8/1 Shellfish map, no swim, captive whales, SeaWorld, ferries, no LNG, OR LNG, Ben Mohr, no oil drill, no radiation

(WA Dept. of Health)

Map points toward safe — and hazardous — shellfish
Chris Dunagan in Watching Our Water Ways writes: "A highly informative map, just released by state shellfish officials, can show you at a glance where it is safe to harvest shellfish in Western Washington. Besides pointing out the locations of public beaches where recreational harvesters may safely gather clams and oysters, the new map provides links to information about the approved seasons and limits, with photographs of each beach. One can choose “map” or “satellite” views, as well as enhanced images to simplify the search." (Kitsap Sun)

Metro Vancouver beach closures extended as E. coli counts increase
For the second time in two weeks, health officials are warning people against swimming at three West Vancouver beaches after routine water quality sampling turned up E.coli bacteria counts exceeding safe limits. “No Swimming” advisories have be put back in place for Ambleside, Dundarave and Sandy Cove beaches after tests once again exceeded safe levels. A no swimming advisory issued for West Vancouver's Eagle Harbour last week also remains in effect. (CBC)

Vancouver Aquarium whale, dolphin breeding program to end
The Vancouver Park Board voted unanimously to allow the aquarium to keep cetaceans in captivity at a special meeting Thursday night, but ordered an end to the breeding of most whales and dolphins. The board has directed its staff to bring forward an amendment to the park bylaw that would prohibit the breeding of cetaceans in Vancouver parks unless they are a threatened species. And it ordered the establishment of an oversight committee consisting of animal welfare experts to ensure the safety and well being of cetaceans in captivity. (CBC)

Southwest and SeaWorld end longstanding partnership
Southwest and SeaWorld announced Thursday they are ending their longstanding partnership when the contract expires at the end of the year. The promotional and marketing partnership began in 1988, cultivating opportunities involving airline passengers and the theme park's visitors. But Southwest has been criticized by an animal rights group for its partnership with SeaWorld. A recent documentary, Blackfish, raised questions about the park's treatment of orcas, details of which SeaWorld disputed. Bart Jansen reports. (USA TODAY)

Washington Ferries To Be Back To Normal Saturday
Washington State Ferries hopes to restore service to normal on Saturday on Puget Sound. Capt. George Capacci says that will be made possible by the return of the ferry Wenatchee, which has been in drydock in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Associated Press) See also: San Juans, Sidney ferry riders lose service as state shuffles vessels  ...Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, released a statement Thursday calling the decision “short-sighted.” Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

West Vancouver city council passes unanimous motion to ban LNG tankers in Howe Sound
West Vancouver council has passed a unanimous motion to ban tankers carrying liquified natural gas out of Howe Sound. The motion takes aim at Woodfibre LNG, a $1.7 billion LNG facility in Squamish that would ship 40 LNG tankers to Asia every year. It was passed on July 21, after Council heard from a delegation about the potential environmental impact of a large LNG plant on Howe Sound. Jenny Uechi reports. (Vancouver Observer)

Oregon Terminal Developer Gets Blessing For Natural Gas Exports
A proposed liquefied natural gas terminal near Astoria, Oregon received the U.S. Department of Energy’s blessing Thursday to export to all overseas markets. It's a necessary approval to make the controversial project pencil out, but many hurdles remain. The Department of Energy gave a company called Oregon LNG conditional approval to export domestic and Canadian natural gas from the Port of Astoria. Tom Banse reports. (KPLU)

Only in Alaska: Flack for mine named governor’s fisheries adviser
An Alaska Republican activist named Ben Mohr has spent the past six years as spokesman for the gigantic proposed Pebble Mine, which the Environmental Protection Agency found to pose a high danger to the great salmon fishery of Bristol Bay. Mohr has been given a new task these days. He has been appointed by Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell as his fisheries adviser. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Inslee signs letter opposing coastal oil exploration
Gov. Jay Inslee has joined his counterparts in California and Oregon in signing a letter opposing new oil and gas leases in the waters off the West Coast. A letter dated July 30 and released Thursday by Inslee’s office, sums up the governor’s qualms to Sally Jewell, U.S. Interior secretary. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)

5 Safety Concerns With Shipping Oil By Water
While many Northwest communities are focused on the safety risks of shipping crude oil by rail, a new report raises safety concerns about another shipping method: oil by water. Across the country, more and more domestically produced oil is being shipped by barges and tankers as pipelines fill up to capacity. The report, by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, concludes: “This rather sudden shift in transportation patterns raises concerns about the safety and efficiency of oil tankers and barges.”  Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Group: No Fukushima radiation at Oregon Coast
A group testing West Coast waters for radiation from a damaged Japanese nuclear power plant says no evidence of contamination has been found in Oregon.... Using crowd-sourced money and volunteers, Ken Buesseler has been testing samples from the Bering Strait to San Diego. So far none of the samples sent in have traces of radiation from Japan. (Associated Press)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI AUG 1 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
SAT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
 SUN
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
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