11/26 'Unsustainable' seafood ban, ship adrift, Microsoft carbon credits, BC-AK accord, enviro jargon

(PHOTO: Laurie MacBride)

Eye of the Heron
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "The Great Blue heron relies on stealth and lightning quick reactions to catch its dinner – along with amazing eyesight. Its eyesight is about three times more detailed than ours, and its binocular vision gives it very good depth perception. It also has a built in “zoom lens” – allowing the bird to switch instantaneously between telescopic and macro vision (probably as good or better than our fanciest modern camera lenses)…."

Buy-Low Foods removes all 'red-listed' seafood from shelves
Buy-Low Foods is no longer selling seafood classified as "red-listed" or unsustainable by SeaChoice, a national sustainable seafood program. That means types of farmed salmon, king crab, Atlantic cod, and other popular species are gone from the store. The grocery chain, which operates in B.C. and Alberta, is the first major grocer in North America to take this step, according to SeaChoice. (CBC)

Huge cargo ship drifting off Haida Gwaii out of danger
MV North Star under power again after an electrical issue caused both engines to shut down Tuesday. (CBC)

Microsoft buys carbon credits in forest near Rainier to offset pollution
…. Microsoft bought the carbon credits in this forest under California’s rigorously verified cap-and-trade program. Washington has no such program. The purchase was part of the company’s voluntary $20 million-a-year effort offsetting 100 percent of its carbon emissions worldwide across all operations, from employee air travel to energy use. The forest, near Ashford in the Nisqually watershed, will generate 37,000 carbon-offset credits, the equivalent of taking 6,000 cars off the road. And the total will get bigger as the trees do. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Stephen Hume: Clark needs to step up on environment
Wednesday’s agreement between Premier Christy Clark and Alaska Gov. Bill Walker promising protection for shared environments from new mining developments on trans-boundary salmon rivers won’t quell the grassroots opposition swelling in the Northern U.S. state. In fact, it might even make things more difficult for B.C.’s ambitious northwest development plans. Alaskan First Nations, fishing and environmental groups are already signalling a desire to trigger U.S. federal intervention through the International Joint Commission under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty. What happened to the Northern Gateway and Keystone XL pipelines — once promoted as a sure thing to carry Alberta’s oilsands crude to tidewater — might serve as a cautionary examples. (Vancouver Sun)

Is there a danger to environmental jargon?
The United Nations is promising a "universal climate change agreement" when leaders from almost 200 countries meet in Paris. But is the jargon used in environmental discussions actually putting people off the subject rather than enthusing them? Justin Parkinson reports. (BBC)

An Anglerfish Discovered, Thanks to an Oil Spill
Let it not be said that nothing good ever came from an oil spill, as this newly described species of anglerfish proves. Three specimens were apprehended at monitoring stations between 800-1300 m (2625 - 4265 feet) deep within a 250 kilometer (155 mi) radius of the Macondo wellhead, the Gulf oil tap that blew up on BP spectacularly in April 2010. You may know it better as "Deepwater Horizon". Jennifer Frazer reports. (Scientific American)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST THU NOV 26 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 16 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
FRI
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
FRI NIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SAT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND BECOMING SE TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT BUILDING TO 9 FT.
--
"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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11/25 Septic sins, freed orca, vessel adrift, BC pipe, oil train DEIS, coal trains, KPLU, Kply, pocket gophers

(BirdNote)

National Symbol - Turkey vs. Eagle
When the eagle was considered for national emblem in 1782, wise Benjamin Franklin championed the turkey. He said: "The Bald Eagle is too lazy to fish for himself; when the Osprey has taken a fish ... the eagle pursues him and takes it away from him. ... Besides he is a rank coward ..." frightened by a kingbird. But the Wild Turkey, Franklin wrote, is "a bird of courage [that] would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on." (BirdNote)

Septic sins catching up with counties
In June, Island County Public Health tacked up a notice at Maple Grove Boat Launch. In careful and official words, it said that wastewater from homes in the area was likely entering the water. Tests showed high levels of fecal coliform. People should stay out of the water. And, while no data showed that shellfish were contaminated, shellfish are filter-feeders, so it was best to play it safe and not eat them…. And while Maple Grove is one example, it’s by no means the only problem. Jeremiah O'Hagan reports. (Stanwood/Camano News)

Orca spotted free of rope tangle near D'Arcy Island
An orca spotted three weeks ago entangled in a rope and float appears to be free, the Pacific Whale Watch Association says. T77A, as the 19-year-old killer whale is known, was photographed off the Thetis Island-Chemainus ferry in Stuart Channel on Nov. 4, prompting a search by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. After a three-week search that the whale watch association was actively involved in, the orca was found Monday afternoon near D’Arcy Island. Michael Reid reports. (Times Colonist)

Large cargo vessel adrift off Haida Gwaii
A large cargo vessel is adrift about 90 kilometres west of Haida Gwaii. The U.S.-flagged M/V North Star – a vehicle carrier, according to ship tracking websites – was en route from Anchorage to Tacoma when it lost propulsion, said Karen Calla, a communications director with the federal department. Canadian Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel Gordon Reid was dispatched from Prince Rupert to support the ship if its crew failed to fix the problem. The ship is expected to reach the North Star early morning Wednesday. Matt Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Burnaby’s battle with Kinder Morgan heads to appeal court
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan says the city will appeal Monday’s B.C. Supreme Court ruling involving Kinder Morgan and the National Energy Board, noting the matter may eventually wind up in the Supreme Court of Canada. “We authorized the appeal (Monday) night at our in camera meeting after hearing from our staff,” said Corrigan. “We will be having further conversations with our lawyer as to the right way to proceed.” Brian Morton reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Plan would boost oil-train traffic
A major oil terminal proposed for Vancouver would bring an additional 28 oil trains per week across Washington and spawn a new era of oil tanker traffic down the Columbia River, a draft state study says. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Analysis forecasts derailment every other year if oil train terminal is built  Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy) Read: Tesoro Savage Vancouver Energy Project Draft EIS

Study: Coal Trains Pollute More Than Diesel Trains Into The Columbia Gorge
A study from the University of Washington shows coal trains are releasing more pollution into the Columbia River Gorge than freight trains. The trains emitted about twice the particulates as diesel freight trains, according to the study. The study also found that coal trains with uncovered cars were major polluters of the Gorge. They polluted at six times the rate of diesel trains. Eric Tegethoff reports. (EarthFix)

KPLU Listeners Express Anger Over Station's Surprise Sale To KUOW
More than 200 people showed up at a meeting of KPLU’s Community Advisory Council on Monday to express frustration over the recently announced sale of the public radio station to the University of Washington, and its licensee KUOW. The meeting gave the public its first chance to offer feedback on a sale negotiated without much attention ahead of its announcement on November 12. And there wasn't a lot of gray area there. People came to talk about why they support the station's mix of jazz and news, and to vent their frustrations over its sudden sale. Zachariah Hughes reports. (KPLU) See also: Public station, private owners: KPLU sold amid university’s financial struggles  David Kroman reports. (Crosscut)

Rain delays KPly site cleanup in Port Angeles; work might resume in July
Mud. Awww, crud. Heavy rains have turned earth to muck and interrupted cleanup of the Port of Port Angeles' former KPly mill site barely three weeks before contractors hoped to finish the 19-acre tract at 439 Marine Drive. Chris Hartman, director of engineering, told port commissioners Tuesday the work might resume in July after soaked soils dry out enough for contractors to backfill and compact them. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Lawsuit filed against Thurston County over pocket gopher process
Olympia Master Builders, the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce, and Hinkle Homes filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in Lewis County Superior Court over Thurston County’s interim permitting process put in place to protect the Mazama pocket gopher, according to a news release. In April 2014, four subspecies of the pocket gopher — known as the Olympia, Roy Prairie, Tenino and Yelm pocket gophers — were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In June, the county began using a review process for building permit applications that was recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in response to the gopher listing. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 258 AM PST WED NOV 25 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 12 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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10/28 Whale watch, BC oil, WA coal, Friends, BC LNG, Shell drill, port upgrades, viaducts

(PHOTO: Laurie MacBride)

Thirty Shades of Yellow
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "November tends to be damp, gray and dreary here on the west coast, so it’s a month I never anticipate with pleasure. Right now, with the darkness closing in earlier each day and that dreaded month fast approaching, I’m starting to crave a bit of extra light and colour. Thankfully, our Hardy kiwis and Bigleaf maples are managing to brighten up their respective corners of our yard – along with my spirits…."

This you need to see: This Is Your Century
Eric Becker's latest. Beautiful inspiration in 2:47. (weareshouting.com)

Tofino whale-watching boat capsized after wave struck, says TSB
Most of the passengers and crew on the whale-watching boat that capsized near Tofino, B.C., on Sunday appear to have been on one side of the vessel's top deck when it was hit by a wave, the Transportation Safety Board said at a news conference in Tofino.  "This would have raised the centre of gravity, affecting the vessel's stability," said Marc-André Poisson, the TSB's director of marine investigations. He said the vessel then rolled and capsized.  (CBC) See also: 1998 Tofino whale-watching accident sparked call for regulation  Coroner says earlier incident that left 2 whale watchers dead will be reviewed as part of latest tragedy. Jason Proctor reports. (CBC)

Tsleil-Waututh Nation take NEB to court to stop Kinder Morgan hearing
Tsleil-Waututh Nation says the outgoing Harper government failed in its constitutional legal duty to adequately consult with their community when it began the NEB review of Kinder Morgan's proposed $5.4-billion Edmonton-to-Burnaby pipeline expansion more than a year ago. The band is now seeking a court order to stop the hearing. The band believes the case will also add political pressure for the incoming Trudeau Liberals to act quickly on their election promise to overhaul the review of oil pipeline proposals. Oral hearings for citizens to speak up about the pipeline are set to begin in January 18-29 at a Burnaby casino and conference centre. Mychaylo Prystupa reports. (National Observer)

Coal, environmentalists spend $100K each on Whatcom charter measures
The company behind a proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point is the biggest donor in a campaign fight over obscure ballot propositions in Whatcom County. The $101,089 spent by Pacific International Terminals was matched by environmentalists, who contributed at least $102,738, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. Both sides seek to amend the county charter in ways that would determine the political makeup of the County Council. The charter is essentially the county’s constitution, with rules for how the government is run and how officials are elected. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Small Non-Profit Leading Charge For International Protection Of Salish Sea
A small non-profit in the San Juan Islands has taken the lead in an international campaign to protect the Salish Sea from adverse effects of shipping. Currently, proposals for 14 new or upgraded export facilities for fossil fuels in British Columbia and five in northwestern Washington could dramatically increase shipping traffic through local waters. “We’ve found ourselves having to speak up time and time again for these fossil fuel projects that are coming through our waters,” said Stephanie Buffum, the executive director of Friends of the San Juans, a non-profit based in Friday Harbor that has worked to protect quality of life in the area for the past 35 years. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

LNG plant near Squamish clears first hurdle in environmental assessment
The Woodfibre LNG planted proposed for Squamish has cleared its first regulatory hurdle after being granted an environmental assessment certificate by the B.C. government. The certificate includes 25 conditions meant to mitigate the negative impacts construction and operation of the plant will have on things like marine life and water quality.  Squamish mayor Patricia Heintzman opposes the Woodfibre project and says she has questions about the certificate, including the conclusion the plant will generate $21-million per year in municipal taxes. (CBC)

TransCanada gets final regulatory approval for Prince Rupert natural gas pipeline
A proposed 900-kilometre gas pipeline in northern B.C. that would supply a liquefied natural gas terminal in Prince Rupert has final approval. TransCanada said Tuesday it has received 11 permits for its $6-billion Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project from the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission. The permits cover the length of the pipeline that starts in Hudson’s Hope in northeast B.C., as well as compressors at the Pacific NorthWest LNG terminal at Lelu Island near Prince Rupert. They are the final approval step for the pipeline that earlier received approval from the B.C. government following an environmental assessment. The pipeline is dependent on the LNG terminal being approved by the federal government and a final decision by Petronas to proceed. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Oil platform headed for Port Angeles near mouth of Strait
The Polar Pioneer oil rig, which is headed for Port Angeles Harbor, was near the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Tuesday afternoon. The 355-foot-tall oil drilling platform was headed east at over 6 knots. The floating platform's tugs, Ocean Wind and Ocean Wave, were expected to arrive with the platform sometime after 2 a.m. today, according to a vessel tracking website, www.marinetraffic.com. (Peninsula Daily News)

Ports may need up to $1 billion to update terminals
Port commissioners from Tacoma and Seattle on Tuesday adopted their first budget for a new cargo alliance while warning they’ll have to spend hundreds of millions more to make the port facilities competitive with rivals. The $174.5 million included in the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s 5-year capital budget is “woefully inadequate to our needs,” asserted Tacoma Port Commissioner Don Meyer as the two commissions were preparing to accept the budget. Meyer predicted the alliance and the two ports will have to spend $800 million to $1 billion over the near future to equip the two ports to handle the new generation of mega-sized container ships. John Gille reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Vancouver viaducts to be removed, votes council
Vancouver city councillors have voted 5-4 to remove the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, which connect the downtown core to neighbourhoods on the city's east side. "This is a once-in-a-generation city-building opportunity," said Mayor Gregor Robertson in a written statement. "There is no decision at the city that has been more scrutinized, studied, deliberated or consulted on than whether or not to remove the viaducts, and after four years, it is time to move forward." (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED OCT 28 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PDT THIS MORNING
TODAY
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS BY LATE MORNING. W SWELL BUILDING TO 8 FT AT 15 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING... THEN SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 14 SECONDS. SHOWERS 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

9/30 Pesticides, Erich Hoyt, fish waste, eco-bylaw, Chesapeake Bay, more vessels, BC LNG, citizen science

Little owl (Athene noctua)

Reader’s note: ‘A gathering of species of the Strigiformes order is commonly referred to as a "parliament of owls."’ (Tony Angell)

EPA Toughens Pesticide Rules To Protect Farmworkers
Stronger rules for pesticides sprayed on farms and in forests, greenhouses and nurseries can cut health risks for workers, the federal government said in rolling out new safety standards this week…. The Environmental Protection Agency announced the new rules on Monday. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy says the change are long overdue…. One major change is the setting of a federal age requirement for the first time. Workers who handle pesticides will need to be at least 18. Other states already have implemented a similar rule – in Washington, the minimum age is 18. EPA also will now require that workers get training on pesticide risks - every year. Currently workers have to be trained only every five years. Other changes include whistleblower protections, better notification around work sites and stricter enforcement of rules. The EPA expects to phase in the changes next year. Liz Jones reports. (KUOW)

Erich Hoyt returns to Puget Sound; whale sign goes up near Hansville
Chris Dunagan writes: "Erich Hoyt, who has spent most of his life studying whales, returns to Puget Sound in October for talks in Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle. I enjoyed interviewing Erich last year before he visited this region. (See Water Ways, May 3, 2014.) We talked about the ongoing capture of killer whales in Russia, where government officials refuse to learn a lesson from the Northwest about breaking up killer whale families and disrupting their social order. (Watching Our Water Ways)

What Americans do with fish is shocking
…. Of all the food that Americans waste — and Americans waste a lot of food — it's the seafood that never gets eaten that should trouble us most. Few sources of nutrition, after all, are as coveted as fish. They're high in protein, and low in fat. Eating them is associated with all sorts of beneficial health outcomes. And yet, few foods are discarded so frequently. Between 2009 and 2013, as much as 47 percent of all edible seafood in the United States went to waste, according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF). Roberto A. Ferdman reports. (Washington Post)

Saanich mayor outvoted on ditching eco-bylaw
Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell has tried unsuccessfully to scrap the district’s controversial environmental bylaw with councillors solidly outvoting him. After a nearly four-hour torrent of negative comments about the Environmental Development Permit Area, Atwell said that “what I’m hearing tonight is that the burden is unbearable and overwhelming.”…. Coun. Vic Derman said scrapping the bylaw at this stage would be “beyond the pale” and Coun. Judy Brownoff said “chaos” would be the result. They said ditching the bylaw would fly in the face of an open house on the issue Saturday and a public meeting in October. “It’s a matter of a few months before we come back with our results, which is fair to everyone,” Brownoff said. The bylaw states that “alteration of land, subdivision and construction are prohibited within an environmental development permit area, according to the Local Government Act, unless an exemption applies or a development permit is issued.” It is meant to protect from development areas that the municipality calls “rare ecosystems and vital habitat.” Katherine Dedyna reports. (Times Colonist)

Tour shows journalists Chesapeake’s good, bad & plans for future
…. Many of the 14 other journalists on the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources tour had much of the same reaction as the group embarked on the IJNR’s first Chesapeake Bay Institute in more than a decade…. Tristan Baurick, who covers the environment beat for the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, WA, said he applied to the institute because he wanted to see the parallels between the Chesapeake Bay and the Puget Sound. The sound struggles with some of the same issues as the Bay: algae blooms, sewage spills and a combined stormwater and sewage system in Seattle and King County that often overflows. And yet, Baurick said, he was surprised to learn about swim advisories after rainfalls and about riverkeepers and counties that put out fecal coliform warnings. “Nobody ever says ‘you can’t swim.’ That was amazing to me,’” Baurick said…. “We’re dealing with some of these same problems,” Baurick said of the Puget Sound and the Bay. “I don’t think either of us have the solutions to those problems.” Rona Kobell reports. (Bay Journal)

Storms for Salish Sea
Royal Dutch Shell said it will end oil exploration in offshore Alaska “for the forseeable future’’ after an exploratory well in the Chukchi Sea failed to yield the hoped for oil and gas, but that doesn’t mean the impacts of energy expansion projects will end on the Salish Sea. Our region is targeted for export projects that could dwarf the XL Pipeline. If all the new and expanding terminal and refinery projects in the Salish Sea are permitted and developed, including projects that became operational in 2014, there would be a 43 percent increase in large, commercial marine vessel traffic. Tim Johnson reports. (Cascadia Weekly)

Metlakatla signs agreement in support of Prince Rupert Gas Transmission
The Metlakatla First Nation has become the eighth aboriginal group to support TransCanada Corp.’s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission, a B.C. pipeline project that would transport natural gas to a West Coast export terminal. TransCanada’s $5-billion pipeline venture aims to supply a proposed plant that would export liquefied natural gas from Lelu Island to customers in Asia. The Metlakatla, one of five Tsimshian First Nations consulted during a provincial environmental review last year of Pacific NorthWest LNG, signed a project agreement with TransCanada. The pact details financial, employment and other benefits for the Metlakatla. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

Olympia middle school launches Citizen Science Institute
About 45 Marshall students spent three days at the YMCA’s camp on Case Inlet on the Puget Sound near Longbranch last week for its Outdoor Environmental Education Program. They’re part of the newly launched Citizen Science Institute, a grade 6-8 alternative program that combines science, research and community service activities…. During the next school year, CSI students will spend about a half day each week conducting field investigations for a variety of environmental and community organizations, such as the Pacific Shellfish Institute, Garden Raised Bounty and the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. Projects include migratory bird counting, water quality testing in local streams and assisting a research project that’s measuring nitrogen levels found in mussels. Lisa Pemberton reports. (The Olympian)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 248 AM PDT WED SEP 30 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. 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.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

9/29 No Shell drill, sunk tug, detained bulker, opah, Mars water

Burrowing owls (Garrett Lau/BirdNote)

A Murder, a Party, a Stare, or a Siege
Collective nouns are a mixture of poetry, alliteration, and description. Victorians often made up names for groups of birds, as a parlor game. Many names bring a vision of the birds instantly to mind. How about this stare of owls? They're Burrowing Owls! So what would a bunch of birders be called? A gaggle? A flock? A watch? Can you be more creative? (BirdNote)

Exuberance and Disappointment at Shell’s About-Face in the Arctic
For many Alaskans, Monday was “a huge disappointment, a really big disappointment,” as Gov. Bill Walker put it, reflecting on the tax revenue, jobs and investments that may be lost as Royal Dutch Shell abandons its plan to drill for oil in the Alaskan Arctic. But for many people here in Washington State and elsewhere, it was a day of exuberance, one that offered evidence that the harbor blockades, city resolutions, lawsuits and relentless cries of “Shell No!” had helped force Shell’s hand. Kirk Johnson reports. (NY Times) See also: Varied pressures force Shell out of Arctic  Royal Dutch’s Shell’s decision to pull back from exploration off Alaska’s North Slope reflects not just the results of a disappointing summer drilling season but also the pressures faced by an oil industry buffeted by low crude prices and increased concern about the environmental risks of developing major new oil fields in the offshore Arctic. (Seattle Times)

Tugboat sinks in Georgia Strait
An 18-metre tugboat sank in the southern Georgia Strait, just west of Vancouver, Monday morning. The Rescue Co-ordination Centre confirms the Harken 10 sank off Sandheads, near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal around 5 a.m. PT. Officials said no one was hurt and the crew managed to climb into an aluminum boat that was being towed behind the tug. (CBC)

Bulker detained for safety shortfalls
Deficient fire safety equipment has led US Coast Guard (USCG) inspectors to detain a Greek bulker at the Port of Tacoma until the issues can be resolved. A team from the agency's Puget Sound sector found the deficiencies on the 81,700 dwt Rena while conducting a routine inspection on 24 September. While on board the 2011-built vessel, listed as owned by Piraeus-based Trojan Maritime, the USCG discovered "multiple areas" that did not meet SOLAS regulations. The agency said the most severe deficiency involved improper pressurisation of the crew's self-contained breathing apparatuses, a problem that would prevent the crew from responding safely to a fire. John Gallagher reports. (IHS Maritime 360)

Rare and strange fish landed off Westport could be new state record
An opah, a warmer water fish known as a sunfish or moonfish, was caught by recreational fishers out of Westport. "The 35 pound, 11 ounce fish was officially weighed and taken to the state Fish and Wildlife office in Olympia for verification as a possible state record." Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Liquid water flows on today's Mars: NASA confirms evidence
New findings from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars. Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. (Science Daily)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 254 AM PDT TUE SEP 29 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 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

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

9/25 Vessel traffic, drought, illegal crab pots, Skagit poop, steelhead fight, city deer

(Friends of the San Juans/San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping)

Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections: A 43 Percent Increase
If all the new and expanding terminal and refinery projects in the Salish Sea are permitted and developed, including projects that became operational in 2014, there would be a 43 percent increase in large, commercial marine vessel traffic. Friends of the San Juans and San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping have released the Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections featuring 18 new or expanded proposed or recently completed projects, which cumulatively would add an additional 5,300 annual vessel transits to and from ports in British Columbia and Washington State…. The Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections flyer and source information are available at Safe Shipping in the Salish Sea. (9/23/15 News Release from Friends of the San Juans/San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping)

Drought not over, state officials say
Don’t let a bit of rain in the last few weeks fool you. We’re still in drought, state officials said. Extreme drought in Eastern and Central Washington. Slightly better severe drought in much of Western Washington. Winter rain and snow are expected to be below average, too, so Washington might start 2016 in worse shape than it started 2015. Jim Camden reports. (Spokesman-Review)

Nearly 700 illegal crab pots seized in waters near Blaine
Nearly 700 illegal crab pots were seized in the waters near Blaine in a two-day sweep conducted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Tulalip Police on Sept. 17 and 18. Officers seized roughly 675 crab pots between Point Roberts and Peach Arch State Park — an area that includes portions of Semiahmoo Bay and Boundary Bay, said WDFW Sgt. Russ Mullins, who led the investigation. Most of the illegal crab pots belonged to Canadian commercial fishermen. Mullins said when their waters have been fished out, Canadian fishermen will cross the border without proper licenses and try to intercept crabs moving north from U.S. waters. Similar sweeps have been done in the past by WDFW officers. Wilson Criscione reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Fecal coliform fights continue
With the return of wet weather, fecal coliform bacteria is again an issue in Skagit County. The bacteria, an indicator that feces are present, made its fall debut Monday in the Samish River watershed, prompting the first commercial shellfish harvest closure since early May. Rain on Sunday “resulted in absurdly high fecal coliform counts in the Samish River,” Skagit County Water Quality Analyst Rick Haley said in an email. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Steelhead snorkel study biologist wants hatchery compromise
Rivers in Washington may soon be divided into territory for either wild steelhead or hatchery steelhead. The hatchery steelhead are stuck in legal gridlock right now, after a lawsuit filed by the Wild Fish Conservancy argued they're bad for wild steelhead. One biologist wants a compromise, and he's advocating for it underwater. John McMillan works for Trout Unlimited. He's studied steelhead by snorkeling for more than 20 years across 1,500 miles of river, taking video of their behavior changes over time…. McMillan agrees with the state's plan to map rivers, potentially separating hatchery and wild steelhead. He thinks hatchery fish serve a purpose for fishermen - but need their own territory. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

B.C. pledges to help cities deal with urban deer
B.C.’s escalating problem with urban deer has gotten so bad that the province pledged $100,000 and other forms of support Thursday, as communities struggle with aggressive animals and community fights over what to do about them. While Vancouverites fell in love with their single “downtown deer” that roamed Stanley Park and occasionally the city until it was killed in a car crash earlier this month, the deer issue is far from cute elsewhere. Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen said there has been a dog killed, another one injured and residents chased down the street by deer in that Victoria-area community. Frances Bula reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT FRI SEP 25 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND BECOMING N TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SAT AND SAT NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN AND SUN NIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 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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9/3 Whales, orcas, oil trains, water rules, crab pots, port traffic, spill response, quake, fishing

This you have to watch: How Whales Change Climate
When whales were at their historic populations, before their numbers were reduced, it seems that whales might have been responsible for removing tens of millions of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere every year. Whales change the climate. The return of the great whales, if they are allowed to recover, could be seen as a benign form of geo-engineering. It could undo some of the damage we have done, both to the living systems of the sea, and to the atmosphere. (Sustainable Human)

B.C. orca calves ‘growing like weeds’ in waters off Vancouver Island
The Class of 2015 — four orcas born since late December — is thriving in the waters of B.C. and Washington state. All are part of the southern resident orca population, which includes the J, K and L pods. Southern resident orcas are listed as endangered, with pollution and lack of food among the contributing factors. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

How Harry Styles sent SeaWorld's image diving
One Direction's Harry Styles sent SeaWorld's reputation plunging on social media when he urged concertgoers to boycott the chain of aquatic theme parks, research by the investment bank Credit Suisse suggests. Are young people turning en masse against the idea of animals in captivity? (Vanessa Barford reports. (BBC)

Feds give extension to fix defect causing oil train leaks
Railroad tank cars equipped with defective valves still will be allowed to transport crude oil and other hazardous materials through the end of the year, despite a March directive from federal regulators requiring their replacement within 60 days. The Federal Railroad Administration order followed a Bellingham Herald story about a leaking oil train reported in Washington state in January…. About 6,000 tank cars were affected by the recall, issued on March 13. Curtis Tate and Samantha Wohlfeil report. (McClatchy)

Feds Propose Tougher Clean Water Rule For Washington, Holding Line On Cancer Risk
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making good on its promise to put forward a clean water rule for Washington, in case the state doesn’t come up with its own plan in time. At issue is how much fish the government says is safe to eat, if it’s caught in polluted water.  In early August, Washington was on track to adopt a major rewrite of the state's outdated water standard, known as the "fish consumption rule." It uses the amount of fish we eat as a measure of how clean the water must be to protect human health. But Gov. Jay Inslee put the most recent proposal on hold and directed the state Department of Ecology to reassess its approach. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Crab pots mysteriously vanish in Puget Sound
Since last season, more than 1,000 crab and shrimp pots have been reported stolen or lost to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. "When it's gone, they always think the worst," said Ralph Downes, a fish and wildlife police officer for two decades. "Worst case scenario? I'm thinking 10 percent is the result of theft." As for the other 90 percent, Downes and other wildlife officers think the culprit is the strong current of the sound. Dan Cassuto reports. (KING)

Puget Sound Ports Lose Ground As Mega Ships Grow
The container terminals at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma are running at less than half their capacity, according to a study conducted for the ports. The study by Mercator International of Kirkland – one of several last year – said no other major port complex in North America is so underused. Mercator also says Puget Sound ports have been losing ground, even as competitor ports have been gaining. Carolyn Adolph reports. (KUOW)

WCMRC christens its newest oil spill response vessel
Vancouver, British Columbia, based Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) christened its newest oil spill response vessel yesterday in Burrard Inlet. The $4.5 million G.M. Penman is a 65-foot Ocean Class oil spill response vessel (OSRV) built by Rozema Boat Works, Mount Vernon, WA. It is only the fifth vessel of its kind in the world with sister vessels operating in Santa Barbara servicing the offshore production platforms off the California coast. (Marine Log)

Worst-case scenario Vancouver earthquake could have death toll of 10,000
It’s a typically rainy day in January at 2 p.m. Downtown cores are packed, with businesses in full swing after workers have returned from the holidays. Then the earthquake hits Vancouver. Most people hear it before they feel it — a low, rumbling sound similar to a freight train. Closest to the epicentre, violent shaking, which lasts 10 to 20 seconds, knocks people off their feet. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Washington eases fishing restrictions on some rivers
As conditions improve in some Washington rivers, state officials are easing fishing restrictions and closures put in place earlier this summer because of the drought. The Department of Fish and Wildlife had closed or restricted access on more than 60 rivers and streams to protect fish, which can be harmed by low river flows and warmer water temperatures. On Wednesday, the agency said fishing is now open or no longer restrict to certain hours on more than a dozen rivers, including in north Puget Sound, south-central Washington and on the Olympic Peninsula. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 258 AM PDT THU SEP 3 2015
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT IN THE MORNING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE EVENING.
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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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7/30 Shell drill, anchorage, drought conflict, warm waters, Big One, bull kelp, toxic spills, Polley mine, fish names

St. John’s Bridge, Portland ( Mike Zacchino /Oregonian)

Protesters in Portland dangle from bridge in a bid to block Shell icebreaker
Protests against Shell’s off-shore Arctic drilling took a dramatic turn in the pre-dawn hours Thursday as 13 Greenpeace activists suspended themselves on ropes from a bridge above the Willamette River here in a bid to stop an icebreaker from heading north to the Chukchi Sea. The 380-foot icebreaker, the MSV Fennica, must be on hand in the Chukchi before Shell can drill into oil-bearing zones where the company hopes to make a major new find. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Proposed freighter anchorages anger islanders
The owner of a multi-million dollar home on Gabriola Island says he’ll fight the establishment of five proposed anchorages for freighters less than a kilometre from shore all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada if he has to. “NIMBY? You bet,” said Ted Fullerton, who moved into the view home on the island near Nanaimo four years ago and worries about decreasing property values. “It’s heavy industry in my back yard. I don’t want it here and they can’t get away with it.” Susan Lazaruk reports. (The Province)

In drought, conflict emerges between fish and man
…. Government and the courts now protect “in-stream” flows for salmon, other critters, aesthetics, and more. In Washington, salmon have a special place in the calculations. Endangered Species Act listings and the treaty rights of Indian tribes make it impossible to just forget about the fish. Nevertheless, spurred by the current lack of summer water, some people are trying to forget, while others, for transparent reasons of self-interest, are steadfastly remembering. Daniel Jack Chasan reports. (Crosscut)

Warm waters bring more restrictions on salmon fishing in Tulalip
The continuing drought in Washington state has led the Department of Fish and Wildlife to put more restrictions on salmon fishing in Tulalip. Significantly fewer summer-run chinook are showing up in tribal and state hatcheries. Any salmon caught by anglers is one less fish that can be used for brood stock, said the Tulalip Tribes' Mike Crewson. Water temperatures in rivers and streams have been high for most of the summer, and now Tulalip Bay has been getting too warm for the fish, providing a barrier to migration for chinook returning to the tribes' hatchery off Tulalip Creek. Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald) See also: B.C. drought forces closure of another fishery  Drought conditions in British Columbia have forced the closure of another fishery in the province's southern Interior. The Okanagan Nation Alliance has suspended the commercial and recreational sockeye salmon fishery on Osoyoos Lake after high water temperature led to more fish disease, infection and death.  (Canadian Press)

How To Stay Safe When The Big One Comes
For most of the past three years, I’ve worked as a book critic, which is not a job that affords me many opportunities to scare the living daylights out of my readers. (Authors, occasionally; readers, no.) But earlier this month, when a story I wrote about a dangerous fault line in the Pacific Northwest hit the newsstands, the overwhelming response was alarm. “Terrifying,” the story kept getting called; also “truly terrifying,” “incredibly terrifying,” “horrifying,” and “scary as fuck.” “Don’t read it if you want to go back to sleep,” one reader warned. “It’s hard to overhype how scary it is,” Buzzfeed said. “New Yorker scares the bejesus out of NW,” the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote. Kathryn Schuulz reports. (The New Yorker)

Little is known about bull kelp, which nearly all marine life here relies on
When bull kelp washes ashore in the fall, it's almost too tempting for any kid to leave alone. It provides a ready-made whip or, if cut right, a natural wind instrument. The slick, greenish-brown plant with a bulbous end is such a feature of the beach landscape that it's easy to take for granted. Yet little is known about its presence in the waters of north Puget Sound. Where does it grow? Is it growing back in the same places after it dies off each fall? Is it thriving or declining? Bull kelp has disappeared in parts of south and central Puget Sound, but the situation farther north is unclear. With those thoughts in mind, volunteers from Snohomish County's Marine Resources Committee paddled out in kayaks for several days in mid-July. They left from beaches in Edmonds, Meadowdale and Mukilteo to perform a first-of-its-kind survey, in collaboration with other communities around the Sound.  Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

Tacoma tideflats recycling company fined again for toxic spills
For the second time in five months, the state has fined a Tacoma recycling company for spilling toxic waste into Commencement Bay. Emerald Services, Inc., a waste-management company on the Tacoma tideflats, was fined $99,000 by the state Department of Ecology for two back-to-back spills on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 of 2014. A tank overflowed and spilled 100 gallons of “dangerous waste solvent” into the water, the department said. The spill was the result of employee error, officials said, highlighting shortcomings in training. Stacia Glenn reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Mount Polley tailings pond cleanup completes first phase
The first phase of the cleanup operation triggered by the Mount Polley tailings pond collapse has been completed. On Aug. 4, 2014, the massive dam storing tailings from the gold and copper mine gave way, spilling 24 million cubic metres of mine waste and water into nearby lakes and rivers. The phase one cleanup was meant to stabilize a creek and ensure water quality. (CBC)

You Say Striped Bass, I Say Rockfish. What's In A Fish Name?
Order a rockfish at a restaurant in Maryland, and you’ll likely get a striped bass. Place the same order in California, and you could end up with a Vermilion rockfish, a Pacific Ocean perch or one of dozens of other fish species on your plate. This jumble of names is perfectly legal. But it’s confusing to diners — and it can also hamper efforts to combat illegal fishing and seafood fraud, says the ocean conservation group Oceana. Clare Leschin-Hoar reports. (NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUL 30 2015
TODAY
VARIABLE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 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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6/15 Cleanup, watching trains, Shell wins, Fonda protests, ship safety, BC LNG, salmon year, Western Flyer, 'shrooms, orca calf

Volunteer cleanup (KING)

Volunteers clean up local waterways
Saturday was a perfect day to be out on the water around Seattle and a local non-profit gave people the chance to boat and help the environment. The Puget Sound Keeper hosted their 12th annual "Summer Sweep," a chance for people to help get litter out of local waters. It was similar to a fishing trip but the group said thy were hoping they wouldn't find anything. Nearly 70 volunteers, on land and in kayaks, went through the waters of the Ship Canal, filling garbage bags with everything from cans to computer parts. Amy Moreno reports. (KING) See also: Neighborhood volunteers put some muscle into McKinley beautification project  Debbie Cafazzo reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Oil Train Secrets: Fighting For Information In The Northwest
Dean Smith, 72, sits in his car by the tracks north of Seattle. It’s a dark, rainy Tuesday night, and Smith waits for an oil train to come through town. These trains are distinctive: A mile long, they haul 100 or so black, pill-shaped cars that each carry 30,000 gallons of crude oil. Smith has been monitoring train traffic in his community for about a year, noting each one on a website he built. He does it because the railroads share little information about oil train traffic with Washington state. They don’t have to because they’re federally regulated. Ashley Ahearn reports. (KUOW)

U.S. appeals court upholds Shell’s spill-response plans for Arctic drilling
Royal Dutch Shell won big on Thursday in its long running legal battle with environmental groups over the oil giant’s planned drilling in Arctic waters. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Interior Department’s approval of Shell’s oil-spill-response plans for operations in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas…. The three-judge federal panel split 2-1 in favor of Shell. The panel wrote that the National Environmental Policy Act did not apply to the Interior Department’s approval of Shell’s plans.  As a result, no environmental-impact statement was needed. But Judge D.W. Nelson dissented, saying that the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement should have done an Endangered Species Act consultation as well as an environmental review. The Interior Department has approved Shell’s plans for this summer, although the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement still must sign off. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Jane Fonda drops in to lend support to Greenpeace’s fight against pipelines and oil tankers
Jane Fonda is best known as a two-time Oscar winning actress and a longtime anti-establishment activist, earning the nickname Hanoi Jane for her opposition to the Vietnam War. She showed up unannounced in Vancouver Friday to lend support to Greenpeace’s fight against pipelines, oil tankers and a perceived plan by Shell Oil to move its fleet up the coast from Seattle to drill for oil in the Alaskan sea. Yvonne Zacharias reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Friends gets $100K grant to boost shipping safety
Washington Women’s Foundation recently awarded a $100,000 grant to the Friends of the San Juans to increase shipping safety standards in the Salish Sea…. To reduce the risks posed by increases in fossil fuel exports, Friends of the San Juans will lead a trans-boundary effort in Washington and in B.C. to designate the Salish Sea as a "Particularly Sensitive Sea Area" under the International Maritime Organization. Designation as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area is a tool that the global community can adopt for an area that needs special protection because of significance for recognized ecological, socioeconomic or scientific reasons and because it may be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities. Worldwide, there are 14 PSSAs worldwide, two within the U.S., in Hawaii and in the Florida Keys. (San Juan Journal)

Petronas gets environmental road map for Pacific NorthWest LNG
The federal fisheries department has provided a road map for Pacific NorthWest LNG to follow to reduce the project’s environmental impact in British Columbia. Plans to export liquefied natural gas from Lelu Island must place a high priority on protecting juvenile salmon habitat in an area with eelgrass called Flora Bank, said Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The department made its recommendations in a report in late May to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA), which is reviewing the project filed by the LNG group led by Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

Tulalips welcome first king salmon
The longhouse on the shores of Tulalip Bay echoed with drums and voices and filled with the smoke of twin cedar fires as members of the Tulalip Tribes marked the start of salmon season Saturday. The annual Tulalip Salmon Ceremony is when the tribes honor the first king salmon of the season, bless the fishermen that will work the tribal fisheries and welcome guests from as far away as Alaska and Colorado to a traditional feast. Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald)

Salmon project set to proceed on Smith Island near Everett
A massive earth-moving project to transform low-lying farmland along the Snohomish River delta into salmon habitat could break ground in August, after more than a decade of preparation. Snohomish County’s Smith Island project would flood about 350 acres now protected by dikes. State and federal agencies consider it a vital piece of the strategy to revive Chinook salmon stocks in Puget Sound. They have supplied grants to cover most of the $26 million cost. The county’s Public Works Department is accepting bids this month from contractors to perform the bulk of heavy construction. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

Large influx of pink salmon this summer in Puget Sound
his summer’s salmon fisheries are expected to be splendid, with millions of pink salmon flooding into Puget Sound and a strong return of kings off the coast. Anglers will be blushing with joy as a run of more than 6.8-million pink salmon — which return only during odd-numbered years — will create plenty of show-stopping moments in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

‘The Western Flyer’: a fishing boat’s boom-and-bust history
University of Washington professor Kevin Bailey chronicles the fishing vessel made famous by John Steinbeck in “The Log from the Sea of Cortez,” as it has followed the boom and bust cycles of fisheries all around the Pacific. David B. Williams reviews. (Seattle Times)

The buoys are back: Undersea instruments help predict salmon runs
Olympic Coast Marine Sanctuary scientists have sunk 10 monitors beneath the waves to take water temperatures at various depths along the 135-mile-long protected shore. Sure, they understand the ocean is chilly. What they want to learn is if it's cold enough — specifically, does the water rising shoreward from the cold depths to the surface bring sufficient nutrients to supply the food chain that allows salmon and other creatures to thrive? James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Mushrooms Help Clean Up Pollution On Former Landfill Site
On a former landfill site in Northeast Portland, a white rot fungus has taken hold – and that's a good thing. It's a mushroom known for its ability to clean up water pollution. Leaders with the Dharma Rain Zen Center are growing mushrooms to clean up the water running off their 13 acres of the former LaVelle Landfill, where a new Buddhist community center is in the works. The landfill was once a rock quarry, and it was used to dump the construction debris leftover after building I-84 and I-205 in the 1970s. As that waste deteriorates, the landfill has released methane gas and various pollutants into the soil and groundwater. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Newborn orca calf spotted near Tofino
A new transient orca calf was sighted in the waters off Tofino, B.C. earlier this week. John Forde of the Tofino Whale Centre and Strawberry Isle Marine Research Centre says the calf appears to have been born this week inside Clayoquot Sound. He says a group of transient orcas were seen entering the area Tuesday and on Wednesday, one of the females was seen swimming with a newborn calf. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 15 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 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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6/8 Oceans Day, WA budget, ship misses, oil spill, Longview, fuel trains, port alliance, glass-sponge reefs, herring, clean streets, Navy pier, Skagit dike, Olympic Park, drought

World Oceans Day is June 8th
This year’s theme is healthy oceans, healthy planet and people all over our blue planet are organizing celebrations throughout the week, from June 6th all the way to June 14th. Jump in.

Budget writers in Olympia have tentative spending agreement
State budget writers have tentatively agreed on a spending level for the state’s 2015-17 operating budget, according to the director of the state Office of Financial Management. Lawmakers are in the second special legislative session after months of a stalemate over how to fund government. If there’s no new budget by the July 1 start of the state’s new fiscal year, parts of the government will shut down. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times) Meanwhile: Lawmakers claim $120 daily payments during special sessions Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

A year of close calls for ships on B.C. coast
Commercial ocean-going ships reported being involved in at least 14 official occurrences on the B.C. coast last year, including collisions, groundings, mechanical breakdowns at sea and close calls with other vessels, federal transportation safety board reports show. While not all involved accidents, some had the potential to be extremely serious, including the Japanese-owned 200-metre bulk carrier Ultra Saskatoon on July 2 reporting a “close-quarters situation” with the Hong Kong-owned 217-metre bulk carrier Great Loyalty near Race Rocks marine reserve off Victoria. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

In plain sight: How the Marathassa oil spill took hours to find
The sloop Odin set out from False Creek late on the sunny afternoon of April 8 for a pleasure sail, with the two-man crew, Rob O’Dea and Arnt Arntzen, using a steady northwest wind to tack their way around the transport freighters that use English Bay as a parking lot.  Around 4:45 p.m., the pair aboard Mr. Arntzen’s 21-foot sailboat spotted a large slick on the water, accompanied by the smell of fresh asphalt. It took them just 15 minutes of sailing to track the source to the bulk grain carrier MV Marathassa, which was at anchor in the bay after putting in to the Port of Vancouver to begin loading its cargo. By then, the slick was half a kilometre long and 250 meters wide, by Mr. O’Dea’s estimation. Beneath the blue sheen, he could see the water was thick with globules of oil. Mr. O’Dea called 911 at 5:05 p.m. from his cell phone, and a Canadian Coast Guard official called him back three minutes later to assure him they were already aware of the spill and had dispatched a pollution response team. That would have been reassuring, except there was no Coast Guard or any other emergency response vessel in sight. In fact, the clean-up crew would not be authorized to respond until three hours later. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Mike Lowry’s visit to planned coal port upsets environmentalists
On the battlefield of one of the biggest environmental clashes to erupt in the Pacific Northwest in decades, an old soldier for liberal causes and steeped in “green” cred has re-emerged — but this time, he’s fighting for the other side. Or at least that’s how some environmental groups perceive Mike Lowry’s recent visit to the site of a proposed coal-export terminal on the Columbia River, where the former Washington governor and congressman spoke favorably about the controversial project. Lowry’s tour on May 28 of the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals (MBT) coal-export facilities site in Longview — during which he met with company brass, local elected officials and labor representatives who back the project — quickly generated a story in the hometown newspaper. Lewis Kamb reports. (Seattle Times)

The Clean Energy Governor And The Columbia River Oil Refinery
A new oil refinery is the last thing you might expect Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration to be courting. After all, Inslee has developed a national reputation as a champion of curbing the use of fossil fuels. And yet, Inslee’s administration has worked for months to facilitate such a project along the Columbia River. A Texas-based energy company wants to site a combined crude oil and biofuel refinery in Longview, Washington. The company’s goal is to capitalize on low carbon fuel standards championed by West Coast political leaders, including Inslee. Conrad Wilson and Tony Schick report. (KUOW)

Coastal Salish Nation steps up opposition to fossil fuel trains
The Coast Salish Nation issued a statement this week that it plans to work collectively against the transport of crude oil by rail and sea through tribal territories. The Coast Salish Nation includes the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and represents the ancestral territory of British Columbia First Nations and Western Washington tribes. The group met on Swimomish land in May and voted unanimously to try to stop all crude oil shipments through tribal territory. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Tacoma, Seattle ports approve Northwest Seaport Alliance plan
Two ports that for decades competed fiercely for Puget Sound shipping business toasted a friendly new alliance Friday that will join terminal operations and marketing activities under a single management. Those Champagne toasts came after the governing commissions of the ports of Tacoma and Seattle voted unanimously to seek the blessing of the Federal Maritime Commission for the newly named Northwest Seaport Alliance that will link the two ports’ shipping terminals to form the nation’s third-largest container port. John Gille reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Bellingham port environmental director retires after 20 years
When Mike Stoner first toured the Port of Bellingham’s properties 20 years ago, he started to make a mental list of contaminated sites that needed work…. Two decades and countless hours of investigating, building partnerships, and environmental planning later, one of the largest cleanup projects on that list is about to break ground and Stoner is set to retire. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Ottawa announces fishing closures to protect glass-sponge reefs in Strait of Georgia
Glass sponges are fragile, long-lived lifeforms that can be damaged by prawn traps…. The federal fisheries department announced Friday commercial and recreational fishing closures to protect nine glass-sponge reefs in the Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound. The closures prohibit all "bottom-contact" fisheries, including prawn and crab traps, shrimp trawl, groundfish trawl, and hook-and-line, within a buffer zone of 150 metres around the nine reefs. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

First Nation Heiltsuk calls for extension of herring fishery closure
The Heiltsuk First Nation is calling for a coast-wide closure of the 2016 herring fishery, after it successfully shut down the 2015 fishery on the central coast earlier this spring. On Tuesday, the Bella Bella-based First Nation will issue a declaration that the herring and herring roe fisheries will remain closed until herring stocks have recovered. The Heiltsuk are in talks with the Haida and Nuu-chah-nulth to support a closure for the entire coast. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

State public lands commissioner calls for more study on Navy electronic warfare range plan
The Navy should rethink its proposed expansion of activities in its electronic warfare range in light of potential impacts on the threatened marbled murrelet and a deluge of comments against the plan, said Peter Goldmark, state commissioner of public lands. Goldmark, who manages the state Department of Natural Resources, said last week that the Navy's 2010 environmental impact statement on the effects of jet noise on the seabird listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act did not go far enough. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Cleaner streets for cleaner Puget Sound planned
Copper, zinc, phosphorous and other pollutants build up on Seattle’s streets before rain washes them into storm drains and waterways that lead to Puget Sound. During heavy rains, the sewer system fills up and the problem can worsen. As a solution, the city plans to double the coverage of its street-cleaning program, hoping to scour at least 40 additional tons of pollutants from roadways each year before they can reach the Sound. The $800,000 street-cleaning expansion — meant to help satisfy a consent agreement with state and federal authorities to rein in combined sewage overflows — also is the frugal way to go, officials said. Miguel Otarola reports. (Seattle Times)

Navy offers new option for proposed Port Angeles submarine escort pier
The Navy has announced the location of a fourth alternative site for a proposed pier at Ediz Hook, where a plethora of activity already is taking place. The new location was offered to mollify concerns expressed by the Puget Sound Pilots and others about the $16.7 million proposal, which would provide a dock for up to seven Navy submarine escort vessels. But the route of the vessels as they proceed to the newest-option pier also places them within 100 feet of Seattle-based Icicle Seafoods Inc.’s Atlantic-salmon fish farm. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Fir Island Farms Reserve closed to public for dike setback
Public access is now closed to the Fir Island Farms Reserve, where heavy machinery will begin moving dirt and materials next week for the start of a two-year tidal marsh restoration project, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday. The project, which is being done on Fish and Wildlife land on Fir Island, will set back the existing mile-long dike about 5,500 feet to reopen 131 acres of tidal marsh in the Skagit River Delta to fish and wildlife. Kimberley Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Whatcom charter review board targets environmental groups
Conservatives on the county Charter Review Commission and their allies have a strategy for fixing what they say is wrong with Whatcom County. In addition to recommending more local representation on the council through district-only voting, a task they finished in February, they seek to de-fund “special interest groups” that support environmental causes. At the May 18 charter review meeting, Michelle Luke, who was endorsed by Republicans during her unsuccessful campaign for council in 2013, said district-only voting was needed to correct the excessive protections placed on rural land by conservation nonprofits…. Commissioners on May 18 didn’t mention by name any of the nonprofits they were targeting, but it appeared they were referring to conservation advocacy groups such as Futurewise and RE Sources for Sustainable Communities. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Olympic National Park's newest attraction is made out of an old dam
The west rim of the Glines Canyon overlook is finished and ready for visitors, just in time for summer. Perched on what was once the spillway of the 210-foot-tall Glines Canyon Dam, the overlook offers expansive views of a wide valley that previously held the Lake Mills reservoir. The Elwha River, released by breaching of the dam that was finished in August, now flows freely through the deep canyon just below the viewpoint. (Peninsula Daily News)

Drought Conditions Reach Unexpected Corners Of Northwest
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows almost all of eastern Oregon and parts of eastern Washington are now in severe drought. But the dry conditions are also reaching into corners of the Northwest that usually remain relatively lush. An example is the south fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. The river feels different and is slower than normal. Jessica Robinson reports. (EarthFix)

Will fake killer whale fool sea lions in Astoria — and what if it does?
Chris Dunagan writes: "I was eager to find out if a 32-foot fiberglass replica of a killer whale could scare off a huge number of sea lions crowded together on the docks in Astoria, Ore. I kept telling my wife Sue, “It’s not going to work” — and I had not the slightest idea that the motorized orca might capsize during its attempt to frighten the persistent sea lions…." (Watching Our Water Ways)

Calls mount for B.C. to take stronger action against invasive mussels
With the start of summer boating season in British Columbia’s freshwater lakes, the annual game of chance begins: The provincial government is gambling that it can prevent any boats contaminated with invasive mussels from launching within its borders. B.C. introduced its new mobile decontamination units on May 29, to check boats coming from other parts of North America for signs of quagga and zebra mussels. The rapidly reproducing invaders can hitchhike on boats, marine trailers and fishing gear. Once they have a foothold they choke out native species, clog infrastructure such as water intakes, and leave beaches littered with piercing shells. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 8 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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