2/29 J55 dead, carbon rule, BC refineries, sardines, Vic boycott, sewage spill, steelhead, goats, methanol

Elwha, 2/24/16 (Tom Roorda/Coastal Watershed Institute)

Youngest orca dies; ocean research goes on
The youngest orca among the Southern Residents was missing when J pod returned to Puget Sound this week. Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research delivered the sad news of the calf’s passing. “After an extended encounter with all members of J pod on Feb. 25, 2016, Center for Whale Research reluctantly announces that the newest member, designated J55, is missing and presumed dead,” Ken stated in a news release issued yesterday (2/26). Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

State withdraws Inslee’s proposed carbon-emissions rule
Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration is hitting the pause button on a rule capping carbon emissions in Washington state. The state Department of Ecology on Friday withdrew the proposed Clean Air Rule, with officials saying they’ll rewrite it in coming months to address criticisms and feedback from businesses and environmentalists. The carbon regulation, touted by Inslee and supporters as a major action on climate change, would have required the state’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases — from power plants to refineries and manufacturers — to gradually cut emissions over the coming decades. Jim Brunner reports. (Seattle Times)

State considers nation’s first carbon emissions tax
Washington could become the first state in the nation to impose a direct tax on carbon emissions from fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline and natural gas. A ballot measure before the Legislature would create a carbon tax of $25 per metric ton of fossil fuel emissions burned in Washington, while reducing taxes. Lawmakers have until the end of the session March 10 to enact Initiative 732, offer an alternative proposal or automatically pass the carbon-tax measure to voters in November as written. It’s not clear whether lawmakers will approve an alternative by the end of the session. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Refinery plans in B.C. and Alberta seek to tip over conventional wisdom
Pipeline projects may be stalled, but that hasn’t stopped other proposals from coming forward – including some that were once dismissed as unworkable. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

West Coast sardine populations, long sinking, look even worse in forecast
Sardines off the West Coast have continued on a steep decline, with populations this summer forecast to be down 93 percent from a 2007 peak, according to a draft assessment from the National Marine Fisheries Service. The sardines are a key forage food for sea lions, salmon and many other species, as well as a source of income for commercial fishermen. In some years, sardines have been worth from $10 million to more than $20 million annually to a West Coast fleet. Last year, the sardine implosion was so severe that the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to call off the season that was scheduled to start in July for West Coast fleets, including those in Washington state. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Washington turns up heat for Victoria sewage plant, eyes travel curbs
The lack of sewage treatment in the capital region has the Washington state Senate considering travel restrictions to Victoria for state workers. Under the proposal, costs for travel to Victoria would not be reimbursed unless a catastrophe or other serious situation is involved. The self-described “prime instigator” is Rep. Jeff Morris, whose district includes the San Juan Islands opposite the Saanich Peninsula…. On Thursday, the Washington House of Representatives voted 50-47 in favour of restricting travel to Victoria. The state’s 49 senators will now have until March 10 to make amendments. If passed by Washington’s Senate, the measure would be in effect until the completion of a primary sewage treatment system for Victoria and region, according to the state’s budget deliberation documents. Katherine Dedyna reports. (Times Colonist)

Up to 300,000 gallons of raw sewage spills into Padden Creek
As much as 300,000 gallons of sewage spilled into Padden Creek over 48 hours, prompting officials to warn people to stay out of a stretch of the creek as well as south Boulevard Park beaches. The spill started Tuesday afternoon, during work to replace sewer pipes in the Happy Valley Neighborhood. The discharge was stopped Thursday afternoon. The creek has been closed from 17th Street down to Padden Lagoon, which also should be avoided by people and their pets because of unsafe levels of fecal coliform bacteria, the city of Bellingham said Friday, Feb. 26. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Uncertainties remain for Puget Sound steelhead management
The future of Puget Sound steelhead fisheries remains uncertain, including for steelhead management on the Skagit River. The state Senate Natural Resources and Parks Committee, chaired by Sen. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, heard Thursday from state, tribal, conservation and recreation representatives. No steelhead hatchery program is operating on the Skagit River as a result of a lawsuit agreement the state Department of Fish & Wildlife agreed to in 2014. The agency is also considering designating the Skagit River as a wild steelhead gene bank, which would prohibit steelhead hatchery operations indefinitely in an effort to restore the wild fish population. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Oregon scraps goat landscaping scheme due to cost and smell
Oregon will not be renewing a scheme which uses goats to eat invasive species due to rising costs and complaints over the animals' odour. Salem, the state capital, hired a herd of 75 goats to munch their way through plants like Armenian blackberry in the city's largest park. But costs came to more than five times the city would have spent on human landscapers, a report found. The goats also ate native plants among the invasive species, the report added. (BBC)

Some answers to the methanol-plant questions fueling impassioned debate
Intense public scrutiny of a China-backed company’s plan to build the world’s largest methanol plant in Tacoma’s Tideflats shows no sign of abating despite a pause in the regulatory process. Northwest Innovation Works has asked the city of Tacoma to put review of the plant on hold, citing vocal public opposition. The company says it will restart its application to build the facility after several months of public outreach. Meanwhile, groups on each side of the debate over the plant are moving ahead with their causes. Derrick Nunnally reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  311 AM PST MON FEB 29 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH 10 PM  PST TONIGHT
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING  THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING  

TODAY  S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 12 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS  IN THE MORNING...THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT  SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING E 15 TO 25 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 14 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 8 FT AT 13  SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/26 Salmon cannon, BC LNG, herring, toxic fund, pesticide ban, salmon habitat, methanol, CHB, ship news

John Oliver and the Salmon Cannon

Whoosh: ‘Salmon Cannon’ Shoots Fish Upstream to Spawn
From November 2014 but still good for a Friday laugh in 2016: "The long tube wiggled and then violently wobbled, shaking as a salmon came blasting out the end and belly-flopped into the water. Still in its pilot phase, the cannon-type device, "o'fish'ally" known as the Whooshh Transport Conduit, can zip fish between 16 and 33 feet per second (5 and 10 meters per second) above obstacles, such as dams, and toward their destination. The device is designed to help salmon reach their spawning grounds, but late-night talk-show host and comedian John Oliver launched the so-called salmon cannon into the spotlight by giving his audience a preview of how it works, and pretending to use it to launch fake salmon at A-list celebrities, including Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon and Anderson Cooper." Laura Geggel reports. (Live Science)

B.C. LNG: AltaGas shelves Douglas Channel project near Kitimat
In another blow to B.C.'s nascent liquefied natural gas industry, AltaGas Ltd. is shelving the development of its Douglas Channel LNG plant near Kitimat. The decision to halt work on the project was blamed on poor economic conditions and worsening global energy prices. (CBC)

Herring fishery's strength is in the sum of its parts, study finds
A wise investor plays the financial market by maintaining a variety of stocks. In the long run, the whole portfolio will be more stable because of the diversity of the investments it contains. It's this mindset that resource managers should adopt when considering Pacific herring, one of the most ecologically significant fish in Puget Sound and along the entire West Coast, argue the authors of a paper appearing in the January 2016 print edition of the journal Oecologia. Just like a financial portfolio contains shares from different companies, the diverse subpopulations of herring from different bays and beaches around Puget Sound collectively keep the total population more stable, the study's authors found.  Michelle Ma reports. (Phys.org)

Falling gas prices undercut toxic-waste cleanups — will state act?
Swooning gas prices are a boon for consumers but they’re creating a huge shortfall in state tax collections used to clean up hazardous waste dumps, prevent pollution and give citizens a voice in chemical-waste cleanups. "We're very worried," lobbyist Doug Levy, representing the cities of Everett and Puyallup, told the Senate Ways and Means Committee this week as it took up a bill (SB 6660) to partially make up the shortfall. The problem is that when gas prices drop, so do state collections of a tax on oil and other chemicals designed to help protect people from hazardous chemicals. The result of $2-a-gallon gas: a big slowdown in cleanups of toxic waste dumps and of stormwater, the pollution-laced rainwater runoff that is the biggest source of toxics in Puget Sound and many other waterways. The bill considered by the Senate committee would boost the hazardous substances tax from 70 cents per $100 worth of chemicals imported to 90 cents per $100. Robert McClure reports. (Investigate West)

Victoria to ban pesticides from ‘urban farms’
As Victoria councillors move to encourage commercial agriculture in the city’s backyards and vacant lots, pesticides are being rejected. Staff had recommended the use of pesticides be restricted in regulatory changes that will allow commercial agriculture in all zones in the city, except in city parks. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Lawsuit Spurs Salmon Habitat Designation
Nearly a decade after listing coho salmon and Puget Sound steelhead as threatened species, the National Marine Fisheries Service designated critical habitat Wednesday. Under provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), critical habitat is to be designated at the time of listing, or within one year. The agency found that critical habitat was "not determinable" within that timeframe, according to the final action…. Remarkably, the final critical habitat designation published Wednesday comes just eight days after a coalition of five fish conservation organizations filed suit against the agency for "failing to complete and implement a recovery plan" for the Puget Sound steelhead, according to the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), which spearheaded the legal action. The suit was filed Feb. 16, in the Western District of Washington U.S. District Court in Seattle. The other plaintiffs are The Conservation Angler, International Federation of Fly Fishers Steelhead Committee, Washington Fly Fishing Club and Wild Steelhead Coalition. Ramona Young-Grindle reports. (Courthouse News Service)

Executives, Politicians Failed To Anticipate Tacomans’ Deep Opposition To Methanol Plant
In Tacoma, a Chinese-backed company has been seeking to build one of the world’s largest plants to convert natural gas to methanol, which would then be shipped to China to be used in making plastics. After an intense public outcry, the company recently said it will pause the environmental review process, saying it has been “surprised by the tone and substance of the vocal opposition that has emerged in Tacoma.” Some political leaders, as well, appear to have not anticipated the depth of community members’ opposition. Ashley Gross reports. (KPLU)

CHB provides eyes on the water
While most of the environmental discussion around Tacoma these days centers on the proposed methanol-conversion plant in the works for the former Kaiser Aluminum site on the tideflats, patrols continue for other environmental hazards along the waterway. Citizens for a Healthy Bay started the Bay Patrol early-warning system program throughout Commencement Bay and the industrial waterways in 1998 to provide eyes-on-the-water searches for pollution, leaks or other hazards on the water. Steve Dunkelberger reports. (Tacoma Weekly)

Giant container ship is headed to Seattle
The Benjamin Franklin is the largest ship to ever call on the Port of Seattle, or any U.S. port, and it’s scheduled to arrive on Monday. The container ship Benjamin Franklin can hold 18,000 containers (as measured in 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, which is the industry benchmark). Not that long ago a 5,000 container ship was considered big. The ship recently called at the Port of Long Beach, California where it unloaded 13,000 containers. That’s more than two and one half times the typical ship call for the large California port.  To accommodate that, the port had to have extra truck chassis and trains ready to seep rapid movement of the containers inland.  The vessel is currently at the Port of Oakland. Glen Farley reports. (KING)

State investigating corrosion on newest ferry
Washington State Ferries is investigating a hole the size of a quarter in the Samish, the state's newest ferry. The Samish went into service in June, running the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route. Another ferry has been brought in to take its place. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Billionaire Paul Allen to restore Cayman coral reef damaged by megayacht
A company founded by billionaire Paul Allen and the Cayman Islands have announced an agreement on a plan to restore a coral reef damaged by his 300-foot yacht in January. A joint statement Thursday from Allen’s Vulcan Inc. and the British territory’s Department of the Environment says the work will begin Tuesday. The cost hasn’t been disclosed. The anchor chain from the MV Tatoosh apparently damaged the reef Jan. 14. Allen was not on board at the time. Vulcan said the crew was directed to moor in that area by the Port Authority and moved as soon as they learned of the damage. (Associated Press)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PST FRI FEB 26 2016  

TODAY  SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING VARIABLE 10 KT OR LESS.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN.

TONIGHT  VARIABLE WIND 10 KT OR LESS. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS.  W SWELL BUILDING TO 9 FT AT 16 SECONDS. RAIN.

SAT  NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 TO  9 FT AT 16 SECONDS.

SAT NIGHT  SE WIND RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES BUILDING  TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 TO 8 FT AT 14 SECONDS.

SUN  SE WIND 25 TO 35 KT...BECOMING SW 20 TO 30 KT. COMBINED  SEAS 11 TO 14 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 14 SECONDS.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/25 Bluffs, Vic sewer, Skagit coho, coal mine, Risso's dolphin, orca tag, carbon tax, Skagit water, Malheur

Dungeness Bluff (Anne Shaffer/CWI)

Olympic Peninsula's Dungeness Bluff Retreats
Coastal Watershed Institute's Anne Shaffer writes: "Record rainfall has resulted in dramatic high bluff erosion this winter. Here on the Olympic Peninsula some high bluff tops along the Dungeness Bluffs, up drift of Dungeness Spit, have retreated well over 35 feet in the last few months. These events are not being driven by marine energy at the base of the bluff, but instead water conveyance (including storm water, non-point, and septic issues associated with development) along bluff tops. The importance of ecosystem services provided by high bluff erosion, including metering wave energy, maintaining beaches, feeding forage fish spawning beaches, and salmon migration, feeding, and refuge (think Dungeness Bay) can't be overstated. Common sense is clear: these high bluffs are not the place to develop. For homes built along high bluffs in the past, land owners can protect and promote long lived native vegetation, manage water on the site, and, sooner than later, retreat from the eroding bluff."

McLoughlin, Clover, Macaulay points back on table for sewage
After three hours of debate Wednesday, Capital Regional District directors asked staff to examine the feasibility of the three sites. Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen was behind a push to revisit McLoughlin — the CRD’s former preferred site for a treatment plant that was rejected after Esquimalt council refused to approve minor zoning amendments to allow the plant to be built. Jensen argued potential cost savings of building at McLoughlin in conjunction with a second facility, likely in Colwood, were too big to be ignored. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Skimpy Skagit salmon run blamed on ‘blob’ in the ocean
 The Skagit River coho run of 2015 ranked as the worst on record, and the few salmon that did make it back to freshwater spawning grounds were scrawny and undersized. While an average adult coho spawning in the Skagit weighs some 6 to 8 pounds, the vast majority of fish that returned last fall weighed only 3 to 4 pounds. “I personally have never seen them any smaller, and I have been doing this for 26 years,” said Brett Barkdull, a district biologist based in Skagit County. The dismal run was less than 12 percent of the Skagit’s average of the past decade, and was part of a broader implosion of coho salmon returns to Puget Sound and rivers in Washington and Oregon. Scientists say that “the blob” — a vast expanse of abnormally warm coastal waters — was the most likely suspect in the poor show of fish because it reduced the food supplies for coho that primarily forage in the coastal waters. Hal Bernton reports. The blob is expect to undermine some of this year’s runs, as well. (Seattle Times)

Owner of Central Montana coal mine says it’s worth nothing
A central Montana coal mine that’s seen layoffs, production cuts and permitting troubles faces more uncertainty after one of its co-owners reported taking a $362 million writedown on its investment in the mine. Executives with Ohio-based utility FirstEnergy said the company had reduced to zero the value of its stake in Signal Peak Energy’s Bull Mountain Mine, according to a transcript of a company conference call with analysts. FirstEnergy cited depressed coal markets, which have curbed domestic and international demand for the fuel. The company has a one-third share in the 240-worker underground mine south of Roundup. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

Rare dolphin washes up in Haida Gwaii
The carcass of a rare species of dolphin washed up on the shore of Haida Gwaii in B.C. this weekend.  Two local residents discovered a female Risso's dolphin washed up on a beach Feb. 20. The species is found worldwide in warmer climates but is rarely sighted in Canadian waters. A pair of researchers from the Vancouver Aquarium and the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network were on the island and helped drag the 3.3-metres long animal away from shore.  (CBC)

Researchers locate orcas off the coast; new satellite tag attached
As luck would have it, the satellite transmitter used to track K-33, a male orca named “Tika,” fell off or stopped transmitting last Thursday — just three days before a research team set out from Newport, Ore., to find the whale and any others traveling with him. That satellite tag had been transmitting regularly since New Year’s Eve, when it was first attached. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Carbon-tax initiative’s backers say it’s flawed, needs legislative fix
Supporters of an initiative to create a carbon tax in Washington are facing backlash over estimates the measure — advertised as “revenue neutral” — would actually cut state tax collections by $900 million over four years. While Initiative 732 supporters strongly dispute that figure, some suggest the Legislature could cure any perceived flaws by sending a tweaked alternative version to the ballot this fall. “I am very eager for them to pass a ‘732 B,’ ” said Joe Ryan, co-chair of Carbon Washington. He recently testified to a legislative committee on possible fixes, including correcting an “error in drafting” I-732 that inadvertently would grant a new tax break on the sale of commercial aircraft by Boeing and others. Jim Brunner reports. (Seattle Times)

Water rights case heads back to court
Richard and Marnie Fox will have their water rights dispute with Skagit County heard Friday by the state Court of Appeals. The Sedro-Woolley husband and wife have been trying for years to get a building permit for a piece of property they own in Concrete, but the county has balked because of what the state Department of Ecology calls its instream flow rule. The 2001 rule states that when the Skagit River’s water level drops, the state can deny access to water in an effort to protect fish. Brandon Stone reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Morse Creek rearing ponds move west to Elwha watershed
Rearing ponds at the Morse Creek fish hatchery have been moved to the watershed they were built to protect. Four 100-foot-long, 10-foot-wide fiberglass raceways have been moved from the creek east of Port Angeles to the fish rearing channel on the Elwha River, state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said Wednesday. The raceways were installed on the west side of Morse Creek near U.S. Highway 101 bridge in 2010 to protect the threatened Elwha chinook from being wiped out by heavy sediment during the removal of the two Elwha River dams. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Proposed Spending Plan Includes Up To $2 Million For Malheur Occupation
The costs associated with the 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are still being tallied up. They include police overtime, lodging, meals and fuel. Initial estimates show the total will easily top $1 million. The legislative budget proposal includes up to $2 million that will be doled out to both state and local agencies as bills come due. Peter Buckley, the top budget writer in the Oregon House, said the long-term goal continues to be to have the federal government reimburse the state. Chris Lehman reports. (KPLU)

Vancouver Island’s hinterland attracts affordability refugees desperate to buy a family home
Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, is becoming a real estate option for families who cannot afford the mainland city's sky-high housing prices. Three times a week Neil Valsangkar escapes Canada’s most expensive real estate market by paying $100 for a 20-minute float plane ride to his Vancouver office from his home across the Salish Sea. The 50-kilometre aerial commute allows the father of three to live in Nanaimo, where homes cost about a quarter of those in Vancouver, one of the world’s frothiest markets with average homes selling for $1.3 million. He’s encouraging some of his employees to do the same. Jeremy van Loon reports. (Bloomberg) See also: Commuting from Nanaimo is possible... if you have about $40,000 a year to spare, or an extra five hours a day  Scott Brown reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  257 AM PST THU FEB 25 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM  PST THIS MORNING  

TODAY  E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10  FT AT 14 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 7 FT AT 14 SECONDS.

TONIGHT AND FRI  E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W  SWELL 5 TO 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN ON FRI.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/24/16 Salish Sea News and Weather: Orcas, drugs, Vic sewer, coal $s, Longview refinery, barking dogs, coho, oil spills, Energize Eastside

(PHOTO: NOAA)

How Do You Keep Killer Whales Away From an Oil Spill? 
Lynne Barre of NOAA Fisheries blogs: "I sleep better at night knowing that we have a plan in place to keep endangered Southern Resident killer whales away from an oil spill. Preventing oil spills is key, but since killer whales, also known as orcas, spend much of their time in the busy waters around Seattle, the San Juan Islands, and Vancouver, British Columbia, there is always a chance a spill could happen. (NOAA)

Drugs flooding into Puget Sound — and its salmon
Puget Sound salmon are on drugs — Prozac, Advil, Benadryl, Lipitor, even cocaine. Those drugs and dozens of others are showing up in the tissues of juvenile chinook, researchers have found, thanks to tainted wastewater discharge. The estuary waters near the outfalls of sewage-treatment plants, and effluent sampled at the plants, were cocktails of 81 drugs and personal-care products, with levels detected among the highest in the nation. The medicine chest of common drugs also included Flonase, Aleve and Tylenol. Paxil, Valium and Zoloft. Tagamet, OxyContin and Darvon. Nicotine and caffeine. Fungicides, antiseptics and anticoagulants. And Cipro and other antibiotics galore. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

CRD aims for sewage decision
A year after Capital Regional District pushed the reset button on sewage treatment plans, local politicians will today debate whether they were right in the first place and should be taking a second look at McLoughlin Point. The idea to revisit McLoughlin comes from Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen, who argues that hundreds of millions of dollars in potential savings are too big to ignore and that by building the plant at McLoughlin, which the CRD owns, the region could still meet the federal government’s 2020 deadline for having treatment in place. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Amid coal market struggles, less fuel worth mining in US
Vast coal seams dozens of feet thick that lie beneath the rolling hills of the Northern Plains once appeared almost limitless, fueling boasts that domestic reserves were sufficient to power the U.S. for centuries. But an exhaustive government analysis says that at current prices and mining rates the country's largest coal reserves, located along the Montana-Wyoming border, will be tapped out in just a few decades. The finding by the U.S. Geological Survey upends conventional wisdom on the lifespan for the nation's top coal-producing region, the Powder River Basin. It also reflects the changing economic realities for companies seeking to profit off extracting the fuel as mining costs rise, coal prices fall and political pressure grows over coal's contribution to climate change. "You're looking at a forty-year life span, maximum, for Powder River coal," said USGS geologist Jon Haacke, one of the authors of the analysis. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

Port of Longview Rejects Plan For Refinery, Propane Terminal
Port of Longview commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday morning to end talks with an energy company that wants to build the first oil refinery on the West Coast in more than 25 years. The $1.25 billion proposal from Texas-based Waterside Energy touted 700 construction jobs and 180 full-time jobs. Waterside’s plan detailed a facility capable of refining 30,000 barrels of oil and 15,000 barrels of biofuel each day. The proposed project also included a propane and butane terminal handling 75,000 barrels per day. The plan also called for three additional trains per week carrying crude oil along the Columbia River. The combined crude and biofuels refinery was an attempt to capitalize on the West Coast’s demand for cleaner-burning fuels. That clean fuels component initially intrigued many, including some environmental groups and top state officials in Washington, but the financial and environmental fallout at the project backers’ failed biofuels venture in Eastern Washington ultimately raised many doubts about their latest proposal. Tony Schick and Conrad Wilson report. (EarthFix)

How the Sound of Barking Dogs Could Restore Marine Ecosystems
Once upon a time, bears, mountain lions, and wolves ran the show in British Columbia's Gulf Islands. They're gone now. These days, raccoons are in charge, and they've taken a big bite out of local crab and fish populations. What to do? Play the sounds of dogs barking. Just hearing the sound of an aggressive predator will keep raccoons from going to town on marine life, according to a new study. Whether they're really a threat to people, humans have gone to great lengths to "extirpate" large predators, a team of biologists led by University of Victoria graduate student Justin Suraci writes today in Nature Communications. Nathan Collins reports. (Pacific Standard)

Coho survival study tags 90,000 fish
The Squaxin Island Tribe's coho run has nearly disappeared, so they're taking immediate action with 90,000 fish to figure out why. "The fish that are leaving this facility are not making it out of the Puget Sound," Joe Peters said. Peters is the Natural Resources Policy Rep for the Squaxin Island Tribe. They've started a coho survival study to see why most of the fish raised here never return. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

Peru oil spill pollutes Amazon rivers used by indigenous group
At least 3,000 barrels of crude oil have been spilled in an Amazonian region after leaks from Peru's main oil pipeline, the state oil company said. The oil has polluted two rivers that at least eight indigenous communities rely on for water, the government and indigenous leaders said. Petroperu has promised a full clean-up and is also providing food and water. The company said the first leak was triggered by a landslide but the cause of the second rupture was unclear. (BBC)

Is The BP Oil Spill Settlement Money Being Well-Spent?
ome $25 billion is headed to the five Gulf states that were devastated in the 2010 BP oil disaster. Just a fraction of the government fines and court settlements have been paid — but not all of it will end up repairing the damaged ecosystem. Louisiana, which suffered the most damage in the spill, has used the fines and settlements to rebuild its coast, one that was already fragile and disappearing. When it took a direct hit from the BP disaster, oil choked off vegetation that is critical to holding together what land is left. Fourchon Beach on the Caminada Headlands "was and has historically been one of the fastest-eroding beach headlands in North America," says Joni Tuck, grants administrator of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission. It was down to a narrow strip held together by vegetation. Debbie Elliott reports. (NPR)

Public hearing on Energize Eastside EIS is Feb. 27
Residents can offer comments and learn more about the Energize Eastside environmental impact statement at an upcoming open house. Newcastle and other Eastside cities are currently evaluating the environmental impacts of Puget Sound Energy’s Energize Eastside project. PSE is proposing to construct a new transformer served by new high-capacity electric transmission lines extending from Renton to Redmond, through Newcastle. View the Phase 1 Draft EIS and submit written comments at the Energize Eastside EIS website. Submit comments in-person at a Feb. 27 open house/public hearing in Newcastle. The open house goes from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at Newcastle Elementary School, 8400 136th Ave. S.E. The Newcastle City Council recently enacted a moratorium on new utility transmission lines in response to Energize Eastside. (Newcastle News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  423 AM PST WED FEB 24 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE  TONIGHT  

TODAY  E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT  AT 11 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 10 FT AT 17 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF  RAIN.

TONIGHT  LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 9 TO 11  FT AT 14 SECONDS.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/23 Ravens, streaked horned lark, gray whale, Tacoma methanol, salmon recovery, fish radiation

Tony Angell's ravens

Tony Angell on the Raven
Tony Angell reflects: "It's a cloudless summer day as I listen to ravens behind me in the woods. There's an endless repertoire of croaks, krawks, barks, yelps, and yodels. Other ravens across the bay respond in kind, and I imagine that this is a day of poetry and perhaps a few jokes shared between clans of these birds." There's more to learn at TonyAngell.net. (BirdNote)

WDFW reviews status of endangered larks
Birders who attend the Port Susan Snow Goose and Birding Festival on Feb. 27-28 should keep their eyes looking out for a streaked horned lark. The rare lark, found only in western Washington and Oregon, has been on the state’s endangered species list since 2006, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife has launched a periodic review of that status. The public can comment through March 27. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider comments at its April meeting. Sarah Arney reports. (Stanwood/Camano News)

Gray whales return to Puget Sound in annual migration
Local whale watching crews have reported the first sighting of gray whales for 2016, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association. The whales migrate to Puget Sound every spring to feed on ghost shrimp in the waters off the south end of Whidbey Island. Each year, gray whales undertake the longest journey of any mammal on earth, travelling between 5,000 and 6,800 miles from Mexico's Baja Peninsula to the Bering Sea. (KING)

Opponents of Tacoma methanol plant to take fight to state Capitol
A plan to build the world’s largest methanol plant in Tacoma may be on hold, but the same can’t be said for efforts to oppose it. At the state Capitol, legislation to keep the proposed plant from qualifying for a sales-tax break will receive a public hearing Wednesday, and is expected to draw many critics of the project. That’s even after the company behind the methanol plant asked the city of Tacoma to “pause” the project’s environmental review last week, citing “the vocal opposition that has emerged.” Melissa Santos reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

To help Washington’s salmon, let local experts lead
….Salmon recovery efforts should give people with local knowledge the flexibility to experiment and the accountability to learn from those experiments. That combination — local knowledge, flexibility and accountability — is what is needed to revive efforts that have been too slow and too bureaucratic. Todd Myers writes. (Crosscut)

No radiation found in B.C. fish after Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster
Nearly five years after a massive earthquake resulted in the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, researchers in B.C. have found no detectable levels of contamination in fish along the West Coast. Contamination in fish had been expected to increase, as levels for radioisotopes cesium-134 and 137 are getting higher in offshore sea water, according to Jay Cullen, a chemical oceanographer at the University of Victoria. But models showing how ocean circulation will carry that contamination suggest there is little reason for concern in B.C. "While we expect the contamination in fish to increase ... we don't expect those levels to approach levels that will be a danger to human health," Cullen said. Those projected contamination levels won't be harmful to the fish, either, he added. Bethany Lindsay reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  233 AM PST TUE FEB 23 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT  

TODAY  E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT  14 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 5 FT.

TONIGHT  SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT  AT 13 SECONDS.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/22 Salmon DNA, Tacoma methanol, rockfish DNA, Bainbridge trees, Chinook jargon

Adams River sockeye (John Lehmann/CBC)

Salmon hatcheries produce genetically different fish, study finds 
New research from Oregon State University suggests hatchery-raised salmon, which are bred to help bolster wild stocks in B.C. and elsewhere, are genetically different from the populations they're introduced into. Researcher Michael Blouin says scientists have known for some time the offspring of wild and hatchery-raised salmon are less adept at surviving in the wild, negatively affecting the health of wild populations. The question is, what is it about hatcheries that create fish believed to be inferior at surviving in the wild? "What we found is that when you compare the fish that had two wild parents with those that had two hatchery parents, we see hundreds of genes with different activity," Blouin told On The Coast guest host Michelle Eliot. (CBC)

Tacoma Methanol Plant Project On Hold As The Company Pauses Environmental Review
Northwest Innovation Works, the Chinese-backed company that has been seeking to build one of the world's biggest natural gas-to-methanol plants at the Port of Tacoma, said in a statement that it's decided to "pause the environmental review." "We have been surprised by the tone and substance of the vocal opposition that has emerged in Tacoma," the company said. "To force a facility on a community that does not welcome it would not be consistent with our goals." Northwest Innovation, whose major investor is an arm of the Chinese government, said it will engage the Tacoma community in further dialogue over the next several months. Charla Skaggs, a spokeswoman for the company, declined to comment further. Ashley Gross reports. (KPLU)

Re-evaluating rockfish
One day last year, Jay Field of Anacortes went fishing for yelloweye rockfish, and caught what he describes as a gorgeous 18-pounder. Fishing for that species has been unheard of in the area for years because it is protected under the Endangered Species Act. But Field, captain of Dash One Charters, was contributing to the latest rockfish research. Fisheries managers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the state Department of Fish & Wildlife say results of that research could change the protection status of some rockfish. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Old growth forest may fall to affordable housing
An old growth forest on Bainbridge Island may soon turn into a clear cut for affordable housing. The Suzuki Property is surplus land for Bainbridge Island. The city doesn't need it and no longer wants to own it, but it's filled with some of the area's oldest trees -- one estimated at 218 years. "An old growth forest where the roots extend the height of the tree," explained arborist Olaf Ribeiro. "So, you're looking at the root system extending at least 200 feet away." That's why Ribeiro says even minimal development could harm the oldest trees. The city, however, believes no development could harm the local economy. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

When Was Chinook Jargon Prevalent In The Northwest?
Chinook Jargon was a trade language that once ruled the Northwest. But when was it used, and how many people spoke it? Listener Michelle LeSourd of Seattle asked KUOW's Local Wonder. Liz Jones reports. (KUOW)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  225 AM PST MON FEB 22 2016  

TODAY  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10  FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS ENDING BY AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES  2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 11 FT AT 14 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT  14 SECONDS.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/19 Gray whales, NW petro future, Tacoma aroma, Ladner landfill, Soundkeeper, Ballard Locks

(PHOTO: Bill Thompson/Peninsula Daily News)

Out of the blue: Gray whale greets visitors near Point Wilson Lighthouse in Port Townsend
Port Townsend residents Bill and Betty Thompson shared a photo of a passing whale in Admiralty Inlet near the Point Wilson Lighthouse this week. Bill Thompson reported that they were walking their dogs on Tuesday when they heard some commotion and climbed up on the rocks to investigate. They saw seagulls and seals and then suddenly, this whale surfaced. (Peninsula Daily news)

Study: Petrochemical Projects Could Transform Pacific Northwest Into Export Hub
Projects in the works for the Pacific Northwest could turn the region into a major hub for exporting petrochemicals and products derived from fossil fuels, according to a new stud from the environmental think tank Sightline Institute. The proposed plant in Tacoma to convert natural gas into methanol has grabbed headlines lately, but Sightline said it’s just one of a number of fossil-fuel-based projects in the works for the region. Northwest Innovation Works, the Chinese-backed company behind the Tacoma plant, also wants to build two more: one in Kalama in southern Washington and another in Oregon along the Columbia River. Ashley Gross reports. (KPLU)

Will Methanol Be The New Aroma Of Tacoma?
It wasn’t long ago that Tacoma was known for its distinctive industrial smell, the so-called “aroma of Tacoma.” But in recent years, as more young people move to the city, the arts and cultural scene has flourished, some say eclipsing the city’s industrial past. Now, a controversial proposal to build the world’s largest methanol production facility at the Port of Tacoma has become a lightning rod for a city at a crossroads. Proponents say it will bring tax revenue and more blue-collar jobs to a city that has seen that sector shrink in recent years. And they say the plant is better for the environment than current methanol operations elsewhere in the world because it would emit less carbon. Ashley Ahearn reports. (KUOW)

Ladner landfill becomes bald eagle haven
Albert Shamess thought he was accepting a job as director of waste management for the City of Vancouver in 2012. He didn’t know he was also becoming manager of Canada’s most prolific, if unconventional, bird habitat. “It’s pretty interesting, not what you normally think of for a landfill,” he says while taking The Vancouver Sun on a safari-style tour through the city’s 225-hectare garbage dump at Burns Bog in Ladner. Eagles are visible for as far as the eye can see, perched atop wooden fence posts like aboriginal totems, or side-by-side on the curved metal pipes that are part of the landfill’s methane gas collection system. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Blue herons, oil sheens and polluted urban waters: Puget Sound's biggest water quality challenge
 Water bodies across the nation are under steady assault from legacy pollutants, petroleum products, stormwater runoff and contaminants of all kinds. In this feature we take a tour of waterways in Seattle with the Puget Soundkeeper, a member of the global water keeper alliance, a grassroots movement devoted to protecting specific watersheds. Decades after the Clean Water Act was passed you may be surprised at some of the pollutants the Soundkeeper finds and the challenges in preserving water bodies for wildlife and future generations. Martha Baskin reports. (Green Acres Radio)

A deeper look into the Ballard Locks, where antique equipment rules
Christopher Dunagan blogs: "The Ballard Locks is a great place to visit, especially in the late summer and fall when the salmon are migrating into Lake Washington. I’ve been taking out-of-town friends and family there for years to observe the multitude of boats using the locks and to peer at salmon through windows of the fish ladder. I never thought much about all the mechanical equipment that keeps the locks functioning. But during a recent visit, I was taken to a darker and more dangerous side of the facility. I walked down a spiral iron staircase some 60 feet deep into an abandoned pumping plant. Rusty iron pipes and pumps were still in place, having been shut down three years ago out of concern that a pipe might burst while someone was down in the well…." (Watching Our Water Ways)

Now your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  240 AM PST FRI FEB 19 2016  

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON  

TODAY  E WIND RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT THIS MORNING. COMBINED SEAS  10 TO 13 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 12 SECONDS. RAIN.

TONIGHT  W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT LATE. WIND  WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 11 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS.

SAT  S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING E 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 15 FT AT 13 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO  13 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS MAINLY IN THE MORNING.

SAT NIGHT  E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT  AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W  SWELL 11 FT AT 13 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS.

SUN  E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT  13 SECONDS.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/18 Documentary sued, Colstrip plants, BC LNG, dye test, microbeads, Wings Over Water, whale watch

Beluga whales (Associated Press)

Vancouver Aquarium sues filmmaker over critical documentary
The Vancouver Aquarium is suing the maker of a critical documentary for alleged copyright violation. In a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the aquarium is seeking an injunction to remove Vancouver Aquarium Uncovered from YouTube, Vimeo and a website set up to stream the hour-long film. The documentary raises questions about keeping and breeding cetaceans in captivity. Jason Proctor reports. (CBC)

State Senate passes bill involving Montana’s Colstrip plants
A bill that would authorize the state’s largest utility to create a fund to pay for the eventual shutdown of two coal-powered electricity plants in Montana easily passed Washington state’s Senate on Wednesday. Senate Bill 6248, which is being closely watched in Montana, passed 42-7 and heads to the House for consideration. The bill was amended to remove any provisions calling for the closure of two older coal-fired plants in the company town of Colstrip, Mont. Nicholas Geranios reports. (Associated Press)

B.C. LNG investment will yield long-term profits says energy analyst
The B.C. government made the right decision putting their eggs in the LNG basket, because the move will yield long-term profits, says one energy analyst. The B.C. Liberals are putting $100 million of taxpayers' money into a LNG prosperity fund and say more money will be added when the LNG industry takes off in B.C. But the industry itself is warning that with oil prices falling the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Some economists, however, maintain the future is bright for the natural gas industry because of climate change agreements. (CBC)

Dye tests help find failing septic systems
With dozens of pollution sources including septic systems and livestock in the Samish River watershed, it’s not easy to pinpoint the origin of the fecal coliform bacteria found in the area. That hasn’t stopped Skagit County staff from continuing to scout out sources of the bacteria, which can indicate the presence of feces, and other potentially harmful bacteria. Sometimes that work lands staff in the lab, where they try to determine whether samples from streams in the watershed are contaminated. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Microbeads a macro problem says Vancouver environmental group
A Vancouver based environmental group is urging people in B.C. to participate in the federal government's move to ban microbeads from personal care products. Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic added to all manner personal and household products — toothpaste, moisturizer, body scrubs, cosmetics, laundry and dishwasher detergents. The problem is the tiny beads get washed down the drain by the tonnes on a daily basis,accumulating in the world's oceans, lakes and rivers, and increasingly finding their way into the food chain. (CBC)

Wings Over Water festival returning
One of the county’s most popular yearly events is returning once more to Blaine and Birch Bay. Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival will return for its 14th year March 11–13. The area is a popular destination for bird watchers, as Blaine and Birch Bay are a major stop on the Pacific Flyway, a busy migratory route for hundreds of bird species. The event kicks off in the Semiahmoo Resort ballroom on Friday, March 11, with a special exhibition of birding photography and artwork. This year’s featured artist is Bellingham artist Bev Connor, who draws and paints through her studio, Dreaming Otter Arts. The exhibition begins at 6 p.m. (Northern Lights)

In the Salish Sea, Whale Watchers Frequently Getting Too Close
Anyone who has been whale watching from a small boat or kayak appreciates the excitement that comes from getting up close and personal. To hear the whales breathing, feel the spray against your skin, and experience their thunderous breaches can feel almost spiritual…. In the US Pacific Northwest, getting too close to whales is against the law—regulations designed to spare whales from the disturbances they may experience elsewhere. Yet all too often, whale watchers don’t follow the rules. The Whale Museum created Soundwatch in 1993 to educate boaters and track violations of US federal and state regulations and best-practice guidelines by commercial and private whale watchers in Washington State’s San Juan Islands, where the big draw is an endangered population of 85 southern resident killer whales. Every summer, hundreds of thousands of tourists and locals sail out to predictably see the whales in Haro Strait, part of the Salish Sea shared with British Columbia. Last year, Soundwatch counted 1,635 infractions during 393 hours of observation during peak whale-watching season, from May to September. Canadian commercial operators were responsible for 19 percent of the incidents, and US commercial operators for 11 percent. The biggest culprits, although there are also more of them: private recreational boaters, accounting for 60 percent of the breaches. The remainder involved kayakers, aircraft, and government, research, and commercial fishing vessels. Larry Pynn reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Derelict boats removed from Saanich beaches
Saanich public works staff got down to serious business Tuesday, using an excavator to cut up a 40-tonne cement hulk despoiling the Cadboro Bay Park waterfront since Dec. 5. The hulk, which washed toward shore during a windstorm Dec. 5, was too heavy to haul away and its former live-aboard owner financially unable to pay for the costly cleanup. Municipal staff also cleared away a yellow sailboat that washed up at Gyro Park in the same storm. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  245 AM PST THU FEB 18 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE FRIDAY  NIGHT  

TODAY  E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT  13 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON TSTMS.

TONIGHT  E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT  12 SECONDS. SHOWERS.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/17 Seastar wasting, steelhead, Alaska toxins, sewer overflow, septic fees, coal investment

Ochre star (Katie Campbell/EarthFix)

Warm Waters Linked To Sea Star Wasting
During the height of the sea star die-offs in 2014, millions of stars up and down the West Coast were wasting away. At the same time, sea surface temperatures in the northeast Pacific Ocean were the warmest recorded in decades.  Scientists suspected a connection. Now in a study published Monday, scientists are confirming that warm temperatures played a part in what’s being called the single largest, most-geographically widespread marine disease that’s ever been recorded. Researchers analyzed logs from temperature sensors in Puget Sound and on the outer coast of Washington and compared them with extensive sea star monitoring data from surveys before, during and after the outbreaks. They found evidence that as water temperatures rose, so did the risk of starfish succumbing to the wasting disease. Katie Campbell reports. (EarthFix)

Groups sue feds over lack of steelhead recovery plan
Conservation groups are suing the federal government over what they describe as foot-dragging when it comes to recovering wild Puget Sound steelhead. In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Duvall-based Wild Fish Conservancy and other organizations accuse the National Marine Fisheries Service of failing to come up with a plan to recover the seagoing rainbow trout, which were listed as threatened in 2007. The complaint says the agency has delayed the recovery plan for eight years and doesn’t expect to have one until 2019. The groups say that without a plan, projects intended to improve steelhead habitat aren’t getting funded. Steelhead populations in the region have declined by about 97 percent since 1900. (Associated Press)

This could explain all those strange happenings in Alaska’s waters 
New research is shedding light on how far toxic algae blooms have spread in Alaska, and surprised scientists are saying this is just the beginning. A study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northwest fisheries center found domoic acid and saxitoxin – algae-produced neurotoxins that are deadly in high doses — in 13 marine mammal species across Alaska, including as far north as the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Researchers say the study is just the latest piece of evidence that warming ocean temperatures are allowing these blooms to stretch into Arctic ecosystems, threatening marine life and the communities who rely on the sea to survive. Ryan Schuessler reports. (Washington Post)

Anacortes sewer overflow causes health advisory
The state Department of Ecology has issued a health advisory for beaches near Cap Sante Park and marina after sewage overflowed Monday from the Anacortes Wastewater Treatment Plant. The wastewater treatment plant reported the overflow to Ecology on Monday afternoon, Ecology spokesman Larry Altose said. The Skagit County Health Department collected water samples Tuesday to check fecal bacteria levels. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

King County looks to charge septic system owners
King County's Board of Health will begin discussions this week to tackle the issue of un-monitored septic systems, of which there are thousands in the region. Darrell Rodgers with King County Public Health said 192 of the area's rivers, streams and other waterways have some form of pollution connected to untreated contamination that gets into the groundwater from septic systems. John Langeler reports. (KING)

With coal prices in steep slide, even once bullish analyst sees risky investment
Coal-export terminals proposed at Cherry Point in Whatcom County and in Longview, Cowlitz County, are irrelevant because Asian coal markets are so weak, according to an industry analyst who has offered some of the industry’s most bullish forecasts. The Feb. 10 report was written by Andy Roberts, an analyst at Wood Mackenzie, who less than three years ago was boosting the long-term prospects of the Gateway Project proposed at Cherry Point in Whatcom County and the Millennium bulk terminal in Longview, Cowlitz County. Lynda Mapes and Hal Bernton report. (Seattle Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  249 AM PST WED FEB 17 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT  

TODAY  SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT  13 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 7 FT AT 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.  SHOWERS.

TONIGHT  SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT  AT 12 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/16 Sea wolf, mussels, Vic sewer overflow, Rubio's Vancouver, Skagit SMP, NW power, fish and fat

Sea wolf (PHOTO: Ian McAllister/Vancouver Sun)

B.C. photographer’s shot of sea wolf named one of National Geographic’s favourites of 2015
Ian McAllister — photographer, environmentalist and scuba diver — was busy documenting the seasonal herring spawn on B.C.’s central coast when he spotted a couple of wolves on the shoreline north of Bella Bella. Wearing a dry suit in the cold clear waters, he swam towards the predators and positioned his Nikon D4 camera with underwater housing to obtain a split image of sea and sky. As McAllister emerged all black and slippery at the surface, the wolves immediately thought dinner — and not those little eggs squeezed from a female herring…. The photograph has earned McAllister a coveted spot among National Geographic’s favourite 20 photos of 2015. The image also appeared in the magazine’s October 2015 feature, In Search of the Elusive Sea Wolf Along Canada’s Rugged Coast. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Puget Sound's health filters through mussels
It's so dark that Maradel Gale and her team of Bainbridge Beach Naturalists don't see Manzanita Bay until their boots squish into its low tidelands. With only a few house lights along its rim and no sounds but lapping waves, the bay doesn't seem like the best place to be poking around for pollution. But for Gale, the proof is in the mussels. She shines her headlamp on a few dozen black-shelled bivalves, neatly arrayed in mesh bags and locked in a steel cage. She placed the farm-raised mussels here three months ago to soak, and now it's time to send them to the lab. Tristan Baurick reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Heavy rain prompts health advisories at capital’s outfalls
Health advisory warnings were posted on local beaches around outfalls throughout Greater Victoria on Monday morning as stormwater and sewage overflowed into the ocean due to heavy rain. The affected areas extended from Finnerty Cove near Queenswood Drive in Saanich to Clover Point on Dallas Road in Victoria, and McLoughlin Point, east of Saxe Point, in Esquimalt. The sewage is some areas is unscreened and there’s the potential for “floatables” including plastics washing up on local beaches, said Ted Robbins, general manager for CRD integrated water services The Capital Regional District posted the signs between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and issued a public service announcement advising residents to avoid wading in the waters along these shorelines, “as the wastewater may pose a health risk.” Cindy Harnett reports. (Times Colonist)

Marco Rubio team accidentally slips Vancouver into Republican leadership campaign ad 
Marco Rubio, currently running third in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, must be hoping that scenic Vancouver can give him a push past frontrunners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. The Florida senator’s latest campaign ad, titled Morning Again in America, opens with three seconds of beautiful stock footage featuring our skyline and harbour. “It’s morning again in America,” says the narrator as a tugboat zips through the water in front of familiar Vancouver landmarks like the Harbour Centre, One Wall Centre and Port Metro Vancouver cranes. It’s unmistakably Vancouver. (Postmedia News)

County to update Shoreline Master Program
Skagit County is accepting public comment on a proposed update to the Shoreline Master Program, which sets rules for development in shoreline areas. Skagit County Planning and Development Services will take written comments on the draft update until 4:30 p.m. April 4. The Skagit County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. March 15. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Conservation, not new plants, can meet most NW power needs, council says
The electricity needs of Northwest states can be met in the next 20 years mostly through conservation efforts, with little need to construct new power plants, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council predicted. The Portland-based council recently issued its 20-year plan for meeting the energy needs of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana…. However, some utilities might have to build new power plants to help integrate inconsistent natural resources such as wind power into the grid, the council said. Nicholas Geranios reports. (Associated Press)

In pregnancy, eating too much fish can raise a child’s obesity risk, study says
Newborns whose mothers ate fish more than three times a week during pregnancy grew faster in their first two years of life and were more likely to be overweight or obese at 4 and 6 years old than were babies born to mothers who ate little to no fish during pregnancy, a new study says. In a large study conducted across several countries, researchers found that the weight-related effects of a mother’s high fish consumption was more pronounced when the offspring was female. Researchers suggested two explanations for their finding: that the Omega-3 fatty acids found plentifully in fish might predispose fetal stem cells to differentiate into fat cells, or that pollutants found in fish disrupt fetal hormones related to metabolism and prompt greater fat storage. But they acknowledged that the possibility that contaminants are to blame for the effect is “speculative,” since the study’s authors had no measure of the persistent organic pollutants in the fish the women ate. (Tribune News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  259 AM PST TUE FEB 16 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE  TONIGHT  

TODAY  SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES  1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

TONIGHT  E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT 14 SECONDS. RAIN  LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/15 Elwha, methanol, BC LNG, octo nooky, Jericho land, herring, Vic boats, RR rules, war training, US monuments

Elwha River (Steve Ringman/Seattle Times)

Elwha: Roaring back to life
The Elwha watershed is booming with new life, after the world’s largest dam removal. The first concrete went flying in September 2011, and Elwha Dam was out the following March. Glines Canyon Dam upriver tumbled for good in September 2014. Today the river roars through the tight rock canyon once plugged by Elwha Dam, and surges past the bald, rocky hill where the powerhouse stood. The hum of the generators is replaced by the river singing in full voice, shrugging off a century of confinement like it never happened. Nature’s resurgence is visible everywhere. Lynda Mapes reports, Steve Ringman photographs and videos. (Seattle Times)

Tacoma reschedules meeting on proposed methanol plant
The city of Tacoma, anticipating another large crowd wanting to comment on a contentious proposal to build a methanol plant on the Tideflats, has rescheduled Tuesday’s meeting and moved it to a larger venue. Originally booked for a 200-seat space at Meeker Middle School, the meeting now will be Feb. 24 at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Province to set up prosperity fund despite LNG delays
The B.C. government will announce the creation of its long-awaited liquefied natural gas prosperity fund in Tuesday's budget, and kick-start the account with a deposit of up to $100 million, The Vancouver Sun has learned. British Columbia Premier Christy Clark’s remarks at a recent B.C. Liberal fundraiser included that despite all the setbacks, B.C. was not ready to ‘wave the white flag’ on LNG. Rob Shaw reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Seattle Aquarium cancels octopus sex act due to cannibalism concerns
The octopus at the Seattle Aquarium won't be getting any love this Valentine's Day. Each Valentine's Day the Aquarium invites people to watch the sea creatures mate, but this year the chance to watch some 8-armed nooky has been called off. Aquarium staff say they're afraid that their male octopus - a 70-pound cephalopod named Kong - is too big for the females who are 30 to 40 pounds, and he may eat them. So much for romance! Instead of mating, Kong will be released back into the Puget Sound Monday at noon. (KOMO)

3 B.C. First Nations plan to buy Jericho land parcel
Three B.C. First Nations have announced their intention to purchase a 38.8-acre parcel of land in West Point Grey, the province announced Friday. A letter of intent has been signed by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, which permits them to begin working with their communities to come to an agreement with the government. The land in question is a provincial Crown land parcel, which is located next to the existing federal Jericho lands. (CBC)

Herring saviours wrap toxic dock pilings to increase spawn
Herring are getting a little help in False Creek, south of Vancouver's downtown peninsula, where conservationists say creosote-treated pilings have wreaked havoc with hatchlings. "The herring are not intelligent enough to realize that creosote pilings are deadly toxic," said Jonn Matsen of Squamish Streamkeepers Society. "They see a nice clean smooth surface and lay their eggs on there ...virtually all of them die." Matsen has had success with rejuvenating herring stock in Howe Sound and hopes to do the same for the False Creek population. (CBC)

Victoria hopes to turf Gorge boats by fall
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps has unveiled the city’s plans to rid the Gorge Waterway of derelict and abandoned vessels. The city hopes to clear the Gorge Waterway of floating wharves and vessels by September, but it requires changes to zoning regulations. Helps revealed the plan to about 100 people during a public meeting in Vic West on Friday. Many of them said they supported the plan. But Mike Taylor, who said he has three boats in the area, was not impressed. Cindy Harnett reports. (Times Colonist)

Washington asks if railroads could afford $700M oil train spill
Railroads that haul oil trains through Washington state will need to report whether they could afford around $700 million to pay for a derailment and spill, under a recently finalized state rule. As announced Feb. 9, the requirement is one of three oil train safety rules the state Utilities and Transportation Commission crafted as required under legislation that state lawmakers passed in 2015. The new rules… take effect March 11. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

On all fronts: Army and Navy forge ahead with training plans for Northwest forests despite loud opposition
…. A review of a decade’s worth of special use permits shows federal and state officials have a long tradition of granting military requests to use public forests for unusual training events. Usually, no one notices. But that run of uncontested training is coming to an end as the military simultaneously pursues three high-profile requests to use land for events that have the potential to put much more hardware on the ground in remote places. Adam Ashton reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

With 3 California Sites, Obama Nearly Doubles Public Land He’s Protected
President Obama on Friday designated three new national monuments in the California desert, a 1.8-million-acre landscape of mountain ranges, lava flows, Joshua trees and sand dunes that nearly doubles the amount of public land he has protected as president. The designations were a project of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California. She asked Mr. Obama last summer to use his powers under the Antiquities Act, a 110-year-old law, to create the monuments after legislation to protect the lands was thwarted by feuding between environmentalists, mining companies and hunters. Mark Landler and Julie Turkewitz report. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PST MON FEB 15 2016  

TODAY  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN.

TONIGHT  SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER  MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN.

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