12/4 Spill risk, Olympic collaboration, transient orcas, B'ham port, Wolf Hollow, reserves, science books

(MAP: KING5-TV)

Oil spill risk addressed by West Coast tanker safety report  
Potential polluters should be prepared for a worst-case scenario and face unlimited liability in the case of an oil spill from one of their tanker ships, a government-appointed panel recommends. Federal Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt and Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver were in Vancouver Tuesday afternoon to release a report about oil tanker safety on the West Coast... The report was written by a three-member panel of experts appointed by the government, with 45 recommendations for improving Canada's preparedness for oil spills from tankers and barges. Read the report here.

Rep. Kilmer seeks to mend fences dividing forestry, environmental groups
Environmental and forestry groups often are at odds. Asserting he is addressing that divide, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer on Tuesday announced the formation of the Olympic Peninsula Collaborative, a group of 16 forestry and environmental groups whose goal is to increase the timber harvest in Olympic National Forest in an environmentally responsible manner. Participants include such diverse groups as the Wild Olympics Campaign, Simpson Lumber Co., the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society and the American Forest Resource Council. Paul Gottlieb reports.

Seals looking for love in B.C. waters may end up lunch for transient killer whales: study
In the killer whale world, a noisy seal make a fine meal, says new research into the hunting practices of transient orcas off the Pacific coast. A study by the Vancouver Aquarium a few years ago revealed that transient orcas do not, as once believed, hunt using echolocation to target prey, measuring the bounce of their own calls back to them in order to hone in on dinner. That left biologists wondering just how they do hunt. Dene Moore reports.

Port of Bellingham approves waterfront plans after years of struggle
It may be almost eight years behind schedule, but it is finally done: Port of Bellingham commissioners have given final approval to a master plan and other development regulations for the central waterfront. At their Tuesday, Dec. 3, meeting, the three port commissioners voted unanimously to approve waterfront documents that got City Council approval on a 6-1 vote Monday. John Stark reports.

Wolf Hollow: 30 years and counting
As residents of San Juan Island, we hear plenty about the multitude of wildlife conservation efforts that are a huge part of life here – from shore-based whale-watching, to the annual Christmas Bird Count, to keeping a safe distance from our 4,000-plus harbor seals. But there are so many people living on the island who work every day to make a difference in the lives of our animals, and that don’t get a lot of attention. Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is sustained by those very people. Libby Baldwin reports.

Marine Reserves Enhance Resilience to Climate Change
A new study, led by a University of Southampton scientist, highlights the potential for fish communities in marine reserves to resist climate change impacts better than communities on fished coasts.... The researchers looked at different types of fish community responses to both short- and long-term environmental variability. They found that marine reserves have the potential to build community resilience through mechanisms that promote species and functional stability, and resist colonisation by warm water vagrants. 

The best science books of 2013
Do you read? Do you read science books? From New Scientist: From exploring the post-Higgs world to the neuroscience of art, here are 10 books to whet your appetite for the best in science.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 259 AM PST WED DEC 4 2013
TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 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.

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12/3 David Suzuki, coal ban, sea stars, B'ham Bay plan, Doug fir, Terminal 2, Oly port, coral reefs, Europa

Frigid air moves in to Western Wash. for an extended stay
In case you were wondering what was going on outside: Arctic air began pouring into the Puget Sound region early Tuesday - the beginning shot in a period of unusually cold weather that is expected to last through the weekend and possibly longer.... Another weather system may bring a chance of snow late this weekend or early next week.

Fall’s Last Hurrah
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Here on the west coast, November can be a drab time of year. With its diminishing daylight, bare tree limbs, and wet days turning fallen leaves into a sodden brown mass, it’s never been exactly my favorite month. All the same, I was able to find some splashes of colour in our garden throughout that dull month – and am still finding some even now that December has begun. The Calendula patch, in particular, has a number of hangers-on, enjoying their last hurrah before winter arrives to put an end to the festivities...."

David Suzuki on Christy Clark's LNG plans: 'Be serious'
David Suzuki is taking aim at B.C. Premier Christy Clark's claim that developing a liquid natural gas industry in B.C. will help slow climate change, arguing it's time Clark "be serious about where we're heading" with our reliance on fossil fuels. The outspoken environmentalist made the remarks as Premier Christy Clark tours parts of Asia to drum up interest and investment in her government's LNG plans. Clark has said B.C. should sell natural gas in China and Japan because natural gas is cleaner than China's coal and safer than Japan's nuclear power.

King County Council Resolution Calls for Coal Ban in Wash. State
King County is poised to join the city of Seattle and several other municipalities in passing a resolution banning the burning and the transportation of coal in Washington state. King County Council member Larry Philips is leading the charge to bring the county on board with what towns and cities all over the region have already done: saying loud and clear that coal is not the answer to the future of energy. The opponents are calling for a comprehensive environmental review of the effects of a proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point near Bellingham. Bellamy Pailthorp reports.

More sea star species dying off
A respected sea star expert released a report showing a deadly disorder has spread to more species. Neil McDaniel put together a overview of the so-called wasting syndrome which found it has spread from a relatively confined population in Howe Sound in British Columbia to up and down the entire West Coast, from California to Alaska. The report also expands two species to five and there be more. Gary Chittim reports.

Bellingham council votes to approve waterfront plan
After making some concessions to critics who wanted stronger wildlife habitat protections and guarantees of higher-wage jobs, City Council voted 6-1 to approve long-awaited plans to guide redevelopment of the waterfront. The plans approved Monday, Dec. 2 affect 237 waterfront acres that extend around the bay from the I&J Waterway next to the Bellwether development, all the way to a large new park site on a former city dump off the southern end of Cornwall Avenue. It includes the Port of Bellingham property formerly owned by Georgia-Pacific Corp... Jack Weiss cast the council's only "no" vote. John Stark reports.

Environmentalists, B.C. at loggerheads over Douglas fir
When commercial logging began in B.C. about 150 years ago, stands of coastal Douglas fir covered 135,000 hectares of land along the Georgia Strait on the mainland coast, on southeast Vancouver Island and on the Gulf Island. Today almost all of that towering forest has been logged. “We are down to the last one per cent,” says Devon Page, an Ecojustice lawyer who thinks we have cut enough Douglas fir, a tree so iconic it appears on the logo of the B.C. Forest Service. Mark Hume reports.

Delta asks for Terminal 2 environmental review
Delta Council has asked that the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project be assessed by a federal joint review panel, a more stringent process that would take two years to review the proposed container terminal instead of just one for a non-panel review. At a November council meeting, Delta endorsed a staff report that called for council to reiterate its position – first taken more than a year ago – that the project should be reviewed by a panel, the most rigorous process available under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The proposed terminal expansion would be built in a wetland area that is a major stopover for migrating birds and part of the Fraser River ecosystem. Wendy Stueck reports.

Port dredges terminal, marina
The first significant dredging at the Port of Olympia in more than 30 years is underway, a project that is expected to deepen and improve access to the port’s marine terminal and the Swantown Marina area, where boats are lifted out of the water for repairs. Crews with Tacoma’s Orion Marine, the winning bidder for the $5.2 million project, began dredging last week and resumed work Monday. Rolf Boone reports.

Large Study Shows Pollution Impact On Coral Reefs, and Offers Solution
One of the largest and longest experiments ever done to test the impact of nutrient loading on coral reefs today confirmed what scientists have long suspected -- that this type of pollution from sewage, agricultural practices or other sources can lead to coral disease and bleaching. A three-year, controlled exposure of corals to elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus at a study site in the Florida Keys, done from 2009-12, showed that the prevalence of disease doubled and the amount of coral bleaching, an early sign of stress, more than tripled. However, the study also found that once the injection of pollutants was stopped, the corals were able to recover in a surprisingly short time.

Astrophile: Europa's choppy ocean looks friendly to life
As moons go, Europa is doing pretty well in the looks department. While other wrinkled and pockmarked planetary bodies look their age, Jupiter's moon, despite being billions of years old, is one of the smoothest objects in our solar system. However, this moon is far from flawless. Europa is suspected to have a perpetually dark, liquid water ocean enclosed beneath a thick shell of water ice – around 40 per cent of which is covered with long, dark scratches and scars. The prospect of liquid water places Europa near the top of the list of places in our solar system that might host alien life. However, it is hard to know what's actually going on in the sub-surface ocean. Does it teem with alien microbes – perhaps even bigger creatures – or is it a vast, inky, sterile wasteland? Nicola Guttridge reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 244 AM PST TUE DEC 3 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

12/2 Salmon & grizzlies, BC fish farm, hatcheries, tagging, humpbacks, B'ham Bay, BC pipe, WA parks, fish catch, Shell drill, Hood Canal octopus, River Project

(PHOTO: Larry Travis/www.raincoast.org)

Salmon shortages stressing out grizzlies
When salmon runs dwindle on the B.C. coast, the stress levels in grizzlies climb, say researchers who examined hair samples collected from more than 70 bears. And the bears, which gather along rivers in the fall to feed on spawning salmon, take those high stress levels with them into hibernation, perhaps affecting their long-term health, according to a science paper published Wednesday. Mark Hume reports.

If you like to watch: Seattle celebrates life cycle of salmon
Only in the Northwest can you find families gathering to celebrate a stream littered with the bodies of salmon. Gary Chittim reports.

Salmon farmer eyes Pacific coho growth in Chile, not B.C.
One of the world's largest aquaculture companies is turning its farming focus in South America to a Pacific salmon subspecies — yet the company will continue to raise Atlantic salmon on the B.C. coast. Cermaq, an international fish farming group based in Oslo, raises salmon in Norway, Chile and Canada. In B.C., the company, which until recently used the name Mainstream Canada, operates on both the east and west sides of Vancouver Island and has 27 ocean and three freshwater fish farms. Cermaq's economic growth plan for its South American operation indicates that Pacific coho salmon will become a key component of future growth.

EarthFix Conversation: A Call For Philosophical Shift On Use Of Hatcheries
In the late 1800s, when dams were first built around the Northwest, salmon and steelhead stocks began to decline. Fish hatcheries were put forth as a solution. Wild fish were taken from Northwest rivers and spawned in captivity, ensuring future generations of fish could be released back into the wild every season. Jim Lichatowich is a biologist who’s worked on salmon issues as a researcher, manager and scientific advisor for more than 40 years. He sat down with EarthFix’s Ashley Ahearn to talk about his new book: “Salmon, People and Place: A Biologist’s Search For Salmon Recovery.” Ashley Ahearn reports.

Scientists try more sophisticated salmon tagging
The behavior of young salmon does not appear to be as predictable as previously thought. Ecologists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland are using a new and more sophisticated fish tagging system to learn more about the fish as they swim downstream and hit the ocean. The prevailing thought was that young salmon take a right at the mouth of the Columbia River and immediately head north toward Canada. But instead, PNNL ecologists found that, especially in the early spring, the fish scatter in all directions as they reach the ocean. Annette Cary reports.

Humpback 'muggings' rising in B.C.
The whale-watching industry knows them as "muggings." But to their paying clients in the Salish Sea, unusually close encounters with certain juvenile humpback whales can be the experience of a lifetime... Commercial whale-watch operations this past season in the region started reporting young humpbacks approaching c losely and interacting with passengers and vessels. The interactions typically last 15 minutes to two hours, and there's little to be done but shut down the engine or put it in neutral and wait for the whale to move off. And with humpback populations expanding on the B.C. coast, such events are also expected to increase. Larry Pynn reports.

Bellingham, port near final approval of waterfront plans
After years of public discussion, City Council and the Port of Bellingham Commission appear ready to approve plans that will shape redevelopment of the city's dormant industrial waterfront in the decades ahead. The waterfront plans are on the City Council agenda for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, in council chambers at City Hall, 210 Lottie St. The port commission will consider the matter at the regular 3 p.m. Tuesday meeting in the Harbor Center meeting room, 1801 Roeder Ave. The City Council also has set aside four hours, from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, for committee discussion of some final changes to plan language and other related matters. John Stark reports.

Puget Sound Partnership meeting of the Ecosystem Coordination Board
Pete Haase provides a report on the November 21 meeting in Edmonds.

Enbridge to keep seeking public approval for Northern Gateway pipeline
Enbridge Inc. will keep trying to win public approval for its Northern Gateway oil pipeline to the Pacific coast from Alberta even with the clock winding down to a crucial regulatory decision for the contentious project in the coming weeks, its chief executive officer said on Friday. Calgary-based Enbridge has sought for years to convince British Columbians, including numerous First Nations communities along the proposed route, that the $6.5-billion project will be as safe as today’s technology allows, and CEO Al Monaco conceded it has not been completely successful. Jeffrey Jones reports.

Report: Parks system can't survive without taxpayers
A new report spotlights an inconvenient truth for lawmakers about Washington's public parks system: It cannot survive without help from the state's taxpayers. The agency is reeling from deep budget cuts and needs a reliable source of funds because it may never be able to live as lawmakers desire -- solely on money collected from park visitors. That's the conclusion of a nine-page analysis delivered in November. Jerry Cornfield reports.

Google Earth Images Yield Better Data on Fish Catches
Google Earth's detailed images of our planet's surface could help scientists investigate overfishing from space. A new study of fish traps in the Persian Gulf suggests that many fish go uncounted after they are caught. Two researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada used Google Earth's satellite images to count intertidal fishing weirs off the coast of six countries in the Persian Gulf. Traditionally built with date palm fronds, fishing weirs have been used for centuries as a means of trapping fish. Today, the structures are often made with bamboo and galvanized mesh wire, and in some countries, they might be contributing to the problem of bad data on fish catches.  Megan Gannon reports.

Administration considers whether to allow Shell to resume Arctic oil exploration
The Obama administration is weighing whether to allow Shell to resume drilling in Arctic waters after a series of mishaps halted its controversial oil exploration effort last year. The decision is among the toughest issues faced by new Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who portrays herself as both an advocate for the environment and a supporter of drilling. Jewell’s predecessor, Ken Salazar, allowed Shell to drill in the Arctic waters north of Alaska last year, only to later say the company “screwed up.” Interior Department spokeswoman Kate Kelly said Wednesday that drilling won’t resume until the agency has confidence that the effort addresses lessons learned. Sean Cockerham reports.

Hood Canal divers proud of giant Pacific octopus habitat
The giant Pacific octopus is one of the most sought-after sights in the sound, where octopus grow larger than anywhere else in the world. Legend has it they can reach 600 pounds, but a typical adult weight is between 100 and 150 pounds, with tentacles that span 15 to 20 feet. They can change color shifting from their usual ruddy complexion to paler hues when they’re scared or stressed. They’re also smart. Scientists say they can learn to open jars, recognize their handlers and memorize routes through mazes. Divers head under the waves in winter for the best octopus-watching conditions of the year. Algal blooms from warmer months have died down, making the water clearer. In the summer when Puget Sound water temperatures are only a few degrees warmer than winter a diver can typically see only five feet. In winter, the view extends to 40 feet. Tristan Baurick reports.

Fishy Freedom
On a recent Wednesday that felt like the first of winter, about a hundred and fifty children—mostly under seven—and their parents gathered at Pier 40, over at West Street and Houston. Their mission: to thank for their service the numerous small riverine creatures that have whispered their secrets to the kids since last spring, and liberate them. The River Project’s tanks needed to be drained and emptied for winter. Ergo, fishy freedom...The River Project has been introducing children to the Hudson since the late nineteen-eighties. Time brings change. Carl Safina reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 303 AM PST MON DEC 2 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING N 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 11 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING NE 20 TO 30 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 6 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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11/27 Jet fuel protest, Navy whales, dying seastars, Whatcom water, chum salmon, Lacey Murrow Bridge

From BirdNote

If you like to listen: BirdNote-- Learn how turkeys cross rivers!
"In the early 1800s, John James Audubon wrote: "The great size and beauty of the Wild Turkey, its value as a delicate and highly prized article of food... render it one of the most interesting of the birds indigenous to the United States of America." Read Audubon's description of how Wild Turkeys, which walk more than they fly, cross a river..."

Jet fuel protesters hold emergency meeting in Richmond
Opponents of a controversial proposal to build a jet fuel facility on the South Bend of the Fraser River held an emergency meeting in Richmond, B.C., Tuesday. The project would bring more jet fuel to Vancouver International Airport and if approved, see a jet fuel terminal, tank farm and pipeline built on the river and through Richmond. Part of the proposal by Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation would also involve using jet fuel tankers coming into waters in South Richmond.

Judge in Seattle sets deadline for plans to protect whales from Navy sonar use
A federal judge has set an August deadline for the National Marine Fisheries Service to reassess how it will protect whales and other ocean life from the U.S. Navy's expanded use of sonar in training exercises off the West Coast. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Nandor Vadas said in a ruling Tuesday that officials must ensure that the Navy's training exercises comply with the federal Endangered Species Act by Aug. 1. In September, Vadas ruled that officials failed to consider the best available scientific data when it approved permits for the Navy in 2012. He also said the agency should consider the long-term effects of the ongoing activities on whales and other marine life. The permits had authorized a five-year Navy plan for operations in the Northwest Training Range Complex. That area stretches from Northern California to the Canadian border.

You decide if you want to watch: Watch Underwater Video Of Sea Stars Dying Off West Seattle
(Laura) James wondered how sea stars in Seattle’s Elliott Bay were faring. This past weekend, she took her underwater camera and dove off West Seattle’s shoreline at a place called Cove 1, a popular spot for both local divers and sea stars. The underwater pilings at Cove 1, James said, are normally covered with an army of brightly colored sea stars. The first few minutes of James’ video, filmed a year ago, shows what this area normally looks like. The second half of the video, captures a very different scene. Katie Campbell reports.

Water wells surface as Whatcom's biggest controversy
Conservative property-rights advocates are sounding an alarm over proposed restrictions on wells they fear could mean the end of the rural way of life in Whatcom County. The well controversy arose after environmentalists challenged Whatcom County rules that they believe don't do enough to protect water resources. In response to the challenge, the state Growth Management Hearings Board issued a ruling that could block property owners from drawing water from their wells, if the basin where they live is closed to new water rights. The county has appealed the ruling to the state Court of Appeals. Ralph Schwartz reports.

Chum salmon rising
Ever consider eating the lowly chum salmon? The poor cousin of tasty relatives like chinook, coho and sockeye, chum has gotten a bad rap over the years. But when "keta salmon," as it is now marketed, is caught fresh from the ocean and processed quickly, the mild taste and flaky texture make it a great eating fish. And at $7.50/lb for a thick fresh fillet, it compares favorably to fresh Chinook's $29.99/lb price tag and even previously frozen sockeye, which runs around $12.99/lb. Kevin Bailey reports.

The Sinking Of The Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge
The Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge that connected Seattle to Mercer Island sank to the bottom of Lake Washington 23 years ago this weekend. Here in the Evergreen State, there’s something peculiar about bridges and windstorms.  Take the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge back in November 1940. Bad design doomed that span from the start and earned the bridge an appropriate nickname.  “Galloping Gertie” was blown down in a gale just four months after it opened. Feliks Banel remembers.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 717 AM PST WED NOV 27 2013
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
THU
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN.
THU NIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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11/26 Coal spill, ocean acid, Cherry Pt., humpback!, transients!, BC LNG, maritime $s, WSF LNG

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride

If you like to watch: Moving Forward in the Fog
Laurie MacBride in Eye On Environment writes: "Travelling along on a foggy fall morning, the closest reference points are clear enough. But naturally, as you cast your eyes further ahead, the sharpness diminishes and the landmarks get less and less visible. It’s not unlike how one’s own life can feel at times. So perhaps it’s helpful to remember that as you move forward through the fog, those distant points that are eluding you right now will each, slowly and in turn, come into focus: one tree, one fence post, one morning at a time."

No coal spilled following train derailment in B.C.: TSB
The Transportation Safety Board says there were no spills when a train loaded with coal derailed Monday near Windermere. TSB spokeswoman Julie Leroux said Tuesday that an investigator remains at the site, but at this point there are no reports of spills or injuries. She said northbound Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed Monday morning sending 19 cars carrying coal off the track. She said all the cars were upright, and the agency was not concerned about environmental damage. Rail safety has come into question in recent months after 47 people died this summer when a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in Quebec.

If you like to listen: Report from the Climate Change Front – State Senator Kevin Ranker at the NW Straits Conference
From the Northwest Straits Initiative annual conference, an edifying earful from the state senator from the San Juan Islands who has been instrumental in providing support with funding and legislation to scientific research and policy guidance on ocean acidification. Shared by Al Bergstein at Olympic Peninsula Environmental News.

Coal Ships And Tribal Fishing Grounds
SSA Marine says Cherry Point is an excellent location to build a terminal because it’s surrounded by deep water with quick access to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean. If the company has its way, up to 48 million tons of coal could move through these waters each year aboard more than 450 large ships bound for the Asian market. But if the Lummi and other tribes exercise their treaty fishing rights, there may not be any coal ships servicing American terminals in these waters. Ashley Ahearn reports.

If you like to watch: Photos: An ‘epic’ humpback encounter in the NW
The whale-watchers became the whaled-watched on Monday when a humpback whale spent an hour checking them out aboard Captain James Maya’s boat just across the boarder of B.C. about a mile south of Kelp Reef at Darcy Island, Maya said. Jake Ellison reports.

November Transient Orcas
Orca Watcher Monika Wieland shares fine pictures and a report from the weekend: "Yesterday I had just gotten home from work when I heard that a group of marine mammal eating transient orcas was in Spieden Channel, just down the road from where I live. I hurried down there and got there just in time to see the seven whales heading east in front of a Washington State Ferry...”

Climate takes back seat as fledgling B.C. LNG industry courts China
The causeway extends 11 kilometres into the Yellow Sea, a horizon-bending energy bridge to China situated not far up the coast from Shanghai. Seven or eight times a month, a giant ship filled with liquefied natural gas docks here, and gas from Qatar, Yemen, Nigeria or Russia flows into the mainland. One day, Christy Clark hopes, Canadian gas will arrive here, too – delivering, in turn, new jobs and plentiful government revenues to the West Coast. China is, by the numbers, an odd place for the Premier of British Columbia to come. Last year, Japan and South Korea imported more than half the world’s LNG. They together bought nearly 10 times more gas than China. But as Ms. Clark dons a bright red safety overcoat for a blustery tour of the Jiangsu LNG Terminal, it’s clear that for B.C., China also holds promise. Nathan Vanderlippe reports.

Washington still hooked on fishing
Water, water everywhere and lots of jobs to boot. That’s the gist of a new report on the economic impact of the maritime industry in Washington State. The report spotlights the important role the maritime industry plays in the state’s economy, estimating that the sector generates $30 billion in total revenues and about 148,000 jobs. Stephen Dunphy reports.

State Ferry System Sets Course to Convert to Cheaper LNG Fuel
The nation's biggest ferry system is setting a course to convert some of its fleet from diesel to natural gas propulsion. This month, Washington State Ferries formally asked the U.S. Coast Guard to review the proposed changeover. The latest move is another example of fleet operators in the Northwest taking a hard look at cheaper fuel. After three years of study, the Washington State Department of Transportation has determined it is technically and financially feasible to convert six mid-sized car ferries to run on cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Assistant Secretary David Moseley told lawmakers that moving away from diesel could save 40 to 50 percent at today’s pricing. Tom Banse reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE NOV 26 2013
TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 15 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

11/25 Cherry Pt. archeology, BC fishing, pipeline security, Nooksack salmon, Elwha exhibit, Skagit water, Vic sewage, BC humpbacks, 'frankenfish'

(PHOTO: Jeannie Finkbonner)

Jeannie Finkbonner took this photo while her cousin Justin Finkbonner and his 10-year old son Kaiden Finkbonner pulled in a beach seine net to catch Silver salmon that run along Portage Island and Brandt Island off the Lummi Nation near Bellingham.   They rowed 10 miles that day with 9 kids from the Lummi Youth Canoe Family in their traveling canoe built by Dean Washington.  Justin likes to volunteer his time to skipper this 38-foot cedar-strip canoe to help revive, protect, promote and preserve their traditional lifeways.   Whether traveling on the Intertribal Canoe Journey each summer or making traditional regalia and learning to fish, they are working hard to protect their ways of life and traditional village sites. Support Justin’s efforts by contacting him by email or at 360-305-6301.

Documents Reveal Disturbance Of Native American Archaeological Site At Cherry Point  
Three summers ago the company that wants to build the largest coal export terminal in North America failed to obtain the environmental permits it needed before bulldozing more than four miles of roads and clearing more than nine acres of land, including some wetlands. Pacific International Terminals also failed to meet a requirement to consult first with local Native American tribes, the Lummi and Nooksack tribes, about the potential archaeological impacts of the work. Sidestepping tribal consultation meant avoiding potential delays and roadblocks for the project’s development. It also led to the disturbance of a site from which 3,000-year-old human remains had previously been removed — and where archeologists suspect more are buried. Ashley Ahearn reports.

Mass: 'Most Amazing Pattern' Defies Tradition, Brings Dry Spell
It may be chilly out there, but it’s also unusually dry for this time of year, says KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass. “It’s really startling,” said Mass, who teaches atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. “We’re in a most amazing pattern. I mean, this could be the wettest, stormiest time of the year, and it’s going to be basically dry over the next few days. In fact, I think probably the next week, we’re not going to see any precipitation.” We may see a few clouds Tuesday and Wednesday, but then we’ll have wonderful weather for Thanksgiving, says Mass. Bellamy Pailthorp reports.

BC’s Top Ten commercial fishing grounds are richer than you think  
A groundbreaking new study has identified the top ten richest commercial fishing grounds in British Columbia and reveals that they are far richer than you might think. Focused on the province’s North Coast—a vast, remote region under increasing scrutiny due to proposed tar-sands pipelines and oil-tanker routes—the study documents how $167 million in annual commercial catch (2010) is the lifeblood underpinning the social and cultural fabric of many local First Nations and rural communities. The study shows that four of the province’s 10 richest commercial fishing grounds—southern Johnstone Strait, Milbanke Sound on the Central Coast and two areas off Haida Gwaii—are located in North Coast region, which produces half of the province’s total landed value of fisheries.

Jack Knox: Security borders on absurd in pipeline debate
We shouldn’t be surprised that the RCMP and CSIS kept tabs on environmentalists and at least two Victoria politicians during this year’s Northern Gateway hearings. Given the tensions around the proposal, some security planning was needed. Nor should we be surprised that our police and spy agencies meet regularly with energy companies. In the post-9/11 world, sharing intelligence to keep al-Qaeda at bay makes sense. Somewhere, though, the line blurred. Emails released this week show a cosy relationship in which CSIS, a section of the RCMP, our pro-pipeline federal government, the National Energy Board and energy companies are inside the club, while those who oppose Enbridge’s proposal are treated like woolly headed radicals working against the national interest. Which leads to the obvious question: If that’s what Ottawa thinks of British Columbians who worry about oil tankers doing an Exxon Valdez in the tricky inside waters of our coast, how seriously will it listen to them? Jack Knox reports.

Already imperiled Nooksack salmon now face a warmer world
The warmer, drier summers that will result from climate change could be the final straw for diminishing salmon populations in the south fork of the Nooksack River, according to officials developing a report on what needs to be done to keep the stream habitable. The south fork already is too warm in the summer for growing or spawning salmon, according to the state Department of Ecology. Since 2001, the preferred way to give salmon some cool respite in the south fork has been to place artificial logjams in the stream. That is relatively inexpensive; some 100 logjams have been installed at a cost of about $7 million, said Oliver Grah, water resources program manager for the Nooksack Indian Tribe. Other, more expensive projects will be needed if threatened species such as the spring chinook are to overcome the additional threat posed by climate change, officials said. Ralph Schwartz reports.

Elwha exhibit at Burke explores reborn river
An exhibit based on the Elwha book by Seattle Times’ Lynda Mapes and Steve Ringman opens Saturday at the Burke Museum.... At the heart of the exhibit is the river, where salmon, steelhead and lampreys lost 70 miles of spawning grounds when dams blocked their passage more than a century ago. It is also the story of the regeneration that has taken place since the Elwha Dam was removed in 2011 and will continue after demolition of the upstream Glines Canyon Dam is completed next year.... “This is a profoundly hopeful story,” said Mapes, who is currently a fellow in the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT. Keith Ervin reports.

Mixed results for Skagit water quality
Since October 2003, Skagit County employees have visited streams that trickle through the Skagit, Samish and Padilla watersheds every other week to collect water samples. The samples document fecal coliform bacteria, temperature and dissolved oxygen levels, as well as phosphorous and nitrogen four times a year. The results reflect the health of local waters for fish, shellfish and recreation... On Wednesday, Skagit County Public Works’ Natural Resources Division released the 2012 Skagit County Water Quality Monitoring Program Annual Report, which summarizes findings since the start of the program through the October 2011 to September 2012 cycle. As in years past, the results are a mixed bag. The bad news is many of the streams do not meet state water quality standards and the causes, whether natural or human-related, are inconclusive. Most of the poor results are found in the Samish Basin and tributaries to the Skagit River, while the Skagit River itself tends to meet water quality standards more often than not, according to the report. Kimberly Cauvel reports.

Sewage project delays could cost $1 million a month, official says
Greater Victoria’s sewage project is close to falling behind schedule and incurring a million dollars a month in extra costs, says the civilian commission overseeing the project. Chairwoman Brenda Eaton said Friday that with politicians yet to authorize rezoning for a treatment plant at McLoughlin Point, staff have been conducting a line-by-line analysis of the $783-million budget and schedule to examine the situation. “We estimate that a one- month delay is $1 million,” Eaton said. Rob Shaw reports.

B.C. humpback whales use seabirds to find herring, new research reveals
A population of humpback whales off northern Vancouver Island is taking advantage of diving seabirds to exploit herring stocks, new research shows. Christie McMillan, a fisheries science master’s student at Simon Fraser University, says that seabirds such as rhinoceros auklets and common murres dive into the ocean and swim beneath the herring so the prey forms tight schools known as “bait balls”. “It’s a response of all herring,” she said in an interview at a weekend marine mammal symposium at the University of B.C. “When they’re startled, their response is to group up tight. It’s instinctual: ‘There’s a predator, get close to my neighbour, and hopefully he gets eaten instead of me.’” Larry Pynn reports.

Things are not looking up for dark-sky watchers
The sad truth is that the current bunch of us will be the first in the history of the planet to go most or all the way through life failing to grasp our place in the universe. Because we simply have never seen it. Ron Judd reports.

DNA testing provides clues on captured B.C. ‘frankenfish’
The “frankenfish” that generated international attention when video of it swimming in a Burnaby pond surfaced on YouTube was likely not a northern snakehead after all, says a new study. But researchers say the fish – which was most likely a blotched snakehead that might not have survived the winter – still feasted on other species during its time in the pond, and could have yielded more serious consequences if it found its way into the Fraser River. Sunny Dillon reports.

Vancouver [BC] Barge Company Signs On To Coal Project
While Ambre Energy awaits state and federal permits to build a controversial coal export terminal at the Port of Morrow, the company signed a letter of intent with Tidewater Barge Lines for transportation service along the Columbia River. Tidewater, based in Vancouver, Wash., will operate tugboats and barges needed to move the coal 218 miles down river — if the project receives permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Oregon Department of State Lands and Department of Environmental Quality. The Morrow Pacific project would ship 8.8 million tons of coal per year on covered barges from Boardman to Port Westward, an industrial park located between St. Helens and Astoria. From there, it would load onto ocean-going vessels for export to Asian markets including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. George Plaven reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON NOV 25 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PST THIS MORNING
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 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.

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11/22 Plastics, fish consumption, BC LNG, constitutional coal, BC oil spill, tropical orcas, many geese, old water

Surfrider Foundation

New blog: Where were you, what were you doing the day JFK was killed? Remembering November 22, 1963  

New Research: Lab Fish Fed Plastic More Likely To Develop Tumors, Liver Problems
Chelsea Rochman, the lead author of a new paper from the journal Nature, Scientific Reports, says: “We did find that the chemicals do transfer from the plastic to the fish...and we saw a greater concentration in the fish that ate the plastic that had been in the ocean than the fish that had eaten the controlled diet or the clean plastic diet.” As plastic floats around in the ocean, or polluted waterways, it acts like a sponge for heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. That, Rochman says, could explain why the fish fed the San Diego Bay plastic showed higher levels of those chemicals in their bodies. Ashley Ahearn reports.

Fish consumption rate keys pollution laws
Legislators grappled Thursday with a seemingly small question that has a big impact on Washington’s pollution laws: How much fish do people eat? The answer will affect water pollution standards on many state waterways and the companies that must meet those standards because some of the pollution ends up in fish. How much fish people eat can determine the risk for some cancers and other diseases. The question is more complicated than it sounds, Kelly Susewind of the Department of Ecology told the Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee. Some groups, particularly Native Americans, eat more fish than others, and some people don’t eat any. Fish that spend their entire lives in a polluted river like the Spokane pick up more pollution than salmon, which are born in fresh water, live in salt water for much of their lives, then return to fresh water. Salmon that spend most of their lives in the Puget Sound can have as much as five times the polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, a known carcinogen, as salmon that spawn in coastal streams and live most of their lives in the Pacific. Jim Camden and Becky Kramer report. See also: New water standards may spare Boeing  

Pollution report on B.C. LNG projects raises alarm
...SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, a northwest B.C. environmental organization concerned about the area’s wild salmon ecosystem, released a report Thursday that estimated three proposed Kitimat LNG plants will burn 2.5 times more natural gas than is consumed in Metro Vancouver annually. The report, Air Advisory: The Air Quality Impacts of Liquefied Natural Gas Operations Proposed for Kitimat, B.C., concluded LNG plants permitted to operate primarily with natural gas will collectively burn 60 per cent of all the natural gas burned annually in B.C. The report concluded nitrogen oxide emissions from the LNG plants would increase 500 per cent above existing levels. Nitrogen oxide emissions create acid rain, which harms waterways and fish and creates smog, which causes respiratory problems for children and the elderly, the report states. The report also concluded natural gas driven LNG plants will increase emissions in the Kitimat area of volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide. Dirk Meissner reports.

On behalf of North Dakota and Montana, McKenna calls Washington coal study unconstitutional
Former Attorney General Rob McKenna has written a letter to Washington state on behalf of Montana and North Dakota that questions the constitutionality of Washington’s Department of Ecology review of a proposed coal-export terminal. “Some of the issues to be evaluated by Ecology transgress the boundaries of the States, infringing on (Montana and North Dakota’s) sovereignty,” McKenna wrote in a letter sent Monday, adding the review “ranges far beyond the boundaries of legitimate state interest.” He also wrote that the review of the proposed Gateway Terminal at Cherry Point, in Whatcom County, “is unrealistically broad, includes speculative impacts, requires impossible assessments of foreign environmental impacts, and appears to have been designed to hinder the development of that terminal.” Brian Rosenthal reports.

Length of B.C. oil spills investigation raises questions
Two small spills on Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline in British Columbia have triggered an investigation by the National Energy Board that is still going on six months after the incidents occurred. The length of the investigation into the spills that appeared minor at the time has prompted questions about whether the incidents were larger than reported, or whether it points to a potentially bigger problem with the structural integrity of the 60-year-old pipeline. Kinder Morgan, however, disputes both. Mark Hume reports.

Unique ‘tropical oceanic’ orcas still traveling west
“Tropical oceanic” killer whales, which were tagged near Hawaii and tracked by satellite, have now moved about 860 miles west. As of yesterday, they were approaching Johnston Atoll, seen just to the left of their last known location shown on the map above, according to Robin Baird of Cascadia Research Collective, based in Olympia. Initially, three orcas were tagged in this first effort to track the unique breed of killer whale, which travels in the open ocean. Christopher Dunagan blogs.

If you like to watch: Sumner’s great goose spectacle
Drivers passing a farm field near Sumner are being distracted by a massive flock of geese. Neighbors said the geese are feasting on a freshly cut corn field with some tasty ears and stalks left behind. They fly into the north Pierce County farm in the morning and begin a daily cycle of flying off, circling around and then coming back in for a landing. There are a few swans and ducks mixed in, but it is primarily Canada geese. Gary Chittim reports. Meanwhile, in the UK: Lake clean-up leads to huge bird decline at sanctuary  

Oldest Large Body of Ancient Seawater Identified Under Chesapeake Bay
USGS scientists have determined that high-salinity groundwater found more than 1,000 meters (0.6 mi.) deep under the Chesapeake Bay is actually remnant water from the Early Cretaceous North Atlantic Sea and is probably 100-145 million years old. This is the oldest sizeable body of seawater to be identified worldwide. Twice as salty as modern seawater, the ancient seawater was preserved like a prehistoric fly in amber, partly by the aid of the impact of a massive comet or meteorite that struck the area about 35 million years ago, creating Chesapeake Bay.

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca (PZZ130) 300 AM PST FRI NOV 22 2013
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING......
Today: E wind 20 to 30 kt...easing to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 5 ft. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.
Tonight: E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. NW swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.
Sat: E wind 15 to 25 kt...easing to 10 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft...subsiding to 1 to 2 ft in the afternoon. W swell 2 ft at 14 seconds.
Sat Night: E wind 10 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 4 ft at 12 seconds.
Sun: E wind 10 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 4 ft at 11 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

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told