11/2 Site C dam, Sound woes, green port, Rayonier cleanup, plastic, cutthroat, pink scallop, Pier into Night

Calanoid copepod [Peter J. Bryant]

Calanoid copepods
Found in great number in the plankton; extremely important to the open water (pelagic) food web. Grazes on diatoms and other single-celled algae. Often found with egg clusters attached to tails. 1/10 inch long. (Marine Wildlife of Puget Sound, the San Juans and the Strait of Georgia)

Site C dam project not on time or on budget, says regulator
B.C.’s independent power regulator released its highly anticipated report into the Site C dam project Wednesday, concluding the megaproject is neither on time nor on budget and poses a significant financial risk to the province. “The BCUC is not persuaded that the Site C project will remain on schedule for a November 2024 in-service date,” read the report, released Wednesday morning. “The panel also finds that the project is not within the proposed budget of $8.335 billion. Currently, completion costs may be in excess of $10 billion.” Rob Shaw report. (Vancouver Sun)

Puget Sound recovery far off, says new report
The Puget Sound Partnership’s 2017 “State of the Sound” report was released Wednesday, and it is filled with harsh reality checks about everything from the condition of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) to stormwater run-off. The overarching message is that the 10-year Partnership admits it will not meet its goal of recovering the ecosystem by 2020. “Despite the efforts of so many, it is time to admit that we will not recover Puget Sound to good health by 2020 – the goal that was set 10 years ago when the Partnership was created,” the document reads. “While we have appropriately focused much on restoration projects, we have not focused enough on programs designed to protect what we have.” Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

Port of Seattle takes steps to get greener
The Port of Seattle is putting solar panels on a Fishermen’s Terminal net-shed as part of a broader push to boost the green credentials of waterfront and airport operations. Those efforts are outlined in an “energy and sustainability” directive that the five Port commissioners unanimously approved last week. The measure calls for more renewable energy as well as stepping up scrutiny of the environmental impact of new projects. The goal is to become the greenest, most energy-efficient Port in the nation, as well as carbon neutral. Greening up the Port has been championed by Fred Felleman, an environmental consultant elected to the commission two years ago in the aftermath of Royal Dutch Shell’s controversial use of a Port terminal as a base for offshore Arctic oil exploration. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Port Angeles Harbor cleanup completion target now stands at 2029-32
The environmental cleanup of Port Angeles Harbor’s polluted sediment west of the former Rayonier Pulp Mill site might not be completed until at least 2029, more than three decades after the plant shut down, and could take until 2032, Port of Port Angeles and state Department of Ecology officials said this week. North Olympic Peninsula residents have been waiting since 1997, when the mill shut down, for the 75-acre waterfront site, owned by Jacksonville, Fla.-based Rayonier Advanced Materials, also known as Rayonier AM, to be ready for some kind of development. Port Executive Director Karen Goschen outlined the new timeline  this week. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Researchers gather to curb global plastic pollution crisis
Humans have produced as much as 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic — and it doesn't always and up in the landfill.  Studies suggest four to 12 million tonnes of plastic are dumped in the ocean every year, leading many researches to refer to the pollution as an ecological crisis. "After climate change, this is the biggest global problem to mankind," said Mats Linder, a project manager at the U.K.-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation. "The urgency cannot be understated." Linder was one of dozens of researchers and stakeholders summoned to Metro Vancouver's annual Zero Waste Conference, which brings leaders from across the world to share ideas and discuss solutions to the global waste problem. Jon Hernandez reports.

Shore fishing Puget Sound and Hood Canal for 'harvest trout,' aka cutthroat 
It may not be as famous as salmon or steelhead, but the elusive seagoing cutthroat trout has a growing cheering squad among anglers in the Puget Sound region. Every coastal cutthroat is a wild fish from a native species that has lived in Pacific Northwest waters for eons. Because they’re not harvested commercially, the trout have gotten less attention from government agencies, and less is known about them compared to other species. The fish live in saltwater much of the time — the only cutthroat trout to do so — but wriggle into freshwater streams to spawn. They look similar to inland cutthroats, with the classic red gill slashes that give them their name, but their backs are a pretty silver rather than olive green. Christy Karras reports. (Seattle Times)

Harbor Wildwatch’s Pier into the Night program returns for its 8th year
For those looking for something fun to do during the cold weather months, exploring underwater sea animals at night may not sound too appealing. But then there’s Harbor WildWatch’s Pier into the Night program. Now in its eighth year, it’s a kid-friendly show that spotlights sea animals found in Puget Sound, particularly those that become active at night. And, anyone can participate without setting a single toe in the water. Families are invited to bring a chair to Jerisich Public Dock in Skansie Brothers Park in downtown Gig Harbor. Then get ready to settle in and enjoy a show where half the fun is not knowing what’s going to show up. Mary Morrison reports. (News Tribune of Tacoma)

The beloved pink scallop resurfaces — deliciously
… Nick and Sarah Jones run Jones Family Farms, where they raise grass-fed, free-range livestock, and cultivate oysters, clams and mussels in a three-acre tidal lagoon along Shoal Bay. These are not people who shy away from a challenge, so when Nick first heard about a nearly forgotten local shellfish called pink scallops, he became obsessed with the idea of bringing them back to market. More formally known as Chlamys rubida, and sometimes called singing scallops or singers because of the way they open and close while moving through the water, pink scallops flourish in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf islands. Tightened regulation, coupled with the challenges of harvesting and transporting these fragile bivalves, which can survive out of water for only 48 hours, led to their disappearance from markets and menus for two decades. Providence Cicero reports. (Seattle Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PDT Thu Nov 2 2017  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING  THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON  
TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming NE 20 to 30 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft building to 3 to 5 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 6 ft at 12 seconds. Showers.
TONIGHT  NE wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell  8 ft at 11 seconds subsiding to 6 ft at 11 seconds after  midnight. A chance of showers in the evening then a slight chance  of showers after midnight.

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