12/20 Fieldfare, whale sanctuary, taking salmon, salmon kill, seal pups, sewage spill, MyCoast WA, flood maps

Fieldfare [Vancouver Sun]

Rare bird wows Salmon Arm birders
A wayward bird seems to have taken a fancy to Salmon Arm. A fieldfare, spotted only once before in B.C., was still foraging in the company of robins on Tuesday, three days after being sighted in the town’s annual Christmas bird count....The bird was viewed by dozens of people on Tuesday near the corner of Krick Road and Kernaghan Road. A fieldfare was spotted in B.C. only once before, in December 2003, near Pitt Meadows. Ron Seymour reports. (Kelowna Daily Courier)

More areas of B.C. coastal waters designated as killer whale sanctuaries
Two more areas of B.C. waters have officially been deemed critical habitat for southern and northern resident killer whales. The designation means the two areas of ocean — from Swiftsure Bank at the entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait north to La Perouse Bank near Tofino; and the western Dixon Entrance north of Haida Gwaii — are now legally protected against habitat-destroying activities that could hinder the survival or recovery of the whales. (CBC)

How to Milk a Killer Whale
“You need to have a relationship with the whale,” says Dawn Noren, a research fishery biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It would be hazardous to try milking any cetacean in the wild (although scientists have done so with recently deceased specimens). In captivity, though, the animals can be trained to tolerate it. Noren recently conducted a study that required 15 months of regularly milking two killer whale mothers at SeaWorld. She is using those milk samples to better understand how industrial toxins like polychlorinated biphenyls are passed in milk from mothers to calves among a different, endangered subgroup of the species: the so-called Southern Resident killer whales of the Pacific Northwest. Malia Wollan reports. (NY Times)

Groups: U.S. must consider how salmon fishing hurts orcas
The federal government is violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to consider how salmon fishing off the West Coast is affecting endangered killer whales, two conservation groups said Tuesday as they threatened a lawsuit.The Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity and the Washington state-based Wild Fish Conservancy notified President Donald Trump’s administration they intend to file a lawsuit within 60 days unless officials reevaluate whether the fishing further jeopardizes orcas that frequent the inland waters of the Pacific Northwest. Gene Johnson reports. (Associated Press)

Power outages kills salmon destined for struggling orcas
A power outage on Friday killed more than 6 million salmon at the Minter Creek state fish hatchery near Gig Harbor. The loss includes more than 500,000 White River Spring chinook salmon being raised specially to help the southern resident orcas survive. Fast-moving water is pumped in to provide oxygen to their incubators but at 5:30 p.m. on Friday a storm knocked the power out and the salmon began to suffocate.... The water is pumped from a creek. A backup generator is supposed kick-in automatically and run the pumps when the power goes out, but it failed to start. Essex Porter reports. (KING)

Vancouver Aquarium releases rehabilitated seal pups back to the sea
The last group of the rescued seal pups has left the care of the Vancouver Aquarium to go home for the holidays. After rehabilitation and treatment, seven pups were released into the Salish Sea at Iona Beach Regional Park in Richmond, Dec. 18, ready to return to their natural habitat. All around two to three months in age, the pups were transported to the beach in small kennels to be released a few at a time. While some waddled quickly over the sand into the water, others were not as keen. Staff and volunteers had to give some extra encouragement by slowly tipping the kennels until the seals slid out and on to the beach. Once in the water, the seal pups bobbed around close to shore until the whole group eventually made it to the sea.  Kathryn Tindale reports. (Vancouver Courier)

130,000 gallons of sewage spill into Puget Sound after power outage
A windstorm that struck Shoreline caused massive quantities of wastewater to overflow into Puget Sound on Friday, Dec. 14. The windstorm caused a power outage at King County’s Richmond Beach Pump Station. That caused 130,000 gallons of sewage to overflow into Puget Sound. Power was out at the pump station for approximately two hours. There were no ill effects in water quality found following the overflow. (My Northwest)

App lets smartphone users keep Puget Sound Clean
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has announced the launch of MyCoast Washington https://mycoast.org/wa – a mobile app that allows the public to help identify and remove marine debris. The app allows people to photograph large marine debris, creosote-treated wood, derelict vessels, storm surge damage, king tides and changes to shorelines while walking Washington’s beaches. DNR and its partners will then use that information to prioritize clean-ups and inform management of aquatic lands in a changing climate. (Tacoma Weekly)

Updated flood maps alter insurance requirements for San Juan Islanders
For the first time in roughly 40 years, flood zones in San Juan County have been updated, altering which property owners are required to buy insurance in case of water damage. When those owners forgo coverage, federally regulated mortgage lenders step in by legally charging customers for insurance. Homeowners in high-risk zones don’t always have the option to gamble on whether floods will hit; the federal government has already waged where inundation will occur and who needs to prepare. Haley Day reports. (Islands Sounder)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  235 AM PST Thu Dec 20 2018   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 30 to 45 kt becoming W in the afternoon.  Combined seas 14 to 17 ft with a dominant period of 15 seconds  building to 20 to 21 ft with a dominant period of 11 seconds in  the afternoon. Rain. 
TONIGHT  W wind 30 to 45 kt becoming NW 20 to 30 kt after  midnight. Combined seas 22 to 24 ft with a dominant period of 12  seconds subsiding to 16 to 18 ft with a dominant period of 12  seconds after midnight. A chance of showers in the evening then a  slight chance of showers after midnight.

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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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12/19 Dermophis donaldtrumpi, fish farm PRV, peppermint shrimp, salmon smell, recovery funds, climate cost-recovery, orca rescuers, king tide, ocean warming

Dermophis donaldtrumpi (left) [BBC]

Amphibian that buries head in sand named after Donald Trump
US presidents tend to receive their fair share of honours, but Donald Trump may want to ignore his latest one. A newly discovered amphibian that buries its head in the sand has been named after him, apparently in response to his comments about climate change. The Dermophis donaldtrumpi, which was discovered in Panama, was named by the head of a company that had bid $25,000 (£19,800) at auction for the privilege. The company said it wanted to raise awareness about climate change. (BBC)

Fish farmer destroys 800,000 juvenile Atlantic salmon due to disease; second purge in past year
For the second time, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific has destroyed 800,000 juvenile Atlantic salmon after testing required by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) determined the fish were infected with an exotic strain of Piscine Orthoreovirus (PRV.) The strain is essentially the same strain of virus found at the Iceland hatchery from which Cooke receives Atlantic salmon eggs. Cooke had a similar problem last May. Tests on the most current batch recently came back, said Amy Windrope, Region 4 director for WDFW. Two of Cooke’s last three batches of Atlantic salmon in the past year have tested positive for PRV, Windrope said. The third was clean. The department considers the exotic strain of PRV to be an unacceptable risk to native stocks of Pacific salmon. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

On Fish Farms, Peppermint Shrimp Clean Up Nicely
In the coral reefs of the western Pacific Ocean lives a candy-striped creature with a minty-fresh name. Commonly known as the peppermint cleaner shrimp, this tiny crustacean provides a cleaning service for other fish by nibbling off skin parasites. Now, scientists in Australia are looking to the peppermint shrimp to take on a much bigger job: fighting disease on fish farms. David Vaughan, a biologist at James Cook University in Australia, recently introduced a test cohort of peppermint cleaner shrimp to a tank of farmed grouper and found that the rate of infection by the parasite Neobenedenia girellae was 87 percent lower than in a control group without the shrimp. The trial was the first-ever test of a shrimp’s prowess as a natural form of pest management in aquaculture. Emily Pontecorvo reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Study: Ocean acidification will interfere with crucial sense of smell in juvenile salmon
It’s long been known that shellfish and other marine life are sensitive to ocean acidification caused by increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some fish lose their sense of smell in acidic waters. There was a hope that salmon would not be affected. A new study shows otherwise.  A research team from the University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries spent two years observing the effects of elevated CO2 in saltwater on juvenile coho salmon. They tested the smolts’ behavior in seawater that had current pH levels compared to levels expected 50 and 100 years into the future, assuming humans continue to emit carbon pollution at current rates. In other words, they simulated worst-case scenario CO2 levels. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Peninsula gets more than $1.2 million in salmon recovery funds
Nine salmon recovery projects on the North Olympic Peninsula have received a total of more than $1.2 million in grants, part of $18 million funding package announced by the state Recreation and Conservation Office. Clallam County organizations received $762,420 from the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board for shoreline protection, levee removal and habitat restoration. Jefferson County nonprofits won $475,220 in grants for controlling invasive weeds, protecting forest habitat, designing a fish passage and removing creosote piling and a collapsed bridge, officials said. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Vancouver now mulling climate cost-recovery from fossil fuel companies
City staff have been holding in camera meetings to review their legal options, Vancouver’s city manager told council Tuesday at their 2019 budget meeting, in response to a councillor’s question. And Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, who made headlines earlier this year for his arrest, charge and guilty plea for his part in a climate protest, said Tuesday he looks forward to hearing back from staff on the issue. This follows a “climate accountability” campaign which has seen several B.C. municipalities sending letters requesting major international oil and gas companies to help pay for local governments’ costs associated with climate change. The campaign’s organizers, West Coast Environmental Law, say at least eight of B.C.’s local governments have already sent “climate accountability” letters, and that others have voted to do so. Dan Fumano reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Meet the leaders who ended orca captures in Washington state
Orca captures were legal in Washington state for more than a decade until the intervention in 1976 of three key state officials: Gov. Dan Evans, State Attorney General Slade Gorton and Ralph Munro, a staff aide to Evans at the time who would later go on to become Secretary of State. All Republicans, they acted to stop the capture of orcas in Budd Inlet, going all the way to federal court. They extracted a settlement agreement from SeaWorld to never again capture whales in Washington waters. And the orcas caught in Budd Inlet were freed. Their bold actions marked a turning point in Washington history. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

King Tides don’t always follow the tide tables
Chris Dunagan in Watching Our Water Ways writes: ...."This is the season for King Tides, a name given to the highest tides of the year. High tides, mostly generated by the alignment of the sun and the moon, are predicted for Christmas Eve, rising higher to the day after Christmas and then declining. But, as we’ve seen this week, as well as on Thanksgiving Day, predicted high tides can be dramatically boosted by heavy rains, low atmospheric pressure and onshore winds."


As Seas Warm, Galápagos Islands Face a Giant Evolutionary Test
The theory of evolution has its origins in the Galápagos. Now climate change is rapidly heating the ocean here. Darwin’s creatures are threatened. Nicholas Casey and Josh Haner report. (NY Times)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PST Wed Dec 19 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING 
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY  NIGHT   
TODAY  SW wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 17 ft at 14 seconds. Showers likely in  the morning then a chance of showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E 20 to 30 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 3 to 5 ft. W swell 16 ft at 16  seconds subsiding to 13 ft at 16 seconds. 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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12/18 Trumpeter swan, killing sea lions, Columbia dams, Skagit climate, orca plan, Sunshine Coast land, Illahee Preserve, herring, chlorpyrifos, Kevin Ranker, floating garbage

Trumpeter swan [Audubon Field Guide]

Trumpeter swan Cygnus buccinator
Trumpeter Swans once nested over most of North America, but disappeared rapidly as civilization advanced westward; by the 1930s, fewer than 100 remained south of Canada. With protection from hunting and disturbance, populations have rebounded in parts of the northwest.... Its healthy comeback is considered a success story for conservationists. (Audubon Field Guide)

State discusses killing seals and sea lions in Puget Sound
State wildlife commissioners heard testimony Friday about whether a seal and sea lion cull could help save salmon, and thereby restore food to the starving Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW).... "It's important to set the stage that this occurs in a very complex ecosystem and it is a very complex food web," said WDFW Research Scientist Scott Pearson.... "If you want a 25 percent reduction in the total juvenile Chinook consumption by seals, we have to reduce this number of 19,000 seals down to 14,300. If you subtract this number from this number, that's how many we have to remove 4,700 seals, and we have to annually remove 530 seals per year to keep it at that level," Pearson said. But the problem is, salmon also face a slew of other challenges, including hydropower, hatcheries, habitat, disease, and contaminants. Scientists told commissioners they don't know whether killing seals and sea lions will do anything at all.... "In my opinion, even if the seal consumption were somehow reduced or eliminated, there is no guarantee of a response by the salmon in terms of returning adults," said WDFW Research Scientist Joe Anderson. Alison Morrow reports. (KING) See also: Puget Sound resident orcas limited by social behavior  Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

Changes to dams on  Columbia, Snake rivers to benefit salmon, hydropower and orcas
After decades of arguments and court challenges, a landmark agreement supported by states, tribes and federal agencies is expected to change how water is spilled at Columbia and Lower Snake River dams to boost the survival of young salmon while limiting the financial hit to hydropower. The agreement is to be recorded Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland and is intended to be in effect for the 2019 salmon migration season, and remain in place through 2021. The pact addresses how water passes over the hydroelectric dams during the crucial spring period when young salmon migrate downstream to the ocean. Hal Bernton and Lynda Makes reports. (Seattle Times)

Study: Climate change impacting Skagit River salmon, eagles
Climate change is impacting the Skagit River ecosystem and the salmon and eagles that congregate there each winter, according to a recent study. The study, published online Oct. 16 by the Journal of Applied Ecology, states the majority of chum salmon and the bald eagles that eat them are being seen in the Skagit River about two weeks earlier than they were in the 1980s. That shift in the timing of peak salmon and eagle migration to the Skagit River is likely in response to climate change, according to the study. The study, written by wildlife biologists with the North Cascades National Park Service Complex and the U.S. Geological Survey's National Climate Adaptation Science Center, used about 30 years of data about salmon and eagle populations in the mid-to-upper reaches of the Skagit River watershed in Skagit and Whatcom counties. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

The $1.1-billion orca plan could be a gamechanger
With their robust support for restoring salmon, fighting contamination and limiting boat traffic, Orca Task Force members are cautiously optimistic about Inslee's budget helping the Southern Residents.  Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)


Sunshine Coast 1,800-acre land parcel up for sale
Nearly 2,000 acres of land in one of B.C.’s most stunning fiords is up for sale for $3.2 million, prompting calls to turn the undeveloped land into protected park land. The 1,783-acre Sunshine Coast property — boasting more than four kilometres of ocean frontage, but also granite cliffs and steep terrain — is located on the south side of Princess Louisa Inlet, a popular destination for tourists and Pacific Northwest boaters. “It’s as close to heaven on Earth as you can get,” said Robert Rothe, president of the Princess Louisa International Society, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of the inlet. Cheryl Chan reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Campaign launched to expand Illahee Preserve
Jeremy Stitt remembers roaming free as a child through the forests of a still-wild Illahee.  Many years later, the East Bremerton native sees an opportunity to protect some of those same undeveloped places before they're lost forever. Stitt is one of many volunteers backing an effort to add dozens of acres to Illahee Preserve, a sprawling county heritage park between Bremerton and Silverdale. Organized by the non-profit group Illahee Forest Preserve, the capital campaign aims to purchase a series of parcels and conservation easements encompassing a furrowed and fern-choked swath of woods dubbed "The Lost Continent." Several of the properties targeted for acquisition could be cleared and built on if not added to the 572-acre park. And once they're gone, Stitt observed, "you can't get them back." Tad Sooter reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Test your herring knowledge
One of the first steps in protecting any species is understanding as much as you can about it. When it comes to Pacific herring in the Salish Sea, much is known but until recently many of the key scientific findings about the species had not been gathered together in a single place. A new state of the knowledge report published by the Puget Sound Institute and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is a step toward remedying that.The report, “Assessment and Management of Salish Sea Herring” was prepared with support from a grant from the SeaDoc Society. It will be used to advance herring conservation in the region, including potential herring recovery work related to the state’s Pacific herring ‘Vital Sign’. Herring are also a critical food source for many species such as Chinook salmon, which in turn feed Puget Sound’s endangered orcas. Tessa Francis of the Puget Sound Institute and Dayv Lowry of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife were the principle investigators on the report and received input from a cross-border team from state and federal agencies, universities and area tribes. (Puget Sound Institute)

A Toxic Pesticide Once Targeted For A Ban Was Probably Sprayed On Your Christmas Tree
The Trump administration decided not to ban the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos. Records show it continues to sicken people. Tony Schick reports. (OPB/EarthFix) See also: U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz introduces bill to ban chlorpyrifos near schools nationwide  Nina Wu reports. (Star Advertiser) And also: This Pesticide Poisons Kids, But It's Still Sprayed On Washington Orchards   Eilis O'Neill reports. (KUOW)

Washington Senate investigating harassment allegation against Sen. Kevin Ranker
The state Senate is conducting an outside investigation into Democratic Sen. Kevin Ranker after allegations of improper conduct, the first test of the chamber’s new workplace policies adopted in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Through a public-records request, The Associated Press obtained a contract between the Senate and Tara Parker, an investigator with Ogden Murphy Wallace law firm in Seattle, who was hired by the chamber in October. Ann Larson, who served as Ranker’s legislative assistant for a year nearly a decade ago, said the investigation is related to sexual-harassment and hostile-workplace issues. She says she also was subjected to hostile encounters involving Ranker once she left to work as a legislative liaison for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Rachel LaCorte reports. (Associated Press)

Creator Of Floating Garbage Collector Struggling To Capture Plastic In Pacific
A crew of engineers in the middle of the ocean will try to fix a device that was intended to clean the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic have coalesced into a field of debris twice the size of Texas. The garbage catcher has been floating in the Pacific since its highly anticipated launch out of San Francisco in September, but it has yet to produce the results anticipated. Its inventor, 24-year-old Boyan Slat, told The Associated Press the solar-powered barrier hasn't collected any loads of trash because it's moving more slowly than the plastic it's trying to capture. Francesca Paris reports. (NPR)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  840 AM PST Tue Dec 18 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING   
TODAY  SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 16 ft  at 13 seconds. Rain. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  16 ft at 13 seconds. Showers in the evening then showers likely  after midnight.

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

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12/17 Sculpin, BC fish farms, Zinke out, climate changes, Kalama methanol, oil investors, Elwha beaver

Tide pool sculpin [Stuart Halewood/Wikimedia]

Tide pool Sculpin Oligocottus maculosus
Pugnacious. Found in almost every tide pool. Tolerant of great changes in temperature, salinity and oxygen content; can even climb partly out of water for an extended period of time. Catches tiny crustaceans and darts after pieces of larger animals that fall into tide pool or shallows. Alaska to southern California. (Marine Life of Puget Sound, the San Juans, and the Strait of Georgia)

17 fish farms could all be phased out under new agreement between B.C. government, First Nations
Seventeen open-pen fish farms in B.C.'s Broughton Archipelago could all be phased out by 2023 under a new agreement between First Nations and the provincial government, the premier announced Friday. However, under the terms of the agreement, seven of the sites could be spared. The plan includes room for aquaculture companies to come to agreements with First Nations to continue operations beyond 2023 at those seven sites, according to the province.. The decision is part of a set of recommendations reached through a government-to-government consultation between the province and the Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis, 'Namgis and Mamalilikulla First Nations. Megan Thomas reports. (CBC) See also: Broughton-area First Nations reach deal with B.C. on fish farms  Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Interior Secretary Zinke resigns amid investigations
Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke submitted his resignation to the White House on Saturday, facing intense pressure from the White House amid multiple probes tied to his real estate dealings in Montana and conduct while in office. President Donald Trump announced Zinke’s exit via twitter Saturday morning, and offered praise for the embattled Interior chief. Darryl Fears, Juliet Eilperin and Josh Dawsey report. (Washington Post) See also: Zinke’s Likely Successor Is a Former Oil Lobbyist Who Has Influenced Trump’s Energy Policy  With Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke departing at the end of the year, the agency will likely be run, at least for a time, by its deputy secretary, David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist who has played a central role in enacting President Trump’s agenda of rolling back conservation measures and opening up public lands to drilling and mining. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Warm, dry summers taking toll on area trees, plants
Throughout some of Skagit County's traditionally lush, green forests, some trees and leaves are turning brown — a sign of plants starved for water and in distress. Foresters, forest advocates and public lands managers are seeing this in areas from Anacortes to Mount Vernon after several summers that were hotter and drier than normal. Western red cedars, sword ferns and salal are some of the species that have dried out during the past several summers, in some cases making them more vulnerable to disease. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Climate Negotiators Reach an Overtime Deal to Keep Paris Pact Alive  Brad Pumer reports. (NYT Times)

About 600 attend hearing on proposed Kalama methanol plan, and most were opposed
A proposed $2 billion methanol plant in Kalama took heavy criticism Thursday night from an audience of about 600 people, many from outside Cowlitz County. Wearing anti-methanol red shirts, opponents packed the Cowlitz Expo Center for a four-hour public hearing held by the Port of Kalama on the plant’s potential impact on global climate change. The hearing had to be extended an hour, to 10 p.m., because of the size of the audience and demands to speak. Of the 498 people who signed up for a lottery for a chance to testify, 352 of them, or 71 percent, were from outside Cowlitz County. Attendees from Portland alone (109) nearly doubled the number of people from Longview (54) or Kalama (58). Rose Lundy and Katie Fairbanks report. (Longview Daily News) See also: Would a $2 billion gas-to-methanol plant in Washington state help combat climate change?   Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Climate change: The massive CO2 emitter you may not know about
Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in existence. It is second only to water as the most-consumed resource on the planet. But, while cement - the key ingredient in concrete - has shaped much of our built environment, it also has a massive carbon footprint. Cement is the source of about 8% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, according to think tank Chatham House. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world - behind China and the US. It contributes more CO2 than aviation fuel (2.5%) and is not far behind the global agriculture business (12%).  Lucy Rodgers reports. (BBC)

Oilpatch stays home from B.C. conference after Whistler mayor calls for climate-change compensation
Oilpatch pushback to a letter written by the mayor of Whistler, B.C., has led to the cancellation​ of the energy-related portion of a high-profile investment conference held in the mountain community. In a recent letter, Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton asked the head of oilsands giant Canadian Natural Resources to commit to pay for its "fair share of the costs of climate change being experienced by Whistler."   After the missive became public this week, a number of companies decided they would not participate in the investment conference, hosted in Whistler by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Tony Seskus and Kyle Bakx report. (CBC)

Beaver return to the Elwha nearshore
Anne Shaffer of Coastal Watershed Institute writes: "Ending the year on an upnote. Eight empty months after the Elwha nearshore beaver was killed on the west levee, a new set of beaver have moved in. Beaver are crucial to the ecosystem restoration of the Elwha lower river, but are also challenged by the remaining impediments there, including the dike which they have to cross to get from their lodge to the river...."

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  837 AM PST Mon Dec 17 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 17 ft  at 17 seconds. Showers likely in the morning then rain in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 20 to 30 kt becoming S 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 15 ft at 15 seconds.  Rain.

--
"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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12/14 Snow geese, orca budget, Inslee's budget, cap gains tax, breaching dams, Whale Watch Ass'n, OR rivers, BC LNG

Snow geese [Mike Hamilton/BirdNote]

Snow Geese: Too Much of a Good Thing
When small family farms gave way to large, industrial agricultural operations, the Snow Geese followed. Waste grain left over from harvests has allowed Snow Goose populations to jump. Now, there are so many Snow Geese they degrade their Arctic summer habitat, threatening other birds. Is there a right way forward from a “conservation” standpoint? (BirdNote)

Gov. Jay Inslee wants $1.1 billion to help save Puget Sound's critically endangered orcas
Gov. Jay Inslee wants $1.1 billion to pay for a broad-based, unprecedented state effort to help recover the critically endangered southern resident population of killer whales. The recommendations closely track those of the governor’s task force for orca recovery, the fruit of months of work by more than 40 members. Tax increases will be needed to pay for the recovery efforts, as well as other initiatives in Inslee’s proposed biennial budget, released in a news conference Thursday in Olympia. The initiatives are billion-dollar bold, and sure to be controversial, from seeking to revive salmon runs in the Columbia River, to a new panel charged with evaluating bypass of the Lower Snake River Dams; a three-year moratorium on whale-watching of the southern residents; developing options for managing seals and sea lions in Puget Sound and the Columbia River; and a spill program sending more water over the Columbia and Snake River dams to help salmon. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Gov. Inslee proposes big boost in state spending, new taxes over next two years  
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing a $10 billion increase in state spending over the next two years to maintain current services and fund new priorities, including mental health and orca recovery. To pay for his budget, the two-term Democrat is once again pushing for a new state capital gains tax as well as an increase in the business and occupation tax on professional services. Austin Jenkins reports. (NW News Network)

With Democrats in control, will Inslee finally get his capital gains tax?
It’s the vampire of Washington taxes. Remove the stake from its heart, and it rises from the grave again. Its the capital gains tax, and Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing it. Again. Pushing for a capital gains tax has been an annual ritual re-enacted by Inslee and House Democrats just about every budget cycle for the past decade. Each year, it has died — usually after a few House Democrats get squeamish, or from opposition in the Senate, which was dominated by Republicans until 2017. But as the governor pointed out during his Thursday morning unveiling at the Capitol Dome in Olympia, the odds are stacked in his favor. For the 2019 session, Democrats have a significant advantage in both chambers — 28-21 in the Senate and 56-42 in the House — which means they have enough votes to allow a few Democrats to slough off on these tax matters. John Stang reports. (Crosscut)

Study breaching Snake River dams for orca survival -- Inslee
Gov. Jay Inslee is going "all in" to save the imperiled Southern Resident population of orca whales, including a controversial proposal to "explore breaching of Snake River dams" to restore chinook salmon populations on which killer whales feed. Joel Connelly reports. (Seattle PI.Com)

Statement from Pacific Whale Watch Association about 3-year suspension of whale watching 
(San Juan Islander)

Federal Judge Orders Stronger Cold-Water Fish Protections In Oregon Rivers
A federal judge has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to rewrite its pollution cleanup plans for Oregon rivers. U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernández rejected water quality standards that were submitted to the EPA by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Hernández’s ruling Wednesday came in response to a lawsuit filed by Northwest Environmental Advocates. The group charged in its lawsuit that the EPA should not have accepted those plans. They were used to decide regulation for activities that affect water temperatures — like cutting trees along river banks and discharging treated wastewater. David Steves reports. (OPB)

Regulator schedules hearings for BC LNG natural gas pipeline challenge
The National Energy Board is scheduling hearings over the next three months to consider a jurisdictional challenge of the approval of a pipeline needed to supply natural gas to the recently sanctioned $40-billion LNG Canada project. But planning for construction to begin early next year will continue based on the $6.2-billion Coastal GasLink Pipeline’s provincial approvals and permits, said a spokeswoman for the project. The NEB hearings will consider only the question of whether the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission had jurisdiction to issue approvals for the project, the NEB says. Dan Healing reports. (Canadian Post)

Now, your weekend tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  145 AM PST Fri Dec 14 2018   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING   
TODAY  SE wind 25 to 35 kt. Combined seas 15 to 17 ft with a  dominant period of 14 seconds. Rain likely in the morning then  rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 30 to 40 kt becoming SW 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Combined seas 18 to 19 ft with a dominant period of  12 seconds subsiding to 15 to 16 ft with a dominant period of  12 seconds after midnight. Showers likely in the evening then a  chance of showers after midnight. 
SAT  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the  afternoon. SW swell 11 ft at 11 seconds subsiding to 9 ft at  11 seconds in the afternoon. A chance of rain. 
SAT NIGHT  E wind 25 to 30 kt becoming SE 20 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. SW swell 10 ft at 10 seconds  building to 16 ft at 14 seconds after midnight. 
SUN  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 18 ft  at 14 seconds. 
SUN NIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming S after midnight. Wind  waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 21 ft at 20 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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12/13 Water jelly, groundfish catch, orca budget, Ted Griffin, shooting sea lions, John Beal, Big Oil, sewage spill, chlorpyrifos

Water Jellyfish [Sierra Blakely/Wikipedia]

Water jellyfish Aequorea victoria
Our largest hydrozoan jelly by far (to 5 inches in diameter). Transparent bell is thick and gelatinous; underparts are lined with 50 to 150 radial canals. An equal number of long slender tentacles hang from margin of bell. Perhaps the most luminescent of our large jellyfishes; glows in the dark when touched. (Wikipedia) See also: Claudia Mills, Bioluminescence and other factoids about Aequorea, a hydromedusa

Catch limits increase for key West Coast groundfish species
Federal officials said Tuesday they are increasing catch limits for several species of West Coast groundfish that were severely depleted more than a dozen years ago in a crisis that posed a threat to the commercial and sports fishing industries. Limits for yelloweye rockfish will more than double, while substantial increases will be allowed for California scorpionfish, bocaccio and Pacific Ocean perch, the National Marine Fisheries Service said. Those species have recovered enough to allow for the greatest expansion of a West Coast fishery in years. The formal announcement of the revised catch limits will be published Wednesday and the changes go into effect on Jan. 1, the first day of the new fishing season. Gillian Flaccus reports. (AP)

Gov. Inslee to speak at orca rally in Olympia following budget announcement
People who love Puget Sound orcas and want to save them from extinction will rally in Olympia tomorrow. And Gov. Jay Inslee plans to join them, immediately after announcing his budget priorities for the coming year. Many are wondering how Inslee’s budget will respond to the 36 recommendations proposed by the Orca Recovery Task Force, a group consisting of nearly 50 stakeholders who were convened by the governor in May. When Inslee addresses the crowd Thursday, it will be one of the first opportunities for task force members to hear feedback on their proposal. Bellamy Pailthorp and Kari Plog report. (KNKX)

The orca and the orca catcher: How a generation of killer whales was taken from Puget Sound
Namu was Ted Griffin’s greatest prize, a live killer whale, put on display at Seattle’s waterfront. The orca’s journey from wild to captive would spark a worldwide sensation and change everything we knew about "blackfish." Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Sea lions have enemies. Now someone is shooting them in the head.
There’s a sea lion killer on the loose in the Pacific Northwest. Or quite possibly several. Since September, the hulking carcasses of 18 of the aquatic predators have washed up on the Puget Sound shores of west Seattle and neighboring Kitsap County. A dozen contained bullets or shotgun pellets in the head, assassination-style, according to X-rays conducted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The remaining six may also have been victims of the shooting spree, but some drifted away in the tide before state veterinarians could perform a post-mortem. Another couldn’t be X-rayed because it had been decapitated, and the heft of the body would have required a crane to haul the animal out of the water and into a facility where it could be more thoroughly examined. Jason Bittel reports. (Washington Post)

How a man with four months to live restored Hamm Creek
If you knew that you only had four months to live, what would you do? After suffering three heart attacks, John Beal was told that he was going to die. He decided to use the rest of his life to clean up Hamm Creek, an offshoot of the Duwamish River so polluted the water was yellow. That decision changed the course of John's life and transformed Hamm Creek. Will Rasmussen reports. (KUOW)

The Oil Industry’s Covert Campaign to Rewrite American Car Emissions Rules
When the Trump administration laid out a plan this year that would eventually allow cars to emit more pollution, automakers, the obvious winners from the proposal, balked. The changes, they said, went too far even for them. But it turns out that there was a hidden beneficiary of the plan that was pushing for the changes all along: the nation’s oil industry. Hiroko Tabuchi reports. (NY Times)

Faulty gate the cause of 200,000-gallon sewage spill
A malfunctioning gate at Bremerton's east side wastewater treatment plant is being blamed for about 200,000 gallons of sewage and runoff spilling into Port Washington Narrows and Dyes Inlet on Tuesday. The Kitsap Public Health District had to issue a no-contact advisory for waters between Silverdale and Bremerton. The health district says people should avoid direct skin contact with those waters through Dec. 18. Heavy rains Tuesday activated Bremerton's east side wastewater treatment plant near Lions Park, a facility only used during storms when runoff overwhelms the city's sewer system. But a gate inside the treatment plant wouldn't open, pushing the rainwater and sewage into an emergency overflow valve. Josh Farley reports. (Kitsap Sun)

This pesticide poisons kids, but it's still sprayed on local orchards — including Christmas trees
On Easter Sunday of 2017, the five Perez children were hunting for Easter eggs in their backyard when they smelled something unusual. “Plasticky and rotten eggs,” their dad, Eric Perez, recalled.... Washington’s Department of Agriculture investigated and found that a pesticide called chlorpyrifos had drifted onto the Perez property from the neighboring orchard. A court battle is currently raging over whether or not the EPA should ban chlorpyrifos nationwide. In the meantime, Pacific Northwest farmers keep using it. In 2016, Washington farmers used more than 200,000 pounds of the chemical on orchards and vineyards, and the majority of Christmas tree farmers also rely on chlorpyrifos. The reason chlorpyrifos is controversial is because of its health effects. When the pesticide drifts onto farm workers and farm neighbors, it can cause symptoms like the ones Perez described: nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, wheezing, and muscle weakness and twitching. Eilis O'Neill reports. (KUOW)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  200 AM PST Thu Dec 13 2018   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  NW wind 20 to 30 kt becoming NE in the afternoon. Wind  waves 3 to 4 ft. W swell 16 ft at 15 seconds. Rain. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 25 to 35 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell  16 ft at 15 seconds. 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

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12/12 Spieden Is., sea lion kill, Skagit funding, Van Is fishing, Frognal logging, journalists, local news, Dave Zeeke, GBH comment, Antarctica melt

Spieden Island [USGS]

Spieden Island
Spieden Island is a privately owned island (James Jannard—founder and major shareholder of Oakley, Inc.) in the San Juan Archipelago.... It has a land area of 516.4 acres (209.0 ha) and no permanent resident population as of the 2000 census... Two miles long, half a mile across at its widest point, and 374 feet above sea level at its highest point, it is less than a mile north of San Juan Island, across the Spieden Channel.... Spieden Island was named by Charles Wilkes during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842, to honor William Speiden, the purser of the expedition's Peacock. In the 1970s and 1980s the island was used for big game hunting; game animals were imported and a lodge, airstrip, and small hangar built to accommodate visitors. This no longer occurs due to the risk of shots carrying across to highly populated San Juan Island. The Island Institute, an environmental education camp run by Jane Howard, was located on the island. It is no longer in operation.The resident animal population still includes exotic animals such as Mouflon sheep from Corsica, fallow deer from Europe, and Sika deer from Asia.(Wikipedia)

Bill To Allow Killing Sea Lions To Help Northwest Salmon Heads To Trump's Desk
Congress has agreed to make it easier to kill sea lions threatening fragile runs of salmon in the Northwest. A bill approved by the House Tuesday changes the Marine Mammal Protection Act to lift some of the restrictions on killing sea lions to protect salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River and its tributaries.... The Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act had already cleared the Senate. If it is signed into law by President Trump, it would streamline the approval process for the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho as well as several Northwest Tribes. The Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission celebrated the news that several tribes will now have the authority to manage sea lions.... Critics say sea lions are being unfairly blamed for problems that are actually caused by dams. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB)

Skagit County nets $1.3 million in salmon funding
Of $18 million in grants the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board announced Monday for fish projects in 30 counties, Skagit County netted the largest sum — $1.3 million. The majority of that funding was awarded to a project sponsored by Seattle City Light and the Skagit Land Trust. The Salmon Recovery Funding Board awarded about $1 million to that project, which will involve purchasing at least 100 acres in the Skagit River watershed that provides habitat for threatened chinook salmon and steelhead trout. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Spawning salmon have one less barrier in an urban creek
Restoration projects like one along Highway 531 in Arlington are gradually undoing damage to habitat. Melissa Slager reports. (Everett Herald)

Summer fishing closures proposed for Vancouver Island streams
The province is proposing summer fishing closures for most streams on southern Vancouver Island in response to droughts in recent years that produced stressful conditions for fish. Fishing can put an added burden on fish stocks when stream flows are low and the water temperature is warmer than usual, said Brendan Anderson, a senior fisheries biologist with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Megan Thomas reports. (CBC)

OPINION: No to whale-watching moratorium: Done responsibly, it can help our orcas survive  Responsible, commercial whale watching both protects whales on the water and contributes to their recovery off the water. David Bain writes. (Seattle Times) OPINION: Yes to whale-watching moratorium: Cut the engine noise, save the orcas  Will suspending vessel-based whale watching be enough to save this population? No, but it will help. Tim Ragan writes. (Seattle Times)

Lacey scuba gear business fined $197,000 for dumping hazardous waste in toilet, storm drain
Seasoft Scuba Gear of Lacey has been fined $197,000 for dumping hazardous waste down a toilet, into a storm drain and on to the ground, the state Department of Ecology announced Tuesday. The waste, which contained lead and arsenic, was created by removing corrosion from lead shot reclaimed from shooting ranges. The clean lead was used to manufacture diving weights, according to a news release. Property leased by the business at 8294 28th Court NE is now listed as a toxic cleanup site. Rolf Boone reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Judge reverses Frognal order, says logging can move ahead
An environmental group wanted to halt work at the Mukilteo-area subdivision until a court hearing next year. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

Time Magazine Person of the Year 2018 recognises journalists
Killed and imprisoned journalists - "The Guardians" - have been named 2018's "Person of the Year" by Time. The magazine featured four different covers with journalists who have been targeted for their work this year.... Time said they were chosen "for taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts, for speaking up and for speaking out". (BBC)

Starving The Watchdog: Who Foots The Bill When Newspapers Disappear?
There are plenty of ways today to pay little—or nothing—to read the news. There are free blogs. There's Facebook and Twitter. Who needs a subscription to a local newspaper?Millions of Americans have decided they don't. But new research suggests this strategy may have costs in the long run. That's because newspapers are not like most things we buy. If you decide not to buy a watch or a cappuccino, you save money. But if you decide not to pay for a police department, you might save money in the short run, but end up paying more in the long run. Whereas most of us treat newspapers like consumer products, new research from Paul Gao, Chang Lee, and Dermot Murphy suggests that they might be more like police departments. Gao, Lee, and Murphy looked at how newspaper closures might affect the cost of borrowing in local governments. What they found is a price tag that may give many taxpayers sticker shock. Shankar Vedantam reports. (Hidden Brain/NPR)

The News Tribune publisher David Zeeck leaves amid McClatchy shakeups
The McClatchy Co., owner of The News Tribune in Tacoma, announced Tuesday that the paper’s publisher and executive editor, David Zeeck, is leaving after 24 years. Zeeck's departure is the latest in a series of recent newsroom management changes by McClatchy amid a slump in its stock price.... Rebecca Poynter, McClatchy’s vice president of local sales for the west region and publisher for The Idaho Statesman, will replace Zeeck while maintaining her current role. She will also take over as publisher of the company’s other newspapers in Western Washington, The Bellingham Herald and The Olympian.... Asia Fields reports. (Seattle Times)

Reader Don Norman responds to yesterday's news article about Great Blue Herons eating young salmon [Hungry great blue herons in Stanley Park eating young salmon]: "I always have to respond to any GBH report, but in this case, it deals with the tags found.  Gary Shugart from the UPS Slater Museum in Tacoma collected excrement from a Caspian Tern colony in Tacoma and we found lots of coded-wire tags.  We gave a summary of that at the Puget Sound Research Conf. back in 2001.  If one was to place sheets or some way to collect the scat over time, one could estimate when the salmonids were eaten!  Perhaps someone knows where the Caspian Terns are nesting in Puget Sound as they are all over, or roosting, as indeed they are in the Duwamish, as I saw reports of over 400 in eBird.  It was easy to separate the Coded-Wire Tags out.  A great volunteer project. It would be great to get a reader for checking scat from other heron colonies!  The large hairy bolus scat found under some colonies indicates rodent predation, especially Townsend's Voles, which I do not think are being pit-tagged. Don's paper: Thompson, C., D. Norman, E. Donelan, A. Edwards, and M. Tirhi.  2001.  Breeding Phenology and Diet of Caspian Terns in Southern Puget Sound.  Presentation: Puget Sound Research, Feb. 2001, Bellevue, WA"

East Antarctica's glaciers are stirring
Nasa says it has detected the first signs of significant melting in a swathe of glaciers in East Antarctica. The region has long been considered stable and unaffected by some of the more dramatic changes occurring elsewhere on the continent. But satellites have now shown that ice streams running into the ocean along one-eighth of the eastern coastline have thinned and sped up. If this trend continues, it has consequences for future sea levels. There is enough ice in the drainage basins in this sector of Antarctica to raise the height of the global oceans by 28m - if it were all to melt out. Jonathan Amos reports. (BBC)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  226 AM PST Wed Dec 12 2018   

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING   
TODAY  SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 15 ft  at 13 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the morning then  rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  S wind 30 to 40 kt becoming SW 20 to 30 kt after  midnight. Combined seas 15 to 18 ft with a dominant period of  15 seconds. Rain.



--
"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