11/8 Oystercatcher, fossil fuel votes, salmon recovery, algal bloom, plastics, green bylaw, aquatic reserve

Oystercatcher [Matthew Hull/BirdNote]

The Oystercatcher's World
Black Oystercatchers prey on shellfish in the wave zone, especially mussels and limpets. The waves cause mussels to open often, making them easier to eat. The Black Oystercatcher nests on ledges just off shore, and its eggs and young suffer far less predation by mammals. Contrary to their name, oystercatchers rarely eat oysters. (BirdNote)

Don Orange Wins Vancouver Port Race In Referendum On Oil Terminal
Don Orange will be the next Port of Vancouver commissioner. Initial results Tuesday night show Orange won 64.58 percent, beating candidate Kris Greene. Orange’s victory is likely a death knell for a massive oil terminal that’s been proposed at the port for years. Molly Solomon reports. (OPB) See also:  Spokane Voters Say No To Local Coal, Oil Train Regulation  Voters in Spokane, Washington, are saying no to an initiative regulating coal and oil shipments through the heart of the city. The initiative would have fined companies that ship uncovered coal and certain types of oil through the city. Emily Schwing reports. (NW News Network)

Bold action needed for salmon recovery
Frustrated with the lack of progress in salmon recovery — especially Puget Sound chinook — treaty tribes in western Washington have proposed seven bold actions to jump-start those efforts. Puget Sound chinook were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1999 but continue to hover at about 10 percent of their historical population. We are calling on the Leadership Council of the Puget Sound Partnership – the state agency created in 2007 to serve as the regional salmon recovery organization for Puget Sound – to adopt these actions when it meets this month. The Partnership’s Salmon Recovery Council already has approved the actions.  Lorraine Loomis, Chair of NW Indian Fisheries Commission, writes. (North County Outlook)

Skokomish Tribe Monitors Harmful Algal Blooms in Hood Canal
The Skokomish Tribe is measuring the amount of toxins in harmful algal blooms in Hood Canal as part of an early warning system for shellfish poisoning. While the state Department of Health and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s SoundToxins program monitors shellfish and algae regularly for toxin levels, the tribe is adding another level of precaution…. Toxins associated with algal blooms can cause sickness and even death when contaminated shellfish are eaten. (NW Treaty Tribes)

Plastics industry says people, not plastic bags, are the problem
A plastic bag ban could be coming to the City of Victoria and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association says it's a huge mistake.  City council approved a motion last month to consider a bylaw that would stop retailers from providing single-use plastic bags. The plastics industry says it is not the bags that are the problem, it's the people who don't recycle them…. Craig Foster, a sustainability consultant for the CPIA, told On The Island host Gregor Craigie B.C. has a highly efficient recycling system and encouraging people to make better use of it would help reduce plastic waste. (CBC)

Saanich scraps environmental development bylaw: ‘It simply isn’t workable’ 
An environmental development bylaw that divided Saanich residents and council was rescinded Monday in a 5-4 vote. The decision to scrap the controversial Environmental Development Permit Area bylaw ratifies a vote taken Oct. 28 following an intense public hearing. Mayor Richard Atwell supported rescinding the bylaw, saying it should have been done more than two years ago. Cindy E. Harnett reports. (Times Colonist)

Monitoring the Smith and Minor Islands Aquatic Reserve
In Puget Sound a few miles west of Oak Harbor are two islands and an aquatic reserve that need special permission to visit. The Citizen Stewardship Committee, composed of members from Whidbey Watershed Stewards and Whidbey Audubon Society, is one of the few with such access. Without the group, there wouldn’t be any scientific data collected on the thriving ecosystem that is the Smith and Minor Islands Aquatic Reserve…. The reserve is the only aquatic reserve that borders Whidbey Island, and is also managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a National Wildlife Refuge. It spans 36,300 acres of tidelands and seafloor habitat, an area that contains the largest kelp forest in the state. The reserve surrounds both Smith and Minor Islands, and human access is limited. Trespassing can result in a fine, according to Baker. Kyle Jensen reports. (South Whidbey Record)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  246 AM PST Wed Nov 8 2017  
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING  
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 25 to 35 kt. Combined seas  8 to 9 ft with a dominant period of 11 seconds, building to 10 to  12 ft with a dominant period of 12 seconds. Rain.
TONIGHT  E wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt. Combined  seas 8 to 11 ft with a dominant period of 12 seconds. Rain.

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