5/16 Angel shark, Break Free, Tacoma LNG, whales, red tide, species at risk, archeological sites

Pacific angel shark (Mark Cantwell/Vancouver Sun)

Pacific angel shark documented for first time in B.C. waters
Mark Cantwell had anticipated another enjoyable day of free-dive snorkelling off Victoria’s Clover Point, photographing sea urchins and other common marine life. What the Environment Canada policy advisor got was the experience of a lifetime — a close encounter with a species never before documented in B.C. waters, the Pacific angel shark. Cantwell was swimming near shore in his wetsuit on April 30 when another diver, Henry Fisher, reported spotting an unidentifiable creature on the ocean bottom, about 10 metres down. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Fossil fuel protest ends peacefully; 52 arrested
The three-day Break Free PNW protest wrapped up Sunday with a tally of 52 arrests, one successful water rescue and no injuries, authorities said. Protesters of fossil fuel use protested on land and sea over the weekend, waving flags and signs with messages of pushing for a fast transition to alternative fuels. The Sunday morning arrests were of protesters who were blocking railroad tracks at Farm to Market Road near Highway 20 to keep trains from reaching the two oil refineries at March Point. The Break Free PNW protest event was one of several occurring throughout the world, including several on Sunday. Protest sites included Albany, New York, Vancouver, British Columbia, Washington, D.C., Germany, Turkey, Nigeria, Australia and more. Brandon Stone reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)  See also: Break Free PNW protest photo gallery - Day 3  (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Hundreds opposed to Trans Mountain pipeline rally at Kinder Morgan facility in Burnaby  Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

Records on LNG plant in Tacoma should be disclosed, Pierce County judge rules
A Pierce County judge has ruled that records filed with Tacoma officials about a planned Port of Tacoma liquified natural gas plant should be made public, but he ordered the ruling shelved, pending a possible appeal. John Carlton, an activist with RedLine Tacoma, had requested the city turn over a set of records related to safety risks posed by the plant proposed by Puget Sound Energy. The utility claimed in court filings that what it told the city to help disaster preparedness planning could facilitate a terrorist attack. Puget Sound Energy also argued that some of the material was protected by state law that keeps trade secrets from public disclosure…. In the court case, Superior Court Judge Frank Cuthbertson found that Puget Sound Energy had not shown its city filings are “records assembled, prepared or maintained to prevent or respond to terrorist attacks” and failed to meet several other requirements that would shield them from public disclosure. Cuthbertson denied the utility’s request for an order keeping the records private, but his Friday order stayed their release in case the ruling is appealed. Derrick Nunnally reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Red tide shuts down shellfish harvest in parts of Strait of Georgia
Fisheries and Oceans Canada has closed large portions of the Strait of Georgia, from Victoria to Campbell River, to the harvest of clams, oysters, mussels and scallops due to red tide. Monitoring shows “unusually high levels” of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in the area. Cooking will not make the shellfish safe to eat. (Times Colonist)

More Salish Sea species at risk
The number of at-risk species in the Salish Sea is growing at an annual rate of nearly 3 percent, according to a new report that's giving a boost to the idea of greater cross-border coordination on conservation efforts in the shared waters of Washington and British Columbia. The report, released by the SeaDoc Society last month, indicates that ecosystem degradation is outpacing recovery efforts across the 6,900- square-mile Salish Sea, which includes Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia…. The report identifies 12 Salish Sea species that have been added to Canadian and U.S. at-risk lists since 2013. These new "species of concern" include the Pacific lamprey and longfin smelt, a forage fish that serves as an important food source for marine predators. Seven birds were added: black scoter, black-legged kittiwake, long-billed dowitcher, eared grebe, parasitic jaeger, pectoral sandpiper and the semipalmated sandpiper. Tristan Baurick reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Hobby Drones Over Orca Whales: Legally Murky And A Potentially Bad Mix
Boats have to stay 200 yards away from the Northwest’s endangered resident killer whales. But what if one of those boaters launches an aerial drone to take better pictures from closer up? It’s not a theoretical question. And the answer is not as clear as law enforcement would like. “We have seen hobby drones being flown out there,” Pacific Whale Watch Association Executive Director Michael Harris said. “We have seen them being flown egregiously close to protected whales.” Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Exam: Gray whale found dead in Seattle had air in chest
A juvenile gray whale found dead in Seattle’s Elliott Bay over the weekend had air in its chest cavity that likely prevented it from diving for food, according to exam results released Friday. A necropsy conducted by biologists with the Cascadia Research Collaborative confirmed what scientists observed when they assessed the whale a couple of days before it died. At the time, they suspected the animal was suffering from an infection or a collapsed lung that had filled its chest cavity with air, which would have made the animal too buoyant to dive. (Associated Press)

How Climate Change Threatens Coastal Archeological Sites
It’s the kind of foggy day you’d expect at Redwood National Park on the Northern California coast. The headlands are shrouded in mist and the gray-blue ocean churns against the shore.  “This place is called Shin-yvslh-sri~ – the Summer Place,” says Suntayea Steinruck a member of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation and Tribal Heritage Preservation Officer for Smith River Rancheria.  Her ancestors lived, hunted and fished around what used to be a small village on this site…. Erosion has been happening all along the Northwest coast for thousands of years. But recently there’s been a change in the intensity and frequency of coastal storms.  “The whole acceleration has increased, and we’re definitely losing sites more rapidly,” says Rick Minor, an archeologist with Heritage Research Associates in Eugene, Oregon.  Jes Burns reports. (OPB/EarthFix)


 Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  250 AM PDT MON MAY 16 2016  

TODAY  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 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 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

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"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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5/13 Ag pollution, fishing season, Ray Hilborn, BC fossil fuels, birds at risk, Roberts Bank, derelict boats, sanctuary

Northern red-legged frog (Laurie MacBride)

Red-Legged Days
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "The water level in our pond is going down rapidly as summer approaches, but so far there’s still enough to support a healthy colony of northern red-legged frogs (Rana aurora). For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been seeing these reclusive amphibians all around the banks of the pond, wherever a patch of sunshine can be found. But it requires some serious searching. Even though the adults can be up to 3 inches long, they’re hard to spot, as they blend in so well with the vegetation…."

Report faults state on groundwater pollution
In a stinging look at industrial agricultural practices that may contribute to degrading water quality and steep declines in Puget Sound salmon, a new report places responsibility squarely on weak environmental enforcement. The report from the Western Environmental Law Center calls for dramatic strengthening of regulations and enforcement, long a hot political issue, with a particular call for leadership by the state Department of Ecology. State administrations, led by Democratic governors, and the Legislature under both parties have long shied away from offending farmers. The focus of the report, Agricultural Pollution in Puget Sound, is on what the authors sees as unsustainable practices that lead to contaminated runoff, such as cows grazing too closely to streams, a lack of buffers between agriculture lands and waterways, or chemical fertilizers washing from croplands into waterways. Martha Baskin reports. (Crosscut)

State fisheries director Jim Unsworth issues statement on salmon season breakdown 
…. “Some people have suggested that anglers should break the law and go fishing in closed areas, or interfere with tribal fisheries. We strongly disagree. Such actions would do far more harm than good. And, in fact, the state agrees that tribal fisheries in Puget Sound this spring will not threaten ESA-listed fish stocks. For those reasons, I urge everyone to follow current rules and to avoid interfering with tribal fisheries. Breaking state fishing laws or interfering with treaty fishing would only complicate the process of opening state fisheries and most certainly would impair our ability to work with the tribes in the future…." Posted by Mark Yuasa (Seattle Times)

Port Angeles man reels in behemoth halibut in Freshwater Bay
Catching a 177-pound halibut might seem like a fish tale to some, but Mike Constant of Port Angeles had the proof Thursday swinging from a scale in the parking lot of Swain’s General Store. Constant, 58, said he caught the halibut after a 45-minute struggle with the behemoth in Freshwater Bay. “We ripped one harpoon out and got him with a second one,” a beaming Constant said while onlookers admired his catch as it was being weighed at the store at 602 E. First St. Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Greenpeace files complaint about UW fishery professor
Ray Hilborn, a prominent University of Washington fishery scientist, is under attack from Greenpeace for sometimes leaving out mention of industry funding he receives in articles published in academic journals and elsewhere. In a letter sent Wednesday to university President Ana Mari Cauce, Greenpeace filed a complaint against Hilborn’s research practices, and asked for an investigation. Hilborn, over the years, has been a critic of Greenpeace as well as other environmental groups and researchers he accuses of overstating the impacts of fishing on marine resources. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Kinder Morgan pipeline, tankers endanger thousands of B.C. outdoor jobs and potentially billions in future revenue
On May 14, when a fleet of kayaks sets out across the Burrard Inlet to paddle in front of Kinder Morgan’s Westridge tanker terminal, they will represent more than just a rejection of the proposed tarsands pipeline and a demand for bold climate action. These “kayaktivists” will reflect a defence of one of Metro Vancouver's, and the entire coast’s, most important natural resources: the outdoors. Candace Campo writes. (The Georgia Straight)

B.C. LNG: First Nations appeal to UN to help stop Petronas project
First Nations leaders from northwestern British Columbia have taken their battle against a Petronas-backed LNG project to the United Nations. The group was scheduled to travel to New York Thursday to seek UN support for a demand that the Canadian government reject the LNG project proposed just south of Prince Rupert. Opponents say the $36-billion Pacific Northwest plant, slated for Lelu Island at the mouth of the Skeena River, threatens wild salmon habitat on the second largest salmon bearing river in B.C. (Canadian Press)

B.C. birds in decline: 5 to watch
Publication of the BC Breeding Bird Atlas is raising alarms about the decline of several species across the province. The atlas is one of the largest citizen-science initiatives in B.C. history. More than 1,300 volunteers contributed some 60,000 hours of their time over eight years to document the status of birds. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Oil, gas industry challenges efforts to protect Western bird
The oil and gas industry on Thursday challenged in federal court drilling restrictions imposed by the Obama administration to protect a struggling bird that ranges across 11 Western states. The Western Energy Alliance and North Dakota Petroleum Council said they would ask a U.S. District judge in North Dakota to block sweeping land use plans for the region adopted in September by the Interior Department. The groups said local and state efforts to prop up populations of greater sage grouse have been effective. Sweeping changes to U.S. Interior Department policies were not needed to ensure the chicken-sized bird's long-term survival, they said. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

Group encourages planning for clean energy future
Is the end approaching for oil refineries in northwest Washington, much the way it did for the cement, timber and cannery industries? A group that convened Wednesday at the Anacortes Depot Arts and Community Center said with the world looking for solutions to climate change, such an end may be approaching, but is not likely coming quickly. The future of oil refineries has been discussed at recent events in Skagit County. Speakers at the Wednesday event, which was called “Charting our course: A conversation about our energy future,” said it’s a discussion that should continue. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Water's Edge: Like a flea among elephants at Roberts Bank
Larry Pynn writes: "If we just left things alone, Canoe Pass wouldn’t be the quiet little backwater that it is, all but forgotten next to the other three arms of the Fraser River. That’s not how it works on the industrial lower Fraser. Some 14 federal structures, including the Steveston and north arm jetties, are located in the lower Fraser to stabilize the course of the river and help maintain channel depths for navigation past communities such as Steveston. One study by GeoSea Consulting Canada Ltd. estimated that 16 per cent of the Fraser’s flow goes through the north and middle arms around Sea Island, 70 per cent through the south arm, and 14 per cent through Canoe Pass. It’s fine with me that Canoe Pass is runt of the litter on the sprawling delta. On this clear, crisp morning, it emerges as a bucolic and beautiful stretch of shoreline devoid of the larger vessels so menacing to paddlers on other stretches of the lower Fraser…." (Vancouver Sun)

Victoria aims to begin clearing Gorge of derelict boats by fall
Victoria expects to begin the process of removing liveaboards and derelict boats from the Gorge waterway in September. Councillors agreed Thursday to hold a public hearing May 26 on zoning bylaw changes in the waterway that would allow for short-term anchoring of up to 48 hours, to a maximum of 72 hours in a 30-day period. The current bylaw prohibits anchoring in the Gorge Waterway from Selkirk Trestle to about Gorge Road Hospital. But following a recent B.C. Court of Appeal decision regarding anchoring in West Kelowna, Victoria council, worried a blanket prohibition would exceed municipal jurisdiction, changed course. The federal government has jurisdiction over navigation. Bill Cleverey reports. (Times Colonist)

Island coves eyed to shelter whales retired from aquariums
One of Vancouver Island’s coves, bays and inlets could become a refuge for orcas retired from aquarium life. The Whale Sanctuary Project, launched last week, is in the early stages of identifying potential sites along the coast of southern B.C. and Washington state. The sanctuary would allow retiring, injured or ill cetaceans — whales, dolphins and porpoises — to swim in a cordoned-off ocean environment close to their natural habitat. “A lot of us in the marine mammal community have known for a long time that, if there was any kind of move to phase out having these animals in entertainment in concrete tanks, there’s nowhere to go,” said project president Lori Marino, an expert in animal behaviour and executive director of the Utah-based Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy. The project has raised an initial $1 million US toward a $20-million startup budget, Marino said. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  239 AM PDT FRI MAY 13 2016  

TODAY  SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT  AT 11 SECONDS.

TONIGHT  NW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND  WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 11 SECONDS.

SAT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT  11 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

SAT NIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL  3 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

SUN  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 13 SECONDS.

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"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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5/12 Break Free, coal ports, Vic sewer, fish season, snowpack, Colstrip, spot prawn, land use code

Tesoro at March Point (John Hagen/ZUMA)

Protestors To Converge On Anacortes For Direct Action Against Fossil Fuels
Hundreds of activists are gathering in Anacortes this weekend for protests aimed at keeping fossil fuels in the ground. The Pacific Northwest “Break Free from Fossil Fuels” event is part of two weeks of actions that have been taking place in dozens of cities all over the globe. Other U.S. cities on the list include Denver, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Local authorities are warning residents to prepare for congestion. Anacortes is home to two oil refineries that are the focal point of the protests. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU) See also: Anacortes Climate Protest Clashes With Heron Nesting Season  Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Environmentalists worry more U.S. coal will come through B.C. after Wash. port proposal rejected
Local environmentalists are worried more coal could end up coming through B.C. after the U.S. government rejected a proposed coal terminal near Bellingham, Washington on Monday. The rejection came after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined the terminal would negatively impact the treaty-based fishing rights of the Lummi Nation. "We're excited for our allies in the United States," says Arie Ross, a Beyond Coal campaigner for the Dogwood Initiative. But Ross is worried that the decision could mean a renewed reliance on B.C. terminals by U.S. coal companies: "[They] are looking to export through whatever means they can, and the fact that another coal port has been cancelled means that there's [only] two more opportunities to get their coal to market." Ross is referring to proposed coal terminals in Fraser-Surrey and Longview, Washington. (CBC)

Politicians bow to pressure, accept independent sewage board
Greater Victoria politicians bowed to provincial pressure Wednesday and agreed to set up an independent panel of experts to oversee sewage treatment plans for the region. The Capital Regional District board made the decision following a private meeting with B.C. Community Minister Peter Fassbender, who essentially told the politicians to get moving or risk losing more than $500 million in federal and provincial money this fall. “The minister made it very clear that there was just too many committees, too many interests and what we need to do is focus,” said Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen, a CRD board director. “So what we’ve done today is essentially accepted the recommendation of a very lean, very pointed governance structure which will come up with recommendations.” Lindsay Kines reports. (Times Colonist) See also: B.C. makes offer the CRD board couldn’t refuse  The politicians might paint it in prettier colours but have no doubt, this was the day the provincial government lost patience with Dysfunction-by-the-Sea…. Jack Knox writes. (Times Colonist)

State fishery submits proposal back to tribes hopefully ending stalemate on setting salmon seasons 
State Fish and Wildlife submitted their fishing proposal late Wednesday afternoon back to tribal fishery managers, and many in the sport-fishing industry are hopeful that an agreement on the 2016-17 salmon fishing seasons will be announced in the next day or two. On May 6, the Puyallup Tribe submitted a proposal letter to Michael S. Grossman, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office with a list of agreed fisheries for sport and tribes. This comes after talks failed during a meeting on April 27 in Fife with around 60 representatives from state, tribal, NOAA Fisheries, and officials from the governor’s and attorney general’s office. The positive signs in recent days will hopefully end a month-long dispute on how to share the burden of forecasted poor Puget Sound coho and Puyallup River chinook returns. Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Halibut opener a bumpy ride in windy weather for most anglers  Michael Carman reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

B.C. snowpack reaches record low for May
Snow in B.C. has melted early and quickly this spring, leaving a record-low amount of snowpack on B.C. mountains for May. Many regions have snow levels less than half of normal for this time of year, according to the latest bulletin from the River Forecast Centre, released this week. The provincial average is 53 per cent of normal — the lowest level since 1980 when record-keeping began…. Overall, conditions as of May 1 look more like June 1 — meaning snow is disappearing three or four weeks early, the report said. It's largely gone from low and mid-elevations already. Lisa Johnson reports. (CBC) See also: Specialist: Rapid melt of Olympic snowpack could prompt water worries in late summer  Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Bullock meets with Colstrip stakeholders about fate of coal-fired plant
Three owners of Montana’s much-discussed Colstrip coal-fired power plant sat down with Gov. Steve Bullock in Helena on Wednesday to start talking about what happens to the aging power plant as forces seem to push the eventual closure of its two older units. Kimberly Harris, CEO of Puget Sound Energy in Washington; Paul Farr, CEO of Pennsylvania-based Talen Energy; and Bob Rowe, CEO of NorthWestern Energy discussed the future of the plant, which sits about two hours east of Billings. The ownership picture in Colstrip is complex. Six companies have a stake in the plant. Talen owns 50 percent of Units 1 and 2, a 30 percent share of Unit 3 and also operates the entire four-unit Colstrip complex. The plant and the town that exists mostly because of it and a nearby coal mine face challenges from laws passed in Washington and Oregon to push utilities based in those states with ownership in Colstrip to drop coal from their portfolio. The market is also favoring the low price of natural gas. Holly Michels reports. (Independent Record)

B.C. spot prawn numbers could fall with loss of kelp as starfish die off
About half of all the kelp in Howe Sound has disappeared, thanks to the starfish die-off over the past two or three years, and that could affect the spot prawn harvest in future. As prawn lovers await the first batch of B.C.’s tasty, short-lived B.C. shellfish delicacy — expected to hit the shore Friday, a day after the 2016 fishing season opens — a Vancouver Aquarium researcher is warning the current loss of kelp could hurt baby prawns in future years. The size of this year’s harvest won’t be known until Friday, according to Steven Richards of the Pacific Prawn Fishermen’s Association, but “it’s looking good, everyone’s pumped.” But the depleted kelp beds are “nursery habitat” for the reddish-brown shrimp known for its sweet flavour and firm texture, and popular around the world. Susan Lazaruk reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Anacortes looking to streamline land use code 
The city of Anacortes is looking to clean up its messy land use code within the next several years, a move city officials say will create a less confusing, more streamlined process. In its current state, the code is divided into multiple sections, called titles. The proposed change would gradually move all the provisions from those titles into one title, called Title 19. During that process, the city will fix confusing and redundant provisions. Aaron Weinberg reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  236 AM PDT THU MAY 12 2016  

TODAY  W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT.  W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.

TONIGHT  NW WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING W TO 10 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS.  W SWELL 3 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

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"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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5/11 Fishing season, oil spill, pollution suit, Comox CG, GBH, Enetai Cr., bag ban, Shell drill, dead zones

Chinese police uncover huge fake jellyfish 'scam'
Police in eastern China have raided two fake jellyfish workshops, saying more than 10 tonnes is thought to have made its way into local food markets. Police said the fake jellyfish had been made by mixing chemicals, adding that checks showed high levels of aluminum. The syndicates made more than 170,000 yuan (£18,100; $26,100) in profits in a year of production, they added. Jellyfish is very popular sliced and served as salad, particularly along China's southern and eastern coasts. Martin Yip reports. (BBC China)

Positive move in right direction made on possibly saving salmon fishing seasons
Coming to an agreement on the 2016-17 salmon fishing seasons has taken a small step in the right direction, but to say state and tribal fishery managers are close might still be a reach at this point…. This is a sign of hope as talks fell apart during a meeting on April 27 in Fife – where around 60 representatives from state, tribal, NOAA Fisheries, and officials from the governor’s and attorney general’s office. The problem now lies with how to cut-back on the catch and split it between sport and tribal fisheries of an expected poor return of Puyallup River chinook. Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Esquimalt Harbour closed to fishing after spill
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is prohibiting the harvesting of all fish species in Esquimalt Harbour after a barge ran aground and dumped about 27,000 litres of diesel into Plumper Bay on Sunday. Island Health and the First Nations Health Authority are also advising people and pets to stay clear of the water and shoreline. Vancouver Pile Driving said its construction barge broke loose in high winds early Sunday morning. The barge, which carries a crane, ran aground on the flat, sandy and rock-strewn beach, which is ringed by Esquimalt Nation on one side and Songhees Nation on the other. Cleanup crews were on scene by 1 p.m. Sunday and skimmed the water’s surface throughout the night. By Monday afternoon, about 27,000 litres of diesel had been recovered and the marine portion of the cleanup was deemed complete. Cindy E. Harnett reports. (Times Colonist)

Port of Seattle, environment group settle clean-water lawsuit
The Port of Seattle has agreed to follow certain practices to prevent stormwater pollution at Pier 66 as part of a settlement of an environmental lawsuit. The port, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and Cruise Terminals of America, a former tenant at the cruise terminal in downtown Seattle, filed an agreement in federal court on Monday. The port and its new tenant will follow best management practices in fueling, maintenance and other operations. The environmental group sued the port and Cruise Terminals in 2014, alleging they violated the Clean Water Act by allowing stormwater runoff into Elliott Bay without a proper permit. The port and the cruise terminal operator did not admit to wrongdoing. But they each agreed to pay Puget Soundkeeper $250,000 for legal and other fees. The group will allocate $50,000 to a fund that provides money to improve water quality in Puget Sound. (Associated Press)

Comox coast guard closing today despite communications concerns
The Comox Coast Guard Communications station is slated to close today — a move the union claims will put lives at risk. With the closure, the coast guard in B.C. will now be staffed in three places —  a communications station in Prince Rupert and another in Victoria, as well as a base in Vancouver that has two inflatable rescue vessels. But coast guard workers say running two communication stations is not enough to ensure the waters are safe…. The decision to close the station, along with others, was made by the previous Conservative government. The federal Liberals reopened the Kitsilano base in May 2016 after winning the election, but say they will not be doing the same with the Comox station. Wanyee Li and Farrah Merali report. (CBC)

Group surveys Skagit County's herons
From a beach on east March Point, Sue Ehler scanned the shallow waters of an ebbing Padilla Bay on Friday morning, tallying the number of great blue herons standing in the eelgrass beds. At about 9:30 a.m., Ehler reporter to Matt Kerschbaum that she saw 182 of the region’s iconic birds foraging for food. Ehler, Kerschbaum and Bonnie Kerschbaum are part of a 19-member team of volunteer citizen scientists working on a survey of herons in Skagit County. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

New test might clear the water on mystery
The tiny jar Shawn Ultican dips into Enetai Creek might solve one of the longest-running stream pollution mysteries in Kitsap. That's because Ultican, a water-quality investigator with the Kitsap Public Health District, has a new water-testing technology at his disposal, one that could help track down the root causes of fecal pollution plaguing Enetai and several other creeks…. The Health District's new testing method can detect hundreds of chemical compounds found in human waste, including antibiotics, painkillers and other drugs. These compounds can serve as markers, indicating that human urine and feces is seeping into streams from failed septic systems or leaking sewer pipes. Finding the compounds helps rule out nonhuman causes, such as pet and wildlife waste. Tristan Baurick reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Tacoma’s plastic bag ban inches forward, but with new questions from City Council
Tacoma’s proposed ban on plastic grocery bags is moving forward, but a City Council meeting Tuesday revealed tough questions about the ordinance that could lead to its rejection. So far, three City Council members are on the record supporting a measure that would prohibit stores from handing out free, disposable plastic bags while charging customers at least a nickel if they want to use a paper bag. That group is Keith Blocker, Anders Ibsen and Ryan Mello. Two other council members — Conor McCarthy and Joe Lonergan — are critical of it. McCarthy thinks it’s moving too fast and would benefit from more discussion; Lonergan questions whether it would place a burden on the city’s lower-income neighborhoods while yielding minimal environmental benefits. Adam Ashton reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Five Pacific islands disappear as sea levels rise
Five tiny Pacific islands have disappeared amid rising seas and erosion, Australian researchers say. The missing islands, part of the Solomon Archipelago, were not inhabited by human beings. But six other islands were found to have seen swathes of land turn into sea, destroying entire villages. The researchers say it is the first scientific confirmation of the impact of climate change on Pacific coastlines. (BBC)

Shell relinquishes offshore leases in Alaska's Chukchi Sea
The only company to drill an exploratory oil well in Alaska's Chukchi Sea following a 2008 federal lease sale confirmed Tuesday it has relinquished nearly all of its leases. Royal Dutch Shell PLC formally relinquished all but one of its leases in the waters off Alaska's northwest coast, spokesman Curtis Smith said Tuesday. The news was not a complete surprise. An exploratory well drilled in 2015 did not find commercial quantities of oil. Shell announced in September it was suspending exploration in Alaska waters. Dan Joling reports. (Associated Press)

Suffocating the Ocean
Oxygen-depleted oceans have preceded many mass extinctions in Earth’s past, including the worst one of all 252 million years ago. Are hypoxic dead zones from California to Namibia a harbinger of the next extinction? Moises Velasquez-Manoff reports. (Pacific Standard)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  240 AM PDT WED MAY 11 2016  

TODAY  W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT IN THE  AFTERNOON. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.

TONIGHT  W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W  SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
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"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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5/10 GPT coal port, Esquimalt spill, bag ban, electronic waste, Prince Rupert port, Burrard Inlet, halogen radicals

Terminal terminated

Army Corps rejects permit for coal terminal at Cherry Point
 The proposed coal terminal for Cherry Point is dead after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a needed permit Monday, May 9. The Corps ruled the project would impact the treaty-protected fishing rights of Lummi Nation based on the fact that the proposed trestle and associated wharf would take up 144 acres over water. “The Corps may not permit a project that abrogates treaty rights,” said Col. John Buck, commander of the Corps’ Seattle District. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald) See also: Tribes prevail, kill proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point  Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times) And also: A death blow to coal ports in Washington?  Floyd McKay reports. (Crosscut)

Cleanup underway after barge runs aground in Esquimalt Harbour
Cleanup crews are focusing on the shoreline of Plumper Bay after a barge carrying up to 30,000 litres of diesel ran aground in Esquimalt Harbour. Vancouver Pile Driving said its construction barge contained between 20,000 and 30,000 litres when it broke loose in high winds early Sunday morning and hit the shore. On Monday, a red Canadian Coast Guard helicopter circled over the small protected bay surveying the impact of the spill. The large construction barge, which carries a crane, ran aground near the mouth of Plumper Bay. The sandy rock-strewn beach is ringed by Esquimalt Nation on one side and Songhees Nation on the other. Cindy E. Harnett reports. (Times Colonist)

Plastic bag ban proposed for San Juan County
Should single-use plastic bags be banned in San Juan County? The idea was put to the county council last week by solid waste program administrator Mark Herrenkohl, who is spearheading a public works effort to pass a ban here…. Herrenkohl and public works director Brian Vincent suggested San Juan County adopt a resolution similar to those passed in other regional communities. (San Juan Journal)

On the trail of America's dangerous, dead electronics
High above the Pacific Ocean in a plane headed for Hong Kong, most of the passengers are fast asleep. But not Jim Puckett. His eyes are fixed on the glowing screen of his laptop. Little orange markers dot a satellite image. He squints at the pixilated terrain trying to make out telltale signs. He’s searching for America’s electronic waste…. He doesn’t know it yet, but on this trip to Hong Kong, he will stumble on boxes bearing the logo for Total Reclaim, one of the largest electronics recyclers in the Pacific Northwest, with contracts to handle e-waste from the City of Seattle, King County, the University of Washington, and the State of Washington. Katie Campbell & Ken Christensen report. (KUOW)

Seattle, Tacoma ports battling much smaller BC neighbor
Remote just begins to describe it. As legend has it in these parts, Ketchikan is about 60 miles away as the crow flies.  It's tough to get here by road. Yet, Prince Rupert, British Columbia, population 12,000, is now on a path to arguably become the biggest threat to the Puget Sound economy. "We're quite happy," said Port of Prince Rupert CEO Don Krusel, who describes his town and port as a "real success story."… At the port's interpretive center, visitors can see the sales job.  This port bills itself a day closer to the Far East than Seattle or Tacoma, and it doesn't need trucks. Ships can pull in and off-load right onto on-dock rail, which can take cargo to the upper midwest and southern United States days earlier. Chris Daniels reports. (KING)

Water's Edge: Park life and sulphur piles in Burrard Inlet, where homes coexist with industry 
Larry Pynn writes: "For 15 minutes I pinball around the offices of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation — “People of the Inlet” — until a decision is made allowing me to launch my kayak from a small rocky beach next to the canoe shed on Dollarton Highway in North Vancouver. The band’s director of administration, Dale Komanchuk, even writes a note of authorization on the back of his business card in case anyone challenges me, and allows me to park my pickup truck overnight behind the community centre. I launch over several dozen dead prawns visible on the ocean floor then paddle toward Maplewood Flats Conservation Area, a haven for birds featuring 96 hectares of intertidal area and 30 hectares of uplands. The late novelist, Malcolm Lowry, wrote Under The Volcano while living in a squatter cabin near here, but there’ll be no investigating literary ghosts today. I can barely skim across the exposed mud on a receding tide even staying 200 metres off shore and wisely decide to reverse course and continue eastward through the inlet…." (Vancouver Sun)

Engineers discover good and bad seawater salt effects on coastal algae
Scientists have long studied the role that free radicals play in freshwater because of how these charged compounds affect the chemistry of our drinking water. The special nature of these processes in saltwater ecosystems, however, has been poorly understood. Now civil and environmental engineers at Stanford have discovered how salty free radicals in seawater act as a double-edged sword – sometimes they break down poisonous byproducts of algae but at other times they diminish the supply of beneficial algal byproducts. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor William Mitch and PhD student Kimberly Parker explore the effects of a seawater-specific category of chemical agents known as halogen radicals. Shana Tonn reports. (Phys.org)

Hawks used to scare away unwanted birds
Playing tennis on courts covered with bird droppings is no fun. That’s where Lummi and Roslyn, a couple of skilled Harris’s hawks, come into play. The two hawks, along with owner Sue Hanneman, have been busy the past couple of weeks scaring away unwanted starlings from the covered courts at Skagit Valley College. Vince Richardson reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  245 AM PDT TUE MAY 10 2016  

TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES LESS 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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"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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5/9 Sky views, sea star babies, BC pipe, BC port, whale sanctuary, Thurston toxins, Site C protest, BCCG

(KOMO)

Epic Northern Lights show dazzles Puget Sound region
Sunday might be Mother's Day but it was Mother Nature who was doling out the gifts, especially to photographers who happened to heed the geomagnetic warnings and head to a spot with a clear northern view. Because Sunday morning may have been among the most intense Northern Lights shows in several years in the Puget Sound region. Scott Sistek reports. (KOMO)

Here’s how to watch today’s Mercury transit
The planet Mercury began its rare journey passing between the Earth and Sun on May 9, 2016. It takes this trek only about 13 times a century. The last time it made this journey was in 2006. Mercury will appear as a small black dot on the face of the Sun. See the beginning of the journey, which will last more than 7 hours here. Elizabeth Koh reports. (McClatchy)

Starfish baby boom follows a major West Coast die-off
Droves of baby starfish are returning to Oregon and Northern California’s shores after a wasting disease decimated whole populations of the creatures over the past two years along the West Coast. Data collected by Oregon State University researchers shows an unprecedented number of baby starfish, or sea stars, survived the summer and winter of 2015, the Eureka Times Standard reported Saturday. “When we looked at the settlement of the larval sea stars on rocks in 2014 during the epidemic, it was the same or maybe even a bit lower than previous years,” Oregon State University marine biology professor Bruce Menge said in a statement. “But a few months later, the number of juveniles was off the charts — higher than we’d ever seen — as much as 300 times normal.” (Associated Press)

Proponents behind B.C.'s Northern Gateway pipeline ask for three-year extension
The proponents behind the Northern Gateway pipeline are asking the National Energy Board for three more years to start building the controversial project. Northern Gateway and 31 aboriginal equity partners said Friday they need the time to secure legal and regulatory certainty and continue consultations with First Nations and Metis communities. (Canadian Press)

Water's Edge: Industry versus nature in Canada's busiest port
When we look out at the craggy industrial face of the Port of Vancouver, we see freighters from around the world, piles of sulphur and coal, grain unloaded from rail cars into silos, commercial float planes, tugs, ferries and gantries moving container cargo. Much less obvious is the natural world that defies the odds and makes its home within the bustling waters and unyielding infrastructure of the inner harbour. At Harbour Green Park at Cordova and Bute, a half-circle of large orange buoys gives no indication of the protected forests of bull kelp and fish flourishing beneath the surface. Next door, Vancouver Convention Centre delegates are oblivious to the range of conservation measures built in to the facility. Crew substituted clean soils for sediments polluted with old industrial hydrocarbons, constructed reef, shoal and islet habitat, and installed pipes for rockfish, and heavy chains for invertebrates. Some 100 marine species are thought to frequent the site, about one-third more than before construction of the facility in 2009. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Pacific Northwest Coast Scouted For Possible Seaside Whale Sanctuary
A new environmental nonprofit is scouting the Pacific Northwest coast for a suitable cove or bay to establish a refuge for retired captive orca and beluga whales. The board and staff of the new outfit, called The Whale Sanctuary Project, includes a number of people who helped return Keiko, the star of the Free Willy movie, to Icelandic waters from Newport, Oregon. Whale Sanctuary Project Executive Director Lori Marino said her group is searching for a cold water home on the East Coast or along the Washington or British Columbia waterfront. Tom Banse reports. (KUOW)

10 most toxic Thurston County properties have worst threat rating
At the end of Buckeye Court sits an abandoned property with a dirty backstory. This uninhabitable half-acre parcel near Black Lake was under investigation more than a decade ago for its role in a gasoline theft operation. The site reeked of gasoline when four 55-gallon drums full of stolen fuel were found alongside hand-operated pumps and plastic tubes. Gasoline had spilled on the soil and, at the time, an environmental report warned of the potential for toxic chemicals to wash downhill into the wetlands less than 1,000 feet away. Andy Hobbs reports. (Olympian)

Researchers implant electronic tags to track journey of juvenile salmon
Using tags surgically implanted into thousands of juvenile salmon, UBC researchers have discovered that many fish die within the first few days of migration from their birthplace to the ocean…. Researchers from the Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory at UBC followed the migration of one of B.C.'s largest sockeye populations from Chilko Lake, in British Columbia's Cariboo region, to the ocean. Each spring, juvenile salmon known as smolts leave this central B.C. lake and migrate downstream through the Chilko, Chilcotin, and Fraser rivers and into the Salish Sea. To follow the juvenile salmon, researchers implanted small electronic tags into the tiny 12-centimetre fish as they were leaving Chilko Lake. As the smolts made the 1,000-kilometre journey to the Pacific Ocean, acoustic receivers picked up the signals from the tags to monitor how many fish survived the migration. (Phys.org)

Site C protesters to dismantle camp outside Vancouver BC Hydro office
Opponents of a major hydroelectric dam project in northern British Columbia are packing up a protest camp outside BC Hydro's Vancouver office. The decision came more than a week after the utility filed a notice of civil claim and an application for an injunction in a bid to evict Site C protesters who have been stationed outside the head office 24 hours a day since March 13. Julia Ratcliffe, one of the people named by BC Hydro in court documents, said she decided to settle with the company outside of court. (Canadian Press)

Most MPs endorse Comox coast guard station shutdown: Report
A House of Commons committee gave its conditional nod of approval Friday to the federal government’s planned closure next week of a communications station in Comox. Liberal and Conservative MPs on the committee, overriding the objections of the New Democratic Party, accepted the Canadian Coast Guard’s argument that mariner and public safety won’t be threatened by the move. “The committee has been sufficiently reassured that the capacity of the Canadian Coast Guard to respond to emergency situations has not diminished,” stated a news release issued following the tabling of the report in Parliament. Peter O'Neil reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  243 AM PDT MON MAY 9 2016  

TODAY  NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT  AT 10 SECONDS.

TONIGHT  W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER  MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

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"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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5/6 Wyckoff Superfund, BC LNG & oil pipes, ocean acid, fish protection, bag ban, Mercury transit

Bye-bye lawn, hello wildness.

America's Love of the Lawn
According to NASA, there are about 63,000 square miles of lawn in the US — nearly enough to cover the state of Wisconsin. That’s bad news, because most birds... prefer shrubs that provide food and cover. And lawns suck up fertilizers, herbicides, fossil fuels, and extraordinary quantities of water. Fortunately, lawns are also easy to replace with bird-friendly elements: borders or islands of dense, fruiting shrubs, layers of foliage for shelter, and wildflowers to attract native pollinators. (BirdNote)

Wyckoff Superfund site's 'final' plan proposed
After nearly 30 years of slow, expensive cleanup, a "final" solution has been proposed for one of the most polluted spots on Puget Sound. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dug up, pumped out and covered portions of the Wyckoff Superfund site on Eagle Harbor — yet vast quantities of toxic tar and other harmful chemicals remain in the ground and on the beach. Now the EPA hopes to try a new strategy: injecting wet cement into the ground to freeze contaminants in place. Once hardened, the underground reservoirs of creosote and other chemical compounds would no longer threaten to seep into groundwater or ooze into the harbor, according to the EPA. Tristan Baurick reports. (Kitsap Sun)

TransCanada gets final permits for Coastal GasLink pipeline to Kitimat
TransCanada says it has secured the final permits needed to start construction and operation of its proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline. The company said Thursday that the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission issued the last two of 10 permits needed and it now is awaiting a final investment decision from LNG Canada before starting construction. The 650-kilometre pipeline would link natural gas fields in northeastern British Columbia to LNG Canada's proposed liquefied natural gas export project in Kitimat, B.C. The Shell-led LNG Canada consortium is expected to make a final investment decision on the natural gas project in late 2016 and, if approved, TransCanada could start pipeline construction next year. (Canadian Press)

Kinder Morgan review: Ottawa now promises consultative panel
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, in a speech just two days after his office said he would appoint a single envoy to gauge public views on the Kinder Morgan pipeline project, promised Thursday a “panel of ministerial representatives” to do that job. The switch is coming more than three months after the Trudeau government announced that the public would have a fresh chance to weigh in on the $6.8-billion expansion of the oilsands pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby. And it comes roughly two weeks before Carr has promised to unveil the identity of those being asked to help the government improve its public outreach on pipelines. Peter O'Neil reports. (Vancouver Sun)

New West Coast mission investigates ocean acidification threat
Ocean acidification, a global process in which the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, is occurring faster than at any time in the past 50 million years. The global rise in ocean acidity, fueled by human-created greenhouse gases, is already affecting West Coast oyster hatcheries and the ability of tiny sea snails—an important food for salmon and herring—to build and maintain their shells…. During the monthlong cruise aboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown, some 36 scientists from the United States, Mexico, Canada and Europe will collect ocean data to measure acidity, temperature, oxygen and chlorophyll from 16 locations stretching from Mexico to Canada. They will also deploy tow nets to sample sea snails and other ocean plants and animals to analyze how they are being affected by acidifying waters. (Phys.Org)

Fisheries protections are under threat
…. The days of sitting in a small rowboat fishing for 25-pound salmon just off Shilshole in north Seattle, rocking in the wake of the local salmon fishing fleet, are long-gone memories because all those big and continuing threats have already reduced the once-abundant fish populations. It is quite likely that no one will be general fishing for salmon in Puget Sound this year. Coho runs are expected to be exceptionally low and the opportunity to fish for winter-run steelhead is only half of what it was. Up the Skagit River, the community of Marblemount no longer sees out-of-state tourists vying for RV and hotel accommodations in winter and spring to fish for wild steelhead — instead, it looks like a town in decline. On my trip to D.C., I was surprised to learn that there is notable pressure to weaken the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Rather than roll back the law, I encouraged our congressional representatives to strengthen the law when it is updated again, to make sure that the growing knowledge about our ocean environment is used to better inform fishery management decisions. Bob Margulis writes. (Crosscut) See also: Total shutdown of Puget Sound salmon season sparks anger  (Associated Press/KOMO)

Thurston County launches new survey to gauge impact of plastic bag ban 
Plastic carryout shopping bags have been banned in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and unincorporated Thurston County for nearly two years, which means it’s time to look at the financial impact of the ban and other factors through a new survey and interviews. That was a requirement written into the bag ban ordinance, which took effect on July 1, 2014. And one aspect of the survey is already under way, according to the county. As of this week, the county is asking the owners and managers of retail businesses to take an online survey this month to determine the financial impact on those businesses as a result of the ordinance. To take the survey, go to: www.surveymonkey.com/r/ThurstonBagBan. Rolf Boone reports. (Olympian)

Best whale video you will ever see
Captain Cy Williams of Strike Zone Sportfishing in Ketchikan, Alaska shot this video of a giant humpback whale feeding just off the dock at Knudson Cove Marina. Scott Brown reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Mercury transit: How to watch the rare event
A rare daytime celestial show takes place on Monday. The planet Mercury will pass in front of the sun, and Canadians will get an exceptional view. Such "transits" of Mercury only happen 13 times a century, and not all of them are visible from all parts of the world…. his particular Mercury transit has great timing — Mercury will appear as a tiny dot on the east side of the sun at 7:12 a.m. ET and slowly cross it over 7½ hours, disappearing on the west side of the sun at 2:42 p.m. ET. That will make the entire event visible from most of Canada — with the proper equipment, of course. Emily Chung reports. (CBC)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  242 AM PDT FRI MAY 6 2016  

TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT...BECOMING 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT  11 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 10 SECONDS.

SAT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT  10 SECONDS.

SAT NIGHT  W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT  AT 11 SECONDS.

SUN  W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS.

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"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