4/6 English Bay spill, cetacean ban, enviro assessments, chlorpyrifos, fish council, Dick Goin, Ballard fish ladder

Tree Pollen
Tree pollens that trigger allergies tend to be very fine and powdery. The wind can carry them for miles. Inhaling even small amounts can trigger allergy symptoms. People with tree pollen allergies sometimes assume that trees with colorful flowers -- like apple or cherry trees -- will trigger their symptoms. But flowering trees usually have bigger, stickier pollen that doesn't blow in the wind or cause symptoms. Trees that often set off allergies include Ash, Aspen, Beech, Birch, Box elder, Cedar, Cottonwood, Elm, Hickory, Mountain elder, Mulberry, Oak, Pecan and Willow. (WebMD)

Ship company accused of English Bay spill fails to show in B.C. court
A company accused of operating a ship that leaked bunker fuel into Vancouver’s English Bay in April 2015 failed to appear in B.C. provincial court to face charges linked to the spill. The MV Marathassa and Alassia NewShips Management Inc., a firm based in Greece, were due in court Wednesday on 10 charges, including discharge of a pollutant, but only a lawyer for the shipping company appeared. The spill of at least 2,700 litres of bunker fuel in English Bay and the ensuing miscommunications among Canadian authorities and delays in clean-up raised questions about Canada’s preparedness for oil spills. (Canadian Press)

Cetacean scientists say aquarium decision 'banning research' crucial to endangered animals
Scientists say the Park Board's decision to ban cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium has far-reaching implications for research on endangered marine mammals in B.C. Andrew Trites, the director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, called the decision "short-sighted." A lot of research can be done in the wild, he said, but certain research necessary to cetacean conservation can only be conducted with animals under controlled conditions. Jack Hauen reports. (CBC)

Short timelines for environmental assessments not working, says expert panel
An expert panel says the "one size fits all" approach to environmental assessments and limiting the number of people who can talk at hearings into big projects isn't working. The new report by the expert panel reviewing federal environmental assessment processes recommends that time limits to assess major projects should reflect the specific circumstances of each project instead being forced to meet a set time frame.  The four-person panel was set up by Environment Minister Catherine McKenna last August. Its mandate was to look at why environmental assessments in Canada are not working and to suggest changes. The chair of the panel, Johanne Gélinas, said the panel found few people are stridently against the development of projects, but they want more respect and involvement. Margo McDiarmid reports. (CBC)

EPA Won't Ban Pesticide That's Widely Used In Northwest Orchards
The Environmental Protection Agency has said they will not ban an insecticide widely used on farms and orchards, including in Washington state. This comes after recommendations from EPA scientists last year to ban the chemical in question, a pesticide called chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos was banned years ago for use in most household products. In recent years, environmental groups have been petitioning to have it removed from agricultural use too. They say it can harm children. Kate Walters reports. (KUOW)

Fishing-industry groups blast Inslee over his picks for federal council
Gov. Jay Inslee’s handling of nominations for a federal fishery-council seat has come under attack from the leaders of major North Pacific fishing-industry groups, which have taken the unusual step of sending a complaint letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Industry officials criticize Inslee for bucking the recommendations of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to come up with three nominees for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Instead, the governor made some of his own picks in what they say was a flawed process that denied most of the industry meaningful input. In their letter sent Tuesday, they asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to reject Inslee’s nominations and called for the governor to come up with some new names for a seat on the council. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Portrait of fish activist Dick Goin to be screened in Port Angeles
“The Memory of Fish,” a portrait of the late Dick Goin, will be screened at two locations at 7 p.m. Friday and will be introduced during Studium Generale at 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The documentary of the life of Goin — a pulp mill worker and master fisherman who used his memories and persistence to battle for removal of the two dams on the Elwha River to allow salmon access to a wild river — will be shown at the Little Theater and Maier Performance Hall, both on Peninsula College’s Port Angeles campus at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. Admission will be $5 to the film, sponsored by the Magic of Cinema program. (Peninsula Daily News)

$400,000 grant awarded for Fish Ladder improvements at Ballard Locks
Improvements are coming to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks Fish Ladder thanks to a $400,000 grant awarded to Discover Your Northwest and The Corps Foundation. The grant was presented to Corps and Discover Your Northwest representatives April 4 at the Ballard Locks. The funds are to be used to renovate and update exhibits for the Fish Ladder exhibit and viewing area. Shane Harms reports. (Ballard News Tribune)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  504 AM PDT THU APR 6 2017  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT TODAY
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT FROM NOON  PDT TODAY THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON  
TODAY  E WIND 15 TO 25 KT BECOMING SW TO 10 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS IN THE  AFTERNOON. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING THEN  SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT  W WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING E 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W  SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS SUBSIDING TO 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS AFTER  MIDNIGHT. RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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