11/2 Cabezon, voting, rising seas, toxic oysters, port biz, Nisqually shores, BC pipe, SJ Nat'l Monument, dicamba

Cabezon [Wikipedia]

Cabezon Scorpaenichthys marmoratus
Cabezon is the largest of the sculpin species found in Washington waters and reaches a length of over 30 inches and a weight of 15 pounds. It lives to at least 14 years. Cabezon are found in rocky areas, near wrecks and in kelp beds. Adults spawn during winter; red eggs (which are toxic) are laid in large masses on rocks or seaweed in the intertidal to the subtotal. Feeds on isopods, crustaceans, fishes and mollusks. Hunted by scuba divers and anglers. Ranges from Southeastern Alaska to Baja California. (WDFW/Marine Wildlife of Puget Sound, the San Juans and the Strait of Georgia)

Salish Sea Communications: I'm voting. Should you?
It's the last weekend before next Tuesday's election. If you and I stand together, vote. If not, don't.

B.C.'s plans for rising sea levels 'may not be enough,' report warns
The research arm of the Vancouver Aquarium is ringing alarm bells about the future of B.C.'s coastal waters, saying current plans for dealing with climate change and other human-caused disturbances fall short of what's needed. A new report from the Coastal Ocean Research Institute breaks down the current state of B.C.'s ocean waters. It finds that sea levels seem to be rising faster and higher than previous models predicted, while surface temperatures creep ever higher. The report also suggests, that despite anecdotal reports some sea star species are recovering from a devastating wasting disease, these important ocean creatures have shown no measurable signs of a rebound. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

Don't eat these oysters! They're for trapping pollutants
The Port of Seattle this week planted three tons of Olympia oysters on Seattle’s Elliott Bay. The oysters are not for eating, but to help clean our waters.  The oyster bed is part of the Port of Seattle’s pilot project to improve water quality. “In any urban environment you have storm water runoffs and it’s got the toxic cocktail of all of our urban sins,” said Port Commissioner Fred Felleman. That cocktail includes lawn fertilizers and chemicals used in daily life. Ruby de Luna reports. (KUOW)

The Port of Bellingham is about to get a lot busier
The Port of Bellingham announced in a press release Thursday that it has reached a new service contract with Ports America, the largest terminal operator and stevedore in the United States....According to the release, the three-year contract with Ports America, which has options for two additional three-year terms, will allow international cargo to begin regularly arriving at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. Under the terms of the contract, Ports America will have the exclusive stevedore rights for certain types of steel, as well as inbound international forest products, metal and aluminum ingots, modules, oversized and project cargoes. David Rasbach reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Land Trust Projects Will Support Orca Recovery 
With “Puget Sound Orca Recovery Day” fast approaching, the Nisqually Land Trust announced three major projects designed to protect nearly two miles of Puget Sound and estuary shoreline. Protection of these sites will benefit many species listed by state and federal resource agencies as endangered, threatened or at risk, including orca, Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead trout and the Olympia oyster. The projects are the first launched under the Land Trust’s new Marine Conservation Initiative, a strategic approach to protecting high-value coastal habitats within the Nisqually Reach-South Sound marine environment. (Nisqually Valley News)

Trans Mountain files evidence for NEB reconsideration hearing
On 31 October 2018, Trans Mountain filed direct evidence with the National Energy Board (NEB), highlighting the company’s intensive examination of marine issues, risks and impacts relating to expanded tanker traffic in the Salish Sea, including potential marine mammal impacts and mitigation. The submission is part of the reconsideration hearing for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. The hearing will consider any necessary changes or additions to the NEB’s May 2016 Recommendation Report, in light of the inclusion of project-related marine shipping between the Westridge Marine Terminal and the 12 nautical mile territorial sea limit in the “designated project” under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012). “Over the past six years we’ve taken great care to assess and include marine aspects in the project, and additional safety and environmental safeguards will be in place when the Project proceeds,” says Ian Anderson, President and CEO of Trans Mountain Corporation. Lydia Woellwarth reports. (World Pipelines)

Help the Bureau of Land Management plan for the San Juan Islands National Monument
There are upcoming meetings to learn and comment about the future of the San Juan Islands National Monument. The next meeting is from 6-8 p.m., Nov. 6 at the San Juan Island Grange. Marcia deChadenedes, monument manager, will also be available from 3-5 p.m., Nov. 12 and 1-3 p.m., Dec. 10 at the San Juan Island Library to answer questions about the plan. The San Juan Islands National Monument was designated in 2013 in response to interest from islanders to ensure protection and restoration of the 76 locations that the Bureau of Land Management oversees in the San Juans.... For more info, contact 360-298-4302 or mdechade@blm.gov. View the planning documents at https://go.usa.gov/xRphc. (San Juan Journal)

The EPA Says Farmers Can Keep Using Weedkiller Blamed For Vast Crop Damage
For months, farmers from Mississippi to Minnesota have been waiting for the Environmental Protection Agency to make up its mind about a controversial weedkiller called dicamba. Some farmers love the chemical; other farmers, along with some environmentalists, consider it a menace, because it’s prone to drifting in the wind, damaging nearby crops and wild vegetation. This week, on Halloween evening, the EPA finally announced its decision. Calling dicamba “a valuable pest control tool,” it gave farmers a green light to keep spraying the chemical on new varieties of soybeans and cotton that have been genetically modified to tolerate dicamba. Dan Charles reports. (NPR)


Now, your weekend tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PDT Fri Nov 2 2018   

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   

TODAY  W wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 10 ft at  11 seconds. A chance showers. 

TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 9 ft at 11 seconds. A slight chance of  showers in the evening then a chance of rain after midnight. 

SAT  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft. W swell 7 ft at 11  seconds. Rain likely. 

SAT NIGHT  SE wind 20 to 30 kt becoming SW 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 5 ft. W swell 7 ft at 9 seconds. 

SUN  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 9 ft at 11 seconds.


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