8/19 Gadwall, Fraser fishing, sea lion hunt, tsunami, LIsa Lefeber, tug oil spill, river otters, park woes, Bay Day, fish tube

Gadwall [WikiMedia]

Gadwall Anas strepera
Ponds and marshes are the preferred habitat of the Gadwall, which is often found in deeper water than many other dabblers. In western Washington, it is associated with developed and cleared areas and, on Puget Sound, shows a preference for urbanized habitats over less developed areas. Gadwalls are often found at sewage ponds. (Seattle Audubon)

'What fishing season?': Local First Nations worry about state of fishing in Fraser River
With mounting pressure on local salmon stocks, fishery closures and restrictions, and a landslide blocking migration paths, 2019 hasn't been ripe for fishing opportunities — in fact, some local First Nations are calling it the worst fishing season in history. Les Antone, councillor and fisheries manager at Kwantlen First Nation, described the fishing season so far this year as a "disaster." "What fishing season?" he said ruefully. "We finally got out last week, we had a six-hour opening for our Lower Fraser First Nation." The Kwantlen First Nation community fishes by McMillan Island, in the South Fraser near Fort Langley. Most years, they'd be in the water by April or May, but this year they waited until mid-August. Clare Hennig reports. (CBC)

First Nations group keeps pressure on DFO over seal and sea lion hunt
First Nations members advocating a seal and sea lion hunt to protect salmon are renewing pressure on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to allow commercial sales of products from the animals in light of low returns this summer... The First Nations are acting on the premise there is an overpopulation of harbour seals, California and stellar sea lions, that are decimating coastal salmon stocks, but could be controlled through hunting... Many First Nations have rights to hunt seals and sea lions for food, ceremonial and social purposes...but they need DFO’s co-operation for sales and export of products from the animals. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

If you like to watch: Simulation shows what would happen when a tsunami hits Washington state
For the first time, we are seeing in detail how large tsunami waves would roll out along the coast and through the inland waters of Washington state. The simulations from the Washington Geological Survey are based on scientific modeling programs. They show how a large tsunami would play out in Puget Sound and how much time we have before a tsunami reaches us. Glen Farley reports. (KING)

Century-old Port of Everett names its first female CEO
The 101-year-old Port of Everett will welcome its first female CEO this fall. A unanimous vote of the port’s three-member commission approved Lisa Lefeber, the port’s current deputy executive director, for the top leadership post. Lefeber replaces current CEO Les Reardanz, who is leaving to focus on his aging parents and expanded military duties. She will take the helm on Oct. 16. Janice Podsada reports. (Everett Herald)

B.C. judge rules multi-million dollar Inside Passage fuel spill fine go to Heiltsuk Nation
A B.C. judge has ruled that close to $3 million in fines imposed on the operator of a tug that hit a reef and sank in the Inside Passage in 2016 be handed to the Heiltsuk Nation. In a reasons for judgment released last week by provincial court judge Brent Hoy, he said the combined fines of $2.7 million issued under the Fisheries Act, $200,000 under the Migratory Birds Convention Act and $5,000 under the Pilotage Act be put into an environmental damage fund administered to benefit the Heiltsuk Nation. The Nathan E. Stewart, an American articulated tug-barge travelling the Inside Passage from Alaska to Vancouver, ran aground and sank on a reef next to Athlone Island in the Seaforth Channel close to Bella Bella in the early hours of Oct. 13, 2016. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

What can otters tell us about watershed pollution?
... [Heide] Island, a comparative animal behaviorist from Pacific University in Oregon, has been studying North American river otters on Whidbey Island for the past year. Through studying the otters, she can learn about pollution in the surrounding watershed. Otters are an “ecological canary in the coal mine,” Island said. The health of otters is indicative of the health of the watershed, and they’re the first to die if their habitat is contaminated.... Starting last September, Island’s days began around 4 a.m. to catch otters out and about. They’re most active at dawn and dusk. She followed some 30 otters as they traversed Whidbey Island. She got to know one particular group, called a romp, best. Julia Grace-Sanders reports. (Everett Herald)

Unhappy trails, packed parks, crowded campgrounds: Parks are being overrun
Want a parking spot and a picnic table at a Lower Mainland park on a sunny summer weekend? Better have a game plan. Take it from the locals enjoying Cultus Lake at 8 a.m. on a recent long weekend. There’s no sleeping in if you want calm water and a quiet beach. “You learn tricks to avoid the rush,” said Danielle Henderson, coffee cup in hand. “On a sunny afternoon, don’t even bother.” Glenda Luymes reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Fidalgo Bay Day
Skagit County Marine Resources Committee celebrates the 16th annual Fidalgo Bay Day on Saturday August 24, 11AM- 3PM, at the Samish Nation's Fidalgo Bay Resort, 4701 Fidalgo Bay Road in Anacortes. Along with many educational exhibits and activities, enjoy a salmon BBQ lunch and and shellfish samples. For more information, www.skagitmrc.org

The Nihilistic Euphoria of the Fish Tube
In a video  that went viral over the weekend, a man in a bright-yellow rubber suit, standing chest-deep in the Columbia River, in Washington State, grabs a hefty salmon from the water and loads the fish into a chute. The fish suddenly shoots upward, through a rubbery, translucent sleeve—the “fish tube,” as the Internet decided to call it, which is a contraption that evokes a rollercoaster and a luge, if those things were constructed out of a slippery, rubbery material, kind of like the silicon used to make nonstick cookware. Rachel Riederer reports. (The New Yorker) See also: More than a viral sensation, the Salmon Cannon could bring the species back to the Upper Columbia after 90 years  Eli Francovich reports. (Spokesman-Review)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PDT Mon Aug 19 2019   
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.



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