10/14 Bella Bella oil spill, orcas & coho, birds & I-732, foreign fisherman rule

Bob Dylan (Michael Ochs/Getty/New Yorker)

Let’s Celebrate the Bob Dylan Nobel Win
God is a colossal joker, isn’t She? We went to bed last night having learned that the Man Who Will Not Go Away was, according to the Times, no mere purveyor of “locker-room talk”; no, he has been, in fact, true to his own boasts, a man of vile action. The Times report  was the latest detail, the latest brushstroke, in the ever-darkening portrait of an American grotesque. Then came the news, early this morning, that Bob Dylan, one of the best among us, a glory of the country and of the language, had won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Ring them bells! What an astonishing and unambiguously wonderful thing! David Remick reports. (The New Yorker)

Petroleum barge runs aground near Bella Bella on Canada’s west coast
The grounding of a petroleum barge near Bella Bella has local indigenous groups and activists concerned about the impact on marine food sources and the future of tanker traffic along the B.C. coast. The tug Nathan E. Stewart and barge DBL 55, owned by the Texas-based Kirby Corporation, ran aground at Edge Reef in Seaforth Channel just after 1 a.m. Thursday. The articulated tug-barge combo was on its way back to Vancouver from Alaska at the time and the 287-foot fuel barge was empty, but the tug quickly began leaking diesel into the water. The tug had about 50,000 gallons of diesel at the beginning of its trip. Seven crew members were on board, but no one was injured. Bethany Lindsay reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: Clam beds at risk after sinking tug spills fuel near Bella Bella, says local First Nation  Megan Thomas reports. (CBC) If you like to watch: 10,000 Ton Texas Tanker traveling the B.C. Coast  The Nathan E. Stewart/DBL 54 is an articulated tug/barge" (ATB) and is owned by the Texas-based Kirby Corporation, which is one of the largest petroleum product ATB operators in the USA. It travels back and forth up the B.C. Inside Passage by “special waiver" which exempts it from Transport Canada shipping regulations.  Ingmar Lee and Pacific Wild report.

Orcas starting to follow chum salmon into Central Puget Sound
Chum salmon are beginning to make their way into Central and South Puget Sound, which means the orcas are likely to follow. Given this year’s dismal reports of chinook salmon in the San Juan Islands, we can hope that a decent number of chum traveling to streams farther south will keep the killer whales occupied through the fall. But anything can happen. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Birds, birds, birds and the threat they can't escape
Birds exist everywhere we do, so it's little wonder that they have been important to human culture from time immemorial. Their songs thrill along with their incredible display of speed and strength.  Audubon has been dedicated to ensuring their survival since it was  founded in 1905. From its work in stopping the sale of feathers of native birds for the fashion industry, to the ban of DDT in 1972,  the organization has been on the front lines of conservation and grassroots advocacy. In this bird rich radio feature, we take a look at Audubon's work in Washington state and why they support I-732, the carbon tax. Martha Baskin reports. (Green Acre Radio)

State agency opposes rule change for foreign fishermen
A group of Hawaii residents want to change local rules for issuing commercial fishing licenses and make the process more transparent after an Associated Press investigation found that hundreds of undocumented fishermen work in the fleet. A federal loophole allows the foreign men to work but exempts them from most basic labor protections, and some residents are concerned that state rules offer little transparency and leave workers in the dark….The petition asks for rule changes that include certifying that license applicants understand and have read the paperwork they are signing, but a state agency recommends the changes not be implemented. The foreign fishermen who work in the fleet often do not read, write or understand English and therefore cannot legitimately agree to terms of the license, petitioners said Wednesday. In a document signed by Bruce Anderson, the administrator for the Division of Aquatic Resources, the department recommends denying the rule changes because the petition focuses on labor issues that are outside the department’s jurisdiction. (Associated Press)

Now, your thank-goodness-for-tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  258 AM PDT FRI OCT 14 2016  

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING  THROUGH THIS EVENING  
TODAY  S WIND 25 TO 35 KT...BECOMING SW 20 TO 30 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. COMBINED SEAS 12 TO 14 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF  15 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 16 TO 17 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF  11 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.
TONIGHT  SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING S TO 10 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER  MIDNIGHT. SW SWELL 19 FT AT 13 SECONDS...BECOMING W AT 13 SECONDS  AFTER MIDNIGHT. SHOWERS.
SAT  SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E 30 TO 40 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. COMBINED SEAS 10 TO 12 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF  14 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE  AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT  E WIND 40 TO 50 KT...BECOMING SW 15 TO 25 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 10 TO 13 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF  14 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 TO 10 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF  13 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SUN  S WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

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