5/29 Penn Cove, snakehead fish, Fisheries Act, low oxygen, sea snails, marine reserves

Paddle to Seattle @VFOF

If you like to watch: The derelict vessel Deep Sea, which sank off Puget Sound’s Whidbey Island, continues to leak oil as the Washington Department of Ecology prepares to lift it from the water this week. Video Captures Oil Spill As Divers Prepare To Lift Derelict Vessel

If you like to watch: An amateur wildlife filmmaker has again videotaped a snakehead fish in Burnaby Lake, days after it eluded provincial officials. Burnaby snakehead caught on film by amateur filmmaker (with video)  

If you like to watch: On June 8th and 9th, the Vancouver Festival of Ocean Films shows 10 amazing films focused on the beauty of our oceans, and some of the threats to its health.  During 3 screenings, filmgoers will have the chance to see films from Canada, Ireland, Spain, and the United States. Check it out here.

In a rare show of solidarity across party lines, four former federal fisheries ministers – two Conservatives and two Liberals – are speaking out against proposed legislative changes they say will lead to irreparable damage to fish habitat. Under the amendments, the Fisheries Act will shift its focus to protect only fish that support commercial, recreational or aboriginal fisheries. At the same time, some federal responsibilities will be offloaded to the provinces. Four former ministers protest ‘taking the guts out’ of Fisheries Act  

International scientists are looking to Saanich Inlet research to help shape a global response to the rapidly growing problem of low oxygen in large areas of ocean.  Research in Saanich Inlet shows species such as tiny shrimp, squat lobsters and small flat fish can live with remarkably little oxygen. Commercial species such as spot prawns and sole cannot survive in low oxygen.  Scientists study inlet's low oxygen

A team of U.S. and Australian scientists using a manned submersible to study the rare organisms that live around nutrient-rich hydrothermal vents on the Pacific Ocean floor inadvertently transported a species of sea snail more than 600 kilometres north, from a site off the U.S. coast to a new habitat at a deep-sea vent near Vancouver Island — potentially introducing the kind of alien invader that biologists typically battle against to protect the integrity of ecosystems.  Stowaway snails surprise scientists at Pacific deep-sea hydrothermal vents near Vancouver Island  

Researchers reporting online on May 24 in the Cell Press journal Current Biology present the first evidence that areas closed to all fishing are helping to sustain valuable Australian fisheries. The international team of scientists applied a forensic DNA profiling approach to track the dispersal pathways of fish larvae throughout a network of marine reserves on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.  DNA Evidence Shows That Marine Reserves Help to Sustain Fisheries  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT TUE MAY 29 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.

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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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5/28 Fish virus, Scotch broom, LaConner park, Thurston fees, FEMA, forage fish

Scotch broom

A third B.C. fish farm was put under quarantine on the weekend after a virus deadly to Atlantic farmed salmon was detected on a farm owned by Mainstream Canada. The company said fish tested positive for infectious hematopoietic necrosis, or IHN, at its Bawden Point farm near Herbert Inlet, north of Tofino.  Third B.C. fish farm quarantined after deadly virus detected  

A deadly virus that caused salmon farmers in British Columbia to kill 560,000 fish has shown up for the first time in a Washington state fish farm. The Orchard Rocks salmon farm on Puget Sound’s Bainbridge Island is killing off its stock after fish were diagnosed with the IHN virus.  Deadly Virus Makes First Appearance in Washington Salmon Farm

Craig Welch profiles Alexandra Morton who crusades against fish farms and most recently brought the salmon virus contagion to the fore. Meet salmon farming's worst enemy: a determined biologist  

A unique relationship meant to reduce conflict between environmental groups and British Columbia’s largest salmon farming company has fallen apart.  The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform and Marine Harvest Canada confirmed Saturday that the project, known as the Framework for Dialogue, is officially over.  Ties break down between B.C. salmon-farming firm, environmental coalition  

It's everywhere along the roadsides this time of year: long swaths of exploding yellow. The smell, however, is as bitter as the color is sweet. It's Scotch broom, a non-native, invasive weed that thrives along roadsides and gives a bad time to people who suffer from allergies. The Invasive weed is so pervasive, crews have given up trying to fight it. Bill Sheets reports.  Scotch broom sweeps back in with a vengeance  

The La Conner Park Commission is heading up the effort to build a waterfront park along 600 feet of shoreline beneath the Rainbow Bridge. The future park property was also leased from La Conner town government by Anacortes-based Triton-America in 2009 with hopes to develop the area. The lease expires in June and the La Conner Town Council voted Tuesday to terminate the contract.  Bringing the waterfront to the people  

Thurston County is seeking public comment next month about the possibility of collecting impact fees. Impact fees are charged against new development projects to help pay for costs needed for the growth of public services, including transportation, fire, schools and parks. The county is looking to collect impact fees for transportation, recreation facilities and parks.  County eyes impact fees

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied King County's request for a $31 million reimbursement for levee and other costs associated with the Howard Hanson Dam flood threat along the Green River.King County and the King County Flood Control District spent more than $24 million on work to shore up levees, relocate critical services, and fortify buildings after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a dramatically elevated risk of catastrophic flooding, following a storm in January of 2009 that weakened the integrity of the Howard Hanson Dam in southeast King County. The cities of Auburn, Kent, Renton and Tukwila spent millions more.  FEMA denies $31 million reimbursement to King County for Green River levee work to combat flooding

Pew Trust’s Paul Shively opines that, while salmon may be iconic, we must not forget to protect the health and numbers of the cornerstone of our ocean's food web — namely, the less-well-known forage fish. Protect forage fish, cornerstone of our ocean's food web  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON MAY 28 2012
TODAY
NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/25 Springer, BC virus, Samish septics, Sinclair algae, bad acid, Bristol Bay mine, Bainbridge shores, water justice

Springer, 2002 (PHOTO: Mark Sears)

It was a wildlife drama with a happy ending, and much of it played out just outside West Seattle waters, in 2002. Now the 10th anniversary of the rescue of Springer the orphan orca will include a celebration on Alki, led by West Seattle-based advocacy/education group The Whale Trail. Read on for details! Springer the orphan orca: Alki anniversary party planned  

Check out: “Celebrate Springer” Facebook Page

A second B.C. salmon farm is under an official Canadian Food Inspection Agency quarantine order after a positive test for infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus. Grieg Seafood put its Ahlstrom Point farm, near Sechelt, into voluntary quarantine last week after routine tests by Fisheries and Oceans found a low positive result for IHN in the company's coho salmon.  Second salmon farm under quarantine for virus

In yet another step toward cleaning up the Samish River and encouraging higher inspection rates of septic systems in the Skagit Watershed, Skagit County commissioners are slated to vote Tuesday on a proposal to expand the Marine Recovery designation in the watershed. That expansion would include a swath of land in the upper northeast Samish, stretching from a western boundary just east of Interstate 5 to an eastern boundary just east of Highway 9; and part of the Willard Creek area at the southeast corner of the basin.  County aims to expand recovery area in Samish Watershed

A torrent of sunshine and temperatures in the ’70s have spurred marine algae blooms across the Puget Sound, including Sinclair Inlet.The Washington Depart of Ecology has noticed a number of blooms, the visible appearance of millions of tiny plant-like organisms in the water, in Sinclair Inlet. The blooms often appear as brown or green sludge at or near the surface of the water.  Algae blooming in Sinclair Inlet

More on bad acid: Remember those little pieces of paper you used to measure pH back in junior high school? You’d stick them into your can of Coke or on your tongue and the color would tell you how acidic that liquid was? Well if you stuck litmus paper into the world’s oceans it would come out closer and closer to the acidic side of the pH scale. The acidity of the ocean has increased by 30 percent over the last 250 years, says scientist Richard Feeley. He’s with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and serves on Gov. Chris Gregoire’s Ocean Acidification panel. Ashley Ahearn reports. Ending Puget Sound’s Bad Acid Trip

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to hold a public hearing in Seattle next Thursday on whether the world’s greatest salmon fishery — at Alaska’s Bristol Bay — can coexist with a gargantuan proposed gold, copper and molybdenum mine. The session, on May 31 at 2 p.m. in the Federal Building, is likely to hear from Puget Sound-area fishers and restaurant owners who oppose the proposed Pebble Mine on economic as well as environmental grounds. Joel Connelly asks:  Can Bristol Bay salmon survive big mine? EPA sets hearing  

The Bainbridge Island City Council got an earful at its first meeting on the city’s updated Shoreline Master Program Tuesday. The meeting served as a general introduction to the process that the council will undertake while considering the regulatory rewrite. It also allowed an hour’s worth of public comment on shoreline issues — an opportunity that had many in the community lining up to talk.  Draft shoreline plan brings wave of criticism from property owners  

Two communities, one close to home, the Swinomish Tribe in Skagit County, and the other more than half-way around the world, Occupied Palestine, weigh in on the concept of "water justice." Martha Baskin at Green Acre Radio reports. Water Access and Quality For Some Are a Matter of Justice  

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI MAY 25 2012
TODAY
NE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NE. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT.
SUN
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT.
SUN NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT.
MON
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT.

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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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/24 Eldridge landfill, Seattle coal, Kinder Morgan pipe, ocean acid, Clear Cr., snakehead, Cedar Grove compost, LA bag ban, logging roads, BP Whiting, fish DNA

Spring Spurge (Laurie MacBride)

Wonderful way to start the day: Laurie MacBride in Eye on the Environment writes: “The Euphorbia in our garden is a strange-looking but oddly beautiful plant – with a very ancient pedigree...” Look But Don’t Touch!  

Researchers in the Northwest have found those giant, anvil-shaped thunderclouds you see looming in the distance may actually be getting bigger and stronger this summer, all because of aerosol pollutants. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., have discovered these really big clouds trap more heat high up in the atmosphere. Courtney Flatt reports. Summer Thunderclouds Warm the Atmosphere  

Soil and water samples taken this week from the old Eldridge Municipal Landfill will determine whether a 2011 cleanup worked. Among other toxins, the samples will be tested for metals and chemicals associated with petroleum products and burned trash.  Soil, water tested for toxins at old Bellingham dump  

For some it’s the next big source of high-wage jobs; for others, an environmental nightmare: At least 9 trains a day could soon rumble through Seattle, carrying coal to export terminals in Washington and Oregon. Cities from Missoula, Mont., to Edmonds have passed resolutions that call the idea into question.  Seattle’s resolution on the coal trains is expected to go before the full council next week. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. Seattle gearing up to oppose coal exports from northwest ports    Got something to say? WWU workshop to aid community participation in terminal review  

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners has reduced the size of a planned expansion of its pipeline to the Pacific Coast after fewer shippers than expected signed 20-year contracts that would allow surging Canadian oil supplies to be shipped to Asia. Kinder Morgan now plans a $4.1 billion expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline to the Vancouver area from Alberta, increasing capacity to 750,000 barrels a day from 300,000. That is down from last month's estimate of 850,000.  Kinder Morgan reduces size of Vancouver-Alberta Trans Mountain expansion    Also see: Kinder’s Trans Mountain Pipe Oversubscribed By 68% In June  

Carbon emissions are threatening Washington’s shellfish industry. That’s the concern of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification, which met Wednesday in Seattle. It was created after shellfish hatcheries noticed a correlation between declining PH values in Hood Canal and dying oyster larvae.  Carbon pollution, absorbed by the ocean, interferes with their ability to form shells. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. Blue Ribbon panel warns about dangers of ocean acidification

Clear Creek spills from an old metal culvert alongside Sunde Road, tumbling 2 feet into a pool. In fall, when salmon are spawning, it's a coho parking lot. They can't make the leap and get farther upstream. By the end of next summer, the culvert will be gone. So will the street. Kitsap County plans to dead-end it on both sides of the stream, yank the 4-foot-diameter pipe, restore the stream bed, and build a trail and footbridge.  Fish-blocking CK culvert being removed, along with road  

The notorious snakehead fish said to be lurking in a Burnaby park eluded capture Wednesday. Scientists and officials from the B.C. Ministry of Environment began the hunt for the fish in the lower pond of Burnaby's Central Park. By mid-afternoon, scientists had only caught carp, bullheads, a couple turtles, a coffee cup and a whole lot of mud. Snakehead fish too slippery for scientists in Burnaby  

Cedar Grove Composting will have to undergo the most thorough type of environmental study required if it wants to continue to pursue building an anaerobic digester to generate electricity, the city of Everett and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency announced Wednesday. The decision is a setback for the composting operation on Smith Island in Everett, the target of many odor complaints the past few years.  The city and Clean Air Agency noted in a joint statement that Cedar Grove had earlier submitted, and then withdrew, a plan to more than triple its capacity to produce finished compost to 620,000 tons per year. The company later scaled back its goals and said it was not planning a large increase.  Everett, agency call for study for compost plant

Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a hard-fought victory to environmentalists and promising to change the way Angelenos do their grocery shopping.  The City Council voted 13-1 to phase out plastic bags over the next 16 months at an estimated 7,500 stores, meaning shoppers will need to bring reusable bags or purchase paper bags for 10 cents each. Ban on plastic bags at L.A. markets is approved

The Obama administration wants to change the rules applying to stormwater running off logging roads, blunting a landmark court ruling that found the muddy water running into salmon streams and drinking water reservoirs should be regulated like industrial pollution. The roads would instead be regulated under a less stringent system known as "Best Management Practices," where authorities set up guidelines for the design and maintenance of logging roads to minimize erosion that sends mud into rivers.  EPA proposes new rules for muddy logging roads

BP will spend more than $400 million to significantly reduce noxious air pollution from its massive refinery in northwest Indiana, the company announced Wednesday in a settlement with federal authorities and environmental groups that could set a precedent for oil companies nationwide. Steps that BP agreed to take and equipment it promised to install at the nation's sixth-largest refinery should help relieve problems with lung-damaging soot and other air pollution throughout the Chicago area. The deal resolves a nearly decade-long legal battle over a $3.8 billion upgrade and expansion of BP's Whiting, Ind., refinery to process heavy crude oil pulled from tar-soaked clay and sand in Northern Canada.  BP to spend $400 million in air pollution settlement  

Powerful and versatile new genetic tools that will assist in safeguarding both European fish stocks and European consumers is reported in Nature Communications. The paper reports on the first system proven to identify populations of fish species to a forensic level of validation. New Means of Safeguarding World Fish Stocks  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 251 AM PDT THU MAY 24 2012
TODAY
SW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. OCCASIONAL SHOWERS WITH A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/23 Black Out, Speak Out; Mukilteo dock, Makah whaling, coyote denning, fish virus, Lk Whatcom land, Fraser R. marina, Fisherman's Wharf, tsunami debris, conservation games, Pt. Defiance Park

Makah whaling (The Pluralism Project)

Georgia Strait Alliance writes: ‘In recent memory, there has never been such an open attack by our federal government on our environment and the civil society that is its voice.  And that is why there has never been a more important time for us to speak up.  So on June 4th Georgia Strait Alliance is joining organizations, businesses, unions, bloggers and individuals from across the country to “Black Out, Speak Out”.’ June 4th: Silence is not an option

Cliff Mass writes: “Yes, the weather has turned cool and wet again, with snow falling in the higher passes and upper mountain slopes.  But we have a really good snow pack and lots of water for this summer.”  Snowpack, Spring Floods, and Why the Northwest is Better than California  

After years of delays and uncertainty, a major step has been taken toward building a new ferry terminal in Mukilteo. State ferry officials have picked a site: the west end of the former Air Force tank farm, just east of the waterfront business district. The site was chosen over rebuilding the ferry dock in its current location or another option of building at the far east end of the tank farm.  New Mukilteo ferry terminal site selected

A 7-year-old study on the potential environmental impact of Makah whaling is being ditched, the federal government announced. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service and Department of Commerce issued a “notice to terminate” the draft environmental impact statement Monday. This is the latest development in lengthy legal battles over the Makah tribe's treaty right to hunt whales — and comes only days after the 13th anniversary of a Makah whaling crew legally killing a gray whale off Neah Bay.  U.S. halts Makah whaling study after seven years over 'new scientific information'  

Vancouver residents are being told to exercise caution around coyotes protective of newborn pups. The Stanley Park Ecology Society reports that spring is denning season for coyotes, which may become more territorial around den sites.  Coyote denning season prompts warning for Vancouver residents  And: Downtown Eastside residents who say the rat population in the neighbourhood has become unbearable will host a rat count tonight. Vancouver's rat population to be counted tonight

A Vancouver Island salmon farm says it has now emptied a site that was quarantined because of a virus. Mainstream Canada announced last week that tests confirmed the presence of an infectious virus known as IHN at its Dixon Bay site, north of Tofino.  Island fish farm gets rid of all its quarantined fish  

Whatcom County Council voted to assume ownership of thousands of acres in the Lake Whatcom watershed, land the state is now managing for timber harvesting and that the county plans to use for parkland. The move came after an unsuccessful attempt by council member Bill Knutzen to persuade the council to put the land transfer question on the general election ballot.  Whatcom County to seek 8,700 acres near Lake Whatcom for parks

A $13-million marina project in the North Arm of the Fraser River is edging nearer to construction, after revisions to the original plan and negotiations with the City of Richmond over flooding concerns. The project is in the final stages of regulatory approval and “it’s our hope to start construction very soon,” project manager Matthew Cote said Tuesday.  Fraser River marina plan afloat following regulatory revisions  

The final phase of a new look with a variety of new uses at Fisherman's Wharf Park in James Bay is on target to be finished by late summer. Improvements to the 1.56-hectare park include a mock beach with sand, dune grasses and driftwood, a rain garden that filters water as it runs into Victoria Harbour and a food garden with herbs and figs for the picking.  Final phase of Fisherman's Wharf project adding food garden, beach  

Beachcombing will get a lot more interesting this October. That's when the bulk of the flotsam unleashed by the Japanese tsunami of March 2011 will begin to arrive on the North Olympic Peninsula, oceanographer Curt Ebbesmeyer told an audience at Peninsula College in Port Angeles on Monday night. Japanese tsunami debris: Lots of flotsam by October, ocean expert warns

About 800 local students played tag and jump rope while learning the salmon life cycle, held wriggling red worms and chastised a messy, disrespectful camper camper early this week as part of the Skagit Conservation District’s Conservation Tour at the Pomona Grange Park in Burlington.  Organized since the 1980s, the tour exposes sixth-graders from schools across Skagit county to their natural resources and how they can appreciate and protect them.  Conserving for fun  

Point Defiance Park will usher in the summer season this Memorial Day weekend with two new amenities intended to encourage visitor exploration of all the park has to offer.  A visitor center opens Friday in the historic lodge located near the park’s Pearl Street entrance. Then, on Saturday, the park debuts a new shuttle service that will ferry visitors from one end of the 702-acre park to the other.  Point Defiance unveils visitor center, shuttle  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED MAY 23 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/22 June weather, Peter Ross, Kitsap runoff, Lincoln Loehr, nitrates, hatchery coho, frankenfish

Peter Ross

Scott Sistek writes: Late last week, the long range forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center released their new 30- and 90-day forecasts for the upcoming summer. And for the Pacific Northwest, it would appear that our sunny and summery mid-May was more of a tease than a sign of things to come -- at least in the short term. Beware the 'June Gloom'?

Canada's only marine mammal toxicologist at the Institute of Ocean Sciences on Vancouver Island is losing his job as the federal government cuts almost all employees who monitor ocean pollution across Canada. Peter Ross, an expert on killer whales and other marine mammals, was the lead author of a report 10 years ago that demonstrated Canada's killer whales are the most contaminated marine mammals on the planet. He has more than a 100 published reports.  B.C. killer whale expert out of work as feds cut ocean-pollution monitoring positions  

Some $3.8 million in state grants have been approved for seven stormwater projects in Kitsap County, including pervious parking lots in three county parks, 3.6 acres of porous pavement in downtown Poulsbo and a major stormwater upgrade in Manchester.  The $3.8 million is part of a statewide appropriation of $54 million for stormwater projects the Legislature approved as an "economic stimulus." The idea is to provide jobs while increasing protections for lakes, rivers and Puget Sound itself. Chris Dunagan reports. Stormwater grants will improve water quality across Kitsap  

If you want a good idea of what kinds of pollution are lurking in Puget Sound, and whether to worry about them, talking to Lincoln Loehr would be a good place to start.  Loehr has accumulated decades of experience as a scientist and marine policy expert. The Mukilteo resident has been sharing that expertise by volunteering with the Snohomish County Marine Resources Advisory Committee, where he was first appointed to serve in 2008. Noah Haglund reports. Scientist shares expertise with Puget Sound pollution  

Nitrate levels have been on the rise in Puget Sound since 2000. What exactly, might you ask, are nitrates? And furthermore, why should you care? Nitrates are naturally occurring chemical compounds left over after the break down of animal and human waste. So, how are nitrates getting into Puget Sound? Sure, some of it comes from the rich coastal upwellings of nutrients that make their way in to these protected waters. But scientists think it’s no accident that the rise in nitrate levels in the past dozen years corresponds with population growth around Puget Sound. Ashley Ahearn reports. Algae And Acidification: Connecting The Dots, From The Air  

Quilcene National Fish Hatchery’s recent releases of nearly 600,000 juvenile coho salmon into Hood Canal and Puget Sound waters marked the 101st consecutive year the hatchery has continued a program that supports area tribal and sport fish harvests. Quilcene hatchery releases juvenile coho

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is proposing to have the environmental and economic impacts of genetically modified fish studied before the fish are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Murkowski's office says the analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would be in line with the review and standards in place currently for federal fisheries. It would be required before an FDA decision.  Alaska senators want more review of genetically modified salmon   Read also:  Entrepreneur Bankrolls a Genetically Engineered Salmon

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 645 AM PDT TUE MAY 22 2012
TODAY
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. SW SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/21 Fire ants, DFO cuts, coal export, US Navy, Seattle discharges, B'ham rain gardens, Pierce Co sewer, Cowichan hatchery, eating fish, snakehead fish, Suquamish Harbor, Bristol Bay mine, Panama Canal

Oooooh (AP)

Oh, no! European fire ants, capable of inflicting painful stings, are reported to be infesting Lower Mainland gardens. According to a CBC report, the ants have shown up in a number of locations, including a community garden in Burnaby. Fire ants reported to be infesting Lower Mainland gardens

Nine marine scientists and staff in North Saanich Friday will lose their jobs as the federal government cuts almost all the employees who monitor ocean pollution across Canada. The entire DFO contaminants program nationally and regionally — including two research scientists, a chemist and four technicians at the Institute for Ocean Sciences in North Saanich — is being shut down effective April 1, 2013. Across Canada, the government is slashing up to 75 jobs in the national contaminants program — that involves any one who works mostly in marine pollution. For about a decade Fisheries and Oceans has been trying to offload the program to Environment Canada. Instead, this week, it axed it. Ottawa sinks pollution checks  

With the Northwest poised to become the country's leading coal-export region, fights are emerging on several fronts. On the table are proposals to capitalize on Asia's thirst for cheap energy by building a half-dozen terminals in Washington and Oregon that would export coal from the Rockies. Craig Welch writes.  Fights brewing over massive coal-export plans for the Northwest   

A new analysis by the Navy suggests that ongoing training and testing activities could cause greater harm to marine mammals than previously estimated. The new analysis, incorporated into a study of Navy activities in California and Hawaii, also is likely to reveal that the Navy causes more injuries to whales, dolphins and seals in Northwest waters than predicted by environmental studies completed two years ago, Navy officials confirm. Chris Dunagan reports. New analysis shows greater harm from current Navy activities

Meanwhile: The Navy issued a Record of Decision Friday for a second explosives handling wharf at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. It's the final step in the environmental process before construction of the $715 million facility can begin.  A public notice states the Navy weighed the purpose and need of the facility, environmental consequences and public comments, and selected its preferred alternative — a combined-trestle, large-pile wharf. Second explosives handling wharf gets final approval

Seattle City Council members will get their first look this week at a federal consent decree that will govern hundreds of millions of dollars of local ratepayer spending on water-pollution control.  Four years in the making, the deal negotiated by Seattle Public Utilities, the state Department of Ecology and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would settle a lawsuit brought by the EPA against the city of Seattle for violations of the Clean Water Act.  The consent decree would for the first time allow the city to do the most beneficial pollution-control work first as it tackles the problem of combined sewer overflows, or CSOs — small amounts of raw sewage mixed with stormwater that are discharged into local waters, particularly during heavy rain.   Lynda Mapes reports.  Clean-water settlement: Worst pollution would get priority

Some on-street parking in downtown Bellingham would be removed to install 36 rain gardens, which would clean polluted stormwater flowing into Whatcom Creek, under a new project. The gardens would clean stormwater that flows from 90 acres and is heavily polluted with bacteria signaling the presence of feces and other contaminants. That's one of the projects enabled by new state stormwater funding. Other newly funded efforts would clean stormwater running into Lake Whatcom and the Padden Creek Estuary, among other projects. New project will remove some downtown Bellingham parking for 'rain gardens'

Major construction on a $353 million expansion of Pierce County’s sewage treatment facility in University Place will begin late this year. The Pierce County Council is expected to take a big step forward next month by giving initial approval for the sale of $210 million in bonds for the project. The county plans to finish the work by mid-2016, when the current plant will be at or near capacity.  Pierce County sewer facility expansion will make way for growth  

A greener approach in Seattle aims to prevent untreated sewage and polluted runoff from flowing into Puget Sound by installing dozens of landscaped drainage systems in front of people's homes.  But in southwest Seattle, where the county is planning to install them across 31 neighborhood blocks, some residents see them as a potential safety hazard, an eyesore and just plain inconvenient. A petition is seeking to stop the project. Seattle takes greener approach to sewer overflows  

On average two million young Chinook salmon are released each spring from the federally funded hatchery on the Cowichan River. Within six months, nearly all of them are dead.  Year after year, the mortality rate is staggering, with less than 1 per cent of the fish living to return as adults. The dismal results are thought to be similar at other B.C. hatcheries, which pump out about 20 million Chinook annually, hoping for a miracle. Mark Hume reports.  Cowichan hatchery needs a new approach  

State government assumes, when deciding how clean Washington waters should be, that people eat up to a half-pound of local seafood per month. But it’s not unusual for Jim Peters, a member of the Squaxin Island Tribal Council, to dine with his family three times a week on locally caught salmon, halibut, clams or shrimp – not to mention leftovers.  Encouraged by tribes and environmentalists, Gov. Chris Gregoire’s Department of Ecology is moving toward making a much higher estimate of people’s fish-eating habits that could shape the water-pollution decisions of the next governor’s administration. Jordan Schrader reports.  Eat lots of fish, need cleaner waters    See also: Swinomish kick off salmon season with a blessing  

British Columbia could soon lose its status as the only jurisdiction in North America that allows the importation of live northern snakeheads, an invasive predatory fish that made headlines after it was apparently spotted in a Burnaby lagoon. Provincial Environment Minister Terry Lake said in an interview Friday the ministry is treating the incident as a high priority and is looking at several options.  B.C. eyes northern snakehead ban  

The State Committee of Geographic Names voted last week to fix a 152-year-old spelling error, referring a request to change the name of Squamish Harbor to Suquamish Harbor to the State Board of Natural Resources for a final decision. The harbor, 6 miles south of Port Ludlow, is on the southwestern side of the Hood Canal Bridge. The Board of Natural Resources, which also acts as the State Board on Geographic Names, next meets June 5.  Tribe asks state to change name of harbor  http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120521/NEWS/120529994/tribe-asks-state-to-change-name-of-harbor

The possible failure of a dam holding waste from a large-scale mine near the headwaters of one of the world’s premier salmon fisheries in Alaska could wipe out or degrade rivers and streams in the region for decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a draft watershed assessment released Friday. EPA regional administrator Dennis McLerran said there was a fairly low risk of that occurring, however, and the more likely impact would be direct loss of habitat from the mining activity itself.  The report responded to concerns about a large copper-and-gold prospect near the headwaters of Bristol Bay. It is a draft, with a final report that could affect permitting decisions perhaps due by the end of the year after public comment and peer review.  EPA: Mining could affect quality of water, fish  

A wider, deeper Panama Canal will open in 2014, meaning that bigger cargo ships filled with more containers of consumer goods can move directly to the population centers of the East Coast instead of stopping on the West Coast and sending the goods across the country.  From the Panama Canal to the Puget Sound

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON MAY 21 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT LATE MORNING. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 5 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS.

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