4/16 Octopus, Enbridge, ocean acid, stormwater stewards, Bremerto Marina, Teck Coal, Mike Shelby

Pacific octopus (OpenCage)

Right now it’s not illegal to hunt octopus in Puget Sound – unless you’re in a marine preserve or conservation area. In fact, if you have a state fishing license you can kill and harvest one every day. But the killing of a giant Pacific octopus off Alki Beach in Seattle last October prompted a public outcry. Hundreds of scuba divers and members of the public submitted petitions to the state of Washington asking for better protection for the giant Pacific octopus in Puget Sound. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has responded, approving four possible management plans for consideration and public comment. Ashley Ahearn reports.  New Protections Proposed For Octopuses in Puget Sound

Enbridge Inc. must put in place all of its of voluntary spill and tanker safety plan, fund heavy oil spill research and hold nearly $1-billion in liability coverage if it builds its controversial Northern Gateway project, a federal panel has determined. On Friday morning, the National Energy Board released a lengthy list of potential conditions for Gateway. The list does not constitute approval of the project – that decision is not expected until later this year. But the board said Friday “the publication of potential conditions is a standard step in the hearing process that is mandated by the courts.” Nathan Vanderklippe reports.  Gateway can’t go ahead without full safety plan, Enbridge told

Acidification of the world's oceans could have a profound effect on the North Olympic Peninsula, a panel of experts told Clallam County commissioners Monday. Caused by carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels, ocean acidification can destroy shells of crabs, clams, oysters and scores of creatures at the bottom of the food chain. The Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and outer coast of Washington are particularly vulnerable because acidic water is upwelled off the coast every spring and summer. Rob Ollikainen reports. Panel: Ocean acidification threatening sea life here  

With coastal areas bracing for rising sea levels, new research indicates that cutting emissions of certain pollutants can greatly slow down sea level rise this century. The research team found that reductions in four pollutants that cycle comparatively quickly through the atmosphere could temporarily forestall the rate of sea level rise by roughly 25 to 50 percent. ...(T)he research team focused on emissions of four other heat-trapping pollutants: methane, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon. These gases and particles last anywhere from a week to a decade in the atmosphere, and they can influence climate more quickly than carbon dioxide, which persists in the atmosphere for centuries. Cutting Specific Pollutants Would Slow Sea Level Rise, Research Indicates  

Thurston County Stormwater Utility/Stream Team Program and WSU Extension are recruiting volunteers to train as "Stormwater Stewards." The program works with local residents to help reduce pollution in our local waterways and Puget Sound from stormwater runoff. Volunteers receive training in on-site stormwater management including rain gardens, water-wise plants, sloped biodetention hedgerows, pervious pavements, vegetated roofs, and more. Trained volunteers work in teams to provide guidance to homeowners who want to do their part to protect local waterways and Puget Sound. John Dodge reports. Volunteers Sought for Unique “Stormwater Stewards” Program

The Port of Bremerton has hired Robert Wise, an experienced marina owner, to help fill some of the vacant slips in the Bremerton Marina, it was announced this week. Port CEO Tim Thomson said Wise will work for the port as a consultant from now until Aug. 31, with a goal of finding 50 new tenants for the marina. Wise will be paid $9,000 a month for his services which will also include the creation and implementation of a marketing plan for the marina. Wise, of Marsh Andersen LLC., owns a number of slips at the marina on Bainbridge Island and owns and operates the 160-slip Port Haddock Marina in Port Townsend. He has already begun his work, he said Monday. Leslie Kelly reports. Port hires Bainbridge consultant to fill Bremerton Marina  

The British Columbia government has issued a ministerial order to Teck Coal Ltd. requiring the company to submit a plan for dealing with the high levels of selenium and other contaminants in the Elk Valley watershed. The order, which was welcomed by the company as “a constructive way to move forward,” covers both the Elk and Fording rivers and Lake Koocanusa, an international body of water that stretches across the U.S. border. High selenium levels have been recorded, raising worries about the impact it could have on cutthroat trout, water birds and aquatic insects. Mark Hume reports.  B.C. orders Teck Coal to submit selenium plan  

For years, the interests of farmers, tribes, wildlife management agencies and environmentalists have collided in the wetlands, fields, rivers and ditches of Skagit County’s fertile delta. And for many of those years, Mike Shelby has advocated on behalf of commercial growers in a way that has helped bring collaborative, mutually agreeable solutions to problems that easily could have ended up in court. After a full career centered around agriculture and 11 years serving as the executive director of the Western Washington Agricultural Association, Shelby, 65, plans to retire by the end of June. Mark Stayton reports. Replacing agriculture’s advocate  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE APR 16 2013
TODAY
VARIABLE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
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