4/4 BC herring, Oso logging, Dungeness water, BC fish farms, whale breath, SeaWorld

Hummingbirds' 22-million-year-old history of remarkable change is far from complete
The first comprehensive map of hummingbirds' 22-million-year-old family tree -- reconstructed based on careful analysis of 284 of the world's 338 known species -- tells a story of rapid and ongoing diversification. The decade-long study also helps to explain how today's hummingbirds came to live where they do. (Science Daily)

B.C. herring fishery’s reopening puts First Nations on alert
A controversial herring fishery has begun on B.C.’s Central Coast, so far without any confrontations on the water, but First Nations say they are watching carefully and will take action if the fleet moves into areas the bands have declared off limits. “We had a conference call with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and we said, ‘When you open up Kitasu Bay, we are going to protest,’ ” said Doug Neasloss, resource stewardship director of the Kitasoo band in Klemtu. “I don’t think some of the [government] higher-ups really understand how serious it can get up here. I think they were thinking we weren’t going to protest at all. … We told them, ‘Yeah, we’re not bluffing.’ ” Tensions have been rising since last December, when Fisheries Minister Gail Shea overruled her staff and approved fishing in three areas in B.C. that had been closed for nearly a decade for conservation concerns. Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Lands Commissioner: Logging Factor In Oso Slide 'Entirely Speculative'
Speaking for the first time since the Oso landslide hit Snohomish County, Washington Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark suggested anti-logging interests want to use the disaster to advance their cause. In an exclusive interview, the two-term Democrat said he is indignant in the wake of news reports that have focused on past logging on the plateau above the slide.

Group to sue state over Dungeness water rule
The Olympic Resource Protection Council has decided it will sue the state over a rule that governs water use in the Dungeness Valley. In a meeting Thursday night at the Sequim library, the group membership agreed to pursue a lawsuit against the state Department of Ecology in an effort to force the agency to review the Dungeness Water Rule.... Water use in the basin was restricted by the Dungeness Water Rule, a measure instituted January 2013 by Ecology with the aim of preserving water in the Dungeness River for both human use and for aquatic species when its flow diminishes in dry summer months. Joe Smillie (Peninsula Daily News)

Deadline looms to comment on two new B.C. salmon farm applications Read more:
Ongoing government reviews of two salmon farm applications on the B.C. coast fly in the face of recommendations of the Cohen Commission related to expansion of the industry, industry critics charged Wednesday. "It looks like there is major support from DFO to expand farming on this coast while ignoring the Cohen recommendations and the evidence around the science," said Craig Orr, executive director of Watershed Watch. "They're kissing it (the report) off, ignoring most of the recommendations around aquaculture and science." The two latest applications for northern Vancouver Island are the subject of a "harmonized" federal-provincial review and are posted on the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations website. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Whales' New Breath-Hold Record Like 'Flying From Seattle To San Jose' Without A Gasp
Northwest-based whale researchers have documented a new breath-hold record among mammals. They timed a dive by a beaked whale that lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes. A paper published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One by scientists with the Cascadia Research Collective of Olympia revealed two new records. The researchers tagged Cuvier's beaked whales, a rarely-seen species which forages in deep ocean waters worldwide, including off the U.S. West Coast. Lead study author Greg Schorr says his team tracked thousands of dives by these whales. The longest lasted 137 minutes. Tom Banse reports. (KPLU) And: Orca Network announces arrival of gray whales (South Whidbey Record)

SeaWorld Fights Orca Show Ban Measure as Attendance Slips
With attendance numbers sinking at its theme parks earlier this year, SeaWorld is fighting an economic threat on the political front, as well as the public relations side. State lawmakers in Sacramento have become the targets of form letters from SeaWorld patrons and some San Diego businesses, all part of a campaign opposing a measure to ban killer whale shows a phase orcas out of theme parks. The measure in dispute – AB 2140 – was introduced following angry reaction to “Blackfish,” a documentary suggesting mistreatment of the park’s whales. Gene Cubbison and Andie Adams report. (NBC)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 234 AM PDT FRI APR 4 2014
TODAY
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 15 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY THIS MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 14 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT
E WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 20 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 5 FT AT
 17 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING SW 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 16 SECONDS.
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