10/16 Oarfish, tasting oysters, BC/Alberta oil, glass sponge, Connie Gallant

PHOTO: AP

Top this, Puget Sound: 18-foot-long sea creature found off Calif. coast
A marine science instructor snorkeling off the Southern California coast spotted something out of a fantasy novel: the silvery carcass of an 18-foot-long, serpent-like oarfish. Jasmine Santana of the Catalina Island Marine Institute needed more than 15 helpers to drag the giant sea creature with eyes the size of half dollars to shore Sunday. Christopher Weber reports.

New blog: Are We Capable of Protecting the Oceans? --Probably Not.
BBC News asked that question to a number of experts at the beginning of the month and, not being an expert, I’ve been grappling with an answer for the last couple of weeks.

If B.C. pipelines not built, oil will flow west by rail
B.C. and Alberta acknowledged Tuesday that if the Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain pipelines to the west coast are not built, rail will fill the “void” to the coast. It’s the first time the B.C. Liberal government has stated that Alberta oilsands bitumen will flow to the B.C. coast and onto tankers destined for Asia whether or not pipelines are built. The acknowledgment came in a terms of reference released by B.C. Premier Christy Clark and Alberta Premier Alison Redford on their joint effort to co-operate on opening new markets and expanding exports for oil, gas and other resources. Gordon Hoekstra reports.

How an Oyster’s Environment Plays Into Its Taste  
When Jon Rowley stood at the headwaters of the Nisqually River on the southern slopes of Mt. Rainier, he couldn’t help but think of oysters. Now it could be that Rowley, a renowned seafood expert, has oysters on the brain perpetually, but as he peered down the gash left by the river and its retreating glacier, he says he had a “poetic moment.” Rowley thought about the glacial melt, the snow and the rain, the microscopic flora and fauna and the minerals steeping in the water, and the tributaries the Nisqually picks up on its way to Puget Sound. Everything the river flushes into the inlets and passages of the South Sound imparts flavor to the oysters grown in this area. If you chew on a Peale Passage Pacific oyster, for example, you’re tasting minerals that have been filtered down from Rainier’s flanks. Megan Hill reports.

Fragile glass sponges lead Sun reporter to bottom of Howe Sound
At 1:02 p.m. the swirl of fog lingering around Passage Island gives way to a cloudy olive hue as the three-person submersible Aquarius begins its descent to the ocean floor. As we plunge into the dark abyss, the submersible’s high-intensity lamps expose a stream of white nutrients and minutia of life known as marine snow visible just outside the bubble acrylic viewport. Larry Pynn reports.

Olympic Forest Coalition elects new president
Connie Gallant of Quilcene has been elected president of the Olympic Forest Coalition board. Former President John Woolley remains as vice president for the coalition, a nonprofit organization based in Quilcene. Gallant has served as volunteer vice president for several years, handling the group's administrative functions and public relations.  She also serves in another volunteer position, as chairwoman of the Wild Olympics Campaign, seeking to add wilderness and “wild and scenic” river designations on the Olympic Peninsula.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 312 AM PDT WED OCT 16 2013
TODAY
SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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10/15 No pipe, emission goals, sardine collapse, toilets, sewage, BC farms, metalworks, oil spill, Samish hatchery

(CBC News)

B.C. First Nation protests Kinder Morgan pipeline
The Tsleil-Waututh First Nation and environmentalists have crossed Burrard Inlet in traditional canoes to protest U.S. oil giant Kinder Morgan's $5B plans to expand its Trans Mountain pipeline. Protesters dodged tankers as they sailed close to the Westridge Marine Terminal, in a bid to stop Kinder Morgan nearly tripling the capacity of the pipeline, which carries crude oil from the Alberta oilsands to tankers in Vancouver.

Climate change: Gov. Inslee favors pollution cap, other steps to meet state emissions goals
Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday he supports an absolute cap on carbon-fuel emissions in Washington as one of a half-dozen ideas he thinks can get the state closer to reaching goals set in 2008 for cutting the greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming. The cap was one of a half-dozen ideas Inslee floated during a meeting Monday of the Climate Legislative Executive Workgroup that the Legislature created in response to his request this year to bring greenhouse gas emissions back on the state’s political agenda.  Brad Shannon reports.

Sardine fishery along B.C. coast collapses
A $32-million commercial fishery has inexplicably and completely collapsed this year on the B.C. coast. The sardine seine fleet has gone home after failing to catch a single fish. And the commercial disappearance of the small schooling fish is having repercussions all the way up the food chain to threatened humpback whales. Jim Darling, a Tofino-based whale biologist with the Pacific Wildlife Foundation, said in an interview Monday that humpbacks typically number in the hundreds near the west coast of Vancouver Island in summer. They were observed only sporadically this year, including by the commercial whale-watching industry. Larry Pynn reports.

Amusing Monday: the true meaning of toiletry  
Chris Dunagan at the Kitsap Sun dives deep: 'In this country, we generally call them public “restrooms,” these places to go for relief involving bodily excretions. I’ve heard them called “washrooms” in Canada. Some people call them “bathrooms,” even when they have no tubs. But, obviously, their primary function is neither resting, nor washing, nor bathing...'

Hollywood Beach given all-clear sign  
An advisory against contact with the waters of Port Angeles Harbor, including the waters off Hollywood Beach, has been lifted following tests showing reduced levels of potentially harmful bacteria. The initial advisory came Oct. 4 after heavy rains between Sept. 28 and Oct. 1 sent an estimated 8 million gallons of diluted untreated sewage and stormwater into Port Angeles Harbor through the city’s four combined sewer overflow, or CSO, outfalls. Jeremy Schwartz reports.

New Device Harnesses Sun and Sewage to Produce Hydrogen Fuel
A novel device that uses only sunlight and wastewater to produce hydrogen gas could provide a sustainable energy source while improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment. A research team led by Yat Li, associate professor of chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz, developed the solar-microbial device and reported their results in a paper published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.

B.C. farmers less likely to join environmental farm plan  
B.C. farmers have the lowest participation rate in Canada in the Environmental Farm Plan program, which promotes sustainable practices and identifies potential risks to air, water and soil. Only 21 per cent of farms in this province have a formal environmental plan, compared with 72 per cent in Quebec, 53 per cent in the Maritimes and 38 per cent in Ontario. The national average is 35 per cent, according to new figures from Statistics Canada.

Hemmed in by development, metal plating firm leaving Seattle  
One of Ballard’s oldest manufacturers is leaving town, the latest in a string of defections that are transforming the traditionally maritime industrial area of Seattle. Scott Galvanizing Co. is spending about $10 million to build a 30,000-square-foot factory in the Snohomish County town of Arlington that will be nearly twice the size of its current Ballard plant. The company is making the move out of Ballard largely due to the pressures of gentrification. Steve Wilhelm reports.

Broken hose causes diesel spill at Fisherman's Terminal
At least 30 gallons of diesel have spilled at Fisherman's Terminal in Seattle after a hose in the engine room of a fishing vessel reportedly broke. The sate Department of Ecology, U.S. Coast Guard, Port of Seattle and a private cleanup contractor responded to the spill Monday morning. According to the Department of Ecology, the spill has been contained within the terminal. Kiersten Throndsen reports.

Samish hatchery keeps Chinook salmon viable
Salmon are a huge part of the community in Skagit County, with commercial fishing that plays a role in the local economy, recreational fishing that draws locals and tourists alike and tribal culture. Over the years, native Chinook salmon populations have declined, and some are now protected under the Endangered Species Act, which bans their catch. In northern Puget Sound, two Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatcheries produce supplementary Chinook populations. The Samish hatchery, with holding ponds on the Samish River and a main facility on Friday Creek, is the largest. Kimberly Cauvel reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 236 AM PDT TUE OCT 15 2013
TODAY
E WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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10/14 Toxic fish, BPA risk, seal release, Sea Change rebuttal, octopus havens, Elwha Love, dying starfish, NDak spill, Longview coal

EPA sued over Washington fish-consumption estimates
A fight over how much fish people eat in Washington — and thus, how much toxic pollution they consume — is now in federal court. Conservation and commercial-fishing groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday, saying the agency has for too long let state officials underestimate fish consumption, resulting in weaker anti-pollution standards than are needed to protect the public. The groups, including Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, Columbia Riverkeeper and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, reason that if the estimates were more realistic, the state would have to more strictly regulate emissions of mercury, lead, copper and other toxins — a prospect that concerns industry groups and that emerged as a sticking point in budget talks in Olympia last spring. Gene Johnson reports.  New blog: No, You Shouldn’t Eat The Fish—Not Yet

Study ties chemical BPA to possible miscarriage risk
New research suggests that high levels of BPA, a chemical in many plastics and canned food linings, might raise the risk of miscarriage in women prone to that problem or having trouble getting pregnant. The work is not nearly enough to prove a link, but it adds to “the biological plausibility” that BPA might affect fertility and other aspects of health, said Dr. Linda Giudice, a California biochemist who is president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The study was to be presented Monday at the group’s annual conference in Boston. Last month, ASRM and an obstetricians group urged more attention to environmental chemicals and their potential hazards for pregnant women. Marilynn Marchione reports.

If you like to watch: Vancouver Aquarium releases 11 seals at Crescent Beach
The Vancouver Aquarium released 11 harbour seals at Crescent Beach in South Surrey on Saturday. The seals were rescued from all over B.C. and brought to the aquarium's rehabilitation centre, where they stayed for two to three months, said Lindsaye Akhurst, manager at the Vancouver Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Centre (MMRC).

Expert: critique of Seattle Times “Sea Change” project ignores the science
Seattle Times reporter Craig Welch, author of the series "Sea Change," rebuts Cliff Mass's critique of the series. "Ocean acidification actually is to blame for current problems with Northwest oysters. And that fact is supported by strong evidence. Suggesting otherwise is a misreading of the science. Readers need not take our word for it.”

Octopus protection was a compromise move  
Chris Dunagan at the Kitsap Sun blogs that "The decision to outlaw octopus hunting at seven select diving spots in Puget Sound was a compromise between those who wanted a complete closure throughout Puget Sound and those who wanted no closure at all. Janna Nichols, a leader in the local scuba diving community, told me that nearly all scuba divers who spoke out wanted a complete ban on killing the giant Pacific octopus in Puget Sound. But scientific arguments were presented that the octopus population was healthy and could tolerate a limited harvest."

An undammed Elwha River building beaches again: Crab found where it once was too rocky
During a recent survey of sediment that flowed down the Elwha River and accrued along a beach to the east of the river mouth, Ian Miller found something he had not yet seen during his surveys.  Miller, a coastal hazards specialist with Washington Sea Grant, came across a Dungeness crab that had tucked itself into fine-grain sand onto the lowest portion of a beach east of the river mouth, just north of where Sampson Road on the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation ends. A crab living in this type of habitat on its own is not particularly newsworthy, except for the fact that this sandy area of beach was nothing but cobblestone a year prior. Jeremy Schwartz reports.

Mass Starfish Die-off Appears Headed For Washington  
... In October, divers with the SeaDoc Society have reported small numbers of sunflower stars and three other species of sea stars wasting away in the San Juan Islands. “Every population has sick animals,” said SeaDoc Society wildlife veterinarian Joe Gaydos, on a boat off Orcas Island between research dives. “Are we just seeing sick animals because we’re looking for it, or is it an early sign of a large epidemic that may come through and wipe out a lot of animals?” Scientists in Washington and British Columbia are gathering sea stars for analysis. They're sending the healthy and diseased specimens to wildlife laboratories to find out if the wasting disease is a virus, bacteria or something else entirely. John Ryan reports.

North Dakota waits nearly 2 weeks to tell public about 20K-barrel oil spill in farmer's field  
When a pipeline rupture sent more than 20,000 barrels of crude spewing across a North Dakota wheat field, it took nearly two weeks for officials to tell the public about it. The break in a Tesoro Corp. pipeline happened in a remote area, and officials say no water was contaminated or wildlife hurt. But environmentalists are skeptical and say it's an example of a boom industry operating too cozily with state regulators. James MacPherson reports.

Final hearing on Longview coal export dock Thursday in Tacoma
A controversial proposal to ship coal to Asian markets through a Longview export dock will get an airing Thursday in Tacoma, the last stop on a statewide tour. The Washington state Department of Ecology and the federal Army Corps of Engineers have held four hearings on how broad to make the project’s environmental review. The fifth and final meeting is this Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at the Tacoma Convention Center.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON OCT 14 2013
TODAY
E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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10/11 Oil recovery, snow geese, ocean acid, Skagit H2O, Cornwall park, OR LNG, lark and butterfly ESA

Totem Morning (Laurie MacBride)

Totem Morning: A Sneak Preview  
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "There’s nothing quite like daybreak in a quiet cove on the BC coast, especially when it coincides with low tide. In the still of early morning, before the water is rippled by breezes, the reflections can be stunning, and you can spot horizontal “totem poles” in the natural shapes mirrored all around the shoreline. The closer you look, the more details you see: creatures, faces and other symmetric shapes typical of – and likely having inspired – West Coast aboriginal art...." (great photos!)

Tanker spill would leave majority of oil in water after clean-up, B.C. study suggests
A study on oil spill preparedness commissioned by the B.C. government suggests efforts to clean up tanker spills would leave most of the oil on the ocean. In six of seven live spill exercises done on the waters of the Dixon Entrance and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, more than 65 per cent of the spill remained on the water at the end of the five-day simulation, according to the $106,000 study by Nuka Research released Thursday. In the seventh exercise, 49 per cent of the oil remained in the water. Ian Bailey reports.

'Blizzard of white' descends on Metro Vancouver
Tens of thousands of snow geese have begun their descent to Metro Vancouver, part of their annual migration every winter from the Arctic to the Fraser Estuary.   "It's a blizzard of white," says Jasper Lament, chief executive officer of the Nature Trust of British Columbia... But not everyone is as enthusiastic as Lament about their new feathered neighbours.  "It does create some issues for us, particularly if they land on some of our sports fields and school fields and defecate," says Tom Townsend, a spokesman with the City of Richmond. Catherine Rolfsen reports.

Ocean Acidification and Northwest Shellfish: Did the Seattle Times Get the Story Right?  
Climate scientist Cliff Mass takes exception to Craig Welch's reporting about the effects of ocean acidification in the recent Seattle Times big news feature. "My conclusion is that this series has some serious problems and draws several unwarranted conclusions.   Particularly that recent shellfish problems are the result of past or current CO2 levels in the atmosphere..."

Ecology, Swinomish working on deal to allow water use for current landowners  
The state Department of Ecology is working with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community to find relief for nearly 500 landowners whose water supplies could be at risk after a court decision last week. Ecology lost a lawsuit that overturned a 2006 rule amendment that gave water access exceptions to some landowners seeking well water use. The state Supreme Court ruled that Ecology overstepped its authority in establishing the exceptions and reinstated a 2001 Skagit Instream Flow Rule. That rule says water use will be curtailed when the senior minimum instream flow rights are unmet. However, Ecology Director Maia Bellon has decided to not to stop water use of 475 homes and eight businesses that have relied on the 2006 reservations to get water, according to a joint press release from Ecology and the Swinomish on Thursday. The Swinomish supports Ecology’s decision if the impacts of the 483 water uses are fully mitigated, according to the press release.

First meeting on Cornwall Beach Park - and boardwalk - is Oct. 16
Bellingham parks officials will hold the first of three public meetings on their plans for Cornwall Beach Park - and a second boardwalk over Bellingham Bay - on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The meeting will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in City Council chambers at Bellingham City Hall, 210 Lottie St. Residents will get their first look at city plans for the area, currently an old city dump. Port of Bellingham and state officials are looking at alternative cleanup strategies for making the property suitable for a new life as a city park. Jim Donaldson reports.

Clatsop County Board Votes Unanimously To Deny LNG Permit
After reconsidering impacts and county development codes, Clatsop County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to deny an application for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline and terminal on 41 miles of county land. The Board of Clatsop County Commissioners’ decision marks the end of more than two years of legal challenges to a preliminary denial by the board in 2011. However, Oregon LNG and the Oregon Pipeline Company, two affiliated companies seeking to construct the pipeline, say federal regulators will have the ultimate say.

Butterfly and Lark Win and Lose Protections  
A recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service action was a mixed bag for the Pacific Northwest's streaked horned lark and Taylor's checkerspot butterfly. The lark was granted threatened status and the butterfly was granted endangered status under the Endangered Species Act, but the agency slashed the proposed critical habitat for both species and added special exemptions from prohibitions against harming the lark. The listing action is the result of a 2011 settlement agreement between the USFWS and its most frequent litigant, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), which engendered a five-year workplan to expedite listing decisions for well over 700 species across the country. Ramona Young-Grindle reports.

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 301 AM PDT FRI OCT 11 2013
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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10/10 Coal port, oil port, Howe Sound gravel, Cechovic, eating salmon, saving orcas, Ebbesmeyer, cruise ships

Oil train (EarthFix/Flickr/Roy.Luck)

Longview Coal Export Project Hearing Draws A Thousand People  
About a thousand people turned out for six hours of public testimony on the Longview coal export project on Wednesday. Project developer Millennium Bulk Terminals has proposed to export up to 44 million tons of coal from Wyoming and Montana to Asia through a terminal site in Longview, Wash.... Supporters of the project at the hearing urged the agencies to limit the scope of their reviews while opponents asked for a full review of all environmental impacts from the mines to power plants in Asia. Cassndra Profita reports.

Wash. plans to pull permits for 2 oil train hubs
State officials said Wednesday they are revoking permits for two planned oil train terminals in southwest Washington after deciding the projects should face more environmental scrutiny. The state Shorelines Hearings Board issued a letter Wednesday indicating it will invalidate permits for Westway Terminal Co. and Imperium Terminal Services, which want to build oil shipping terminals at the Port of Grays Harbor that could store up to 1.5 million barrels of crude, primarily from North Dakota. The city of Hoquiam issued the permits last spring, after determining in conjunction with the state Ecology Department that the proposals posed minimal threat to the environment. The letter called that determination "clearly erroneous," noting that the city and state officials failed to consider the cumulative environmental impacts of having the two terminals running along with a third terminal planned nearby. Gene Johnson reports.

North Van teen spawns online campaign to stop sand and gravel mine
North Vancouver teen Chris Dietrich spent his summer vacation producing a video that captures the beauty and wildlife of Howe Sound in hopes he can help discourage industrial encroachment in the area. Burnco Rock Products is planning a sand and gravel mine on a 320-hectare site in the McNab Creek area on the west side of Howe Sound north of the Langdale ferry depot. The company has plans to restore a defunct salmon spawning channel in the mine area in a new location and has already planted 60,000 trees on the site of a former logging operation. Randy Shore reports.

Conservation lobby: A change at the top
The executive director of Washington Conservation Voters, Washington’s environmental “establishment”  lobby, is quitting to take a new job against the backdrop of different mountains. Brendon Cechovic is moving to Denver to become CEO of the Western Conservation Foundation. Joel Connelly reports.

Farm-raised salmon vs. wild: The gap is closing
Come dinnertime, wild salmon is an excellent choice. Many of the Pacific fisheries are well managed, and the fish itself is healthful and delicious. The problem is that there isn’t very much of it. Worldwide, our annual wild salmon harvest comes to about 2 billion pounds, which sounds like a lot until you divide it by 7 billion earthlings and come up with one serving per person per year. In Seattle, there is an embarrassment of salmon riches, of course, but that’s not so nationwide, where many more people are looking to dine on our favorite fish. How to meet the demand in an environmentally sound way? Tamar Haspel reports

Fin-fish farm issue resolved, Jefferson County officials say
Jefferson County’s updated shoreline management plan is expected to be in place by mid-December now that the conflict over fin-fish aquaculture has been resolved, according to the county’s lead on the project. “We will allow the use of net pens, although only in certain geographical areas and with a conditional-use permit,” said Associate Planner Michelle McConnell, whose department is preparing paperwork that the three county commissioners will consider for approval Nov. 18. Charlie Bermant reports.

The push to save endangered orcas in Puget Sound  
Anderson, founder of Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance, an organization that fights to save the whales, said we’re at risk of losing the resident orcas. “Could it happen? That’s the wrong question. Is it happening? It’s happening right now. Can we stop it? Maybe,” Anderson said. He points to Orca Relief’s new research, which shows a dangerous decline in breeding age females. Their numbers are down 24 percent since 2004. Even more concerning is that the next generation of females able to reproduce have seen their numbers decline 39 percent since 2000. Orca Relief is pushing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to force boaters who threaten the whales to back off in certain areas. It’s called a “Whale Protection Zone” or a “No Go Zone.” It would ban whale watch operators within a half-mile of the coast off the west side of San Juan Island — roughly a 6.2-mile stretch from Mitchell Bay to Eagle Point. Matt Lorch reports.

Bath Toys, Nikes Wash Ashore; Oceanographer Worries Radiation Will Too  
Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer, has made a second career researching and collecting flotsam, ocean debris that has been pulled ashore. But he’s also concerned about the invisible dangers that move through the dark ocean waters: Styrofoam ground into sand being eaten by birds and, since the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan, radiation. Steve Scher reports.

Carnival to install pollution scrubbers on Seattle-based cruise ships
A cruise company plans to spend about $10 million to upgrade its five Seattle-based ships with new exhaust-scrubbing equipment that it developed to meet stiffer air quality standards. Carnival Cruises, based in Miami, which owns Seattle-based Holland-America Line, as well as Princess Cruises and ships operated directly by Carnival itself, is making the move in response to upcoming Environmental Protection Agency rules. All three of the cruise lines operate out of the Port of Seattle during cruise season. Steve Wilhelm reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU OCT 10 2013
TODAY
NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS...
 BUILDING TO 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING E TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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10/9 Oly bag ban, Murray on coal, B'Bay restoration, ferries, BC pipe, WA hydraulic code

Olympia council bans plastic grocery-style bags
The Olympia City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to join ban thin plastic, grocery-style bags from city retailers starting in July, joining Tumwater and unincorporated Thurston County. The ban will apply to all retailers, but mostly affect supermarkets, most of which use the so-called “t-shirt bags.” Shoppers will either have to bring their own reusable bags to stores or pay 5 cents per paper bag. The money will go directly to stores to offset their costs.

Murray climbs aboard anti-coal port bandwagon
State Sen. Ed Murray has been feted at home and office fund-raisers sponsored by those working to build a huge coal export terminal north of Bellingham, and has seen money from the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad flow into his campaign for Seattle mayor. On Tuesday, however, Murray stood by the BNSF tracks as a freight trail rolled through — the Gateway Pacific terminal would send 18 trains a day along the Seattle waterfront — and said that he opposes the proposed project.  Opposition has been a signature issue for incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn. Joel Connelly reports.

Work on Boulevard Park shoreline nearing completion
A project to create a natural shoreline at Boulevard Park in Bellingham should be completed by the end of October, a city official said.... The work is part of the city of Bellingham's $422,079 project to take out the concrete riprap and return the beach north of The Woods Coffee to a natural state by replacing the rubble with material such as coarse sand, large rocks, cobbles and beach gravel. Kie Relyea reports.

Proposed ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo could set sail by spring
A group of investors is hoping the third time’s the charm when it comes to foot-passenger-only ferry service between downtown Vancouver and Nanaimo. The investors are finalizing a proposal that would connect the two cities through a 68-minute sail across the Strait of Georgia. A similar operation, HarbourLynx, shut down in 2006 due to financial woes. The Royal SeaLink Express ceased operations more than a decade earlier. Sunny Dhillon reports. See also: Ferries are ‘staffing up’ after 82 canceled runs

B.C. First Nations chief relays pipeline safety worries
Shortly after Roland Willson became chief of the West Moberly First Nations in northern British Columbia, he responded to an oil spill where a ruptured pipeline had poured more than 6,000 barrels of crude into Pine River. Chief Willson said he had flashbacks of that 2000 accident recently when he saw how high water had torn up heavy concrete mats protecting two pipelines crossing a creek in the same general region as the Pine River spill. Mark Hume reports. See also: Downtown Victoria march serves as rehearsal for anti-pipeline protests 

State seeks feedback on water code updates  
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting public comment through Nov. 15 on proposed updates to the state Hydraulic Code, which regulates construction work in and around state waters. The Hydraulic Permit Application review process, which has been in place since 1943 to ensure bulkheads, docks and culverts meet state standards for fish and wildlife protection, is controlled by the Hydraulic Code, which was last updated in 1994 with the exception of changes specific to mineral prospecting in 2008. Proposed changes to the code would incorporate changes in fish science and design technology, establish an adaptive management plan to respond to changing science and technology, and streamline the review process for Hydraulic Permit Applications.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED OCT 9 2013
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/8 Invasive mussel, bag ban, LNG tax, Mukilteo shore, BC shipyard, Vic sewer, octopus havens, GMO vote, Longview coal

Dying starfish (Vancouver Aquarium)

An invasive species of mussel has arrived in British Columbia, carried over by a boat that appears to have been pushed across the Pacific Ocean by the massive Japanese tsunami of 2011. The six-metre boat, which washed up on Vancouver Island's Long Beach on Sunday, appears to have faded Japanese writing on the hull and is encrusted with Mediterranean mussels and large pelagic barnacles. John Chapman, an invasive species biologist who studies tsunami debris at Oregon State University, said the mussels could threaten the local B.C. habitat. Invasive mussels land on B.C. coast with Japan tsunami boat    Meanwhile: Vancouver Aquarium 'alarmed' at mass die-off of starfish on B.C. ocean floor

Olympia is poised to become the third jurisdiction in Thurston County to ban thin, grocery-style plastic bags. The Olympia City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed ban at its meeting Tuesday, which starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 601 Fourth Ave. E. If approved, the prohibition would take effect in July, along with bans recently approved in Tumwater and unincorporated Thurston County. Matt Batcheldor reports. Hearing set for Tuesday on bag ban for Olympia

Orca Watcher Monika Wieland blogs on her Saturday trip seeing transient orcas and a wealth of other cetaceans and marine critters in the San Juans. Whales Everywhere! In October!

The B.C. government will reveal next month its export-tax rates for the multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas sector and the minster in charge of LNG is promising the plan will hit a “sweet spot” between the interests of the province and the industry. While Premier Christy Clark has said a plan was close, Rich Coleman offered the more specific timeline Monday while announcing a trip to South Korea, China and Malaysia to promote the development of B.C.’s LNG sector. The tax would specify the price energy companies will pay to export natural gas. Ian Bailey and Justine Hunter report. B.C. plan for LNG aims to hit 'sweet spot' between province and industry interests  

The future appears to be finally taking shape for a half mile of Mukilteo coastline that lay dormant for decades. Ownership of the former Air Force tank farm on Mukilteo's north-facing waterfront, between the business district and the Everett city limits, was transferred last month. The Port of Everett formally accepted the land from the Air Force on Sept. 10 and now owns most of the 22 acres. The port plans to transfer much of it to the state, the city of Mukilteo and possibly to Sound Transit for public use. The most well-known plans for the property involve construction of a new $140 million ferry terminal to replace the current aging dock located in the business district.  Bill Sheets reports. Land transfer to transform Mukilteo tank farm's future

A $3.3-billion federal contract awarded to Vancouver Shipyards Monday will have as many as 1,000 skilled workers rushing to fill an order for ten new non-combat ships for the Canadian Coast Guard. The project is in addition to seven non-combat vessels that the company is already slated to build after it was awarded an $8-billion deal by the federal shipbuilding procurement project in 2011. Work is yet to start on any of those vessels. The deal is expected to create numerous jobs in the skilled trades — at wages of more than $40 an hour — including welding, pipe fitting, electrical and mechanical. Kevin Griffin and Matthew Robinson report. $3.3-billion contract for Coast Guard ships will bring up to 1,000 jobs to Vancouver Shipyards  

Greater Victoria’s contentious sewage treatment project was rebranded the “Seaterra Program” Monday by a civilian commission of experts that’s taken day-to-day decision-making away from local politicians. The new name and logo for the long-running and divisive $783-million megaproject came amid a publicity blitz by the new program director, Albert Sweetnam. Rob Shaw reports. Greater Victoria's contentious sewage project rebrands itself with $15,000 image makeover  

Washington Conservation Voters awarded state Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, its highest honor by naming him the 2013 “Legislator of the Year.” Ranker was bestowed the award for his leadership during and following the 2013 Legislative Session. Ranker earns environmental group's top award

In hopes of adding to America’s lack of knowledge of public affairs, Peter Callaghan asks 30 questions but provide absolutely zero answers.  Not all questions come with answers (Well, at least not these ones)

When a 19-year-old man lured a giant Pacific octopus from its lair off Alki Beach in West Seattle last year – legally, it turned out – a small group of activists were aghast that the charismatic cephalopod wasn’t protected. They lobbied the state for more protections for the octopus, and triumphed when the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted rules to prohibit recreational octopus harvesting at seven popular dive spots in the Puget Sound region. The law went into effect on Sunday. Meghan Walker reports. Octopuses’ Gardens: WA Designates 7 No-Hunt Spots

GMO foods are again on the hot seat on the West coast. Last year California’s Prop 37 to label genetically modified organisms at the grocery store was narrowly defeated, 51 to 49%. This year in Washington the issue is giving rise to conflicting claims and a record $21.9 million flooding the state, with over $17 million coming from opponents led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Monsanto and Dow and the remainder from proponents led by Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, the Organic Consumers Fund and Mercola Health Resources. Martha Baskin reports. Should GMO Foods Be Labeled? Industry & Public Showdown as State Prepares to Answer the Big Question  

The public can comment at an Oct. 9 meeting in Ridgefield in Clark County on the scope of environmental impact statements for a proposed coal export terminal near Longview. Cowlitz County, the Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will create two EISs - one meeting federal requirements and one meeting state requirements. The meetings will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at the Clark County Fairgrounds Event Center, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE OCT 8 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING
TODAY
NW WIND 20 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
 SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
N WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...THEN LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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