8/11 Orca by drone, Perseid shower, BC water, BC seaweed, quake ready, Unocal cleanup, Shell drill

(PHOTO: NOAA/Vancouver Aquarium)

If you like to watch: Look at These Amazing Photos Taken by Drone of Northern Resident Killer Whales
According to NOAA: "For the first time, scientists have used an unmanned aerial vehicle to study killer whales from above. The device they're using is a remote-controlled hexacopter with a high-resolution camera mounted in its belly, and the photos it produces are beautiful and full of detail. The images offer an entirely new view of this species." Christopher Frizzelle reports. (The Stranger)

Sunshine Coast bans all watering, moves to Stage 4 restrictions  B.C. to enact such a ban. Residential and commercial water users are subject to the new rules, as the district says only commercial food growers with farm status and water meters are exempt from the ban. (CBC)

Perseid meteor shower to light up B.C. skies
There are a lot of good shows happening in Metro Vancouver this summer, but one of the best will be taking place Monday and Tuesday nights this week in the sky. The annual Perseid meteor shower — an event that could bring as many as 100 fire balls every hour — will reach its peak overnight on Tuesday. Johnanna Wagstaffe reports. (CBC)

Increased harvesting of Vancouver Island seaweed unwise: scientist
A decision by the provincial government to allow increased harvesting of seaweed from the central east coast of Vancouver Island has sounded alarm bells in parts of the scientific community there. In addition to allowing three licensed companies to increase their take to 500 tons annually in the Deep Bay and Bowser areas from a previous limit of 300 tons, the department of agriculture has offered two additional licences for 250 tons each for the area fronting the Qualicum First Nation reserve in Qualicum Beach. The licences are for a type of red algae seaweed called Mazzaella japonica that looks like soggy detritus washed up on shore but is more like pure gold, with increasing global demand for its use in everything from toothpaste to ice cream. Yvonne Zacharias reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Did Seattle earthquake report finally trigger an appropriate response?
The fervor over an impending earthquake in Seattle and the greater Pacific Northwest is far from cooled off, after a report from The New Yorker. Cities and agencies on the West Coast and around the Puget Sound region and state are increasing their efforts to prepare for a natural disaster that could devastate the area. The Washington National Guard is developing a new response plan, with a focus on earthquake and tsunamis. The National Guard is holding workshops, which will eventually lead to a four-day exercise called "Cascadia Rising" in June 2016, the Peninsula Daily News reports. Kipp Robertson reports. (MyNorthwest.Com)

Cleanup starts next year on contaminated sites in Edmonds
The owner of a former fuel terminal near the Edmonds waterfront will clean up the site’s last two contaminated areas next year under a work plan being reviewed by the state Department of Ecology. The bulk fuel terminal was operated from 1923 to 1991 by Unocal, now a subsidiary of Chevron Corp. Cleanup work on a related problem, the former tank farm on a nearby hill overlooking Puget Sound, has been completed. The tanks were demolished and the soil beneath them excavated and tested to ensure they were free of petroleum contaminants, said David South, the Department of Ecology’s site manager. The Point Edwards condominiums were built on the site. Sharon Salyer reports. (Everett Herald)

Shell seeks modified permit for Arctic offshore drilling
With a key safety vessel repaired and in northern waters, Royal Dutch Shell PLC has applied to amend its federal exploratory drilling permit to allow drilling into oil-bearing rock in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska's northwest coast. Shell last month received permission to begin some drilling at two sites in the Chukchi Sea but was banned from digging into petroleum zones roughly 8,000 feet below the ocean floor. Dan Joling reports. (Associated Press) See also: Inside Shell’s Extreme Plan to Drill for Oil in the Arctic  Paul Barrett Benjamin Elgin report. (Bloomberg)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PDT TUE AUG 11 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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