3/7 Quince, salmon returns, salmon habitat, Skagit dispute, salmon pen, octopus houses, Rosa Hunter, Duwamish Tribe, cargo container spill, ship dumping, fish sounds, eagle sanctuary

 Flowering quince [Florgorgeous]

Flowering quince Chaenomeles speciosa
The flowering quince is a deciduous shrub of the Rosaceae family. These plants, which are also sometimes referred to as the common flowering quince, have multiple stems and take on a rounded growth form.  These thorny shrubs are native to China and reach a maximum size of around 10ft tall and wide. The simple and alternately arranged dark-green glossy leaves of this plant grow up to about 3 inches long, have serrated margins, and grow on grayish brown stems. (Florgorgeou)

Forecasts on fish returns to Skagit, Samish rivers are encouraging
Forecasts of some fish returns released Friday indicate that some species may be returning in greater numbers this year to the Skagit and Samish rivers. The forecasts were released as part of the annual process of setting the state’s salmon seasons, which is known as North of Falcon. For chinook, a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1999, the expected returns on the Skagit and Samish rivers are categorized as neutral. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

WA Legislature stalls on efforts to preserve salmon habitat
HB 1117, a bill to require salmon recovery to be included as a goal in the comprehensive plans made by cities and counties under the Growth Management Act, didn’t pass — despite support from cities and counties...Another bill requested by Gov. Jay Inslee, HB 1838, to address loss of tree cover along streams — which raises water temperatures and increases siltation that can smother salmon eggs — was dead on arrival. Agricultural interests said they were not consulted in drafting the bill, which was denounced as a farm killer. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Area tribes in midst of legal dispute over fishing rights on the Skagit River
A fishing dispute between area tribes has reached the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The dispute is over whether the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe should be permitted to fish for salmon and steelhead in the Skagit River. While the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community are allowed to fish the Skagit River under a 1974 federal court ruling known as the Boldt Decision, the Sauk-Suiattle’s claim that it should be allowed to fish the river is being contested in court. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Scene in Edmonds: Salmon pen moved into place
On Sunday morning, volunteers from the Puget Sound Angler Association SnoKing chapter (PSA) — along with Port of Edmonds employees — spent two hours moving the coho salmon fish pen, which has been moored in the marina for the past three weeks, out to the Edmonds fishing pier. This pen was initially stocked with 30,000 coho salmon smolt. It will remain moored at the fishing pier until April or May, when the fish will be released. This will give them time to grow, become acclimated to salt water, and hopefully become imprinted to the Edmonds area. (My Edmonds News)

Octopus houses and clam gardens: What ancient sea harvesting practices can teach us about sustainability
Most people strolling along British Columbia's vast shoreline likely wouldn't think twice if they stumbled upon low mounds of rocks while looking for crabs or other sea life. But for those who study these formations, they represent once-thriving sea gardens Indigenous people used to harvest food and other animal products. Kii'iljuus Barbara Wilson, a Haida matriarch and Indigenous scholar from the Cumshewa Eagle Clan, is part of a team of people working to highlight the significance of these sea gardens across the Pacific Ocean region with an online map. Ashley Moliere reports. (CBC)

Using Indigenous knowledge to identify toxic shellfish
Rosa Hunter wants aspiring young scientists to know it’s never too late. Hunter is the lab manager at the Salish Sea Research Center at Northwest Indian College on Lummi Island. Hunter’s fascination with tardigrades inspired her to study everything she could at Northwest Indian College — especially if it was invisible to the naked eye. She excelled at classifying these microscopic critters and beings, from mosses to invertebrates.. Eventually, she would come to specialize in finding invisible dangers to the environment, things like toxic algae that accumulate in shellfish. Her studies led to her work in the sea, where she realized that her grandmother’s guidance when Hunter clammed as a child could inform her work identifying toxic shellfish in our oceans. Sarah Hoffman reports. (Crosscut)

This tribe has fought for years to get federal recognition. It's about their identity
The Duwamish have been fighting a legal battle for decades with the federal government make good on treaty. They're asking for federal recognition. Federally-recognized tribes can be eligible for benefits including land, health care, revenue streams from casinos, and education. The Duwamish say that these resources would be game changers for them. Katia Riddle reports. (KUOW)

Debris from cargo ship spill last fall spreading along B.C. coast, say beach cleaners
A volunteer organization that has been cleaning up debris from a cargo ship that lost 109 containers off the B.C. coast last fall says the incident should be a wake-up call to the need for more urgent action. Alys Hoyland of the Surfrider Foundation's Pacific Rim chapter in Tofino said urinal mats, coolers and other items that were swept off the MV Zim Kingston in October continue to wash up on the western shore of Vancouver Island. Debris has been found as far as northeastern Haida Gwaii, hundreds of kilometres from the spill site, and Hoyland said she is concerned that the longer it takes to clean up, the more material will degrade and spread along the coast. Amy Smart reports. (Canadian Press)

Environmental group calls for tighter rules around ship dumping
As the cruise-ship season starts to ramp up along the West Coast, an environmental group is calling on the federal government to tighten its rules and raise minimum standards around vessels dumping sewage and other waste in protected marine areas. World Wildlife Fund Canada said in a report this week that all types of ships operating in Canadian waters generate — and potentially dump — 147 billion litres of operational waste each year, the equivalent of 59,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

'Grunts, growls and hums': B.C. researchers help compile online database of fish sounds
Some fish grunt, some growl, and some squeal. These fish noises — and many more — are part of a new database created by researchers who hope that cataloguing the sounds will allow for a better understanding of marine ecosystems and the health of aquatic life. It's the first online database of its kind that makes public all known recordings of underwater fish sounds — more than 200 so far — including those related to mating, communicating, foraging or eating food. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

Crowdfunding campaign takes flight to create Island's first eagle sanctuary
A crowdfunding campaign is underway to create Vancouver Island’s first eagle sanctuary in an estuary near Qualicum Beach. The B.C. Parks Foundation hopes to buy 18 acres of land in the French Creek estuary to join five acres of existing parks land managed by the Regional District of Nanaimo, creating a 23-acre nature reserve for bald eagles. The undeveloped property is located between Qualicum Beach and Parksville, bordered by the Island Highway to the south, Columbia Drive to the west, Viking Way to the north and French Creek to the east. Pedro Arrais reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  754 AM PST Mon Mar 7 2022   
TODAY  SW wind to 10 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 5 ft at 13 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft  at 12 seconds.

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