11/29 Chum, WA oil port, BC oil & gas, Keystone, tree swallows, net pen ban, Bellingham ocean

Chum salmon [WDFW/Steve Schroeder]

Puget Sound Chum Salmon
Chum (dog) salmon are distributed throughout the river systems of the Puget Sound region, which includes the streams of north and south Puget Sound, Hood Canal, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This region's chum stocks have been grouped into three run timings; summer (spawning in September and October), fall (spawning in November and December), and winter (spawning in January and February). The fall run is the largest segment of overall chum returns; typically making up 90% of the annual total number of chum salmon returning to Puget Sound. The summer and fall runs, although smaller, provide genetic diversity for the species and allow chum salmon to utilize a broad range of habitat types. Over the last three decades, the chum salmon populations of Puget Sound have increased to the point that they are now the most abundant salmon species in the region. (WDFW)

Washington Commission Turns Down Oil Terminal In Vancouver
The state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council voted unanimously Tuesday to turn down a controversial oil terminal planned for Vancouver, Washington. The council’s decision to not recommend the project is another key blow against the massive oil-by-rail facility proposed by Vancouver Energy. It’s also one of the last steps in a years-long permitting process to develop the oil terminal. The ultimate decision on whether the project goes forward will be up to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. Molly Solomon reports. (OPB/EarthFix)

B.C. the worst destination in Canada for oil and gas investors: survey
A handful of years ago, British Columbia’s immense natural gas deposits caught the attention of top global investors eager to produce them and export liquefied natural gas to Asia. Now they’d rather put their cash almost anywhere else. According to the Fraser Institute’s Global Petroleum Survey 2017, oil and gas investor perception of British Columbia has plummeted since the election of an NDP/Green government last May and the province now ranks as the least attractive jurisdiction in Canada, followed by Alberta. Claudia Cattaneo reports. (Financial Post)

TransCanada to restart Keystone pipeline on Tuesday
 The Keystone crude oil pipeline will restart at reduced pressure on Tuesday, TransCanada Corp (TRP.TO) said, nearly two weeks after closing the line after it leaked 5,000 barrels of crude in rural South Dakota. Calgary-based TransCanada shut down the 590,000 barrel-per-day pipeline, one of Canada’s main crude export routes linking Alberta’s oil fields to U.S. refineries, on Nov. 16. The company is still cleaning up the spill and investigating the cause. Nia Williams reports. (Reuters)

Ecologists at Stanley Park call on public to build nest boxes, help save tree swallows
Some bird populations in Metro Vancouver are at risk of disappearing and a local ecology group in Stanley Park is asking the public to step in and help save them. The Stanley Park Ecology Society is holding a nest box building workshop on Tuesday as part of a Giving Tuesday initiative to encourage people to give time or money. The nest boxes house the park's tree swallows, a species under threat because of declining habitats and food sources. Clare Hennig reports. (CBC)

King County Executive Dow Constantine proposes Atlantic salmon net-pen ban
King County Executive Dow Constantine is calling for a six-month moratorium on Atlantic salmon net-pen aquaculture along the shores of unincorporated King County. Constantine said he is proposing the ban to the Metropolitan King County Council because of the spill at Cooke Aquaculture’s salmon net pen at Cypress Island last August, unleashing invasive, non-native Atlantic salmon in Puget Sound. More than 105,000 of the 8-10-pound fish were never captured, and were reported by fishermen all over Puget Sound and beyond. By now the fish are presumed dead.  But concerns about the long-term effect of the spill remain. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Is Bellingham on an ocean or a bay? There’s a wave of disagreement
A recent Bellingham Herald story about a TV program showed there’s a tidal wave of discord over the proper term for that place where land meets water in Whatcom County. A promo for the Nov. 19 episode of HGTV’s “Beach Hunters” was titled “Washington Coast House Hunt” and said the prospective buyer “wants a house with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.” Some assert the word “coast” means only that part of the Evergreen State’s beachfront that faces the open ocean – not the Strait of Juan de Fuca, not Puget Sound, and certainly not Bellingham Bay. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  253 AM PST Wed Nov 29 2017  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS  EVENING  
TODAY  S wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  14 ft at 17 seconds. A chance of showers.
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft rising to 2 to 4 ft. W swell 12 ft at 15  seconds. Rain likely in the evening then rain after midnight.

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