6/10 Elwha nearshore, BC salmon, WA budget, BC-WA virus, BC hybrid ferry, funding Puget Sound, whale-watch biz

Elwha nearshore 6/8/20 [CWI]

Elwha nearshore June 8
Anne Shaffer from Coastal Watershed Institute writes: "June is a transitional month in the Salish sea nearshore. Weather patterns are unstable, wind and long day light drive upwelling that in turn fuels plankton blooms, and migrating juvenile fish are (finally!) beginning to appear in large numbers. In the Elwha nearshore it’s a typical, (very) windy, unsettled June day. The persistent westerlies and northwest swell continue to transport Elwha sediment and transform the Elwha delta. Smelt are spawning along the intertidal Salish Sea now. Since the restoration of around a mile of Elwha east delta, the shorelines of the entire Elwha drift cell are now documented and or potential surf smelt spawning habitat. Egg densities are low-but continue to grow. We'll be conducting our multi decade surf smelt spawn surveys next month-look for CWI teams on the beach! The WDFW Elwha hatchery also initiated their large annual release of 2.5 million young of the year Chinook this month. So fish eating birds-gulls, terns, loons, merganser-are abundant along the Elwha nearshore now-an excellent time for birding."

'Almost complete loss' of salmon runs at Fraser River slide last year 
Early runs of sockeye and chinook salmon were devastated last year when they couldn’t make it past a massive landslide on the Fraser River, government officials said Tuesday. The officials with Fisheries and Oceans Canada told a Commons committee that 99 per cent of early Stuart sockeye and 89 per cent of early chinook were lost. Rebecca Reid, the department’s regional director for the Pacific, said salmon survival improved later in the summer when work started to transport fish past the slide, helping them reach their spawning grounds. Mortality during the salmon’s long journey inland is already high and it’s hard to say what exactly causes their deaths, Eric Taylor, a zoology professor and fish expert at UBC said in an interview. (Canadian Press)

WA’s coming budget cuts could dwarf those of the Great Recession
Washington lawmakers are planning an emergency session to plug a hole of at least $7 billion in the state budget — one that may dwarf the shortfall they dealt with a decade ago during the Great Recession. Preliminary numbers suggest that, over the next three years, Washington state tax revenues will come in about $7 billion lower than previously expected. The actual revenue loss may be even greater, since the estimate is based on data from early in the coronavirus pandemic, before the economy collapsed further when unemployment soared and personal spending plummeted...Many of the areas targeted for possible reductions are the same ones that took a beating during the last recession. Those include higher education and many social services...Even if lawmakers use all of the state’s reserves, they will still face a three-year shortfall of about $4 billion, according to Inslee’s budget office. Melissa Santos reports. (Crosscut) See also: State agencies map out possible cuts to plug budget hole  Layoffs, cuts in human service programs, and delays for a slew of road projects loom if the state is forced to pare billions of dollars in spending in response to a budget crunch brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

COVID-19: Warning issued as cases in U.S. states rise while tapering off in B.C.
Health Minister Adrian Dix warned Monday that while B.C. is flattening the COVID curve, things are getting worse south of the border. Dix said the number of COVID-19 cases is still climbing significantly in Washington state, Oregon, California and Arizona...The U.S.-Canada border was closed to non-essential travel on March 21 for a month. The ban has been extended twice since then and will be reviewed before June 21. David Carrigg reports. (Vancouver Sun)

BC Ferries' first hybrid electric vessel begins service Wednesday
The first of BC Ferries' new hybrid-electric vessels is taking its maiden voyage on Wednesday. The corporation said the Island Discovery will begin service with the Texada Island–Powell River route at 3 p.m. PT. The ship is one of six new vessels, known as Island Class ferries, which use diesel fuel to generate electricity stored in batteries on board. They're designed to be powered entirely by electricity once charging stations can be built at terminals, a statement said Tuesday. (CBC) See: Proposed cuts to ferry service lead to resignations on Denman and Hornby islands  Four members of the ferry advisory committee step down as BC Ferries looks to cut sailings. Kieran Oudshoorn reports. (CBC)

Funding for Puget Sound projects envisioned as part of a national stimulus package
Puget Sound recovery efforts could get a boost from a newly proposed five-year, $494-billion economic stimulus package, according to U.S. Reps. Denny Heck, D-Olympia, and Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. The two Washington congressmen, known for their efforts to help restore the Puget Sound ecosystem, spoke online Friday to more than 160 people during the first Virtual Puget Sound Days on the Hill forum. The event was sponsored by the Puget Sound Partnership, the agency coordinating the recovery of Puget Sound. While the bill’s future is uncertain, this so-called “Invest in America Act” would improve the nation’s eroding transportation systems and rebuild the crumbling infrastructure, according to the bill’s primary sponsor, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. It would also help to lift the nation out of an economic slump brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

‘Devastating’ season ails whale-watching firms
 As whale watching companies cautiously count down to a possible re-opening July 1, many are saying the economic damage from the pandemic shutdown has already been severe — and possibly fatal for some. “It’s devastating,” said Jennifer Steven, who owns the Whale Centre in Tofino. “We’ve already lost April, May and half of June. We’ve lost about 60 per cent of our international bookings for the summer...The federal government is expected to lift its ban on marine vessels with a capacity of more than 12 passengers on June 30, but the industry will still need the clearance to start from the provincial government. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist) See also: Whale watch industry sits dockside during COVID-19 pandemic  Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Salish Current)





Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PDT Wed Jun 10 2020   
TODAY  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 5 ft  at 9 seconds. Areas of drizzle in the morning. Scattered showers  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 10 seconds. Scattered showers.




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