8/4 Jellies, invasives, fish rule, fish farms, rising seas, Ballard Locks, Willapa shrimp, Polley mine, James Bay air

Moon jellyfish (University of Puget Sound)

In the increasingly damaged sea, one animal is thriving
Climate change, overfishing and pollution would naturally seem harmful for marine life. But one group of animals appears to be thriving: jellyfish. The blob-like creatures reproduce rapidly in higher temperatures and can prosper in waters tainted by human activity, such as the Gulf of Mexico’s oxygen-depleted “dead-zone.” Plus, declining fish populations mean reduced competition for food. (PBS)

Invasive stowaways threaten Puget Sound ecosystem
Gaps in regulations could allow invasive species to hitch a ride on ships and boats. We report on some of the potential impacts, and how state and federal agencies are trying to solve the problem. Chris Dunagan repairs. (Salish Sea Currents)

Fed judge orders EPA to finalize ‘fish consumption rule’
A federal judge has set a timeline for when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must finalize water-quality rules designed to protect human health in Washington state. U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein on Wednesday found the EPA was derelict when it proposed clean-water rules for the state in September, but then didn’t finalize those rules within 90 days as required…. The judge in Seattle ordered EPA to either approve Washington’s plan, or finalize its own proposed rule for the state by Nov. 15. (Associated Press)

‘There Is a Dead One There’: Patrolling Fish Farms with Alexandra Morton
As biologist’s research quest continues, industry decries use of drones and cameras as ‘harassment.’ Andrew Nikiforuk reports. (The Tyee)

Experts warn rising sea levels could leave 1,600 local homes underwater
Some scientists say as many as 1,600 homes in the greater Seattle area could be underwater by the turn of the century. The real estate website Zillow wanted to see what would happened if the sea levels rose as much as scientists predict, and the answer involves $2.4 billion worth of local houses. Matt Markovich reports. (KOMO)

Ballard Locks turns 100 today [Aug. 3] -- a look back
The Ballard Locks turns 100 today. On Aug. 3, 1916, the first ship passed through the locks. It was officially opened on July 4, 1917. The locks and the Lake Washington Ship Canal connect Lake Union and Lake Washington to Puget Sound. (KOMO)

Willapa Desert: Key oyster bed abandoned as inedible shrimp take over
Imagine your once-profitable farm is now covered with tens of thousands of mole burrows, a desert of holes and naked dirt. Now imagine needing a government permit to control this population explosion — a permit issued and then withdrawn last year, and now once again creeping through the bureaucracy. Transfer this scenario to Willapa Bay and substitute burrowing shrimp for moles, and you have some idea of the anxiety gripping local oyster growers…. Collectively known as burrowing shrimp, the bay harbors two native species — ghost shrimp and blue mud shrimp. Although they’ve been trying to expand their range for decades, they are especially prolific this year, thriving in unusually warm 70-degree bay water. The shrimp aren’t edible by humans. In contrast, oysters generate an annual total of about $35 million for the Pacific County economy. Matt Winters reports. (Chinook Observer)

Air quality near cruise ship terminal has improved
Sulphur-dioxide emission issues may be dwindling in James Bay, but it’s by no means clear sailing for the city’s cruise ship industry, according to the James Bay Neighbourhood Association. A report released Wednesday by the B.C. Ministry of Environment suggests sulphur content regulation for fuels used by cruise ships, and use of technologies to reduce emissions have been effective in reducing ambient levels of sulphur dioxide coming from cruise ships docking at Victoria. But the measures have not stopped all emissions, said Marg Gardiner, president of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association. “There’s other emissions other than sulphur dioxide coming out of that [cruise ship smoke] stack,” said Gardiner. “This report is good news, but it’s old news. And while it’s the end of sulphur dioxide, it’s not really the end of pollution from the ships.” Andrew Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)

Mount Polley mine disaster hits 2-year mark, fallout still causes divisions
Lisa Kraus says it's been a difficult two years in the tiny central British Columbia community of Likely, where the collapse of a massive tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine opened wounds that have yet to heal. Twenty-four million cubic metres of mine waste and water gushed into nearby lakes and rivers on Aug. 4, 2014. An independent, government-ordered panel of experts concluded the cause was an inadequately designed dam at the Imperial Metals open pit copper and gold mine that didn't account for drainage and erosion failures beneath the pond. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Bacteria in sea ice are making mercury worse
Scientists have discovered methylmercury—a potent neurotoxin—in sea ice in the Southern Ocean. The results, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, are the first to show that sea-ice bacteria can change mercury into methylmercury, a more toxic form that can contaminate the marine environment, including fish and birds. Mercury is a heavy metal pollutant that can be released into the environment through volcanic eruptions and re-released from vegetation during bushfires. It is also created through human activity, such as gold smelting and burning fossil fuels. Nerissa Hannink-Melbourne reports. (Futurity)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT THU AUG 4 2016  

TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER  MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 6 FT AT 8 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 at 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

8/3 Perseids, rising seas, Skokomish salmon, bird genes, boat poop, flying Yukon fish

Perseid shower (Space.com)

If you like to watch: In pursuit of the Perseids: Five things to know about August's meteor shower extravaganza
Every year in August the night sky is lit up by the Perseid meteor shower and this year promises a bigger show than usual. Those dazzling streaks of light aren’t literally shooting stars, obviously, so we asked astronomer Jaymie Matthews what they really are. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Climate change could leave 2,900 Whatcom homes under water - literally
Birch Bay and Blaine will be among the Washington communities most impacted if climate change continues unchecked, according to a new Zillow study. The online real estate company focuses on the negative equity of homes when it does studies about being “underwater.” This time, it turned its attention to how many U.S. homes would be lost to water if ocean levels rise six feet by 2100, as estimated by scientists in a recently published study in the journal Nature. Zillow estimates the Blaine/Birch Bay area will lose 1,825 homes if ocean levels rise six feet, ranking it third-highest in the state, trailing only Aberdeen (4,548 estimated homes lost) and Hoquiam (3,050). That would mean a loss of 16.2 percent of Blaine/Birch Bay’s current home inventory, costing an estimated $368 million. Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Fishermen upset about new rules on Skokomish River
Typically, the start of August brings a flood of sport fishermen to Bill Hunter Jr.’s family farm along the Skokomish River in Mason County. Not this year. A controversial ruling by a federal official and the subsequent decision by the Skokomish Tribe have left sport fishermen having to watch the Chinook salmon run up river while tribal fishermen lay out their gill nets…. A ruling by the solicitor of the US Department of Interior proved favorable for the Skokomish Tribe and gave the tribe the right to decide what happens on the river -- from one side of the bank to the other. The ruling basically says the entire river is considered part of the Skokomish reservation, even though maps show the reservation boundary bordering just the north side of the Skokomish River. Matt Markovich reports. (KOMO)

Songbirds' dramatic migrations possibly controlled by tiny set of genes
Each year, songbirds head south for warmer climates, some of them travelling up to 15,000 kilometres. And yet, every spring, they return home — sometimes even to the same tree. A new study from the University of British Columbia's Department of Zoology has identified a small cluster of genes that could be responsible for this epic journey. "They undergo one of the most iconic migrations of all the organisms that migrate — because some of them are really small, like under 20 grams," said Kira Delmore, lead researcher on the project. Delmore's team studied the Swainson's Thrush — a bird commonly found in British Columbia.  Roshini Nair reports. (CBC)

City, port considering agreement to help keep boat sewage out of Puget Sound
A port/city partnership to put an offloading site next to Guemes Channel could help prevent sewage from recreational boats from entering the Puget Sound, according to Alan Wolslegel, manager of the state Parks Clean Vessel Program. The Port of Anacortes and the city could set up a site that allows mobile pump-out boats that collect sewage from moored vessels in remote locations to bring it here to be processed through the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Joan Pringle reports. (Anacortes American)

’New salmon run:’ Planes now fly in fish as Yukon chinook decline
Salmon no longer collect in the nets along the Teslin River where the Tlingit people have harvested them for thousands of years. Now, they come from the sky. “It’s the new salmon run,” Duane Aucoin, member of the Teslin Tlingit Council, said recently. “For the past few years, we’ve been flying in salmon. A lot of our young kids, they think that’s normal – ‘Oh, the plane’s flying over. The salmon are here.’ It is funny, but it’s also sad.”…. Up to 150,000 chinook – the richest and tastiest salmon species – returned to the Canadian side of the Yukon and its tributaries as recently as 15 years ago. This year will see about half that, federal biologist Mary-Ellen Jarvis said. Worse, the river’s productivity has sunk like a stone. Ed Weber reports. (Canadian Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  255 AM PDT WED AUG 3 2016  

TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT...BECOMING 2 FT OR LESS IN THE AFTERNOON. W  SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato at 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

8/2 Eating fish rule, dike breach, salmon fishing, Picnic Pt., gopher rule, oil train, refinery permit

American Dipper (Tom Munson/BirdNote)

If you like to watch: Amazing Aquatic American Dipper
The American Dipper stands on a rock in a stream, bobbing up and down on its long legs - "dipping" - hence the name. But watch! This nondescript bird steps off a small boulder right into the torrent, and begins to peer under water. What the American Dipper might lack in bright color it more than surpasses with amazing aquatic abilities. Watch a video by Berry Wijdeven of an American Dipper on Haida Gwaii fighting the current. (BirdNote)

State adopts 'fish consumption rule' after years of debate
Washington state regulators on Monday adopted new clean-water rules tied partly to how much fish people eat after years of heated debate over how clean the state's water should be. Now it's up to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency— which stepped in last fall to write its own rules for Washington — to decide whether the state's plan is good enough…. A message to an EPA spokesman in Seattle was not immediately returned Monday. Federal law requires rivers and other water bodies to be clean enough so people can safely swim and eat fish from those waters. The rules set limits on pollutants that factories, wastewater treatment plants and other industrial facilities can discharge into state waters. The state's rules dramatically raise the current fish-consumption rate to 175 grams a day, which would protect people who eat about a serving of fish a day. Tribes and environmental groups have pushed for more stringent rules to reduce water pollution and protect the people who eat the most fish. Cities and businesses have said the technology isn't available to meet stricter rules and it could cost billions of dollars with little or no benefit to the environment. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Fir Island dike breach pivotal moment for fish project
Massive machinery was used Monday to dig into a long-standing dike on Fir Island, creating a gap to allow Skagit Bay to flow through. By mid-afternoon, with the tide coming in, water inundated fields that had been shielded from saltwater for decades. The breaching was a long-awaited, pivotal part of a project to restore 131 acres of fish habitat in the Skagit River delta. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Dike breach restores salmon habitat in Skagit County  Eric Wilkinson reports. (KING)

Protest averted: Sports anglers get permission to fish for Chinook salmon
A protest fishery by sports anglers on the Fraser River was averted on the weekend when the department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada suddenly posted notices allowing recreational fishing for Chinook salmon. The Fraser River Sportfishing Alliance had been pressing DFO for months to get a Chinook opening on the river and tensions were rising because while First Nations were allowed to fish, sports anglers weren’t. On Thursday, the FRSA sent out a statement urging anglers to show up at the Island 22 boat launch in Chilliwack on Monday morning, to go fishing despite the DFO closing.  Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail) See also: Northern Puget Sound remains open for salmon fishing, but expected to close soon  Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

County upholds decision to allow Picnic Point development
A divided Snohomish County Council on Monday upheld an earlier decision to allow a developer to build a subdivision on steep, wooded property in the unincorporated Picnic Point area. The council voted 3-2 to deny an appeal of hearing examiner Peter Camp’s decision on the Frognal Estates project. Camp granted approval to developer Integral Northwest in May…. The project calls for 112 homes on 22 acres behind Picnic Point Elementary School. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

Thurston County announces change in gopher habitat reviews
Thurston County officials announced Monday a major policy change for land use permitting on property where there’s evidence of the threatened Mazama pocket gopher. Applicants for land use permits who have the critter on their property and who meet all other county permit requirements may get their building permits in a time frame that is outlined in the 2012 Thurston County Critical Areas Ordinance, according to a new release. Property owners are still encouraged to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and “meeting those federal requirements will be incorporated as a condition of approval, which accompanies most permits,” a news release stated. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian)

Mosier Derailment Adds Scrutiny To Proposed Vancouver Oil-By-Rail Terminal
Thick black smoke that spewed from a derailed oil train burning in Mosier, Oregon, was not the visual Vancouver Port Commissioner Jerry Oliver wanted in people’s minds…. Oliver has been a vocal supporter of what would be the largest oil-by-trail terminal in the country, known as the Vancouver Energy Project. It’s controversial, to the point Oliver said he’s even lost friends over his stance. The oil terminal in Vancouver would be built just 70 miles downriver from Mosier, Oregon. In a way, the two are linked: The project would help move 360,000 barrels of crude oil from North Dakota to West Coast ports. It would also more than double the number of oil trains traveling through the Columbia River Gorge to about 46 trains per week. Oliver equates June’s derailment to the airline industry – where thousands of planes land safely every day. “I think you have to consider, accidents do happen,” he said. Conrad Wilson reports. (OPB/EarthFix) See also: Can oil trains ever be made safe enough?  Kirk Johnson reports. (NY Times)

State taking comment on refinery water quality permit
The state Department of Ecology is taking public comment on an updated water quality permit for the Shell Puget Sound Refinery near Anacortes. A public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Anacortes Public Library at 1220 10th St. Comments will be accepted until Sept. 19. The water quality permits for refineries and other large facilities in Washington are updated every five years, Ecology spokeswoman Krista Kenner said. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  256 AM PDT TUE AUG 2 2016  

TODAY  SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING W IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES  1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF  SHOWERS IN THE EVENING...THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER  MIDNIGHT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato at 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

8/1 Octopus, fuel export ban, sinking ships, fish frustrations, BC LNG risk, Site C, sanctuary die-off

Octopus at Lytle Beach (Jeff Prentice/Bainbridge Review)

Islanders get rare visit from the deep
Jeff Pritchard never imagined that an afternoon sitting in the sun on his parent’s deck would result in an octopus sighting. But it did. It was about 3 p.m. on the afternoon of July 20 that Pritchard heard commotion out on Lytle Beach. He knew he had to investigate…. He discovered that two people were looking at an octopus, about four feet in diameter, lying on the beach…. Giving the octopus room to move in any direction, the crowd kept watching and in about 10 minutes, the octopus propelled itself back in the water. Leslie Kelly reports. (Bainbridge Island Review)

Whatcom County might ban unrefined fossil fuel exports at Cherry Point 
Whatcom County could try to prevent the export of crude oil and coal from Cherry Point, long home to the county’s heavy industry and, in recent years, the epicenter of community debate over environmental and economic issues. Until recently, the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal coal export facility received the most attention from both those who hope to curb fossil fuel use and protect the environment, and those who hope to attract more living-wage jobs to a county whose median income has not kept pace with the cost of living. But after GPT was denied a needed permit from the Army Corps of Engineers this May because it would impact Lummi Nation treaty-protected fishing rights, the focus for the future at Cherry Point shifted toward some proposed changes to a document that guides development decisions in the county: the Comprehensive Plan. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Belief in reefs: Canadian crew sinks everything into creating underwater playgrounds
It began as a seemingly simple but grand scheme nearly 30 years ago. Take some old ships, scour their bilges of oil, remove physical and environmentally hazardous objects and then sink them. And then watch as recreational scuba divers and wildlife flock toward them. Start small, with a rusty old freighter and then move up to the big ones: Canada’s aging and obsolete 1950s-era destroyers. Turn scrap steel and aluminum into gold by creating viable fish habitats and destinations for B.C.’s growing dive tourism industry. Solve government asset disposal problems by diverting the ships from breakers’ yards, with the added bonus of increasing underwater biodiversity and creating a new dive-tourism economy. But like all big dreams, there have been unintended twists. Jeff Lee reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Fisheries frustrations
Although the region’s salmon fisheries are well into their summer seasons, much turmoil remains concerning the management of the state’s fisheries. Fishermen lost time on area rivers and lakes this spring because the state and tribes had trouble reaching an agreement on seasons and allotments. Those in fisheries-related businesses were hurt because of the uncertainty over whether fishing would be allowed at all. Others feel the fisheries conflict drowned out other issues, such as the battle to bring a catch-and-release steelhead fishery back to the upper Skagit River. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Pacific NorthWest LNG venture could pose low risk to B.C. salmon habitat
Fisheries and Oceans Canada has told the federal environmental regulator that Pacific NorthWest LNG’s plan to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in northern British Columbia poses a low risk to juvenile salmon habitat. Environmentalists and some First Nations argue that Pacific NorthWest LNG’s construction activities would devastate Flora Bank, a sandbar with eelgrass that nurtures young salmon. The LNG joint venture, led by Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas, is seeking to build an $11.4-billion export terminal on Lelu Island, which is located next to Flora Bank in the Skeena River estuary. Fisheries and Oceans – also known as DFO because it was once the Department of Fisheries and Oceans – said that based on its analysis of scientific studies provided by Pacific NorthWest, potential threats to salmon are manageable. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

Trudeau government signals support for Site C dam, grants two permits
Justin Trudeau's Liberal Government has granted two crucial federal permits for Site C, a controversial mega dam project in northeastern British Columbia.  The permits allow B.C. Hydro to continue construction work on the giant dam on the Peace River near Fort St John. B.C. Hydro says the permits were issued this week by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Transport Canada and relate to fisheries and navigable waters. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC)

NOAA: mass die-off at marine sanctuary off Louisiana, Texas
Federal scientists say a massive die-off is taking place on a coral reef of a national marine sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico. Steve Gittings, chief scientist with the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, reported this week that federal scientists reported a large-scale mortality event of unknown cause was taking place at the East Flower Garden Bank in Gulf of Mexico. The reef is part of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, which is about 100 miles off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. Gittings says researchers are reporting unprecedented numbers of dying corals, sponges, sea urchins, brittle stars, clams and other invertebrates. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  259 AM PDT MON AUG 1 2016  

TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT...BECOMING 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL  4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF  SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato at 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

7/29 Purple blob, oil train safety, rockfish survival

Purple blob (E/V Nautilus, NPR)

If you like to watch: Sea Slug? Disco Ball? Beautiful Deep-Sea Purple Blob Puzzles Scientists
Researchers have found a curious purple orb near California's Channel Islands – and it's left them stumped. To our untrained eye, it looks a little like a really dazzling Christmas ornament. Alternatively, Smithsonian compared it to an unhatched Pokemon. During the recent expedition, unnamed scientists from the Nautilus exploration vessel are recording and chatting about what they're seeing when they come across the mysterious, beautiful blob.  Merrit Kennedy reports. (NPR)

Union Pacific Stands Out For Track-Caused Derailments But Not Oil Spills
After last month’s fiery oil train derailment in the Columbia River Gorge, federal regulators put the blame on Union Pacific Road for failing to maintain its track. Soon questions arose about the railroad’s safety record. Watchdog groups compared Union Pacific’s track maintenance standards to those employed by BNSF Railway, the West’s other major carrier, which also runs oil trains through the Columbia Gorge. (BNSF’s tracks run  along the Washington side of the river.) Comparisons of railroad safety are difficult to come by. Federal accident data is underreported and many factors such as what’s hauled and where can affect the chances of an incident. For one measure, EarthFix matched the federal government’s rail safety data over a 10-year span with overall miles traveled and tons of freight that railroads carried over that same period. That analysis shows Union Pacific had more accidents than BNSF despite fewer miles traveled and a lower overall tonnage. Tony Schick reports. (OPB/EarthFix) See also: Trial-Like Portion Of Vancouver Oil Terminal Review Ends Friday With Public Hearing  Conrad Wilson reports. (OPB/EarthFix)

Soldotna man's invention helps ensure released rockfish survive
Russ Morrison loves rockfish. They're aggressive biters and put up a bouncy, head-shaking fight. With their mohawk spines, sea-monster maws and rainbow of vibrant colors, they're as much fun to look at as they are to catch. And the taste? Some prefer it to halibut — yelloweye in particular. That said, Morrison, of Soldotna, goes out of his way not to kill them. If he keeps three yelloweye a year, it feels extravagant. Jenny Neyman reports. (Alaska Dispatch News)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  230 AM PDT FRI JUL 29 2016  

TODAY  W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY DRIZZLE  IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT  W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 8 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 5 FT AT  9 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W  SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT  W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER  MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN  W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 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 at 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

7/28 Hood Canal bloom, cow poop rules, scanned fish, marmots, the 'Raven' whale

Phytoplankton bloom, Hood Canal 7/24/16 (NASA)

Huge Hood Canal phytoplankton bloom visible from space
The phytoplankton are out in full force along the Hood Canal -- so much so, it's visible from space! NASA's Aqua satellite snapped this photo of the phytoplankton bloom in Hood Canal, taken on Sunday. Jan Newton, an oceanographer at the University of Washington, told Katrhyn Hansen with NASA's Earth Observatory Program that Hood Canal can be quite a productive area. Scott Sistek reports. (KOMO)

Dairy farmers tell state its rules on cow manure are too costly
Dairy farmers and environmentalists are criticizing new manure-control rules the state Department of Ecology plans to finalize early next year. The Capital Press reported that at a public hearing on Tuesday, July 26, farmers said dairies already are heavily regulated and that Ecology’s new layer of mandates would be unnecessary and expensive…. After Tuesday’s hearing, Ecology’s special assistant on water policy, Kelly Susewind, said the department may consider redrawing the line and exempting more dairies…. Environmentalists testified that the department should require dairies to line lagoons with synthetic fabric to prevent leaks and to install wells to monitor groundwater. (Associated Press)

Washington scientist launches effort to digitize all fish with CT scanner 
University of Washington biology professor Adam Summers no longer has to coax hospital staff to use their CT scanners so he can visualize the inner structures of stingray and other fish. Last fall, he installed a small computed tomography, or CT, scanner at the UW's Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island and launched an ambitious project to scan and digitize all of more than 25,000 species in the world. The idea is to have one clearinghouse of CT scan data freely available to researchers anywhere to analyze the morphology, or structure, of particular species. So far, he and others have digitized images of more than 500 species, from poachers to sculpins, from museum collections around the globe. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Species steps back from edge of extinction with help from Calgary Zoo breeding program
Twelve years ago, the population of Vancouver Island Marmots had dwindled to about 40 in the wild, putting them on the list of critically endangered species. Fast forward to 2016 and the number has grown to approximately 300, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Calgary Zoo, one of two facilities running captive breeding programs and reintroducing the animals into the wild. Just this past birthing season, four pups were welcomed at the zoo’s Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre, and are being touted by the zoo as playing “a vital role in the survival of the species.” Clara Ho reports. (Calgary Herald)

Mysterious And Known As The 'Raven': Scientists Identify New Whale Species
For decades, Japanese fishermen have told stories about the existence of a dark, rare beaked whale that they called karasu — the "raven." But now, scientists say they have genetic proof to back up these tales. Long mistaken for its relative, the Baird's beaked whale, scientists say it represents an entirely new species. "There have been a lot of people out there surveying whales for a long time and never come across this in scientific research," Phillip Morin, research molecular geneticist at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, tells The Two-Way. "So it is a huge thing to discover this; it's kind of baffling that we haven't seen it before." The team's research was published Tuesday in Marine Mammal Science. Merrit Kennedy reports. (NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT THU JUL 28 2016  

TODAY  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT  7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT  AT 7 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato at 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

7/27 Canoe journey, Hood Canal easement, dead birds, hatchery Chinook, oil trains, fish gear, bats

Canoe Journey 2016

As many as 20,000 people expected for arrival of tribal canoes
Out of the woods, a temporary city has begun to take shape on the Nisqually reservation near Yelm. Crews are building nearly a dozen white tents — some as large as 50 by 125 feet — on a nearly 40-acre site where the weeklong Canoe Journey 2016 Paddle to Nisqually “protocol” celebration will take place. Tribal officials estimate the event, a week after the Canoe Journey’s landing ceremony in Olympia, will attract as many as 10,000 people to the reservation. Many are expected to camp out and stay in the area for the duration of the culturally rich event. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian) See also: More than 5,000 visitors at Suquamish | 2016 Canoe Journey  Richard Walker reports. (North Kitsap Herald)

Appeals court upholds Hood Canal land deal
The Washington State Court of Appeals Tuesday upheld an agreement for a Hood Canal easement made between the U.S. Navy and the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In 2014, DNR accepted a $720,000 offer from the Navy for 50-year control of 4,804 acres of Hood Canal seafloor. A previous state-approved appraisal valued the lease at $1.68 million; the lower figure allowed the Navy to avoid congressional scrutiny of the agreement. Thorndyke Resource, a company developing a pier project on the canal’s western shoreline, sued the state and the Navy to overturn the easement agreement, which halted the pier project. Tuesday’s court decision upholds a Jefferson County Superior Court ruling that DNR “had the authority to grant the easement to the United States Navy,” according to a DNR news statement. A challenge to the easement in federal court was dismissed last September. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)

Scientists look for answers as hundreds of dead birds wash ashore along Strait of Juan de Fuca
Scientists are trying to figure out why hundreds of dead seabirds have washed ashore in the eastern part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. About 300 rhinoceros auklets, seabirds closely related to puffins, have washed ashore dead since May, and there isn't a clear reason why, said Julia Parrish, executive director of the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)…. Dead birds have been found at Discovery Bay, Dungeness Spit near Sequim and across the Strait near Victoria. At this point, scientists are trying to rule out possible causes. Parrish said it seems unlikely that a lack of food supply could be the cause of the deaths. Jesse Major reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

North Puget Sound hatchery king quota could be achieved before this weekend
After just a handful of days into the hatchery chinook salmon fishing on northern Puget Sound it appears that half the catch quota was gobbled up, and more catch damage was done over the weekend. “We ran some numbers, we are not looking pretty for Area 9 (referred to as northern Puget Sound),” said Ryan Lothrop, the state Fish and Wildlife Puget Sound recreational salmon manager. “We are getting together (Tuesday afternoon) to see what, when, and if and how we want to proceed with what is left in the catch quota.” Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Where have all the Salmon gone
Once tipping the scales at over 120 pounds, Chinook salmon have always been the staple of Southern resident orca whales, according to Deborah Giles, research director and projects manager for the Center of Whale Research…. According to Giles, these salmon eaters pretty much stick to Chinook…. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's website lists many salmon species, including Chinook, as threatened and endangered. As a major source of the residents' diet, this does not bode well.  Heather Spaulding reports. (San Juan Journal)

Ballot Initiative Could Make Oil Trains Illegal In Spokane
Spokane’s City Council Monday voted on a November ballot initiative that would make the shipment of oil or coal by rail through the city a civil infraction. If it passes, every rail car carrying oil or uncovered coal will generate a $261 fine. The ballot initiative is in response to at least a dozen train derailments in the U.S. and Canada over the last six years. Federal law has protected railways from other local regulations, but initiative backers believe trains passing through the city pose specific health and safety hazards that they are allowed to regulate. Emily Schwing reports. (NW News Network)

Fishing gear abandoned in ocean being collected in B.C. town for recycling
Massive bags of nylon – stripped from old fishing nets – are being collected in Steveston, B.C., in an attempt to put a dent in the tonnes of gear lost and discarded in the world’s oceans every year that clog up harbours and endanger marine life. Eventually, the material will be shipped to Europe, melted down and recycled to make products ranging from swimwear to carpet tile. Megan Dolski reports. (Globe and Mail)

Summer season, urban sprawl putting more bats in local backyards
Naturalists say bats are out and about like never before in the Puget Sound region, partly due to their active summer season and recent urban sprawl. Inside her Bothell home, bat caregiver Barb Ogaard has bat decorations on her walls and windows, but there are a precious few she devotes most of her days to. An assortment of bats, brought in from all over, in need of serious TLC…. Ogaard is one of several bat specialists helping PAWS Animal Shelter during one of their busiest seasons. The last week of July, they took in 14 baby bats at once, all found on the ground after someone pressure washed a building. Morgan Chesky reports. (KOMO)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  249 AM PDT WED JUL 27 2016  

TODAY  SW WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT  AT 7 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato at 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