Salish Sea News and Weather

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

8/11 Thai basil, Lorraine Loomis, culvert removal, Perseid meteors, March Pt Heronry, bug-eating plant

Thai basil [Urban Leaf]

Thai basil Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora
Thai basil is a member of the mint family and as such has a particular sweet flavor reminiscent of anise, licorice, and clove. Popular among the cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. (Gardening Know How]

Swinomish, regional tribal leader Lorraine Loomis dies at 81
Longtime tribal fisheries advocate Lorraine Loomis of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community died Tuesday. She was 81. Loomis spent the last about 40 years serving the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, most recently as chairperson. She began her career in fisheries working in fish processing in 1970, and then became fisheries manager for her home tribe following the 1974 Boldt decision that reaffirmed tribes’ treaty-protected fishing rights. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

U.S. Senate infrastructure package could ‘significantly improve’ salmon habitat
Funding to help fix culverts could open up cold water habitat to Northwest salmon...The $1 trillion infrastructure package includes $1 billion over a five-year period to help states remove pipes, known as culverts, that allow streams to flow under roadways. Improperly designed culverts can deter salmon from reaching significant portions of their habitat. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

The ‘best meteor shower of the year’ is peaking soon. Here’s how you can watch
The Perseid meteor shower is upon us, peaking this week, and it will fill the night sky with streaks of light and color until Aug. 24. Known as the "best meteor shower of the year" by NASA because of its fast, bright and plentiful meteors that can be easily viewed outside during the warm summer months, the shower is not one to be missed. It will peak around Aug. 12, where up to 100 meteors an hour can be caught shooting across the sky at 37 miles per second, leaving long streaks in their wake. Josie Fischels reports. (NPR)

March Point Heronry grows with Land Trust purchase
The patch of forested land protected at March Point to support great blue heron nesting is growing this summer to 15.5 acres. The Skagit Land Trust announced recently that it was able to purchase a 3.5-acre addition to what’s called the March Point Heronry thanks to donations from about 200 families, businesses and organizations over the past month. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Common B.C. flower is actually a carnivorous bug eater
It's a bad time to be a small insect in Cypress Provincial Park. Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have identified the first new carnivorous plant in 20 years. In collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers discovered that the Triantha occidentalis in the park, a species of false asphodel, was missing a gene consistently seen in other carnivorous plants. The stem of Triantha contains sticky red hairs that trap small insects, such as midges and flies as they pass by. The plant produces a digestive enzyme called phosphatase, which allows it to feast on the insect. Michelle Gomez reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 247 AM PDT Wed Aug 11 2021
TODAY Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds. Areas of dense fog in the morning.
TONIGHT Light wind becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 9 seconds.

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Tuesday, August 10, 2021

8/10 Chinese parsley, border opening, climate report, Trans Mtn, Quinault Nation, old growth logging

Chinese parsley [Plant World]

Chinese parsley Coriandrum sativum
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. It is also known as Chinese parsley, dhania or cilantro. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds (as a spice) are the parts most traditionally used in cooking.

Canada reopens its border for vaccinated U.S. visitors
Canada lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit on Monday while the United States is maintaining similar restrictions for Canadians, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans. Lisa Baumann and Wilson Ring report. (Associated Press) See also: Hundreds line up at B.C.'s Peace Arch crossing as COVID border restrictions lift Yvette Brend reports. (CBC)

This is the most sobering report card yet on climate change and Earth’s future. Here’s what you need to know
There is little good news in the 3,900 pages of text released today. But there is still time to avert the worst of the climate catastrophe — if humanity chooses to. Pep Canadell, Joelle Gergis, Malte Meinshausen, Mark Hemer and Michael Grose report. (The Narwhal) See also: Critics question B.C.'s growing fossil fuel subsidies in wake of dire new climate change report Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

Ottawa says it must maximize revenue from the Trans Mountain pipeline to fight climate change
The minister responsible for Canada's role in fighting climate change is defending his government's purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline after a landmark UN report said the continued use of fossil fuels is pushing the climate toward catastrophe. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson said today that revenue generated by the project will help Canada achieve its long-term climate objectives. Nick Boisvert reports. (CBC) See also: Trans Mountain pipeline tries to override Burnaby to gain permits for clearing 86 trees The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has once again asked a federal regulator to overrule the City of Burnaby and allow the Crown corporation to cut down 86 trees near the boundary between Burnaby and New Westminster. Michelle Gomez reports. (CBC)

This tribe has lived on the coast of Washington for thousands of years. Now climate change is forcing it uphill
[TAHOLAH, Grays Harbor County] The village provided a somber backdrop Monday during a historic visit from Deb Haaland, the secretary of interior — and the nation’s first Native American Cabinet secretary. While meeting with tribal leaders, she promised hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to tribal nations to combat the threat of a warming planet. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Forest defenders present 150,000-name petition to stop old-growth logging
Environmentalists and the B.C. Green party are demanding the provincial government implement the promises it made to preserve B.C.’s forests, starting with putting an immediate end to old-growth logging. The group Stand.earth presented Green Leader Sonia Furstenau with a petition containing 150,000 signatures on the steps of the legislature in Victoria Monday. Lisa Cordasco reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: 33 Fairy Creek activists arrested as tents and vehicles block service roads, police say Since enforcement began, 556 people have been arrested on Vancouver Island. (CBC)

Paradise Logged
The Discovery Islands lie at the far northern reach of the Salish Sea. Just 140 years ago, they were home to magnificent ocean-bounded forests of giant trees. The legacy of first settler impacts is enormous stumps that are a haunting memory: this archipelago once harboured vast carbon stores and enormous biodiversity. Lannie Keller writes. (Watershed Sentinel)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 301 AM PDT Tue Aug 10 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds.

Monday, August 9, 2021

8/9 Eggplant, K-21, open border, exteme weather, Cooke fish farm, Peter Ross, corn roortworm

Japanese eggplant [Bonnie Plants]

Japanese eggplant
Eggplants have been cultivated for centuries. There are writings from the 3rd century referencing the cultivation of this wild fruit. Much of the breeding was done to remove the prickles and astringent flavor of wild forms. Today’s Japanese eggplant is silky smooth, sweet and easy to use. (Gardening Know How)

Male southern resident killer whale possibly dead from cancer, says expert
The endangered southern resident killer whale population may have suffered more loss with one of the orcas presumed dead, says an expert. The orca, K-21, was seen in the last week of July and photos showed that it seemed to be wasting away, said Andrew Trites, director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia. Hina Alam reports. (Associated Press)

Residents of isolated U.S. border communities confused as travel restrictions lift
As Canada reopens its border to U.S. travellers, some residents of isolated American border towns say the rules for them are unclear. As of Monday, fully vaccinated Americans are able to enter Canada and even skip quarantine. But residents of Point Roberts, Wash., Hyder, Alaska, and the Northwest Angle in Minnesota will be allowed to enter Canada regardless of their vaccinated status. All three communities are cut off from the rest of the U.S. because of the placement of the border. (CBC)

How extreme is this year's extreme weather? Here's a closer look
As the world staggers through another summer of extreme weather, experts are noticing something different: 2021's onslaught is hitting harder and in places that have been spared global warming's wrath in the past. Wealthy countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany and Belgium are joining poorer and more vulnerable nations on a growing list of extreme weather events that scientists say have some connection to human-caused climate change. (Associated Press)

Judge hears lawsuit over fish farms
Whether Cooke Aquaculture’s plan to raise native steelhead at fish farms in Puget Sound is a simple business transition or a complex threat to the marine ecosystem is being debated in King County Superior Court. Judge Johanna Bender heard testimony Thursday over Zoom in a lawsuit environment groups brought against the state Department of Fish & Wildlife for granting a permit to the seafood company to raise steelhead. The environment groups — Wild Fish Conservancy, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety and Friends of the Earth — contend Fish & Wildlife did not meet the requirements of SEPA, the State Environmental Policy Act, before issuing a mitigated determination of nonsignificance for Cooke Aquaculture’s proposal to move into the production of steelhead following a state-mandated phase-out of non-native Atlantic salmon. The state Office of the Attorney General and Cooke Aquaculture disagree. Kimberly Cauvel report. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Pollution expert aims to create 'water champions'
Peter Ross, an internationally recognized expert in water pollution, looks out over the sparkling waters of Burrard Inlet and sees something others do not. Invisible chemicals tend to be out of sight and out of mind, says Ross. But they leach into watercourses and into the marine food chain, creating “an invisible crisis.” ....The Raincoast Conservation Foundation, a non-profit agency which combines science and environmental advocacy work, announced this week that Ross will join the foundation to lead a new project focusing on the Salish Sea and the Fraser River watershed. Jane Seyd reports. (North Shore News)

Notorious pest shows up in Skagit County corn field
A Skagit County farm was hit last week with an infestation of a pest uncommon in the Pacific Northwest that has the potential to seriously damage corn crops, according to an entomologist with the Washington State University Skagit County Extension. Charles Coslor, the extension's entomology coordinator, said western corn rootworm, a species of beetle, was found in corn fields in the Sedro-Woolley area and eradicated with a pesticide applied by helicopter. Jacqueline Allison reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 256 AM PDT Mon Aug 9 2021
TODAY Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 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. W swell 5 ft at 7 seconds.

Friday, August 6, 2021

8/6 King of clams, rain, BC shellfish, wildfires, Conservation Cafe, PT MSC, week in review

King of Clams
Ivar Haglund, Seattle character, folksinger, and restaurateur was known as "King of the Waterfront," and also "Mayor" and "Patriarch" of the waterfront. He began as a folksinger, and in 1938 established Seattle's first aquarium at Pier 54, along with a fish-and-chips stand. In 1946 Ivar opened the renowned "Acres of Clams" restaurant... Many of Ivar's inspirations came by way of puns, both good and bad. "Cultured clam" was turned into "clam culture" and the Acres of Clams was soon described as the place "Where Clams and Culture Meet." First on Acres' menus, and later in the media, Ivar warned husbands that they needed their wive's permission to have more than three cups of his "Ever-Rejuvenating Clam Nectar." His chowder was also "food for thought" because "Seafood is Brain Food. Be wiser at Ivar's." The distillation of Ivar's clam culture -- and the first among his puns -- was his motto "Keep Clam." Paul Dorpat writes. (HistoryLink)

Did it rain?
KOMO meteorologist Kristin Clark wrote: "The dry spell has been broken! The Sea-Tac Airport received enough rain to measure in the gauge shortly before midnight last night. The second-longest dry streak on record has officially ended at 51 days."

BC’s Shellfish Farmers Struggle After Heat Wave Decimates Oysters
The heat dome exposed significant gaps in crop support, says an industry advocate. Vaishnavi Dandekar reports. (The Tyee)

Prepared for the worst, local agencies plan wildfire-fighting strategies while hoping for the best
Whatcom County's Wildland emergency management teams will focus this year's training on fighting wildfires, and are stepping up reminders to the community that most such fires are caused by human actions — and therefore preventable. Matt Benoit reports. (Salish Current) See also: Wildfire Smoke in the San Juans Apart from a major earthquake on the Cascadia Fault, wildfire is arguably the greatest threat to property and lives in the San Juan Islands. Dr. Arthur Winer writes. (Orcas Currents)

Hey, listen up: Conservation Cafe
Hilary Wilkinson's Conservation Café podcasts are designed to inspire and empower everyone working at the front lines of the conservation and sustainability battles. This upbeat podcast features success stories. Each episode features an individual whose work has made a meaningful difference in protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, or the critters who make our hearts go pitter patter (or fill our fishing nets). Four episodes, the fifth on the way.

Marine Science Center moves headquarters to Flagship Landing building
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center has announced the move of its headquarters to the historic Flagship Landing building on Water Street in downtown Port Townsend. After having called Fort Worden State Park home since 1982, the move sprang from the organization’s search for a facility to eventually house its exhibits, gift shop, labs and offices. Alli Patton reports. (Port Townsend Leader)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 8/6/21: Hiroshima Friday, BC net pens, orca death, SRKW habitat, Gorge Dam, sunflower star, fire particulates, big ice melt, BC oysters

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 258 AM PDT Fri Aug 6 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming S after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of rain.
SAT E wind to 10 kt becoming SW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Rain.
SAT NIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.
SUN W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.

Thursday, August 5, 2021

8/5 Softshell clam, Stony Cr kill, Bowker Cr, sacrificing for salmon, sunflower sea star, Mt Polley disaster, J-pod mystery, Fairy Cr protest, fire particulates, Greenland ice sheet, car rules

Softshell clam {WDFW]

Eastern softshell clam Mya arenaria
Eastern softshell clams have an elongated shell that is thin, brittle, and uneven on the outer surface. They grow to 6 inches long and are white or grey colored with dark siphon tips. Eastern softshell clams have a periostracum, which is a thin fibrous layer, around the edge of the shells. Eastern softshell clams are buried 8 to 14 inches deep in sand and mud substrate, often in estuaries. Eastern softshell clams can be found from Icy Cape, AK south to Elkhorn Slough, CA. (WDFW)

Metro Vancouver creek contamination kills at least 300 fish
A murky discharge found flowing out of a culvert from Coquitlam into a Burnaby creek has been linked to the death of hundreds of young salmon, according to a local stream-keeper group. Stefan Labbé reports. (BurnabyNow) See also: A video, by 10-year old Luka Kovacic, outlining the July 30th Stony Creek fish kill is available in the following link - Save the Salmon - YouTube. (Thanks to Alan C. James)

Plans underway to bring salmon back to Victoria's Bowker Creek
Victoria's Bowker Creek will host young salmon for the first time in decades thanks to the efforts of a local conservation group and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The eight-kilometre waterway, which runs through Saanich, Victoria and Oak Bay, is mostly underground but there is a open section in Oak Bay. The Friends of Bowker Creek Society is partnering with the Peninsula Streams Society to restore salmon to this urban watershed. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has approved the dispersal of 30,000 chum salmon eggs. (CBC)

What would you need to give up to save salmon in WA?
Washingtonians are all for increasing fish passages to save salmon and orcas — but when action conflicts with the ways we live, things get complicated. Hannah Weinberger writes. (Crosscut)

To Save A Huge, 24-Armed Sea Creature, Scientists Become Loving Foster Parents
On an island off the coast of Washington state, scientists have resorted to breeding sunflower sea stars in a lab. It's a desperate attempt to save the endangered animals from disappearing completely. Nell Greenfieldboyce reports. (NPR)

7 years after Mount Polley disaster, B.C. faces another mining boom — and regulations still fall short
On Aug. 4, 2014, a dam holding contaminated waste failed, causing one of the worst mining disasters in Canadian history. Despite repeated promises from the province to avoid a similar disaster, communities remain at risk and on the hook for the costs of mine pollution, according to experts. Brishti Basu reports. (The Narwhal) Seven Years after Mount Polley Disaster, Mine Waste Still Flows into Quesnel Lake A ‘temporary’ permit allows wastewater to be dumped in the water. That may not change anytime soon. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Mystery of the deep: Behaviour of J pod orcas confounds researchers
Spotted after going missing for 108 days, 'they’ve gone back to we don’t know where,' says scientist. (CBC)

Six people arrested at Fairy Creek watershed on Wednesday brings total to 520 since injunction enforced
Protesters say they are trying to save the last intact watershed outside a park or protected area on south Vancouver Island. David Carrigg reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Fine particulate air pollution associated with higher risk of dementia
Using data from two large, long-running study projects in the Puget Sound region — one that began in the late 1970s measuring air pollution and another on risk factors for dementia that began in 1994 — University of Washington researchers identified a link between air pollution and dementia. In the UW-led study, a small increase in the levels of fine particle pollution (PM2.5 or particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or smaller) averaged over a decade at specific addresses in the Seattle area was associated with a greater risk of dementia for people living at those addresses. Jake Ellison reports. (UW News)

The Greenland ice sheet experienced a massive melting event last week
Last week, a heat wave spurred Greenland’s biggest melting event of the 2021 season so far. The Polar Portal, run by Danish research institutions, stated that enough water melted to cover all of Florida with two inches of water. Kasha Patel reports. (Washington Post)

Biden, in a Push to Phase Out Gas Cars, to Tighten Pollution Rules
The president is expected to restore and strengthen tailpipe emissions regulations from the Obama era and set a target that half of all vehicles sold in the United States be electric by 2030. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 258 AM PDT Thu Aug 5 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

8/4 Varnish clam, Gorge Dam, Protection Is, western forest fires, wildfire lessons, emperor penguins

Varnish clams [WDFW]

Varnish clam Nuttallia obscurata
Varnish clams have an oval shaped shell that is thin, flat, and up to 3½ inches long. They have a thick, shiny periostracum, which is the fibrous layer on the outside of the shells. They typically have purple coloration on the interior of the shell. Varnish clams are buried up to 14 inches deep in sand or gravel substrate. Varnish clams can be found from the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia to Alsea Bay, OR. (WDFW)

Washington tribe calls on Seattle City Light to remove the Gorge Dam
To help salmon and free a culturally important stretch of the Skagit River, the Upper Skagit tribe demands that Seattle tear down the dam. Rico Moore reports. (High Country News)

Wildfire threatening 'crucial' bird habitat on island near Port Townsend
A wildfire burned Tuesday on an island west of Port Townsend that is an important habitat for birds and marine mammals. Protection Island is a "crucial site" and one of the last remaining undeveloped habitats for burrow-nesting seabirds in the Salish Sea, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is a nesting site for 70% of Washington’s Salish Sea population of breeding seabirds and is one of two remaining breeding sites for tufted puffins in the Salish Sea. (KING)

New research models possibly devastating consequences of climate change and wildfires for western forests
Wildfires are an increasingly dangerous threat to people, wildlife, and property in the American West, but that threat could eventually taper off. That’s not necessarily a good thing. Paige Browning and Andy Hurst report. (KUOW)

Bootleg, Biscuit, Rosland and Milli: lessons from past and current fires
Picture an unusually dry summer, a record heat wave, and so many Western fires burning that crews are stretched thin across the country. And a fire started that “spread so quickly, and burned so hot, and moved so fast” that “it looked like Mount St. Helens erupting.” And with winter rains nowhere in sight, “it felt like it was gonna go on forever.” Debates about the best way to prevent such fires raged: Do you thin the trees? Conduct prescribed burns? Put fires out as soon as they start, or let them burn? Summer of 2021? Nope. Those quotes are from an award-winning episode of “Oregon Field Guide” that documented the 2002 Biscuit fire. Erin Ross reports. (OPB)

Virtually all emperor penguins doomed for extinction by 2100 as climate change looms, study finds
The United States is moving to list emperor penguins as a threatened species based on new evidence that colonies are imperiled by shrinking sea ice. Rachel Pannett reports. (Washington Post)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 225 AM PDT Wed Aug 4 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds. TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft at 11 seconds.

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

8/3 Butter clam, K-21, Siberia thaw, BC groundwater, fish traps, BC name change, Commencement Bay fishing

Butter clam [Dave Cowles]

Butter clam Saxidomus gigantea
This species burrows moderately deep (to 35 cm), as suggested by the deep pallial sinus. It has been extensively commercially harvested, especially for clam chowder. Predators include the seastars Pycnopodia helianthoides and Evasterias troschelii, the moon snail Euspira lewisii, Dungeness crabs Metacarcinus magister, and sea otters. The species is especially vulnerable to carrying paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), which accumulates especially in the dark tips of the siphons, so great caution should be used before eating them. Ranges from Aleutian Islands and SE Bering Sea, Alaska to San Francisco Bay, CA (rarely seen S of Humboldt Bay).

Southern resident orca near Washington state presumed dead
An orca is presumed dead after being found in distress last week in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a body of water that separates Washington state from Canada, officials said. The cause of death for the southern resident orca pod’s oldest male, known as Cappuccino or K21, is still undetermined, but could include starvation, a chronic disease such as cancer, or both, according to Paul Cottrell of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans Marine Mammal Unit. (Associated Press)

Scientists expected thawing wetlands in Siberia’s permafrost. What they found is ‘much more dangerous.’
More distressing news from the north: A heat wave in northern Siberia during the summer of 2020 increased atmospheric methane, most likely from fossil fuel previously locked up in reservoirs below and within the permafrost, according to researchers. Steven Mufson reports. (Washington Post)

BC’s Faltering Effort to Manage Water Use Brings a Looming Crisis
Thousands of groundwater users could be cut off in March as they fail to apply for water licences. Critics blame government inaction. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)

The Ingenious Ancient Technology Concealed in the Shallows
Fish traps have a long history around the world, and a vast network in a Vancouver Island estuary reveals generations of ecological wisdom. Brian Payton writes. (Hakai Magazine)

Should British Columbia change its name? As we reckon with history, some say it's time
There's been a national reckoning on place names and the people they're named after — and some say that conversation should include looking at the name of British Columbia, which is derived, in part, from Christopher Columbus. (CBC)

See all those boats on Commencement Bay the last few days? Here’s why they were there
A flotilla of small boats on Commencement Bay is a sure sign that salmon fishing has opened.On Monday morning, anglers were out in force off the shores of Tacoma pursuing chinook and chum salmon, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. It happens about the same time every year. Angelica Relente reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 227 AM PDT Tue Aug 3 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds. Haze in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after midnight. W swell 2 ft at 11 seconds. Haze in the evening.