3/15 Coho, Stilly Tribe, 'Slow Fish,' Murray River coal

Officials consider drastic step to boost coho: no fishing this year
Alarmed by dwindling coho runs hammered by poor ocean conditions, state and tribal fish managers are proposing shutting down the recreational and commercial coho and chinook fishery in the ocean for the 2016 season. A decision will be made by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) at its April meeting. The commission will consider a range of options, including a coastwide closure in Washington, proposed Sunday by state, tribal and federal fishery managers. The consideration is part of the annual season-setting process for the West Coast. Two options would permit some salmon fishing this year, but one would close all recreational and commercial ocean fisheries for chinook and coho. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Stillaguamish Tribe: Way of life threatened by dwindling salmon runs
Shawn Yanity remembers learning to fish with his uncle on the Stillaguamish River. It was more than three decades ago, and his uncle shared a dire warning. “As soon as we lose the salmon, this is a dead river,” his uncle said.Now Yanity, chairman and fisheries manager for the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, is afraid the river is dying.The number of salmon that returned to the Stillaguamish last year and the forecast for how many are expected to return this year are dismal, compared to past tallies. Chinook, coho, pink and chum salmon all had poor returns in 2015, according to the state Department of Fish & Wildlife. Biologists expect that 2016 returns also will be low. Kari Bray reports. (Everett Herald)

Can 'Slow Fish' Help Save America's Small-Scale Fishermen?
You can't find a more intimate relationship between humans, food and nature than fishing, says Michele Mesmain, international coordinator of Slow Fish, a seafood spinoff of the Italy-based Slow Food movement. Think of all the thousands of boats at sea, catching wild creatures to haul back to shore and eat. "It's our last source of widely eaten, truly wild food," she says. Held every odd-numbered year in Genoa, Slow Fish attracts about 50,000 chefs, fishers, scholars, activists and eaters to promote small-scale fishing, marine biodiversity, cooking and eating neglected seafood species. This year, organizers added a U.S. event — in New Orleans — to highlight fisheries in the Americas and threats to Louisiana's vanishing independent fishermen. Eve Troeh reports. (NPR)

HD Mining’s contentious Murray River coal project put on hold
A B.C. coal project that generated controversy over its plans to hire temporary foreign workers is being mothballed at least temporarily, with future operations hinging on test drilling results, environmental approvals and market conditions. That means the 51 temporary foreign workers hired for HD Mining’s Murray River project over the past couple of years have left Tumbler Ridge and returned to China, marking the end of a journey that launched a federal court case and helped spur reforms to Canada’s temporary foreign worker program. Wendy Stueck reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT TUE MAR 15 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT  THROUGH TODAY  

TODAY  W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NE TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS IN THE AFTERNOON. W  SWELL 13 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.

TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF  SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.

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