5/18 Coon shrimp, enviro justice, whale watching, border town blues, steelhead strategy, trawl fishing, BC tribe treaty, Dee Molenaar, citizen science, Mount St. Helens' 40th

Coon shrimp

Coon shrimp
Coon shrimp are cured and dyed shrimp that are a very popular and effective bait used to catch winter and summer steelhead, and spring Chinook. (The Columbian)


*EDITOR'S NOTE: Access updates on the COVID-19 virus at national and regional print publications like the CBC, the Seattle Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.



Tackling the pandemic in Seattle’s polluted valley 
From a boat on the Duwamish River, it’s easy to see giant yellow excavators plucking crushed cars off the ground and swinging them toward an open-air shredder...“It looks like something out of Mad Max," James Rasmussen told a group of visiting scientists on board the Admiral Pete in November. The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition activist and former Duwamish Tribal council member was serving as a tour guide for Superfund researchers learning about the polluted waterway and the businesses lining its banks. John Ryan reports. (KUOW) See also: In the Shadows of America’s Smokestacks, Virus Is One More Deadly Risk Poor communities near industrial areas face heavy pollution, stirring fears that dirty air worsens Covid-19. Scientists are racing to understand the risks. Hiroko Tabuchi reports. (NY Times)

Whale watch industry sits dockside during COVID-19 pandemic
With the turn of the season, as the sun more often lights up area waters with a sparkle, locals and visitors alike are usually drawn to the docks to pursue a glimpse of the region’s whales. Not this year. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Salish Current)

Washington state's once-bustling border towns and islands fall silent, due to coronavirus pandemic
...Shutting the border to all but commercial vehicles and “essential” travelers in a region that once saw 14 million annual crossings has reduced auto traffic at Blaine’s Peace Arch border crossing by 98% — down to barely a couple hundred cars per day. Ron Judd reports. (Seattle Times)

New steelhead strategy would include increased fishing and more hatcheries
Strategies to keep steelhead fishing alive while restoring steelhead populations to rivers in Puget Sound are spelled out in the “Quicksilver Portfolio," a document unveiled Friday before the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. After three years of study, the Puget Sound Steelhead Advisory Group announced that it was ready to solicit public and political support for an experimental approach that includes monitoring the effects of fishing and increased hatchery production as part of a steelhead-recovery effort. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Trawl fishing in the age of the coronavirus: First, you make it through quarantine
The spring trawl harvest for whiting is underway off the Northwest coast in an unusual year when a crucial marker of success won’t just be nets stuffed with fish but crews that stay healthy and free from the COVID-19 disease. To try to assure that outcome, hundreds of crew members went through two weeks of shore-side quarantine coupled with testing for the novel coronavirus that did identify a few who, if they had gone out to sea, risked sickness and spreading the virus. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Wet'suwet'en agreement could see pipeline disagreements down the road
Premier John Horgan brushed off the suggestion this week that his government was picking sides by signing an agreement with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs over the objections from elected ones...He was referring to the showdown earlier this year with hereditary Wet’suwet’en leaders opposed to the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline through their traditional territory. In an effort to defuse the conflict, the federal and provincial governments entered into talks with the hereditary leadership, resulting in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wet’suwet’en rights and title. But on the eve of this week’s signing ceremony, four elected Wet’suwet’en chiefs denounced the MOU as invalid because they were cut out of the negotiating process and kept in the dark about the contents until the last minute. Vaughn Palmer writes. (Vancouver Sun)

Gotta watch: My Friends Were Mountaineers: A film about Dee Molenaar
Dee Molenaar, photographer, artist and icon in the Pacific Northwest mountaineering community passed away recently at the age of 101. Filmmaker Eric Becker spent some time with Dee and his children before he died, and has made a short film about Molenaar's inspirational life.

You could be the citizen scientist the world needs right now
From bird counts to COVID-19 testing, you can help researchers collect critical data from home. Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)

If you like to watch: 'Oregon Field Guide' Opens Its Archives On 40 Years Of Science And Adventure On Mount St. Helens
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the eruption, Oregon Field Guide is releasing its complete archive of St. Helens stories to the public. Ed Jahn reports. (OPB)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Mon May 18 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 5 ft at 12 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds.




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