9/12 Spotted owl, La Nada, BC sockeye, Elwha fish, chum & coho, paddle path, grn crab, Site C

Northern spotted owl (Vancouver Sun)

Wing and a prayer: northern spotted owls on the brink despite captive breeding program
He’s the $300,000 bird, a fluffy ball of feathers that represents a last faint hope for his species. His theoretical value represents the approximate annual budget of a provincial captive-breeding program for endangered northern spotted owls — one of Canada’s most endangered species — in north Langley that successfully produced just a single newborn this year. Nameless so far, the young male born in April shares its enclosure at the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Centre with grandparents, Shakkai, hit by a car and brought to a rehab centre in 1994, and Einstein, taken from the Stein Valley as a juvenile in 2007. The young bird is being raised by his grandparents, in part, because they are considered more experienced than its true parents, Shania and Scud, and offer the young a greater chance at survival. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Neutral Weather Pattern Sets Up 'Anything Goes' Northwest Winter
What kind of weather might the Northwest be in for this fall and winter? Well, one meaningful clue came when federal forecasters at the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center Thursday dropped their "La Niña Watch.” La Niña and its opposite, El Niño, are tropical climate patterns that can strongly influence snowfall and temperatures in the Pacific Northwest. La Niña is characterized by unusually cold surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. For much of this year, federal forecasters thought a mild La Niña was developing. But no longer. Kathie Dello, deputy director of the Oregon Climate Service at Oregon State University, said the outlook has now been dialed back to “ENSO neutral” in weather-speak -- or La Nada. Tom Banse reports. (KUOW)

What is the future of B.C.'s iconic fish?
Wild B.C. salmon may be on its way to luxury item status… That’s if you can buy it at all. The wild catch of B.C. salmon has declined nearly 80 per cent since 1990, according to statistics supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture. Aquaculture has replaced nearly all of that decline, and today produces about three quarters of B.C.’s total salmon haul. The Fraser River sockeye fishery was closed altogether this year based on spawner return estimates of just 853,000 fish, numbers once reckoned in the tens of millions. It is the worst return in 120 years, according to the Pacific Salmon Commission. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Olympic National Park: Fish continue to recolonize Elwha watershed 
Adult chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, steelhead and bull trout were spotted in the upper Elwha River last month, the latest evidence of post-dam removal recolonization, fisheries biologists said. Recent monitoring has revealed that the fish have passed upstream through the former Elwha and Glines Canyon dam sites, Olympic National Park officials said. The observation is based on snorkel surveys that spotted fish but did not show the numbers that are swimming above the former dam sites. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

A difference between chum and coho salmon may be in their blood
Chris Dunagan in Watching Our Water Ways writes about the latest research into why coho salmon are more susceptible to stormwater pollution than chum salmon. In an interview with researcher Jenifer McIntyre, he writes: "Researchers in Japan have discovered that different kinds of fish have different subunits in their hemoglobin, which are the proteins in red blood cells that carry oxygen to the vital organs. Since coho and other salmon may have different forms of hemoglobin, oxygen transport in the blood is a good place to start this investigation, she said."

Paddle corridor planned for Salish Sea
Work is underway on a water route that will connect Vancouver Island and the mainland. The Salish Sea Marine Trail will provide official access points to the ocean to make the coastline more accessible. It will also tie together a network of camping sites that are within a day's paddle from each other…. The 257-kilometre route will go from Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula into the Gulf Islands, north past Nanaimo, through the Winchelsea and Ballenas islands across to Lasqueti and Texada Islands, then down the Sunshine Coast and across Howe Sound to end at Horseshoe Bay. Megan Thomas reports. (CBC)

Sea Grant Monitors In High Gear After Invasive Green Crab Found On San Juan Island
This week, scientists are scouring shoreline habitat near Westcott Bay on San Juan Island, hunting for green crabs. The Washington Sea Grant Crab Team, with help from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, will set dozens of traps in an effort to learn more about the population of the invasive species. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Why B.C.'s Site C dam could become a national issue
For the last week, a large bus with the slogan "Stand with First Nations to protect the Peace River" on its sides has been making its way across Canada. A federal judge will hear an appeal from two northeastern B.C. First Nations groups in Montreal on Monday about the $8.8 billion dam known as Site C. The Treaty 8 First Nations want construction to stop on the Site C dam site, saying it infringes on their traditional hunting, fishing and trapping rights…. But 21 months after it was approved by the province of British Columbia, Site C opponents believe the fight is now at a tipping point. Justin McElroy, CBC

Federal government halts work on part of pipeline project
The federal government stepped into the fight over the Dakota Access oil pipeline Friday, ordering work to stop on one segment of the project in North Dakota and asking the Texas-based company building it to “voluntarily pause” action on a wider span that an American Indian tribe says holds sacred artifacts. The government’s order came minutes after a judge rejected a request by the Standing Rock Sioux to halt construction of the $3.8 billion, four-state pipeline. The tribe, whose cause has drawn thousands to join their protest, has challenged the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant permits for the pipeline at more than 200 water crossings. Tribal leaders allege that the project violates several federal laws and will harm water supplies. The tribe also says ancient sites have been disturbed during construction. Dave Kolpack and James MacPherson report. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT MON SEP 12 2016  

TODAY  E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES  1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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