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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8/7 Ugly fish, WA oil terminal, BC LNG, White River, fish die-off, BC spill averted, pier removal, tsunami debris

Lasiognathus dinema (UW)

Scientist discovers ugly new species of fish in Gulf of Mexico
By conventional standards, the new species of fish discovered deep in the Gulf of Mexico is not beautiful. Actually, by almost any standard, it’s hideous. But this spiky, snaggle-toothed fish, a sea creature from somebody’s nightmares, is adapted to the harsh world below 3,000 feet, where it was co-discovered by a scientist at Nova Southeastern University. Deep-sea expert Tracey Sutton identified the species while studying sea life at extreme ocean depths in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, the university announced Wednesday. David Fleshler reports. (Sun Sentinel)

New blog: Sitting on The “Big One.” This Is Your Northwest
“How do you think about your own death and destruction? Maybe you’ve seen the disaster movies. Are you in the masses that die or the few that survive? Here’s why I have a hard time thinking about this...”

If you like to watch: Swimming with the Partnership
As people who encouraged me on Swim Duwamish, I thought you might enjoy this Swim Duwamish video featuring Martha Kongsgaard and Sheida Sahandy, leaders of the Puget Sound Partnership. Mark Powell shares.

Settlement Reveals New Details Of Vancouver Oil Terminal Deal
A largely unredacted lease between the Port of Vancouver, Washington state and companies looking to build the largest oil-by-rail terminal in the country has been released as the result of a legal settlement. The proposal, called the Vancouver Energy Project, is a joint-venturbacked by oil company Tesoro and logistics company Savage Industries. The lease, turned over Wednesday, contains only three redactions, which cover proprietary information about pricing between the Port of Vancouver and Tesoro-Savage. In May, a Clark County-based environmental group sued the port over a 2014 public records request for an unredacted version of the lease. Conrad Wilson reports. (EarthFix)

B.C.’s LNG project poses threat to salmon habitat: study
A new study co-authored by six British Columbia First Nations warns that a proposed terminal for exporting liquefied natural gas on the province’s northern coast poses a threat to salmon habitat in the Skeena River estuary. The research argues Pacific NorthWest LNG’s planned terminal on Lelu Island will harm Flora Bank, where juvenile salmon are nurtured by eelgrass beds. Flora Bank, a sandy area that is visible at low tide, is next to the proposed LNG site near Prince Rupert. Brent Jang reorts. (Globe and Mail)

Parties restoring key habitat for salmon on White River
More than 56 parties have agreed to restore key salmon habitat on the White River, which flows through King and Pierce Counties in Washington State, to resolve their liability for natural resource damages caused by hazardous substances released into the Thea Foss and Wheeler-Osgood Waterways in Tacoma’s Commencement Bay, the Justice Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of the Interior announced today. The habitat project will reopen 121 acres of historic floodplain for salmon, and reduces future flood risk to nearby homes and businesses. The project results from the collaborative efforts of settling parties and natural resource trustees: NOAA, the Department of the Interior, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. (Enumclaw Courier-Herald)

Heat causes massive fish die-off at Whatcom Falls hatchery
Water that was too warm killed about 5,400 rainbow trout — nearly all of them — at the Whatcom Falls Park hatchery during a summer marked by drought and high temperatures. Most of the fish were in two large shallow ponds at the hatchery, which belongs to the Washington state Department of Fish & Wildlife but is operated by Bellingham Technical College’s fisheries program. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

B.C. coast guard, tug crew avert major diesel and gas spill
Coast guard officials and the crew of a tug had to work fast to prevent what could have been a major spill off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island. A barge loaded with 60,000 litres of diesel and gasoline hit rocks Wednesday afternoon and began taking on water in Surge Narrows near Campbell River, B.C. (Canadian Press)

Pier Demolition Makes Way for Ferry Terminal
Demolition of the Mukilteo tank farm pier has begun. The work makes way for a new terminal to replace Washington State Ferries’ existing, 60-year-old facility in Mukilteo. The project will result in a cleaner Puget Sound by removing 7,000 tons of toxic creosote-soaked timber piles, about 4 percent of the remaining creosote in the sound. Ric Haun reports. (MarineLink.Com)

Massive barge carrying tsunami debris arrives in Seattle
A barge the size of a football field carrying debris from the massive Japanese earthquake and tsunami is now in Puget Sound. Seattle is one of the final stops in a two-year shoreline cleanup. The barge is carrying thousands of bags of marine debris that washed up on Alaska shores, some presumably from the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Now that it’s in Seattle, recyclable material will be sorted out. (KIRO)

Hollywood Beach closed again by mysterious bacterial contamination
High levels of bacteria have closed Hollywood Beach again, just a month after it was closed over the Fourth of July weekend. Sue Waldrip, Clallam County Environmental Health division specialist, said testing Thursday morning revealed the possible presence of human fecal matter. The Clallam County Health and Human Services Department says people should not swim or wade in the water or get it into their mouths, noses or eyes. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 253 AM PDT FRI AUG 7 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT
LIGHT WIND. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SUN
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 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//1 David Suzuki, drought, Shell drill, Fred Felleman, halibut, tsunami debris, Kitsap pollution

David Suzuki (Charlie Cho/CBC)

David Suzuki reflects on life and death in 'Letters to My Grandchildren'
Famed environmentalist shared 5 personal reflections with CBC upon the release of his new book: On Family, On Death, On Legacy, On Discrimination, On Naysayers. (CBC)

Washington farmers, wildlife managers prepare for drought
With Washington state experiencing the worst mountain snowpack in decades and a drought emergency declared two weeks ago, farmers, growers and wildlife managers are preparing for a tough summer as conditions are expected to worsen. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press) See also: What drought? Meteorologist Cliff Mass vs. nearly everyone  Drew Atkins reports. (Crosscut)

West Seattle sea scene: Another Shell fleet vessel, Tor Viking II
From the “what’s that vessel?” file: Thanks to Lynn Hall and Don Brubeck for sending photos of this icebreaker/tug seen off West Seattle this morning (May 30).... Online information indicates that the Norway-built Tor Viking II is associated with the Royal Dutch Shell offshore-Arctic-drilling fleet; while most of the information involves its tasks from Shell’s 2012 Arctic efforts, this is one of the more than two dozen vessels listed in the U.S. Coast Guard “rule” for Puget Sound “temporary safety zones” related to Shell’s fleet. (West Seattle Blog) See also: B.C. activists protest Shell oil drilling ship's movement through Inside Passage  (Canadian Press)

Hometown environmental advocate takes plunge into Seattle port commission race
Fred Felleman has spent a career holding the feet of a host of public agencies to the fire. Now, the part-time San Juan Island resident, a renowned maritime industry watchdog and former member of the Whale Museum Board of Directors, is seeking to join one of the many public agencies that he's gone to the mat against in the past, and in a position of oversight, no less. Felleman is one of nine candidates vying for an open seat on the Seattle Port Commission, which oversees the Port of Seattle, a $9 billion a year enterprise. (San Juan Journal)

Dumping of halibut sparks fight among North Pacific fishing fleets
Due to concern about the halibut stock, trawlers are required to toss the millions of pounds they accidentally catch. The fleet says proposals to trim the amount of halibut it catches would be damaging, while other fishermen call for tighter controls on the trawlers’ bycatch. Hal Bernton and Justin Mayo report. (Seattle Times)

Tsunami debris still washing up in Washington 4 years later
Four years after a tsunami devastated Japan's coast, debris still washes up in Washington — and winds up in the hands of state wildlife officials. The debris comes with an environmental threat — invasive species and parasites that have hitched a ride across the Pacific Ocean. Another barnacle-encrusted Japanese skiff has made its way to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's aquatic invasive species unit. The 25-foot boat was recovered off a remote shore near La Push and arrived in two halves last week at the department's property south of Tumwater. The unit's goal is to remove marine debris and prevent the spread of invasive marine life. Andy Hobbs reports. (Olympian)

Water cleanup program will forego grants, reorganize for efficiency
Chris Dunagan writes: "After much success in cleaning up streams in Kitsap County, pollution investigators for the Kitsap Public Health District plan to turn their backs on most state and federal grants and reorganize their approach to local waterways. I’m talking about the folks who literally wrote the book on pollution identification and correction, or PIC, a strategic approach to tracking down bacterial contamination and eliminating the sources. A 2012 “Protocol Manual” (PDF 10.6 mb) and a 2014 “guidance document” (PDF 4.3 mb) — both developed by Kitsap’s pollution investigators — are now being used by local health departments throughout the state. That’s why I was surprised to hear that the health district plans to change course for its pollution-cleanup program this fall — especially the part about reducing reliance on state and federal grants. For many Puget Sound jurisdictions, these grants provide the major sources of funding, if not the only funding for their PIC projects. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 219 AM PDT MON JUN 1 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 3 FT
 AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
--
"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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4/15 Spilled oil, Navy tow, Shell drill, oil tax, toxic fish, Saanich bylaw, Bainbridge SMP, Kply, climate, protected puffins, orca noise, Deschutes cleanup, kelp study, Dick Goin, tsunami

English Bay oil (Vancouver Aquarium/CBC)

Vancouver oil spill was small but 'nasty' and spread quickly
The oil spill in Vancouver's English Bay last week was relatively small, but the highly toxic bunker fuel spread quickly, and will keep washing up on beaches, said city manager Penny Ballem in an update to council. Ballem said it's still not clear exactly how much Bunker C fuel oil spilled from the grain ship Marathassa on April 8, despite estimates from the coast guard that approximately 2,700 litres were released. But Ballem said the fuel is highly toxic and very viscose or thick, so it forms globs that are carried to distant beaches, including some 12 kilometres away from the spill site at New Brighton Park in East Vancouver. Lisa Johnson reports. (CBC) See also: Vancouver oil spill stops recreational shellfish and groundfish fishing  Lisa Johnson reports. (CBC) See also: B.C. minister says Coast Guard took more than a day to take control of Vancouver fuel spill  Sunny Dhillon and Justine Hunter report. (Globe and Mail)

Navy cargo ship towed into Port Angeles Harbor after losing power in Strait
A Navy Military Sealift Command cargo ship was towed into Port Angeles on Saturday after it lost power overnight in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The 685-foot Cape Intrepid was undergoing sea trials after a long period docked in Tacoma when it lost power about 2:30 a.m. Saturday north of Clallam Bay in Canadian waters, according to the Coast Guard. Clallam Bay is 50 miles west of Port Angeles. Coast Guard Lt. Ben Weber said the Cape Intrepid drifted about two miles before the emergency tug Jeffrey Foss reached it approximately two hours later. (Peninsula Daily News)

Coast Guard creates ‘First Amendment zone’ in Puget Sound for anti-Shell protests
he U.S. Coast Guard, with help from activist groups, has identified an informal  “First Amendment Zone,” just north of Terminal 5, where protesters can take to the water against Shell Oil’s Arctic drilling fleet when it arrives at the Port of Seattle. “I didn’t choose this area:  I gave them a chart and asked them where they wanted to be,” Capt. Joe Raymond, captain of the port, said Tuesday. Raymond initiated a meeting on Monday with organizers of a “sea of kayaks” protest. He described the zone as “an excellent place” for protesters wishing a high-visibility presence while not interfering with ferries, tugs and other marine traffic in the harbor. Still, a key player in the anti-Shell protests — Greenpeace — says no accord was reached at the meeting on where sea-borne protests can take place. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com) See also: Headed to Seattle, controversial Arctic drill rig will stop in Port Angeles on Friday  Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

House OKs bill to increase tax on oil shipped through state
The state House on Tuesday passed its version of a bill to impose new safety regulations on the increasing amount of oil that is shipped through Washington by rail, boat and pipeline. A modified version of a bill that cleared the Senate in March passed the House with a 58-40 bipartisan vote. The Senate version extended a barrel tax to fund oil cleanups. In that version, the barrel tax is applied to all oil that enters Washington by train but exempts oil that travels by pipelines. Derrick Nunnally reports. (Associated Press) See also: Rules on oil train, pipeline safety not moving fast enough, lawmakers say  Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

Reducing toxics in fish involves politics, maybe more than science
When it comes to eliminating toxic pollution from our waterways and the foods we eat, almost everyone agrees that the best idea is to track down the chemicals, find out how they are getting into the environment and then make decisions about how to handle the situation. It’s all common sense until politics comes into play. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Lobby group opposes Saanich environmental protection bylaw
About a dozen Saanich residents have created a lobby group against an environmental protection bylaw they say might reduce property values for no reason. The Environmental Development Permit Area bylaw intends to protect sensitive natural areas by requiring homeowners to obtain permits for everything from disturbing soil to building a deck. The goal is to protect areas of high biodiversity, as well as require restoration to damaged and degraded ecosystems during development. But Saanich Citizens for a Responsible EDPA, as the newly formed lobby group is called, says the process for identifying land was flawed. Areas with little ecological value are protected, while others might not have been flagged, they say. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Hearings board rejects challenge to Bainbridge SMP
A growth management hearings board has ruled in favor of the city of Bainbridge Island in a challenge over the city's controversial Shoreline Management Master Program. A group of shoreline property owners had filed a challenge to the city's updated plan in October, and claimed it violated state law, conflicted with Bainbridge's development regulations and also ran afoul of the city's and the park district's comprehensive plans. In the April 6 decision, the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board said the group did not prove its case. (Bainbridge Review)

State Department of Ecology: Cleanup of former plywood mill site in Port Angeles could be finished by September 2016
Cleanup of the former KPly mill site on the Port Angeles Harbor could be finished as soon as September 2016, although pollutants could linger there another three decades. Those contaminants, however, will be capped, excavated and trucked off, consumed by bacteria or ventilated away by any future user of the 19 acres at 439 Marine Drive in Port Angeles, about two dozen people at a community meeting were told Wednesday. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Cliff Mass Explains How Climate Change Will Impact Northwest Weather In the Next Century
Cliff Mass is one of the region’s clearest communicators about the weather. We talked this week about the impacts of climate change in the next century. He has indicated in the past that we are relatively lucky when it comes to climate change. But there will be changes, in the future. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Warm ‘blob’ off our coast may explain weird weather
A gargantuan blob of warm water that’s been parked off the West Coast for 18 months is part of a larger pattern that helps explain California’s drought, Washington’s snow-starved ski resorts and record blizzards in New England, according to new analyses by Seattle scientists. The researchers aren’t convinced global warming is to blame, which puts them at odds with other experts who suspect Arctic melting upset the “polar vortex” and contributed to the misery on the East Coast the past two winters. Sandi Doughton reports. (Seattle Times)

New Ferry Ready To Serve San Juans Beginning June 14
The brand new, 144-car ferry Samish is set to officially take its place amid Washington state’s world-class ferry system. The new ferry will begin service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route Sunday, June 14, just in time for the start of the summer sailing season. On Friday, April 10,  2015 Washington State Ferries accepted the Samish from builder/contractor Vigor Industrial following two months of sea trials and crew training. (San Juan Islander)

State protection changes for puffins, sea lions
Tufted puffins will soon get more protection on the state endangered species list, while Steller sea lions will be removed from the list. The state Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the changes last week. Tufted puffins are native seabirds once considered common along parts of the coast, according to a Fish and Wildlife news release. In recent decades, the population has significantly declined. Now that the bird is listed, Fish and Wildlife will develop a plan to help the species recover. Steller sea lions are being removed from the list because the population has rebounded in recent years. Some protection will be maintained at the state level and under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, but the sea lions will no longer be listed as threatened. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Orcas Are Shouting Over Boat Noise – And It Might Be Making Them Hungry
Picture yourself at a noisy bar. You realize that you have been shouting at your date all night in order to be heard. Well, orcas in Puget Sound are in kind of the same situation. Marla Holt, a research biologist with NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center, has found that loud boat noise forces endangered orcas to raise the volume of their calls. But the question, Holt says, is "so what? What are the biological consequences of them doing this?” To answer that question, Holt and her NOAA colleague, Dawn Noren, a research fishery biologist, studied captive bottlenose dolphins. Ashley Ahearn reports. (KUOW)

Input sought on draft plan to clean up Deschutes watershed
Thurston County's growing population has contributed to a decline in Deschutes River water quality. The Department of Ecology has released a draft water cleanup plan for the river, and is hosting public meetings to gather comment over the next six weeks. The draft plan looks at the daily load of pollution that enters the river above Tumwater Falls and on streams flowing to Budd Inlet. A second phase later will look at water quality in Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet. The report found a number of factors contributing to a decrease in water quality, including warmer water temperatures, high bacteria and sediment levels, and low levels of dissolved oxygen. (Olympian)

Our lives and livelihoods depend on saving the Salish Sea
Over the past 200 years, humans have drastically altered the Salish Sea to a degree previously associated only with the geological creation of ecosystems. As a result, we have diminished the ecosystem’s ability to provide for us. Audrey DeLella Benedict and Joseph K. Gaydos authors, “The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest.” (Seattle Times)

Hood Canal kelp studied for future of ocean life
Researchers are planning to grow 3 acres of sugar kelp north of the Hood Canal Bridge in an effort to save shellfish, and thereby larger ocean life. "Sugar kelp is a native species. It grows naturally here in Puget Sound," said Puget Sound Restoration Fund Executive Director Betsy Peabody. PSRF received a $1.5 million grant from the Paul Allen Family Foundation to conduct the research in partnership with NOAA and the Washington State Department of Resources. (KING)

Dick Goin, defender of Elwha River salmon, dies at age of 83
Dick Goin, who gave voice to the Elwha River's salmon, has died. Services are pending for Goin (pronounced GOH-in), 83, who died of natural causes Sunday night at his Port Angeles home surrounded by family members, said Marie, his wife of 64 years, on Tuesday. The Goins received the Clallam County Community Service Award in 2007 and the Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center in September 2011. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Fast walking could spare thousands from NW tsunami, study says
A new analysis shows more than 100,000 people are at risk from a tsunami on the Northwest coast — but the outlook isn’t uniformly grim. In many communities, residents should be able to make it to high ground in time simply by walking at a brisk pace. Tsunami surges are expected to slam into some parts of the coast within 15 to 30 minutes of an earthquake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the offshore fault where two tectonic plates collide. Published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the analysis takes the most comprehensive look yet at the threat along the 700-mile-long coast of Washington, Oregon and Northern California — and finds surprising variability. Sandi Doughton reports. (Seattle Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT WED APR 15 2015
TODAY
SW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
S WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS 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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3/11 Tsunami debris, forage fish, WQ standards, drought, Shell drills, WA climate, train safety, Prince Rupert, nets

Tsunami debris (Vancouver Sun)

Photos: Japanese tsunami debris still washing up on B.C. shores
March 11, 2015 is the fourth anniversary of the devastating tidal waves that hit Japan after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Debris from Japan has been washing up on North American shores since 2012. (Vancouver Sun)

Action Taken To Protect Fish At Bottom Of Ocean Food Chain
West Coast fishery managers adopted a new rule Tuesday that protects many species of forage fish at the bottom of the ocean food chain. The rule prohibits commercial fishing of herring, smelt, squid and other small fish that aren't currently targeted by fishermen. It sets up new, more protective regulations for anyone who might want to start fishing for those species in the future. The Pacific Fishery Management Council unanimously voted to adopt the rule at a meeting in Vancouver, Washington. The council sets ocean fishing seasons off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Feds watch closely as state updates water-quality standards
For more than 40 years, state regulators have been pondering the raw end of effluent pipes to control water pollution — and they will keep doing so for the foreseeable future. Under federal guidelines, the state Department of Ecology has been enforcing statewide water quality standards, which were last updated in 1992. These apply to toxic discharges from industrial facilities and sewage-treatment plants. Now, under threat from the Environmental Protection Agency, Ecology is rushing to complete a new set of standards for toxic chemicals before the EPA takes over and imposes its own standards on the state. The situation is expected to come to a head in August. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Kitsap Sun)

It's official: Olympic Mountains — source of our water supply — in a state of drought
A stubbornly warm winter is still providing the Olympic Mountains with little snowpack, and the mountain range has been declared to officially be in a state of drought. After a short-lived storm restored about a foot of snow last week, the meager, melting snowpack in the Olympics is back to single-digit percentages of where it should be. The snow level is above the tops of most of the Olympics peaks, meaning that today's rains are just that — rain — and not snow. Both the short- and long-range forecasts are for above-normal temperatures, according to the National Weather Service. Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

A Port pledge? Shell’s Arctic fleet out in 2 years, no more lightning leases
The Seattle Port Commission is seeking a passage to calmer waters after facing protest and song over its lease of Terminal 5 to provide a staging area for Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic oil drilling fleet. A motion, set for vote at a future Commission meeting, would require that Shell’s fleet be gone within two years.  It also promises no more quickie deals removed from public scrutiny.  And the Commission would take over all future details of the controversial deal with Foss Maritime, which services Shell’s ships. “We are not changing terms of the lease,” said Seattle Port Commissioner Tom Albro.  “We are, essentially, owning the lease as an executive action and determining what will happen there.” Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com) See also: Critics sound off against Port’s lease for Shell drilling-fleet base   Coral Garnick reports. (Seattle Times)

State Senate’s collision with science and climate change
At least nobody brought in a snowball to argue that the planet is cooling. That’s about the best I can say about our Washington state Senate and the issue of climate change: That it isn’t as willfully misinformed as its national counterpart, the U.S. Senate. But a half-hour debate this week in Olympia showed it’s a depressingly close race…. In the end every Republican senator but one voted against the statement that “human activity significantly contributes to climate change.” They replaced it with “human activity may contribute” to climate change. Danny Westneat reports. (Seattle Times)

State Senate passes oil train safety bill
The state Senate passed a measure Monday night to improve the safety of oil transportation, one of two competing bills that deal with the increasing shipments of crude oil through the state. Senate Bill 5057, sponsored by Republican Sen. Doug Ericksen of Ferndale, passed 26-23 after extended debate. The House passed a competing bill last week…. The Senate-approved measure requires the Department of Ecology to review oil-spill response plans, provide grants to local emergency responders and convene a panel to evaluate whether tug escorts are needed for oil vessels on the Columbia River and in Grays Harbor. Ericksen’s bill also extends a barrel tax collected on oil that comes to the state by train, with the proceeds going to an oil-spill response fund. It differs from House Bill 1449, which passed last week, because it doesn’t cover oil shipped by pipeline and lacks requirements that railroads and others show they can pay to clean up a spill. Derrick Nunnally reports. (Associated Press)

Prince Rupert’s port to expand by 500,000 containers
A container terminal at a northern British Columbia port announced an expansion Tuesday that will increase the facility’s capacity by nearly 60 per cent. Maher Terminals said it’s expanding its Fairview Container Terminal at the Prince Rupert Port to handle 1.3 million containers per year, from its current capacity of 850,000 units. Don Krusel, president of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, said construction would begin immediately and is expected to be finished by the middle of 2017. He said the expansion will involve a capital investment of more than $200-million. (Globe and Mail)

Bainbridge Island company casts its net a bit wider
Before they begin scooping fish out of the ocean, many trawl nets are born at a factory off Day Road on Bainbridge Island…. The Bainbridge Island company is the only manufacturer in North America with the looms needed to produce this knotless, polyethylene netting, a product it unabashedly calls the “world’s strongest.” Squares in the netting are formed with braids instead of the traditional knots, making it less likely to lose its shape or break, according to its makers. Tad Sooter reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 227 AM PDT WED MAR 11 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS. RAIN 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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3/10 Fraser salmon, Everett mill, Tarboo planting, traffic, Adventuress, WY coal, Whidbey slide, tsunami debris

Robin (Paul Bannick/BirdNote)

If you like to listen: Cheery American Robin
First song in the morning - and the last at night! (BirdNote)

Scientists find way to better predict size of salmon runs in Fraser River
Researchers have found a more accurate way to predict the size of sockeye salmon runs in the Fraser River, which could help officials make better decisions about how many fish to allocate to commercial, First Nations and recreational fisheries. Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California found their new method was more accurate than most preseason forecasts of Fraser River sockeye runs from the past 58 years. Maura Forrest reports. (Globe and Mail)

Ecology: Everett mill site no longer hazardous
It’s taken 20 years, but the state says a former Weyerhaeuser mill site on Everett’s north side is clean. Contaminated soil at the site has either been trucked away or covered up and doesn’t pose a health threat, according to the state Department of Ecology. From 1914 to 1992, Weyerhaeuser operated several mills at the 35-acre site along the Snohomish River, turning out pulp, boards and other wood products. The site is at 101 E. Marine View Drive, just west of the Highway 529 bridge. Dan Catchpole reports. (Everett Herald)

Crew with Port Townsend institute wraps up plantings in Tarboo watershed this week; 11,000 plants put in place this season
A five-person field crew with the Northwest Watershed Institute will wrap up the planting season this week, having completed plantings and weed control at restoration sites along Tarboo Creek and Dabob Bay.  Overall this winter, Plant-A-Thon volunteers and the institute's field crew have planted 11,000 native trees and shrubs on the Tarboo watershed, said Peter Bahls, executive director. That includes 4,500 bare-root and potted plants and 6,500 live stakes at 10 sites. The plantings are part of a long-term effort of the institute, a nonprofit based in Port Townsend, to restore habitat for salmon and other wildlife in the Tarboo-Dabob watershed south of Port Townsend and northwest of Quilcene. (Peninsula Daily News)

I-5 traffic delays in Seattle skyrocket
It's not your imagination. Traffic on Interstate 5 in Seattle is really getting that bad. That's one of the messages from a new study by the Puget Sound Regional Council set to be released Thursday….The PSRC says 144,000 people have moved to the region since 2010, or 3.9%. That means, in theory, more people are on the roads and on transit. But the study suggests the delays on regional freeways have gone up more than 52% since 2010. Olson says the delays increased by 25% just between 2013 and 2014. Yet, broken down, the issues have not been as significant in Kitsap and Pierce counties as they have in King. Chris Daniels reports. (KING)

USCG detains MOL containership in Seattle
U.S. Coast Guard personnel detained the containership MOL Precision in Seattle, Thursday, March 5. Port State Control officers, from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, discovered several significant violations during a port state control exam of the Panamanian-flagged ship, which was required to remain in Sector Puget Sound's Captain of the Port zone until the violations were corrected. (Marine Log)

Adventuress begins sailing season with four captains at helm of educational endeavor
The schooner Adventuress opens its sailing season this month with four new captains who will share the responsibility of bringing forth the vessel’s ecologically inclined educational mission.  Sound Experience, a Port Townsend-based nonprofit that owns and operates the 102-year-old tall ship, finished crew training last week and offered its first public sail of the season Saturday. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Wyoming Legislature approves bill to support coal port bonds
Wyoming is prepared to up the stakes in its high-dollar push to override local opposition in the Northwest and get access to ocean ports to allow coal exports to Asia. The Wyoming Legislature has approved a measure to allow a state agency to issue up to $1 billion in bonds to finance construction of coal ports in the Northwest. The bill is before Republican Gov. Matt Mead, who has declined comment on it. But Mead has made no secret of his support for coal — and his desire to see trainloads of it heading from Wyoming, the nation's leading coal-producing state, bound for Asia. Ben Neary reports. (Associated Press)

Ongoing Whidbey Island slide destroys another beach cabin
An ongoing landslide at Brighton Beach destroyed another Whidbey Island shoreline cabin late Friday, and officials are warning people to stay away from the area. The slide zone, below a 200-foot bluff, is extremely dangerous and should be avoided, said Jon Beck, deputy chief of the South Whidbey fire district. In December and last month, other buildings were seriously damaged by sliding mud and debris. The latest event took place at about 10 p.m. Friday. The building was not occupied and no one was hurt. Justin Burnett reports. (South Whidbey Record)

Japanese tsunami debris B.C. pickup pitched by Gulf of Alaska Keeper
As we approach the fourth anniversary of the Japanese tsunami, U.S. group Gulf of Alaska Keeper wants to use helicopters and a huge barge to remove tonnes of material still littering B.C. and Alaska coastlines. The group plans to float the barge around the north Pacific this summer, picking up huge loads of debris still stranded in coastal Alaska, with other pickup sites proposed for B.C. (CBC)

B.C. sport fishing society hooks province's fish licence revenues
The non-profit society that promotes sport fishing in British Columbia will receive 100 per cent of the revenues generated from fishing licences, the provincial government announced Monday. The announcement means the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. will receive about $10 million starting next month, an increase of about $3 million from what it currently receives. The society has been receiving 70 per cent of fishing licence revenues for the past 11 years. (Canadian Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE MAR 10 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS. AREAS OF MORNING FOG.
TONIGHT AND WED
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY.
--
"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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12/9 Forage fish, storm, BC plants, refinery fines, BP settlement, tsunami debris

Pacific Sand Lance (PHOTO: Jon Gross)

If you like to watch: Forage Fish Matter
Forage fish are the backbone of a healthy Puget Sound. They provide the food base for endangered chinook which in turn are relied on by the endangered Southern Resident Orcas. Little Fish + Big Fish = Orca. Laura James produced this piece for Sound Action.

B.C. storm roars on with ferries cancelled, more rain, wind in forecast
A second wave of a powerful subtropical storm is set to pound the West Coast today with high winds on Vancouver Island, and another round of heavy rain for Metro Vancouver and Howe Sound. Environment Canada is forecasting wind gusts will hit 90 km/h across large sections of Vancouver Island, including Victoria. In Metro Vancouver, winds of up to 60 km/h are in sight, with another  25 mm of rain expected by Tuesday afternoon. The heavy rain that fell overnight caused flooding in some sections of Vancouver Island, and the Lower Mainland. (CBC) See also: Flooding, landslides possible as downpour continues  (KING)

Three B.C. plants declared endangered by federal panel of scientists
The limber pine, phantom orchid and toothcup have been listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in its annual conservation review released Monday. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Anacortes refineries pay, accrue fines in November  
The Tesoro Anacortes refinery and offloading facility paid a collective $150,000 settlement to the Northwest Clean Air Agency in November for oil discharged to the on-site wastewater system between September 2012 and September 2013. The regional air agency fined the refinery and offloading facility, which are separate companies, $75,000 each for violation. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

High court rejects BP appeal of spill settlement
The Supreme Court is leaving in place BP’s multibillion-dollar settlement with lawyers for businesses and residents over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The justices did not comment Monday in rejecting the London-based oil giant’s arguments that lower courts misinterpreted settlement terms and put BP on the hook to pay inflated and bogus claims by businesses. (Associated Press)

More Japanese Tsunami Debris Will Wash Up This Winter On Northwest Shores, Scientists Predict
Winter storms off the Oregon and Washington coastlines are expected to bring a new wave of debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Scientists say objects are already washing ashore – with potentially invasive organisms riding along. In March, 2011 an earthquake and tsunami devastated a large swath of eastern Japan. The tsunami reached heights of over 100 feet in some places, washing large quantities of manmade materials out to sea. Japanese officials estimate that about 1.5 million tons of debris floated out into the Pacific. Jes Burns reports. (EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE DEC 9 2014
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING
TODAY
S WIND 30 TO 40 KT...BECOMING SW 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 14 TO 17 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13 SECONDS.
 RAIN.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 15 TO 17 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 14 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN 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.

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4/22 Earth sounds, Big Bang, BC pipe, spill risks, tankers, alpine mercury, Orca Tour, Japan mussel, land-farmed salmon, stormwater

For the Earth: Help Scientists Record One Day of Sound on Earth
Bryan Pijanowski wants to capture the sounds of the world on a single day, and he needs your help. On Earth Day, April 22, Pijanowski hopes to enlist thousands of people in recording a few minutes of their everyday surroundings with his Soundscape Recorder smartphone app. All those sonic snippets could create an unprecedented soundtrack to life on Earth — and as they accumulate, year after year, scientists could use them to measure patterns and changes in our sonic environments. Brandon Keim reports. (Wired)

For the Earth and the Universe: Poll: Big Bang a big question for most Americans
While scientists believe the universe began with a Big Bang, most Americans put a big question mark on the concept, an Associated Press-GfK poll found. Yet when it comes to smoking causing cancer or that a genetic code determines who we are, the doubts disappear. When considering concepts scientists consider truths, Americans have more skepticism than confidence in those that are farther away from our bodies in scope and time: global warming, the age of the Earth and evolution and especially the Big Bang from 13.8 billion years ago. Seth Borenstein and Jennifer Agiesta report. (Associated Press)

Key native group in Northern B.C. threatens to stop talks on pipelines
Another crack has appeared in the government’s energy strategy, with a key native group in northern B.C. threatening “to stop discussions [regarding] any and all proposed pipeline development” in their territory. The Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs, whose traditional lands near Hazelton lie in the path of several proposed oil and gas pipelines, say they will block those projects unless the government withdraws controversial treaty deals offered to two neighbouring bands. Gwaans – chief negotiator for the Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs whose English name is Beverley Clifton Percival – said Monday the threat to pull out of pipeline talks was made to get the government’s attention and drive home the importance of the issue. Mark Hume and Justine Hunter report. (Globe and Mail)

Vancouver seeks oil spill risk assessment
The city of Vancouver [WA] is seeking an independent assessment of the region's readiness for possible oil spills, explosions or other accidents that may result from the Northwest's largest proposed oil-by-train terminal. "We don't have experience with this kind of crude or volume," Deputy Fire Chief Dan Olson said. Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies want to build an oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver to handle as much as 380,000 barrels of crude a day. The state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council is weighing the proposal. The council will make a recommendation to Gov. Jay Inslee, who has the final say. Aaron Corvin and Erin Middlewood report. (Columbian)

Proposed oil terminal in B.C. could increase Strait tanker traffic
The number of oil tankers sailing along the Strait of Juan de Fuca bringing cargos of crude from Alaska has diminished dramatically in the past few years, according to oil and ship-movement records, but a plan for Alberta tar sands crude could increase the number of tankers in the Strait if it comes to pass. Many of the ships that currently head for Ferndale, Anacortes, Tacoma and other refinery points on Puget Sound often anchor in Port Angeles Harbor. Many of those anchored that sit “low in the water” with full cargos await clearance to proceed to their refineries. (Peninsula Daily News)

New Study: Mercury Found In Sport Fish In Remote Northwest Lakes
Some bad news for backcountry in the West: Some of the fish in the region’s wild alpine lakes contain unsafe levels of mercury, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. In the broadest study of its kind to date, the USGS tested various kinds of trout and other fish at 86 sites in national parks in 10 western states from 2008 to 2012. The average concentration of mercury in sport fish from two sites in Alaskan parks exceeded federal health standards, as did individual fish caught in California, Colorado, Washington and Wyoming. But perhaps more importantly, mercury was detected in all of the fish sampled, even from the more pristine areas of the parks. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

If you like to watch: March's Point Heron Colony
The heron colony on March's Point is believed to be the largest nesting area for Great Blue Herons in all of Western North America. Herons have nested at this site on Padilla Bay since the late 1970s. In 1984, just 42 nests were counted at this site, with a steady increase ever since. In 2006 Skagit Land Trust estimated over 700 active nests in the area! Now we think there are about 600.

Orca Tour 2014 - California, Here We Come!
The Whale Trail hosts a pre-kickoff and fundraiser on May 24 beginning at 6:30 PM at C&P Coffee in West Seattle for the Orca Tour which will feature orca expert Erich Hoyt in talks in two countries and three states in May. There will be a small silent auction and plenty of orca-themed door prizes. Friends from Seal Sitters, and emmy-nominated diver Laura James will also be on hand. Light appetizers and desserts, and no-host beer and wine. Admission is $5 adults, kids free, at Brown Paper Tickets.

Stowaway mussel surfs Japanese tsunami debris to B.C.
A sea creature unfamiliar in Canadian waters has hitchhiked its way across the Pacific ocean on a piece of suspected tsunami debris from Japan’s 2011 earthquake. The federal fisheries department has identified a non-indigenous mussel on one piece of wreckage believed to have drifted to B.C. after the devastating Japanese tsunami. The department says at this time it hasn’t conducted a full risk-assessment for the species, called mytilus coruscus... (Canadian Press)

Land-farmed salmon: Coming (temporarily) to a restaurant or store near you
Still have farmed salmon crossed off your short list of eco-friendly fish? A local version that’s available for a limited time in the Washington area could temporarily rewrite your rules. Most farmed salmon are raised in open nets or pens in the ocean, where their waste and potential to introduce parasites, diseases or non-native fish to the wild present serious environmental concerns. The Freshwater Institute, a program of the Arlington-based Conservation Fund, has been trying another way. For two years, the institute’s researchers have been growing Atlantic salmon at a recirculating aquaculture facility in Shepherdstown, W.Va., 70 miles from the District. They have been chipping away at the sustainability issues that plague this farmed fish’s reputation by growing it in land-based tanks without the use of antibiotics or hormones. They’ve acclimated the fish to grow in fresh water and are reusing 99 percent of it while reducing the amount of forage fish required to feed the growing predators. Whitney Pipkin reports. (Washington Post)

Rolling rain gardens at Port of Seattle
The Port of Seattle is testing a contraption that combines a boxcar, soil, plants and pipes to treat storm water runoff. The Port of Seattle is constantly looking for ways to reduce the runoff from its miles of concrete surfaces into Puget Sound.  The Splash Boxx may be a viable method. Splash Boxx is a Seattle Company that custom designs boxcar style containers that are packed with soild and plants and used to capture, slow down and treat stormwater in a natural, inexpensive process. Gary Chittim reports. (KING)

Now, your Earth Day tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE APR 22 2014
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 13 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
 SHOWERS...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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4/15 K pod, Kiss The Sky!, Octo-Mom, Mike Bursk, deep canyon, shy porpoise, timber money, debris

What LA saw (Gene Blevins/Reuters)

K pod makes rare spring visit to South Sound
K pod, one of the three pods of orcas that frequent Puget Sound, came south through the San Juan Islands yesterday and were spotted in South Puget Sound late this afternoon (Monday). It’s quite unusual to see K pod coming into Puget Sound this early in the year, noted killer whale researcher Brad Hanson of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. K pod contains 19 orcas and is often seen with other pods, but not this time. If history is any indication, they will soon be heading back out to the ocean. They are more likely to begin hanging out in the San Juan Islands in late May or early June. Chris Dunagan reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Win 2 Tickets to Kiss The Sky! The Orca Freedom Concert at the EMP April 22 by "liking" Sound Action and entering the drawing here.

If you like to watch: Octopus Life, Death and Birth at Three Tree Point  
Drew Collins and his search for the Real Octo-Mom and her eggs at Three Tree Point.

Whale Researcher Mike Bursk at Welcome the Whales Festival www.orcanetwork.org
Mike Bursk of the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, CA, speaks about "The Friendly Whales of San Ignacio Lagoon - Early Research" at 3 PM on April 19 at the Langley United Methodist Church, 3rd and Anthes, on Whidbey Island. Mike is the captain of the institute's 71-foot research vessel, the Sea Explorer. Nearly 20,000 students annually board the Sea Explorer for an adventure at sea. Presented by Orca Network and Whidbey Watershed Stewards.

Scientists say a deep canyon feeds Puget Sound
University of Washington researchers said they are astounded by the volume of deep sea water that is flowing through an underwater canyon at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They say it’s enough to fill Century Link Field every second.  Twenty to 30 percent more water comes up through that canyon than all of the rivers and streams that feed Puget Sound combined.  Scientists at the UW School of Applied Sciences said today that results from a machine they lowered into the canyon on a research mission last year, measured those massive flows. They describe it as an underwater river as big as the Columbia and Amazon combined that flows uphill from the depths of the Pacific and into the Strait. Gary Chittim reports. (KING)

Expert finds shy harbor porpoises off Anacortes
Small, dolphin-like creatures frequent the marine waters here, but they are so shy compared to their extroverted, tropical cousins like Flipper that little is known about them. A marine biologist who spent 10 years swimming with energetic bottlenose and spotted dolphins in the Bahamas moved to the Pacific Northwest on a mission to change that. The Pacific Biodiversity Institute’s Anacortes-based Harbor Porpoise Monitoring Network hired Cindy Elliser in January to take the five-year research project to the next level. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

State lands chief breaks vow, takes timber-industry money
During his successful 2008 campaign to become state lands commissioner, Peter Goldmark pledged not to accept timber money. But he has collected about $100,000 from those companies, and environmental supporters are concerned he is growing too close to the logging industry. Mike Baker and Jim Brunner report. (Seattle Times)

Tide of Japanese tsunami debris ending: scientist
The threat to the B.C. shoreline from Japanese tsunami debris is over, says Jan Hafner, a researcher at the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii. B.C.’s shoreline and beaches were expected to be hit with everything from corpses to radioactive material coming in with the tide, but have seen much less debris than anticipated. The March 2011 tsunami, the result of a devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake, swept an estimated five million tonnes of debris into the ocean. About 70 per cent was believed to have sunk off the Japanese coast, leaving about 1.5 million tonnes floating in the Pacific Ocean. Sandra McCulloch reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE APR 15 2014
TODAY
SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN
 THIS MORNING...THEN RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN
 LIKELY.

--
"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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3/19 David Mosley, BC pipe, oil trains, BC LNG, tsunami debris, herring, mill site sale, G-Word, TED

Robot writes LA Times breaking news
The Los Angeles Times was the first newspaper to publish a story about an earthquake on Monday - thanks to a robot writer. [Hey, what do you think is collecting and posting these news clips?] (BBC)

Head of state’s ferry system to resign April 15
David Moseley, the head of Washington State Ferries since 2008, is stepping down effective April 15. Moseley made the announcement Tuesday, saying he’ll leave the ferry system in a stronger position than it was six years ago when he took the job. He cited progress on building new, safer boats, but warned the system needs a sustainable funding source in the near future. Jim Brunner reports. (Seattle Times)

Trans Mountain Pipeline plans need amendment, says Burnaby
The City of Burnaby, B.C., is coming out swinging at plans to twin the Trans Mountain Pipeline, saying Kinder Morgan's expansion plan lacks critical details, including a safety plan and a clear route through the city. Greg McDade, the city's legal counsel, has sent a letter to the National Energy Board, which is reviewing the project, asking for the application to be rejected. The pipeline company has applied for approval to triple the capacity of the 60-year-old pipeline, which carries crude oil from Alberta, under the City of Burnaby and several other Lower Mainland municipalities, to a tanker terminal on the shore of Burrard Inlet. (CBC)

Groups raise new challenge to Tesoro-Savage oil project  
Environmental groups are leveling a new challenge against a proposal to build the Northwest’s largest oil-by-rail transfer terminal at the Port of Vancouver, arguing that a 1977 federal law prohibits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a permit for the proposal’s dock reconstruction project. In a March 11 letter to the Corps, Kristen Boyles, an attorney for Earthjustice who is representing several other environmental groups, argues the law — known as the Magnuson amendment — forbids the federal agency from issuing the permit requested by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies. The amendment, in part, bans the federal government from granting permits to build or modify a terminal or dock in Puget Sound — or any other of the state’s navigable waters east of Port Angeles — to increase the amount of oil such facilities could handle. Citing the amendment’s language in her letter, Boyles argues, in part, that the “Columbia River at the Port of Vancouver is a ‘navigable water in the state of Washington east of Port Angeles.’” Aaron Corvin reports. (Columbian)

How Industry Specs And A Federal Loophole Allow Railroads to Avoid Response Planning Oversight
Neither states nor the federal government have oversight over how railroads plan for responding to spills from trains carrying crude oil, meaning environmental regulators cannot identify gaps in the plans or verify a railroad’s abilities to carry them out.... Unlike the marine tankers, pipelines and facilities that also haul or store large quantities of oil, railroads are not required to file comprehensive response plans that meet federal standards, nor are their plans subject to review by any government agency. Tony Schick reports. (EarthFix)

Vancouver upstart wades into B.C.’s crowded LNG race
The competition is heating up to export B.C. liquefied natural gas as a new proponent tries to find a niche in an increasingly crowded field. Vancouver-based Steelhead LNG Corp. hopes to file an LNG export licence application to the National Energy Board within eight weeks, Steelhead chief executive officer Nigel Kuzemko said in an interview Tuesday. If the upstart does forge ahead with its plans, it will become the 14th entrant in the race to export LNG from Canada’s West Coast to energy-thirsty Asian customers. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

Tsunami cleanup project finding less debris than predicted
Three years after Japan was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami, washing millions of tonnes of debris into the Pacific Ocean, officials in B.C. say far less of that debris has reached our shores than expected. Despite that finding, Environment Minister Mary Polak on Tuesday announced $270,000 in funding for the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. The group, led by the Vancouver Aquarium and World Wildlife Fund, has launched a tsunami cleanup project and the funding will cover supplies and transport volunteers and debris along remote areas. Sunny Dhillon reports. (Globe and Mail)

Herring Country Safari
Puget Sound Institute lead ecosystem ecologist Tessa Francis writes: "Hood Canal never disappoints me. We’re in year 2 of our herring habitat study, asking whether Puget Sound herring populations are limited by the availability of spawning habitat.... Substrate type doesn’t matter. What does matter, we found, is where that substrate occurs. We found greater differences in egg mortality among spawning sites — Elliott Bay versus, say, Hood Canal — than among spawning habitat within sites. This year, we’re looking closely at why herring egg survival varies among spawning sites...."

Soil stability and other issues could derail sale of mill site
Sale of the Kimberly-Clark Corp. waterfront mill site is not a done deal. The prospective buyer, a Seattle-based company called Saltchuk, has concerns about the land, including soil stability, and it’s taking more time to study the site. Saltchuk hopes those concerns can be resolved through negotiations with seller Kimberly-Clark, but the issues could derail the deal, company spokeswoman Emily Reiter said. Dan Catchpole reports. (Everett Herald)

The G-Word
From a Frameworks Institute messaging memo: 'The word “government” poses an obstacle to productive thinking. The word “government” is so freighted with pejorative baggage that it should be used with caution and is best used only after other terms that establish its public mission. Without this redirection, government is universally greeted with derision—and that response is socially expected across Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Deep-seated ridicule, learned and conditioned over time, remains a major impediment to engaging citizens in a discussion about government as us, and government as problem-solver. If government is allowed to be identified as a “joke,” the rest of the conversation hardly matters.' Alan Durning discusses. (Sightline)

Marine Shoreline Design Guidelines
Here's the final version of the state's Marine Shoreline Design Guidelines prepared for the Aquatic Habitat Guidelines Program. "The Marine Shoreline Design Guidelines (MSDG) were developed to provide a comprehensive framework for site assessment and alternatives analysis to determine the need for shore protection and identify the technique that best suits the conditions at a given site." 59MB

TED Notes: Fascinating talks Tuesday at the conference in Vancouver
New mammoths for modern issue? It may not be too long before woolly mammoths begin to repopulate the Canadian Arctic, Stewart Brand, the “de-extinction” pioneer and advocate told TED attendees. New research is being done by scientists all over the world looking into taking the DNA of extinct or threatened animals to recreate, or in some cases bolster, the populations of animals. From the elephant-like mammoth to the passenger pigeon, to a “genetic rescue” mission for the endangered black-footed ferret, there is promising research for why these animals should be preserved, he said. “You could some day see vast herds of new Canadians or returned Canadians in the arctic. We may need them back,” Brand said, arguing mammoths may help reverse global warming. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED MAR 19 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
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