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| Tiger rockfish [A. Harding/Race Rocks] |
Tiger rockfish range from Kodiak Island and Prince William Sound, Alaska, to Tanner and Cortes Banks in southern California. They occur at water depths between 18 and 298 m (60-984 ft). Adult fish live on rock outcrops that have caves and crevices. They are rarely observed in the open during the day. Tiger rockfish can grow up to 61 cm (24 in) in length. Maximum age is 116 years old.
Washington State Passes Law Requiring 100% Clean Energy by 2045
Washington state’s Senate on Monday gave the final vote of approval to a law requiring 100 percent clean energy by 2045, joining three other states — New Mexico, California and Hawaii — with similar legislation on the books. A new Puerto Rico law requires 100 percent renewables by 2050. Governor Jay Inslee (D), who is running for president on a climate change platform, has championed the Washington bill. It now goes to his desk for signature. Like other states, Washington’s legislation leaves technologies such as nuclear and carbon capture and sequestration on the table. In addition to requiring 100 percent clean energy, Washington’s law mandates a coal phaseout by 2025 and requires that utilities ratchet up their clean-energy commitments over time. Coal accounted for 13 percent of the state’s mix in 2017. Emma Foehringer Merchant reports. (Green Tech Media)
Survive the Sound: Clock ticking for salmon-saving projects in Mason County
The clock is ticking for several projects in Mason County that could help our endangered salmon and Puget Sound orcas. Residents and elected leaders say the problem is lip service: the Legislature and governor not putting enough money where their mouths have been. Mason County has plenty of great habitat for salmon, but the one thing this rural county doesn’t have a lot of is money. Folks in Mason County say they’ve been dealing with a river in crisis for more than a decade. The Skokomish River is the most flood-prone in the whole state. The river is the biggest source of fresh water into Hood Canal. The massive natural waterway which is critical to a healthy Puget Sound. Tim Joyce reports. (KCPQ)
Skagit salmon story
Yesterday's news story about the plight of salmon in the Skagit River [Skagit River has lost half of important habitat for salmon that orcas depend on] prompted reader Kenneth Pritchard to write: "When salmon recovery was young, I knew we were going to waste money by spending too little here and too little there and too much for hardly nothing over there. It’s as if first aid responders came to a train wreck wasting time patching a cut finger, putting ice on someone’s forehead and doing CPR on a couple other people. Meanwhile, 3 or 4 people are left unattended going into shock and slowly bleeding to death. I suggested to those who would listen that we try to save the big systems that are still worth saving (like the Skagit) by creating salmon trust lands. And rich communities like King County and Seattle would contribute their share. The first step would be to buy as many as the development rights as possible and allow the land to be farmed under highly restrictive salmon friendly covenants, lease land for ultra green housing, close down certain roads and do habitat restoration on a large scale where practicable. It was politically unfeasible. Well, now the money is mostly gone and no one cares about salmon anymore and few see the connection between inland habitat and orca habitat. Meanwhile, agency people tour restoration sites on the Duwamish or in suburban Bellevue where land value is 10 times what it was in the Skagit and they nod their heads as if we are making progress. End of story."
Plan to help Chinook salmon, orcas dismissed as unfairly targeting sports fishermen
As the federal government hears feedback on a new plan to protect orcas, local fishermen and fishing groups say another recently announced action will impact local economies and question whether proposed actions to help orcas are unfairly targeting sports fishermen. Last week, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced what it was doing to help declining Fraser River Chinook salmon. That included non-retention of Chinook in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Southern Strait of Georgia until July 31. Conservationists say it's a necessary move for Southern Resident killer whales. Darren Wright, owner of the Island Outfitters in Victoria says they have halibut fishing gear on display because that’s basically all they can sell. He expects business to slow down, and warns the measures will have a big and widespread impact. Bhinder Sajan reports. (CTV)
Salmon Conference Calls For Innovative Solutions To Protect Fish
What to do with the four Lower Snake River dams and how to best protect imperiled salmon have been a tough questions for decades. They were the focus at a conference on salmon Tuesday at Boise State University’s Andrus Center for Public Policy. Bonneville Power Administration’s top official said removing the dams would be a difficult task. Elliot Mainzer, the head of BPA, said he’s doing “significant due diligence” to understand the best path forward to protect salmon, while still keeping energy costs low. He said the administration must adapt and change. “We’ve got to try to lean in a bit more for the fish,” Mainzer said. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)
Crude-by-rail vapor standards bill heads to Washington governor's desk
A bill that could dramatically impact roughly 150,000 b/d of crude-by-rail traffic to refineries in the Pacific Northwest has been sent to Washington Governor Jay Inslee's desk to be signed into law, but it remains unclear what the governor plans to do.... By law, the governor has five days to decide whether to sign the bill into law. The bill prohibits a facility, including Washington's five refineries along the Puget Sound, from loading or unloading any crude from a rail tank car unless the oil has a vapor pressure of less than 9 psi. The state senate Monday approved changes to the bill made by the House of Representatives March 12, which establishes the 9 psi standard only after a refinery increases its crude-by-rail imports by more than 10% from 2018 reported volumes. The changes essentially place a cap on a refinery's imports of crude shipped by rail through the state. North Dakota has threatened to sue Washington if the bill becomes law. The changes "do nothing to change this bill, or make it more palatable to the state of North Dakota or the oil and gas producers," said Kari Cutting, vice president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council. "It is still the same bill, just a few different amounts. The State of ND still plans to litigate this bill as a violation of interstate commerce law." Brian Scheid reports. (S&P Global)
Prescribing nature: State Parks program to kick off Sunday
Prescribing time in nature is becoming popular among medical providers, with time outdoors shown to improve health. In partnership with the nonprofit Park Rx America, National Parks and Washington State Parks are gearing up for the first National Park Rx Day on Sunday. The day will involve events at parks across the state and nation. “Doctors and other health professionals are realizing the healing power of being outdoors and have taken to prescribing parks and other natural areas to their patients using ParkRxAmerica.org to address diabetes, obesity, hypertension, depression and anxiety, among many other lifestyle-driven diseases,” Park Rx America founder and pediatrician Dr. Robert Zarr said in a news release. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
Scientists search for genetic code behind herring spawn
All hands are on deck at Sitka Tribe of Alaska when herring spawn. Every year, employees and volunteers from across a variety of departments drop their regular responsibilities to set hemlock branches and collect as many herring eggs as possible. But that’s not the only thing the tribe is collecting this year. They’re also gathering genetic samples from herring and working with University of Washington researchers to uncover the code that dictates when and where herring spawn. Jeff Feldpausch is head of STA’s Resource Protection Department. In the many years that he’s harvested for the tribe, he’s seen fewer and lesser quality herring eggs on the branches he pulls for awaiting elders. Enrique Pérez de la Rosa reports. (KCAW)
Navy extends deadline for public comment on training proposal
The Navy has extended the public comment period by another 15 days on its new report seeking to continue training and testing on the North Olympic Peninsula and elsewhere beyond 2020. Public comments may now be submitted on the draft supplemental Northwest Training and Testing Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement until June 12 for consideration in the final supplemental EIS/OEIS. The original deadline was May 28. Comments can be submitted online at www.nwtteis.com (Peninsula Daily News)
Nine Years Later, the BP Oil Spill’s Environmental Mess Isn’t Gone
Nine years ago, BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, causing the worst oil spill in US history. The disaster on April 20, 2010 killed 11 workers as the flaming rig sank into the Gulf of Mexico. It took nearly three months to stem the flow of oil from the ruptured undersea well. By then, four million barrels of crude had seeped into the surrounding water, endangering marine wildlife and throwing local ecosystems out of balance. The cleanup effort in the aftermath of the explosion was expansive and expensive. At its peak, more than 47,000 people worked on the response effort in the summer of 2010. By 2018, BP estimated that the spill had cost the company nearly $65 billion in legal fees, settlements, and funds for clean-up and restoration. Although much of the oil was recovered or dispersed in the ocean, the surrounding ecosystems still have not fully recovered. Some may never recover. Annie Ma reports. (Mother Jones)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 242 AM PDT Wed Apr 24 2019
TODAY E wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming E to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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