11/21 Milfoil, BC shellfish poison, killing seals and sea lions, chum return, orca grants

Eurasian watermilfoil [L. Baldwin]

Eurasian Watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum
Eurasian watermilfoil is a submersed aquatic invasive plant native to Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. It was first reported in North America in 1942 and has since spread to 45 states and 3 Canadian provinces. Eurasian watermilfoil is a very invasive aquatic plant in Washington State. It is not always easy to identify because there are many different species of milfoil known here. (Whatcom Boat Inspections)

Closed B.C. beaches serve up worst of paralytic shellfish poisonings
Poorly informed seafood poachers are risking their lives and those of others by skirting official harvesting closures. At least 15 people have been partially paralyzed by contaminated seafood in the past three years and one victim was totally paralyzed and lost the ability to breathe, according to Tom Kosatsky, medical director of the B.C. Centre for Disease Control...Once paralysis sets in you may not be able to talk or explain how you became ill. The most severe cases of paralytic shellfish poisoning were traced to seafood from closed beaches, in particular clams, oysters, mussels and crabs. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

“it’s now time to harvest or cull the seals and sea lions”
Let us harvest and manage the population of seals in the Pacific Northwest. That will be the central message carried by a group of First Nations elders to this week’s pinniped workshop in Bellingham, Washington. The second seal & sea lion workshop addressing what needs to be done about the overpopulation is put on by Washington State Fish & Game and Canada’s Department of Fisheries & Oceans. This workshop is part of the process addressing the call for a cull or harvest of seals and sea lions in Washington and British Columbia waters.... Among those who will be attending the workshop will be Hereditary Chief Roy Jones Jr. of the Haida First Nation and Richard Harry C.E.O. of the Aboriginal Aquaculture Association. Together under the Pacific Balance Marine Management Inc. they have identified numerous markets for all parts of seals and sea lions from furs, human food consumption, pet food consumption and medicinal needs from the Omega 3 fatty acids found in the oil. Fabian Dawson reports. (SeaWest News)

Chum salmon are returning in low numbers so fishing ends five weeks early here
Fishing in the part of Whatcom Creek that flows through downtown will end more than five weeks early this year because chum salmon are returning in low numbers. The closure begins Friday, Nov. 22, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife announced. That means fishing won’t be allowed from the mouth of Whatcom Creek to the markers below the footbridge downstream of Dupont Street in Bellingham. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Grants awarded for orca research
In the continued effort to understand what it will take to prevent the region’s Southern Resident orca whales from becoming extinct, a partnership announced Thursday about $666,000 in grant funding to several organizations in the Salish Sea region. The grant program, called “Killer whale research & conservation,” focuses on supporting research of Southern Resident orca behavior and the threats the whales face: lack of food, boat traffic and pollution. The program is organized by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with support from NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, SeaWorld Entertainment and Shell Oil Co. Of six projects awarded funding this year, two are based in the San Juan Islands, according to a foundation news release. (Skagit Valley Herald)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  153 AM PST Thu Nov 21 2019   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 14 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 13 seconds building to 8 ft at 18 seconds after midnight.



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