7/15 Squidding, Vic sewer, poop snoop, Tacoma LNG, aquariums, dead seabirds, Stanley Park

(PHOTO: Peninsula Daily News)

Summertime and the squidding is a hot choice in Port Angeles
Summertime and the squidding, while not easy, is an available option for those hungering for some calimari. The squid are around in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and squid jiggers are catching them off Port Angeles’ City Pier in the midnight hour. You can’t keep a good squid down on the salt farm apparently, as some innate urge in their biology has them swimming toward the bright lights and big city atmosphere downtown. Michael Carman reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

New sewage panel getting up to speed, CRD told
A panel of experts is on track to have a business case for sewage treatment completed by the Sept. 30 deadline, Capital Regional District directors were told Wednesday. The new panel, called the Core Area Waste Water Treatment Project Board, has met three times since it was appointed in May, lawyer Jane Bird, the panel’s chairwoman, told CRD directors Wednesday. It expects to provide a business case for the recommended sewage option to the CRD board by mid-September. The board is in the process of reviewing, assessing and rating all treatment options and sites, including all public input gathered to date, Bird said in her first update to the board. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Poop-sniffing dog found traces of human waste in Whatcom water samples
A dog brought to Whatcom County to sniff out human “poo”-llution in area waterways found it in the majority of water samples taken from 58 sites. Crush, the sewage-sniffing dog, detected the presence of fecal coliform bacteria from people in 67 percent of those sites, according to Erika Douglas, a senior planner for Whatcom County Public Works Department who oversees water-quality monitoring. The water samples went into bins. If Crush sniffed and stopped to lie down, that was a sign the water contained human waste. The dog also did field investigations in which she walked along 11 areas in the county — a stretch of ditch or culverts, or stream sections — and had at least one alert in each area, indicating the presence of waste from humans. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

LNG plant’s business plan raises concern with state utility watchers
Puget Sound Energy wants its proposed liquefied natural gas plant to be run by a wholly owned shell company as a way to sell the gas on the unregulated market, while also storing it under regulated utility terms. Critics fear the proposal puts customers at risk of subsidizing the facility through higher utility rates. The UTC and two utility consumer organizations, Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities and Northwest Industrial Gas Users, voiced their opposition for that very reason. More opinions are likely as the plan plays out. It’s a seemingly complex financial structure that is raising questions with the state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission, which is tasked with making sense of it while overseeing the emerging industry rather than just critics. The scheme adds to the roster of legal and safety questions surrounding the planned facility. (Tacoma Weekly)

Sea change for Sidney's aquarium
The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, formerly known as the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, underwent big change last year. Executive Director for the Centre Mark Loria brought the District of Central Saanich up to speed Monday night on their name change and mission change. As a not-for-profit organization, they rely on admission, sponsorship and donations to remain sustainable. With their new name, comes a lot of other changes. Carlie Connolly reports. (Peninsula News Review) See also: Point Defiance holds groundbreaking for new Pacific Seas Aquarium  Derek Shuck reports. (Tacoma Weekly)

Bird Studies Canada concerned about dead seabirds in Pacific Northwest
Researchers say a concerning number of dead sea birds have washed up in the Pacific Northwest. Bird Studies Canada, which monitors sea bird fatalities, says so far there have been 14 reports of dead rhinoceros auklets around the Victoria area and Washington State. "It's definitely more than we normally see, but it's still too early to tell if it is going to be a large die-off event," said program coordinator Karen Devitt. Sea birds are important indicators of ocean health, she said, adding that causes of large die-offs range from a prey shortage to plastic in the ocean.(CBC)

Stanley Park's watershed is getting a cleanup
The Stanley Park Ecology Society and HSBC Bank Canada are partnering to restore the health of Stanley Park's watershed. HSBC has committed $50,000 to support the society with their aquatic stewardship initiatives, which help preserve the aquatic ecosystems and wildlife habitats of at-risk wildlife species like wood ducks and swallows. This is the fifth year of the HSBC Freshwater Initiatives in Stanley Park program. Cory Correia reports. (CBC)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  304 AM PDT FRI JUL 15 2016  

TODAY  W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
SAT  SE WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES  1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF  SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SUN  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT...BECOMING 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL  4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

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