1/22 Seal kills, coho kills, coal export, polluter pays, Boat Basin, Oly shores, whale workshop, Blackfish, Peninsula marine science, Reel Time Trivia

President Barack Obama

FULL TEXT: Barack Obama's Second Inaugural Speech  

New blog: “When Molly Met David. Molly is, of course, my Molly Stevens, author of All About Roasting and All About Braising. And David is David Chang, wunderkind chef/founder of the Momofuku Food Group and co-author with Peter Meehan of the Momofuku Cookbook...." When Molly Met David

Charges have been dropped against a B.C. salmon farming company after it reached a deal with the Department of Fisheries over the deaths of almost 70 sea lions and seals. Sixty-five sea lions and four seals became entangled and drowned in nets at Grieg Seafood B.C.'s Gold River farm in early 2010. Instead of charges, Grieg has agreed to invest $100,000 in three projects, most of which will go towards the Nootka Sound Watershed Society for community education.  Charges dropped in B.C. sea lion deaths  

Stormwater runoff from highways appears to contain one or more unidentified compounds shown to be highly toxic to coho salmon and perhaps other salmon as well. The problem has been studied only a few years. Now, experiments at Grover's Creek Hatchery in North Kitsap have confirmed that polluted stormwater has the ability to kill adult coho before they can spawn. The problem was first suspected in Seattle's Longfellow Creek, which receives a rush of stormwater whenever it rains. Observers noticed that many of the female coho that made it home to their natal streams were dying before they could lay their eggs, often within a few hours of a rainstorm. Leading up to their deaths, researchers noticed that the fish seemed confused, often going in different directions and turning onto their sides while swimming. Chris Dunagan reports. Mystery compound found to kill coho salmon  

State and federal agencies studying potential impacts of a new coal terminal near Bellingham must consider the increased train traffic in cities around the state, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday. On coal ports and the trains that will feed them, Inslee said he wanted a "complete, consistent, reliable evaluation" of all impacts in the state, which would include the towns that trains pass through. Some supporters of the new coal terminal want the environmental impact statement to take a narrower view of just the local effects in and around Bellingham. Inslee, who talked about global climate change during Wednesday's inaugural address and at the start of his press conference, said the world needs to reduce carbon emissions, no matter where they originate. Opponents of the terminal contend its environmental statement should consider the effects burning that coal in China will have on the global climate. That's a more challenging question, Inslee said, and he needs to talk with legal advisers to see whether the state has the authority to do that. Jim Camden reports. Inslee wants proposed coal ports, train traffic studied

Environment Minister Terry Lake meets with industry officials today to discuss how oil and hazardous materials spills should be handled in B.C. Representatives from the Association of Petroleum Producers, the Energy Pipeline Association, Transport Canada, and the coast guard are among the 13 groups attending the roundtable on spill preparedness and response. Lake says the province receives about 3,500 notices of environmental emergencies each year, ranging from home-based oil accidents to overturned tanker trucks, train derailments and spills on water. He says it's time to overhaul policies to support a full polluter-pay system so taxpayers do not bear the burden of costly clean-ups. Polluter pay legislation tops B.C. plans for new oil spill response strategy

While British Columbians have been preoccupied by the debate over oil pipelines, our neighbours in Washington state have been duking it out over their own environmental issue lately. Their fight is over coal. If built, the Gateway Pacific Terminal would dwarf Roberts Bank and supplant it as the largest coal exporting facility in North America. Plans call for a maximum exporting capacity of 54 million metric tonnes annually, 48 million tonnes of which would be coal. In comparison, the Westshore Terminals at Roberts Bank, even after its recent new expansion, exported just over 26 million tonnes of coal in 2012.  Pete McMartin reports. Proposed coal-exporting terminal would make already-busy shipping lanes even busier

The proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal has sparked the most-complex environmental review since, well, forever. The first public comment period ends today. In this first of a three-part series, take an inside look at the players on both sides of the issue. Floyd McKay reports. Coal Train: The people and process behind Bellingham's coal port decision

Plans to replace a historic marina in Nanaimo known as the Boat Basin with a modern, higher-end marine development have residents of Protection Island calling for more consultation. The Nanaimo Port Authority announced plans last spring to sign a 30-year lease with private developer Pacific Northwest Marina Group, which says it plans to invest $9 million in the project. An environmental review is underway, said Bernie Dumas, CEO of the port authority. The lease is expected to be signed in the next month or two. Sandra McCulloch reports. Protection Islanders want say in new marina

A crowd is expected to gather at City Hall tonight to tell the Olympia City Council what it thinks about the city’s proposed Shoreline Management Program. It’s the council’s first formal public hearing on the issue since the state required the city to update the plan, which has been the subject of more than three years of discussions. While it covers all major waterways in Olympia, its effect on the Budd Inlet shoreline is particularly pronounced. Matt Batcheldor reports. Public can comment on shoreline proposal

Are you a naturalist, researcher, educator, or someone who thrills at seeing whales and wants to learn more about these amazing beings that live in the Salish Sea and beyond?  Register in advance for Orca Network's all-day Ways of Whales Workshop, January 26, in Coupeville on Whidbey Island. Cost is $35 ($25 for students/seniors); hot lunch $10. Speaker info and registration online here.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s emotionally powerful Blackfish documents a shattering reality far removed from both the sensationalistic horror of the 1977 Richard Harris Jaws imitator, Orca, and the cuddly fantasy of Free Willy. For anyone who has ever questioned the humaneness of keeping wild animals in captivity and training them to perform tricks for food, this will be trenchant, often harrowing stuff. Perhaps even more so for those who have never considered the issue. Taking its title from the name given to killer whales by Native American fisherman, the film is a damning indictment of the SeaWorld theme park franchise, whose management declined repeated requests to be interviewed. It’s framed by details of the death in 2010 at the company’s Orlando park of Dawn Brancheau, reportedly one of the most safety-conscious trainers, who was dragged underwater and drowned by Tilikum, a 12,000 pound bull orca. Blackfish: Sundance Review  

Two small North Olympic Peninsula marine science education organizations are working to combine forces to create a major educational and tourist attraction in downtown Port Angeles. For the past four months, the Feiro Marine Life Center, a private nonprofit on City Pier, and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, based in Port Angeles and overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have been working to find ways to combine funding and function in a combined new facility for marine science education. Arwyn Rice reports. A marine life marriage in Port Angeles? Feiro, national marine sanctuary consider merging visitor centers

Reel Time Pacific Northwest fishing and outdoor trivia question of the week: This little river that feeds into northern Puget Sound bay and flows directly under I-5 through valley farmlands offers an angler a chance at late-summer kings, but has been dogged recently as "snag city." Many landowners on the eastern banks of the river have shutdown their access with some now charging fees. It is commonly referred to as "The Ditch" and the aesthetics aren't like being on a pristine northern Olympic coastal river, however, it can generate some excellent king fishing in late August and September for kings 10- to 30-plus pounds. Where am I fishing? Mark Yuasa asks. It's Reel Time trivia so put on your fishing thinking cap

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST TUE JAN 22 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG.
TONIGHT
E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 20 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 7 FT AT 19 SECONDS. RAIN.

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