9/29 Elwha, hot Sound, Taylor Shellfish sued, BC LNG, Pt Townsend water, ghost pots, nets

Elwha nearshore 9/25/16 (Photo: Tom Roorda & CWI)

Elwha Nearshore 25 September 2016
Anne Shaffer of Coastal Watershed Institute writes: "The standout water clarity is gone now with the recent arrival of the first *small* fall swell. September is a truly a brilliant time in the Elwha."

One reader of yesterday's clip about the European green crab writes; "When I was a kid growing up in France I used to fish for green crab. We called them chevre (goat) because they were very fast and nimble.  More than once I got pinched by one.  Though there isn’t much meat in them, their flesh is very sweet." Another reader commented: "The image of the crab is identical to something I found in my cereal this AM.  My God, unless we are diligent (which we are not when it comes to purchasing the latest wide screen TV and swallowing the swill of the election season) you never know what will show up eh? As for biological security on salmon farms.  Very ironic isn't it.  They proceed willy/nilly without any biological security on the regional ecosystem and get off scott free -- whatever that means.  Economics "Trumpts" common sense."

Bad news for crabs and birds: Puget Sound hotter than ever
There has been a significant change in the waters in Puget Sound, according to a new NOAA Fisheries report. In 2015, the temperatures rose more than any other year in recorded history. Stephanie Moore: "New maximum records were set just about everywhere in Puget Sound in terms of water temperatures." Biological oceanographer Stephanie Moore headed up the 2015 report by NOAA Fisheries. She says across Puget Sound, shallow and deep water temperatures rose at a record pace above the 10 year mean. Most locations rose by 2 degrees Celsius. In southern Hood Canal it was even higher, 7 degrees. Paige Browning reports. (KUOW)

Taylor Shellfish sued for racial harassment at its Samish Island farm
One of the largest producers of shellfish in the country is being sued over claims it permitted ongoing racial harassment and retaliatory discipline against a black maintenance mechanic at its Samish Island farm. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a news release it filed the lawsuit against Taylor Shellfish Wednesday in U.S. District Court. The suit alleges Jeremy Daniels faced demeaning comments and stereotypes about his race from the first week of employment at the Taylor Shellfish Company’s Samish Bay Farm in Washington. (Associated Press)

Giant LNG project proposed for B.C. not yet a done deal - British Columbia
With the blessing of the Trudeau government, British Columbia is one step closer to having a giant liquefied natural gas project that promises to create thousands of construction jobs, bring billions of dollars in investment, and ship tonnes of B.C.'s natural gas to Asia. But there are still many hurdles to cross before the project can move forward.  Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC) See also: Federal environment minister defends approval of Pacific NorthWest LNG  (CBC)

Port Townsend drinking water free of toxins despite algae growth, officials say
Although recent tests on Port Townsend’s reservoirs have discovered they contain blue-green algae, which can create toxins, the water is safe for drinking, city officials said. City Manager David Timmons said Wednesday that results of tests for toxins, which arrived Sept. 20, showed levels lower than the minimum detection level. Cydney McFarland reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Divers clear lost crab pots from Puget Sound
Abandoned or lost crab pots are an annual environmental challenge, one that the Northwest [Straits] Foundation faced yet again Tuesday. Aboard a boat near Everett on a windy and choppy morning, computers guided divers to spots with derelict crab pots on the floor of Puget Sound. Northwest [Straits] Foundation estimates that about 12,000 crab pots are lost each year. Sometimes that number climbs to 14,000. The pots keep fishing after they've cut loose from holds. Crab continue to pile in but then run out of food and eventually die. Around 180,000 harvestable crabs are lost to derelict pots each year. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

Whales, Sea Turtles, Seals: The Unintended Catch Of Abandoned Fishing Gear
There are less than 500 North Atlantic right whales left in the world. And now, one less: This weekend, one of the 45-ton creatures was found dead off the coast of Maine, completely entangled in fishing line — head, flippers and all. This was not an isolated incident. In late June, an endangered blue whale wrapped in fishing gear was seen struggling off the coast of Dana Point in Southern California. Rescuers were unable to extricate it before it swam away. And earlier this month, rescuers unsuccessfully tried to free an entangled humpback whale near Newport. Spotters say they believe the humpback eventually found its way free of most of the gear, though they're unsure if there's anything still trapped in its mouth. While any kind of fishing gear can be lost or abandoned at sea, gillnets, crab pots and traps are the most common types that continue to "ghost fish" — entrapping marine animals like whales, seals, sea lions and sea turtles. Clare Leschin-Hoar reports. (NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  258 AM PDT THU SEP 29 2016  

TODAY  W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

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