3/19 Chickadee, L124, BC pipe, salmon secrets, ship collision, Bristol Bay mine, fish fillet size, Helen Engle

Chickadee [Laurie MacBride]

Time to Get Moving
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "'Hurry up, hurry up! The ice has melted and time’s a-wasting!' That’s what the little Chestnut-backed Chickadee seemed to say, as it ever-so briefly touched down on a low branch over the pond, directly in front of me. The little bird was in rapid motion – it leaned over and grabbed a quick drink, then was airborne again before I could even attempt a second photograph. I’m sure it was fully focused on its spring to-do list: find good grubs; identify nest site; court mate; gather building materials; construct nest..."

Newest Puget Sound orca calf continues to survive
It was an announcement met by applause. A Monday meeting of Washington’s Orca Task Force revealed that the newborn calf spotted back in January continues to survive. Nicknamed “Lucky,” and officially labeled L124, he was the first new calf born in Puget Sound since the tragic death of another last summer. Its mother continued to carry and push the dead calf with it for weeks after. Lucky was last reported seen by the Center for Whale Research on March 9, “zig-zagging their way toward Obstruction Pass,” off the coast of northern Washington. (MyNorthwest)

B.C. argues it cannot stop Trans Mountain, but can protect environment
A lawyer for the British Columbia government says the province knows it cannot stop the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, but it can enact environmental laws to mitigate the harm it may cause. B.C.’s Court of Appeal is considering a reference case filed by the province that asks if it has jurisdiction to regulate the transport of oil through its territory and restrict bitumen shipments from Alberta. Joseph Arvay, who represents B.C., told a panel of five judges on Monday that his opponents in the case are essentially saying provinces have no power to bring in laws that reduce the risk of inter-provincial projects. (Canadian Press)

The Secret Lives of Salmon: International expedition returns to Vancouver
The Russian research vessel Kaganovsky returned to Vancouver on Monday with an unprecedented treasure trove of data about the little-studied lives of salmon in the open Pacific Ocean. Genetic testing on hundreds of salmon caught by an international group of fisheries scientists will determine the home rivers and streams of the winter salmon population in the Gulf of Alaska, especially the surprisingly numerous chum. Twenty-one scientists from Canada, the U.S., Russia, South Korea and Japan have spent the past month conducting dozens of test fisheries on a grid pattern between Haida Gwaii and the Aleutian Islands, the most extensive survey of the eastern Pacific ever conducted. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

2 ships collide in the night in Vancouver Harbour
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating a collision between two freighters in Vancouver Harbour Sunday just after midnight. The M.V. Caravos Harmony and the M.V. Pan Acacia hit each other at approximately 12:20 a.m. P.T. on March 17.  TSB spokesman Chris Krepski said there were no reports of injuries or a polluting spill, but couldn't say what either vessel was carrying or if they were under tug boat control at the time of collision. Karin Larsen reports. (CBC)

Northwest fishing fleet renews fight against proposed mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay
Thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest — commercial fishermen, their crews, sport fishermen, seafood processors, even many boat builders — depend on wild salmon caught every summer in Alaska’s Bristol Bay. The Trump administration has re-started permitting for a controversial mining project there — and locals are gearing up to fight it. The battle over the so-called Pebble Mine has gone on for more than a decade. It was on hold in 2014, after then President Barack Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency found that its plans to extract copper, gold and molybdenum would have adverse effects on salmon spawning areas. Now, after withdrawal of the Obama-era restrictions, a revised proposal is under review by the Army Corps of Engineers. A 90-day public comment period on the draft environmental impact statement began March 1. Many opponents of the proposal say that’s not long enough. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Why Restaurant Demand For Smaller Fish Fillets Is Bad News For Oceans
Bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to catching, selling and eating fish. For certain snappers, in fact, a market preference for plate-size whole fillets is driving fishermen to target smaller fish. For some wild fish populations, this is a recipe for collapse. “The preferred size of a fillet in the U.S. market corresponds to juvenile fish that haven’t had a chance to reproduce,” says conservation biologist Peter Mous, director of the Nature Conservancy’s Indonesia Fisheries Conservation Program. “A lot of species here are heavily overfished, and this demand for small fillets is making things worse.” Alastair Bland reports. (NPR)

Salish Sea Communications: Remembering Helen Engle
More memorials have been added celebrating the life of activist Helen Engle who died on March 11 2019. Add your memories, too.


Now, your tug weather--
251 AM PDT Tue Mar 19 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 7 ft  at 14 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 6 ft at 15 seconds.



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