seattle Times’ Sandi Doughton reports, urban stormwater runoff can kill an adult coho salmon in 2 ½ hours. So why does the health of the sound rank lower with the federal government than addressing pollution threats to Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes? In a word: politics. (Seatttle Times)

No takers at Governors Point auction
Conservation group Whatcom Land Trust has renewed interest in preserving Governors Point after the cancellation of a bankruptcy auction where the peninsula’s 125 mostly undeveloped acres were to be sold. Bids were to start at $3.5 million on Thursday, Oct. 8, at an auction intended to raise money for property owner Roger Sahlin’s creditors. Sahlin, whose family has owned the peninsula off of Chuckanut Drive south of Bellingham since the 1960s, sought Chapter 11 protection in May. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

More Clallam County beaches reopened to recreational shellfish harvesting
Beaches along the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Cape Flattery eastward to the Jefferson County line, except for Sequim Bay, are open for the recreational harvest of all species of shellfish. At one point this summer, all beaches in Clallam County were closed for shellfish harvesting because of elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning, known as PSP. In September, beaches from the Lyre River and Low Point east to Dungeness Spit were reopened. On Friday, the state Department of Health reopened the rest of the beaches along the Strait. (Peninsula Daily News)

Padden Creek flows into new channel in ‘daylighting’ project
Neighbors gathered Friday, Oct. 9, to watch a temporary dam being removed from part of Padden Creek off Old Fairhaven Parkway. Crews pulled out the last cofferdam near 22nd Street to allow the creek to flow, marking a milestone in the $2.8 million Padden Creek “daylighting” project, which is expected to wrap up in early November. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON OCT 12 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 12 SECONDS BUILDING TO 11 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING NW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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9/18 Wildlife watch,,BC oysters, PA crabs, ferry link, salamanders, CA ESA, oil export ban, rail safety

Wolf, Pacific Wild (Ian McAllister/CBC)

If you like to watch: Great Bear Rainforest live cams capture wolves, seals and salmon at play
Now you can catch sea wolves playing, seals scratching themselves or salmon jumping from a stream through three live stream cameras set up in the Great Bear Rainforest. The Great Bear LIVE program has installed what it describes as non-invasive technology that captures the animals in their element. "It's a unique opportunity for people to see first hand what is happening here and see animals behaving in a natural way," explained Diana Chan, conservation biologist with Pacific Wild. Watch the live stream. (CBC)

If you like to watch: Transient orcas catch sea lion near Lopez Island
A private whale watching tour witnesses a group of transient orcas hunting for a meal. In this case, members of the T-137 group attacked a thousand-pound Stellar sea lion. According to Mystic Sea Charters, passenger Mike caught the hunt near Lopez Island on camera. Elizabeth Wiley reports. (KING)

B.C. raw oyster ban lifted by Vancouver Coastal Health
Oyster growers in B.C. are back in business after Vancouver Coastal Health lifted the ban on serving raw oysters that's been in place since August. All restaurants under VCH's jurisdiction have been required to cook any oysters served up to customers after an outbreak of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection. (CBC)

Study: Eating large amounts of Port Angeles Harbor crab could raise risks of cancer
Eating a lot of crab from Port Angeles Harbor could increase the risk of cancer, according to 13-year-old research presented to the Clallam County Board of Health on Tuesday. The report issued in February 2005 stems from samples taken in 2002 mostly off the old Rayonier mill site, a firmer pulp mill that became a cleanup site in 2000. In 2007, a health warning against eating crab or shellfish from the harbor was issued. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

New ferry would link Victoria and Vancouver downtowns
A foot passenger ferry service between Vancouver and Victoria could soon be operating out of the Inner Harbour’s historic CPR Steamship Terminal, along with a deep ocean education centre affiliated with the University of Victoria. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority said Wednesday that it is negotiating long-term leases with two potential tenants: Riverside Marine, a major Australian marine operator and Ocean Networks Canada, which operates the NEPTUNE and VENUS cabled ocean observatories. Not only would the two potential tenants make the money-losing harbour authority viable, said CEO Ian Robertson, but help return the building to its maritime origins dating to 1905. He hopes tenancy agreements will be worked out by mid-November. Katherine Dedyna reports. (Times Colonist)

Pacific Northwest Salamanders May Qualify For Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says two salamanders in Oregon and Washington may qualify for Endangered Species Act protection. The findings on Tuesday about the Cascade torrent salamander and Columbia torrent salamander mean the agency will initiate full status reviews for the species to see if they warrant protection. The findings come in response to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity. The Center first asked for protection for the salamanders in 2012. The petition said they are increasingly rare because of habitat loss due primarily to logging and road building. The four-inch brown salamanders live in forest streams and are found only in a small stretch of the Cascades and Coast range. (Associated Press)

Canada sidesteps protection of endangered fish, study finds
Endangered and threatened marine fish species in Canada are routinely refused protection by the federal government, contrary to scientists' recommendations, a new study has found. In fact, the more endangered the fish are, the less likely they are to get protection under Canada's endangered species legislation, researchers at the University of Victoria and the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax report. "It's a bit of a perverse outcome," Julia Baum, a University of Victoria biologist who co-authored the report, said during an interview with CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks that airs Saturday…. And while the federal government says that species that aren't listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) will still get protection under the Fisheries Act, Baum and her colleagues found "absolutely no evidence" that that has ever happened. (CBC)

Chambers Creek dog park, beach reopen Friday
The off-leash dog park and access to the beach at Chambers Creek Regional Park will open Friday (Sept. 18)…. Close to 800 creosote piles and two dilapidated docks were removed from the water and beach area. Removal work began last fall but was completed during the park’s extended closure after the U.S. Open golf championship June 15-21 at the county-owned park and golf course. The piles and cement structures removed from the waterfront were left over from the site’s former operation as a gravel mine. Brynn Grimley reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

House moves one step closer to lifting ban on crude oil exports
The House Energy and Commerce Committee took a major step Thursday toward allowing crude oil exports from the United States. Three Democrats joined all of the Republicans on Thursday in voting for a bill that would lift the decades-old ban on exports. The tally was 31-19. The vote sends the legislation to the full House for final passage, something that Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said would happen in the coming weeks. Republicans said the bill would benefit the economy, jobs, national security and other areas, while most Democrats decried it as a giveaway to oil companies that would threaten energy prices. Timothy Cama reports. (The Hill) See also: Does Anyone Even Want to Buy Crude Oil From the U.S.?  Sheela Tobben and Mark Shenk report. (Bloomberg)

Rail service crisis looms as Congress looks to modify safety law
President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the nation’s rail safety agency told lawmakers Thursday that the agency would hold railroads to a year-end deadline to install collision-avoidance technology even if it meant that freight and passengers could be left stranded. Congress set a Dec. 31, 2015, deadline for railroads to implement positive train control back in 2008. The Government Accountability Office reported Wednesday that few companies would actually make the deadline. That conclusion was no surprise: The GAO had warned Congress of it in another report two years ago. While lawmakers sought guidance from Sarah Feinberg, the Federal Railroad Administration’s acting administrator, on what she thought they should do about it, she told them that whether and how to extend the deadline was up to them. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

Court date set for Cape Roger Curtis dock lawsuit
A hearing date has been set for November 16 and 17 for a lawsuit filed by two property owners on Cape Roger Curtis against the municipality. The landowners want the courts to set aside Bylaw No. 381, 2015 which does not allow the building of any further docks at Cape Roger Curtis. They received permission from the province to build their docks 10 days prior to the adoption of the bylaw. Martha Perkins reports. (Bowen Island Undercurrent)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI SEP 18 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 14 SECONDS. A
 CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE
 OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.
SAT
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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9/15 Navy sonar, whale watching, killer 'blob,' Cornwall cleanup, small coho, fishing lines, BC water

(PHOTO: Associated Press/BBC)

US Navy limits 'whale-harming' sonar in Pacific
The US Navy has agreed to limit its use of sonar that may inadvertently harm whales and dolphins in waters near Hawaii and California. A federal judge in Honolulu signed the deal between the Navy and environmental groups on Monday. It restricts or bans the use of mid-frequency active sonar and explosives used in training exercises. Campaigners say that sonar disrupts the feeding of marine mammals, and can even cause deafness or death. An explosives training exercise in San Diego four years ago killed four dolphins, Earthjustice lawyer David Henkin said when announcing the agreement. (BBC)

Baby Orcas And Gloomy Future: Can Whale Watching Help?
s it ethical to go whale watching? Boats sometimes interfere with whales’ ability to hunt and eat. But whale watching can also connect people with conservation. And that could help the group of orcas that are resident in Puget Sound. The recent arrival of another baby orca in that so-called southern resident group (see photos in the slideshow above) has tickled whale watchers in the San Juan Islands…. David Hyde talks to tour boat skipper Dan Wilkes and author David Niewert about whale watching in the San Juan Islands. (KUOW)

Dead whales in Pacific could be fault of the Blob
Scientists believe the mysterious deaths of more than two dozen whales in B.C. and Alaska since May are probably related to the so-called "Blob" of warm water in the Pacific Ocean. The Blob is a 1,600 kilometre wide patch of warmer-than-usual water that has been linked to several anomalies in the Pacific, including a massive toxic algae bloom that contaminates the krill and sardines that many whales eat. (CBC) See also: Grey whale spotted frolicking in West Vancouver

Cleanup for future waterfront park could cost $16 million
It could cost $16 million to clean up contaminated soil on property that will one day be part of the city’s waterfront park at the end of Cornwall Avenue. The city of Bellingham, with oversight from the Washington state Department of Ecology, has completed a study of toxic chemicals found on what’s known as the R.G. Haley site as well as cleanup options. Ecology will hold a Thursday, Sept. 17 meeting about the project that will include a discussion of the preferred cleanup for the property at Cornwall Avenue, near Wharf Street. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Edmonds Coho Derby produces smallest winning fish in the derby’s history, but plenty of fish around to catch in Puget Sound
The Edmonds Coho Derby hosted by the Sno-King Puget Sound Anglers sold close to 1,000 tickets and had 287 coho weighed-in on Saturday under great weather conditions, but the concern lies within the sheer size of the fish. “The winning fish was (7.480 pounds), and was a record low size for the derby’s winning fish and that is just the tip of iceberg,” said Tony Floor, director of fishing affairs for the Northwest Marine Trade Association in Seattle. “I saw more 2 and 2 ½ pound fish than I’ve ever seen in my life, and they looked more like small resident coho than the mature fish type.” Mark Yusaa reports. (Seattle Times)

Fighting fishing line litter
Volunteer Don Coleman never knows what to expect when he visits Fidalgo Island boat launches to empty plastic tubes of their contents. More often than he would like, he finds trash such as cigarette packs, beer cans and juice boxes. The tubes are there so fishermen have a place to put used fishing line, also called monofilament. Fishing line that is left in the water or sent to landfills can last hundreds of years and harm animals. That’s why Coleman and Catherine Buchalski launched a Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program in Skagit County last year through the WSU-Skagit County Beach Watchers. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Some Clallam County beaches reopen to shellfish harvesting
The recreational harvest of all types of shellfish has reopened along the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Clallam County from the Lyre River and Low Point east to Dungeness Spit. Previously, all Clallam County beaches along the Strait of Juan de Fuca were closed to harvesting.  The state Department of Health announced the change Monday after recent tests for marine biotoxins in shellfish came back meeting safety guidelines. (Peninsula Daily News)

New law gives B.C. more authority involving water use; Legislation comes into effect Jan. 1
Hans Schreier has spent a career studying B.C.’s water supply, charting a resource that most of the province seemed to ignore until this summer’s drought. “I worked for 30 years in water and nobody cared,” said Schreier, a University of B.C. emeritus professor of watershed management. “Now everybody wants information.” A scorching hot summer, abnormally low rainfall and dwindling reservoirs meant there wasn’t enough water to sprinkle lawns, fill pools or wash cars in Metro Vancouver and many other cities across B.C. Suddenly, interest spiked in understanding how the province protects and allocates its newest precious resource. Rob Shaw reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE SEP 15 2015
TODAY
S WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN
 THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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8/21 Fires, floating LNG, safe oil pipe, derailment, bad oysters, hot weather, Rainier glaciers, BC whales

(Steve Spitzer/BirdNote)

The Crow and the Gull
Crows and gulls are opportunists - grabbing a bite wherever, whenever, however they can. Listener Nick Woodiwiss of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, wrote to BirdNote about a funny scene between an American Crow and a Glaucous-winged Gull on the beach. Can you guess who wins? (BirdNote)

Weather service issues ‘red-flag warning’ in North Cascades
The warning foreshadows worsening weather conditions — high winds throughout the Okanogan Valley will make things even more difficult for firefighters. Jack Broom reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Washington Under Siege By Fire: 'We Are Understaffed And Underequipped'   Ross Reynolds and Liz Jones report. (KUOW)

If you like to watch: Remembering 'The Big Burn' That Scorched The West http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/remembering-a-big-burn-that-scorched-the-west/
Thursday is the 105th anniversary of what’s been dubbed “The Big Burn,” a devastating wildfire that burned three million acres in Washington, Idaho and Montana, killing 80 people and changing the entire U.S. approach to forest fires. With fires again raging across the west, Idaho Public Broadcasting has shared this video about the 1910 conflagration, originally aired on the program Outdoor Idaho. (OPB)

New blog: Are You An Environmental Racist?
Think about it: The disappearance of the wild and its wildlife is often attributed to too many people. Who do you think “those people” are? Do they look like you, talk like you, share your values? If they don’t, who are “those people?”

Floating LNG plant proposed for Saanich Inlet
The Malahat First Nation and Steelhead LNG are proposing a floating liquefied natural gas processing facility offshore in Saanich Inlet. It would be capable of processing six million tonnes of natural gas annually. Cost of the project, the pipeline that will need to be built to bring gas to the Island for the Malahat LNG plant and Steelhead's other proposed LNG plant near Port Alberni, and the financial consideration paid to the Malahat First Nation as part of a mutual benefits agreement were not disclosed. The project would see a floating LNG facility built on the foreshore at the Bamberton site, which the Malahat First Nation bought last month. Andrew Duffy and Lindsay Kines report. (Times Colonist)

Trans Mountain tells NEB pipeline expansion is ‘safe and viable option’
An expanded Trans Mountain pipeline would add $18.2 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product over 20 years, benefit First Nations and reduce environmental harm, Kinder Morgan says. The energy giant filed its final written submissions to the National Energy Board on Thursday, arguing the $5.4-billion proposal is a safe and viable option to transport diluted bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands to British Columbia’s coast. Laura Kane reports. (Canadian Press)

BNSF caboose derails near Cherry Point in Whatcom County
The caboose of a BNSF train hauling 20 cars of petroleum coke product partially derailed Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 19, near Cherry Point in Whatcom County. No product spilled, no one was injured, and no hazardous materials were involved, said Gus Melonas, BNSF spokesman. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

B.C. oysters sold for eating raw are recalled
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced a recall of B.C. oysters harvested for eating raw, because of possible contamination by food-poisoning bacterium. The Canada-wide federal recall applies to oysters harvested for the raw market before Tuesday because they may contain the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The recall follows a move Monday by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority to ban restaurants in its area (most of the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast) from selling raw oysters, also because of possible Vibrio contamination. Richard Watts reports. (Times Colonist)

July Was Earth's Hottest Month On Record
Earth just keeps getting hotter. July was the planet’s warmest month on record, smashing old marks, U.S. weather officials said. And it’s almost a dead certain lock that this year will beat last year as the warmest year on record, they said. (Associated Press)

Mt Rainier's Glaciers Retreating, Likely At Fastest Rate Ever Seen In Summer's Heat
Mount Rainier is famous as the most glaciated peak in all of the United States. But the massive flows of ice and snow that cover the mountain are retreating rapidly, likely more rapidly than ever in the record warmth of this summer…. Park scientists have been measuring the glaciers’ retreat and have found they’re now melting six times faster than the historic rate. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

What's killing whales off B.C.-Alaska coast?
The large number of dead whales appearing along the coast of British Columbia and Alaska since May is raising alarms among scientists. Thirty dead whales have been detected in the Gulf of Alaska since May, representing a die-off more than three times the normal rate, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Another six dead stranded whales have been reported along B.C.'s north coast over the same time period, also a significant increase above annual seasonal numbers. Karin Larsen reports. (CBC) See also: Finding needles in a haystack on the B.C. coast It wasn’t your average whale-watch trip. The science crew aboard the Canadian Coast Guard ship John P. Tully documented almost 5,000 cetaceans during 483 sightings along about 1,600 nautical miles of the remote B.C. coast. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 249 AM PDT FRI AUG 21 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS
--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate
http://salishseanews.blogspot.com/

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http://salishseacommunications.blogspot.com/2011/10/salish-sea-communications-truth-well.html

8/20 Fires, sea sanctuary, Mukilteo stink, bad oysters, green Latinos, oil spills, salmon marsh

(8/16/15 NASA/KUOW)

Northwest Wildfires Photographed From Space
From space, the West looks like it’s on fire. In Washington state, brown smoke obscures the Cascades in these photos taken by a NASA  satellite. Most of the fires across the West have been triggered by lightning strikes, but years of drought have turned the forests bone dry. Anna King and Isolde Raftery report.(KUOW)

Could Vancouver be home to the first sea sanctuary for cetaceans?
Vancouver could be the site of the world’s first sea pen sanctuary for cetaceans, says a internationally prominent animal advocate. Dr. Lori Marino raised the idea during her visit to the city last month, and Whale Lab researcher from the University of Victoria, Dave Duffus, agrees…. Marino, the Utah-based executive director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, says a sanctuary site should be chosen not only for its geographical location but for the local public's attitude…. Marino spoke about an orca sanctuary in Vancouver at the Compassionate Conservation Conference in July. Cheryl Rossi reports. (Vancouver Observer)

State to use mist to stem the smell from pier work in Mukilteo
Following complaints from neighbors that removing creosote-soaked pilings from a former tank farm pier is creating headache-inducing fumes, the state Department of Ecology has approved a plan to mist the pilings with water to try to reduce the smell. The state ferry system’s request to use the misting machine was approved Tuesday, said Larry Altose, a Department of Ecology spokesman…. The pier is being demolished as part of a project to build a new $129 million ferry terminal, replacing the current 60-year-old terminal for the Mukilteo-Clinton route. Sharon Salyer reports. (Everett Herald)

B.C. oyster industry says recall too broad
B.C. oysters are popular in fine-dining circles, with varieties like the Kusshi and Stellar Bay garnering raves for their taste and texture. But thanks to a recall from Canada’s federal food safety agency, fewer of those B.C. oysters are likely to make it to diners’ plates and down their gullets – resulting in disappointment from sellers and producers who say the recall is too broad and doesn’t recognize that some oysters may be safer than others. Wendy Steuck reports. (Globe and Mail)

For Latinos, Environment Seems Just As Important As Immigration
An increasing amount of research suggests the environment — an issue that has long been seen within the purview of progressive, white liberals — is now increasingly important to Latinos. A new poll conducted by Latino Decisions (a polling firm focusing on Hispanics in America) on behalf of two environmental nonprofit groups — Earthjustice and GreenLatinos — finds that Latinos are deeply concerned about the environment and its potential impact on their families. Asma Khalid reports. (NPR)

UBCM to debate emergency response plan, compensation for oil spills
B.C. politicians will press for better emergency response and protection of wildlife from oil spills at the Union of B.C. Municipalities this fall, with Vancouver upping the ante by calling for compensation for communities affected by a spill. Vancouver, Sechelt and Port Moody have all put resolutions forward to the UBCM calling for more action from the provincial and federal governments, following an oil spill in April that saw 2,700 litres of bunker fuel foul English Bay. Kelly Sinoski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Wildlife biologist urges salt marsh for salmon in Vancouver harbour
Nick Page watches glistening fingerlings swim among the massive bull kelp at the New Brighton pier and hopes for a friendlier fish habitat in future. “We want to recreate the link between Hastings Park and New Brighton Park,” said the City of Vancouver wildlife biologist. Ian Austin reports. (Post Media News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU AUG 20 2015
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY DRIZZLE AND FOG THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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8/18 Fraser salmon closure, raw oyster ban, Shell drill, wildlife plan, tsunami, fin whales

Oystercatcher (Laurie MacBride)

Slowing Down for the Details
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "It seems like we’re often so busy rushing about, trying to get the “most” out of life, that we miss out on the delightful little details around us. The folks in the boat above, for instance, didn’t seem to notice the Black oystercatcher as they sped by. I’m not judging them – I’ve been in the same metaphorical boat myself, way too many times. But this was one occasion when I was grateful to be in the slow lane…."

Fraser River salmon fishing closes
The Fraser River has been closed to salmon fishing from its mouth all the way to the Alexandra Bridge north of Hope, thanks in part to record-high water temperatures. The closure came into effect Friday at midnight, according to notices from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. First Nations fisheries have also been closed. Bethany Lindsay reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Mainland raw-oyster ban slams industry
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which encompasses most of the Lower Mainland and a large chunk of the Sunshine Coast, instructed restaurants to stop serving oysters raw. It also warned consumers to cook oysters before eating them. B.C. shellfish farmers are reeling after Lower Mainland health officials ordered restaurants to stop serving raw oysters. Richard Watts reports. (Times Colonist)

Feds allow Shell to drill for oil in Arctic Ocean off Alaska
The federal government on Monday gave Royal Dutch Shell the final permit it needs to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s northwest coast for the first time in more than two decades. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced that it approved the permit to drill below the ocean floor after the oil giant brought in a required piece of equipment to stop a possible well blowout…. Shell is free to drill into oil-bearing rock, estimated at 8,000 feet below the ocean floor, for the first time since its last exploratory well was drilled in 1991. Dan Joling reports. (Associated Press)

State’s wildlife action plan open for comment
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting comments on a proposed update to the State Wildlife Action Plan, which identifies 268 fish and wildlife species with the greatest conservation needs. The plan is open for comment through Sept. 11. The document is available online at wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/cwcs/. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

UW researchers model tsunami hazards on the Northwest coast
…. Dozens of UW scientists are part of the M9 Project, a research endeavor funded by the National Science Foundation to study the Cascadia subduction zone and communicate information about potential hazards to government officials and the public. Key goals of the M9 Project include mathematical modeling of tsunami waves, which tries to predict where and how an earthquake-triggered wave will affect the coast. Two University of Washington scientists — applied mathematics professor Randy LeVeque and affiliate professor of Earth and space sciences Frank Gonzalez — recently talked about how they model tsunami hazards along the Northwest coast. James Urton reports. (UW Today)

A care package for a lonely B.C. whale researcher
James Pilkington glances wistfully at Ulric Point as the John P. Tully motors past Aristazabal Island on B.C.’s north coast. From 2008 to 2011, he worked there on contract to the non-profit North Coast Cetacea Society, spending up to 100 days from spring to fall observing whales and seabirds. “It was incredible. Caamano Sound is so alive, one of the few areas you see fin whales consistently close to shore, inland waters.” Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE AUG 18 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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