11/14 Tree frog, whale hunt, Puget Sound warming, Marine Servicenter fined, salmon closures, science journalism award

Pacific tree frog

Pacific Tree Frog Pseudacris regilla
The Pacific tree frog, also known as the Pacific chorus frog, has a range spanning the Pacific Northwest, from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington to British Columbia in Canada and extreme southern Alaska. They live from sea level to more than 10,000 feet in many types of habitats, reproducing in aquatic settings. They occur in shades of greens or browns and can change colors over periods of hours and weeks. (Wikipedia)

Makah tribe heads to court — with NOAA support — in effort to resume whale hunt
The Makah whale hunt is back in court. The tribe wants to resume a limited hunt of gray whales off the Washington coast.  An administrative judge in Seattle will hear arguments for and against over several days, starting Thursday at 1 p.m. The Makah Indian Tribe says whale hunting is a tradition so central to its culture, they protected it in the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay...the tribe is seeking a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, for a ceremonial hunt limited to roughly two to three whales per year over the next decade. It would be limited to the outer coast, to protect populations that frequent the Strait of Juan de Fuca. NOAA Fisheries supports this and says it poses no conservation concern. Gray whales were removed from the federal endangered species list in 1994. But animal rights groups, including Sea Shepherd and the Animal Welfare Institute, disagree. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

New Report: Puget Sound Marine Waters See Effect of Climate Change in 2018
A new report details the effects of a changing climate on Puget Sound in 2018, and describes how these changes trickled down through the ecosystem to affect marine life and seafood consumers.  Scientists observed unusually warm water temperatures, though not as hot as during the years of “the Blob,” the marine heatwave of 2014-2016. Salinity went up everywhere in the Puget Sound through the summer and fall, in response to the record-setting summer drought. Hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) was more apparent in 2018 than previous years, though no fish kills were reported. Scientists reported lower numbers of fish, seabirds, and marine mammals, including continuing declines in endangered Southern Resident killer whales. (Puget Sound Partnership)

Anacortes company fined for water pollution
Marine Servicenter, a boatyard near the Anacortes Marina, has been fined $30,000 for allowing polluted stormwater to reach Fidalgo Bay. The state Department of Ecology, which issued the fine Tuesday, is also requiring the company to install a stormwater treatment system. The problem, according to Ecology, is that work such as the sanding of boat hulls has allowed copper and zinc to accumulate at the facility and then get carried into Fidalgo Bay with stormwater. Copper and zinc can harm endangered chinook salmon and other marine life found in Fidalgo Bay. According to Ecology, copper can confuse salmon, making young fish susceptible to predators and adults unable to find their home rivers for spawning. Zinc can kill the fish. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

WDFW Announces Willapa, South Puget Sound Salmon Seasons Shuttered
Recreational salmon fishing came to an unexpected end on Willapa Bay and many of its tributaries this week. The impromptu closure came on the same day that a public meeting took place in Raymond regarding poor returns of Chinook salmon. The public meeting was called by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife earlier this month in order to address the future of Chinook smolt releases in the face of insufficient broodstock reserves. The sudden wave of closures announced on Tuesday is intended to address the current dearth of returning coho in the system. In a press release, the WDFW noted that this season’s return of coho has so far come in at rates that are “significantly lower than preseason predictions.” That preseason forecast called for 157,467 coho to return through Willapa Bay. (Centralia Chronicle)

Seattle Times wins international science journalism award for ‘Hostile Waters’ series about endangered orcas
The Seattle Times won an international science journalism award for its special report “Hostile Waters: Orcas in Peril,” about the plight of endangered southern resident orcas. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced Wednesday that the series’ team — including reporter Lynda Mapes, photographer Steve Ringman, graphic artist Emily Eng, videographer Ramon Dompor and video editor Lauren Frohne — won the Gold Award and a $5,000 prize in the large newspaper category in the 2019 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards. Benjamin Woodward reports. (Seattle Times)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PST Thu Nov 14 2019   TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 14 seconds. Rain likely  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  8 ft at 17 seconds building to 10 ft at 16 seconds after  midnight. Rain.



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