6/14 Bass, Foss Waterway, bad fish sales, recycling, deeper harbor, NW Forest Plan, losing ice

Largemouth bass [US Army Corps]

Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides
Largemouth bass is a member of the sunfish family, though larger than those species considered "panfish".  Together with six other species of bass, they make up the group typically known as the black basses.  Other than the largemouth, the only other member of the black basses in Washington is the similar looking smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu.... The largemouth bass is the state fish of Alabama. (WDFW)

Paddle race highlights cleanup of Tacoma's Foss Waterway
Tacoma's Thea Foss Waterway used to have some of the dirtiest water in America. It was identified as a Superfund site in 1983, signaling a hazard to people and the environment, and placed on a National Priorities List for cleanup. Fast forward to 2018 and paddlers are flocking to Foss Waterway for a sea adventure race.... Cleanup on the Foss Waterway was complete in 2016. Now it's a place people can finally enjoy. Jenna Hanchard reports. (KING)

Fresh seafood from U.S.? Dealer sold fishy tale at Inslee event in Washington state
Caterers in Washington state tweeted a photo of maroon sashimi appetizers served to 700 guests attending Gov. Jay Inslee’s inaugural ball last year. They were told the tuna was from Montauk. But it was an illusion. It was the dead of winter and no yellowfin had been landed in the New York town. An Associated Press investigation traced the supply chain of national distributor Sea To Table to other parts of the world, where fishermen described working under slave-like conditions with little regard for marine life. In a global seafood industry plagued by deceit, conscientious consumers will pay top dollar for what they believe is local, sustainably caught seafood. But even in this fast-growing niche market, companies can hide behind murky dealings, making it difficult to know the story behind any given fish. Martha Mendoza, Robin McDowell and Margie Mason report. (Associated Press)

This Is Why A Lot Of Our Recycling Is Going To Landfills
Over the past year, more than 10,000 tons of Oregon’s recycling have been dumped in landfills because there was nowhere else for them to go. It’s one of the consequences of new restrictions on shipping recyclables to China. Across the Northwest, more and more places are raising recycling fees, reducing and even canceling curbside collection and sending formerly recyclable material to the dump. Last year, the world’s biggest buyer of recyclables announced a tough new set of rules for how clean its recycling imports need to be as part of a policy called National Sword, which aims to reduce pollution. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB/EarthFix) See also: Jefferson County recycling policy to change after China rejects material  Jennie McMacken reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Deeper harbor would bring world's biggest ships to Seattle
The world's biggest cargo ships, some a quarter-mile long, could be docking regularly near downtown Seattle before long. After four years' study, the Army Corps of Engineers has given the okay to digging deeper shipping channels around Harbor Island at the mouth of the Duwamish River. The dredging down to a depth of 57 feet would allow the world’s longest and deepest cargo ships to carry full loads to and from the Port of Seattle. The biggest container ships can sit more than 50 feet deep in the water. Those ships can come to Seattle today, but only if they're not fully loaded: the East and West Waterways, on either side of Harbor Island at the Port of Seattle, are too shallow for them, with depths ranging from 34 to 51 feet. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Report to shape update to Northwest Forest Plan
The U.S. Forest Service released Monday a report that will help with an update to the Northwest Forest Plan, according to a news release. The report reviews and summarizes applicable science that has emerged since the Northwest Forest Plan was adopted in 1994. The Northwest Forest Plan directs management of 17 national forests in California, Oregon and Washington, including the portion of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in eastern Skagit County. The Northwest Forest Plan was created to protect the critical habitat of the northern spotted owl while maintaining a viable forest products industry in the Pacific Northwest, according to the Forest Service. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Antarctica loses three trillion tonnes of ice in 25 years
Antarctica is shedding ice at an accelerating rate. Satellites monitoring the state of the White Continent indicate some 200 billion tonnes a year are now being lost to the ocean as a result of melting. This is pushing up global sea levels by 0.6mm annually - a three-fold increase since 2012 when the last such assessment was undertaken. Scientists report the new numbers in the journal Nature. Governments will need to take account of the information and its accelerating trend as they plan future defences to protect low-lying coastal communities. Jonathan Amos and Victoria Gill report. (BBC)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  227 AM PDT Thu Jun 14 2018   

TODAY  Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 6 ft at  10 seconds. Showers likely in the morning then a slight chance of  showers in the afternoon. 

TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 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.

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6/13 Bats, spill plans, BC pipe, culverts, BC ferries

Big brown bat [Ty Smedes/WDFW]

Bats
More than 15 species of bats live in Washington, from the common little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) to the rare Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii). Head to tail, bats range in length from the 2.5-inch-long canyon bat (Parastrellus hesperus), to the 6-inch long hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus). The hoary bat has a body approximately the size of a house sparrow and a wingspan of 17 inches. The species most often seen flying around human habitat include the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis), big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus), and California myotis (Myotis californicus). (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Yesterday's story "Canada’s pipeline spill plans criticized by Washington State after disaster clean-up exercise"  Justine Hunter reports (Globe and Mail) was posted with a bad link. Here is a corrected link.

Notley says Trans Mountain pipeline vital in face of Trump's trade threats
Premier Rachel Notley appealed to Canadians on Tuesday to support the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion as a bulwark against U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade threats. Her comments were similar to sentiments expressed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government, the soon-to-be owners of the pipeline project and the focus in recent days of scathing attacks by Trump, who launched a trade fight two weeks ago with tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Speaking at the Global Petroleum Trade Show in Calgary, Notley said recent events have made the United States’s status as the “monopoly buyer” of Canadian energy “harder and harder to stomach.” James Wood reports. (Vancouver Sun)

‘This Ruling Gives Us Hope’: Supreme Court Sides With Tribe in Salmon Case
There was a time when the murky waters of the Skagit River offered bountiful salmon harvests to the Swinomish Indians of Washington State. They could fill an entire boat with one cast of the net back then, and even on a slow day, they could count on hauling in dozens of fish. But on a cloudy morning last month, the tribal community chairman, Brian Cladoosby, was having no luck. Drifting in his 21-foot Boston Whaler, he spotted his 84-year-old father, Michael, standing in yellow overalls in another boat, pulling an empty net from the water. “Where’s the fish, Dad?” the son asked. That has been the dominant question for years among the Swinomish and other Native Americans, who have seen their salmon harvests dip by about 75 percent over the past three decades. But on Monday, they got reason to hope that their salmon harvests would tick back up. John Eligon reports. (NY Times)

BC Ferries’ Spirit of British Columbia Converted to LNG
Spirit of British Columbia, one of two BC Ferries vessels that will use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel, has finished conversion at the Remontowa Ship Repair Yard S.A. in Gdansk, Poland and has returned to service for the Canadian operator. The 1993-built ro-pax ferry Spirit of British Columbia was the first to undergo conversion while its sister vessel, the Spirit of Vancouver Island, is expected to complete conversion during the spring of 2019. The 550-foot ABS-classed vessels are the largest ships in the BC Ferries fleet with a capacity to carry 2,100 passengers and crew and 358 automobile equivalent. (MarineLink)

Higher prices for passengers as BC Ferries drops fuel tariffs
Taking the ferry in B.C. is about to get more expensive as fuel prices continue to rise. On Tuesday, BC Ferries announced it's removing fuel tariffs as of June 27. The rebate and surcharge mechanism is currently used to manage the unpredictable rise and fall of fuel prices, but BC Ferries said it doesn't make money that way.... When the tariffs are gone, the added costs will vary depending on the trip — but on major routes, passengers will be charged an extra 50 cents and it will be $1.70 more for a vehicle. (Canadian Press)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  247 AM PDT Wed Jun 13 2018   

TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 11 seconds. Rain likely in the morning then showers likely in  the afternoon. 

TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of showers.


--
"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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6/12 Honeysuckle, culverts, pipeline spill plans, fish farm kills, oil spill fabric, invasives, summer weekend

Honeysuckle [WNPS/Ben Legler]

Western Trumpet (Orange) Honeysuckle Lonicera ciliosa
Lonicera ciliosa is a climbing vine that can reach as high as 60 feet with clusters of tubular bright orange flowers. The stems were used for weaving, binding, and lashing by interior B.C. peoples. Bark was boiled as tea for sore throats. The leaves soaked in hot water were used to stimulate milk flow in Swinomish women; leaves were also chewed and swallowed for colds. Leaves dipped in water were drunk as a contraceptive by the Chehalis, and girls would bathe in the water to get long beautiful hair.... Fruit is eaten by grouse, pheasants, flickers, robins, thrushes, bluebirds, waxwings, grosbeaks, finches, and juncos. Hummingbirds visit the flowers. Twining habit creates nest spots for small birds. Lonicera is named after Adam Lonitzer, a German naturalist. (Washington Native Plant Society)

Tied U.S. Supreme Court decision means Washington must remove barriers to salmon migration
The U.S. Supreme Court is leaving in place a lower court order that forces Washington state to restore salmon habitat by removing barriers that block fish migration. The justices split 4-4 Monday in the long-running dispute that pitted the state against Indian tribes and the federal government. The tie means that a lower-court ruling in favor of the tribes will stand. Justice Anthony Kennedy stepped aside from the case because he participated in an earlier stage of it when he served on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.... At issue is whether Washington state must fix or replace hundreds of culverts. Those are large pipes that allow streams to pass beneath roads but can block migrating salmon if they become clogged or if they’re too steep to navigate. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Will the state learn from another loss on tribal fishing rights?  Daniel Jack Chasan reports. (Crosscut)

Canada’s pipeline spill plans criticized by Washington State after disaster clean-up
The last time Washington State officials put Kinder Morgan through a cross-border training exercise for a pipeline spill, the company earned high marks for its response. The biggest concern that emerged was the lack of preparation by officials on the Canadian side of the Puget Sound pipeline. The 111-kilometre-long pipeline – a spur from the Trans Mountain system that Canada intends to buy from Kinder Morgan – delivers Alberta crude oil to Puget Sound refineries. The company is regularly required by Washington State’s Department of Ecology to conduct different types of spill-response drills on the American portion of the line. In May, 2017, Kinder Morgan conducted a mandatory “worst case scenario“ exercise in Whatcom County, Wash., to demonstrate its ability to respond to an oil spill in a complex arena involving agencies on both sides of the border. The participants simulated an early-morning spill of 3,024 barrels of heavy synthetic crude oil in the Sumas River, which crosses the border at Abbotsford in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. That drill left Washington State officials concerned that Canada is not prepared for heavy oil to sink in a marine environment.  Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Algae bloom decimates two B.C. fish farms
Algae blooms killed around 250,000 fish at two B.C. fish farms last week, according to one of the largest aquaculture companies in the province. About half of the fish at Grieg Seafood’s farms in Jervis Inlet died from the harmful blooms of Heterosigma algae, according to a release by the company. Because the algae was in “extraordinarily high concentration” and spread throughout the water, protective measures could not prevent the extensive kill, it said. Rocky Boschman, the managing director of Grieg Seafood, explained that spines and spinules on the microscopic algae can damage the gills of salmon. Matt Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Fabric geeks help protect shipyard workers, Puget Sound
If a spill occurs during the course of ship maintenance at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, there's a good chance shipyard workers could use a tarp or a containment berm manufactured by a Poulsbo company to clean up the mess. Poulsbo-based Tarp Innovators has scored about a dozen government contracts to manufacture goods for the defense industry since the company opened three years ago. Kitsap County-based companies, including Tarp Innovators, were awarded $35 million in federal defense-related contracts in May. Overall in May, more than $135 million flowed into Kitsap as a result of the contracts awarded for projects that will be completed in the county. Julianne Stanford reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Heat Wave Headed To Puget Sound: Forecast
If you like heat, you'll only have to wait until next weekend to get a taste of temperatures in the 80s. The upcoming week will be pretty similar to recent days - cloudy, maybe rainy, burst of sunshine, and temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. But next Sunday, temperatures are forecast to jump more than 10 degrees and stay that way for days. So hang in there, summer is on the way. Neal McNamara reports. (Patch) And: Vancouver weather: Cloudy skies today and tomorrow, but sunny weekend ahead  Scott Brown reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Mandatory Boat Inspection Turns Up Invasive Species At Washington-Idaho Border
As boat inspections in the Northwest ramp up for summer, an inspection at the Washington-Idaho border near Spokane last week turned up highly invasive zebra mussels. An Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) crew with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife discovered zebra mussels on a pontoon boat from Michigan. It was on its way to Alaska. It had been out of the water since last fall, so the mussels were dead. But it had already made it through several other states before it was stopped for inspection on Interstate 90. Since January, invasive species have been found on eight boats in Oregon. Inspections are required for all watercraft in Oregon and Washington. That includes everything from motorized speed boats to kayaks to inflatable paddle boards. Emily Schwing reports. (KNKX, 6/7/18)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  245 AM PDT Tue Jun 12 2018   

TODAY  E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft  at 11 seconds. 

TONIGHT  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  4 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of rain in the evening then rain  after midnight.

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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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6/11 Worm, plankton, PS Pipe, Pope's climate, Trump science, eat plastic, farmed fish, murrelet, bioblitz

Earthworm [Slater Museum]

Earthworm Lumbricus sp.
Although we can go long times without seeing one, earthworms are among the most common and widespread organisms. They are under our feet, ubiquitous in moist soils. Their abundance can be seen after a rain, when many of them come to the surface. Crawling above ground, some become stranded on sidewalks and streets.... Earthworms are very efficient dirt-eaters. They take in bits of the soil through which they burrow and extract nutrients from the organic matter they digest. Their feces fertilize the soil even after they have extracted most nutrients, and their burrowing aerates the soil to the advantage of plant roots and the abundant soil fauna. They can also come to the surface and take in organic detritus such as pieces of dead leaves through their suckerlike mouth.(Slater Museum of Natural History)

Orange plankton bloom is not a good sign for ecological health
If you notice an orange tint to the waters of Central Puget Sound, it’s not your imagination. It is a dense plankton bloom dominated by the dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans. Noctiluca is often seen in some numbers at this time of year, but it may be a bit more intense this time around, according to Christopher Krembs, an oceanographer with the Washington Department of Ecology.... The orange-colored species does not produce any toxins found to be harmful to humans, but it is not exactly a friendly organism either. It often shows up in marine waters that are out of balance with nutrients or impaired in some other way. It can gobble up other plankton that feed tiny fish and other creatures, but it does not seem to provide a food supply that interests very many species — probably because of its ammonia content. Consequently, Noctiluca is often referred to as a “dead end” in the food web. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways) See also: Puget Sound waters are turning orange and Washington snow is pink  (Tacoma News Tribune)

Concerns raised over Canada's plans to buy pipeline serving March Point refineries
Environmental and indigenous groups said Thursday they are worried Canada may soon own the Puget Sound Pipeline that delivers crude oil to refineries in Whatcom and Skagit counties. They are concerned the 69-mile pipeline may be expanded or the amount of oil that flows through it may be increased. They are also concerned about plans to expand the larger Trans Mountain Pipeline that runs through Canada and connects with the local pipeline.... The Puget Sound Pipeline supplies two refineries in Whatcom County and two in Skagit County — the Andeavor Anacortes Refinery and Shell Puget Sound Refinery — with Alberta tar sands oil. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Spill at Kinder Morgan station near Kamloops, B.C. was larger than first stated by province  (CBC)

Climate change: Pope urges action on clean energy
Pope Francis has said climate change is a challenge of "epochal proportions" and that the world must convert to clean fuel. "Civilisation requires energy, but energy use must not destroy civilisation," he said. He was speaking to a group of oil company executives at the end of a two-day conference in the Vatican. Firms present included ExxonMobil, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Norway's Equinor and Pemex of Mexico. (BBC)

In the Trump Administration, Science Is Unwelcome. So Is Advice.
As President Trump prepares to meet Kim Jong-un of North Korea to negotiate denuclearization, a challenge that has bedeviled the world for years, he is doing so without the help of a White House science adviser or senior counselor trained in nuclear physics. Mr. Trump is the first president since 1941 not to name a science adviser, a position created during World War II to guide the Oval Office on technical matters ranging from nuclear warfare to global pandemics. As a businessman and president, Mr. Trump has proudly been guided by his instincts. Nevertheless, people who have participated in past nuclear negotiations say the absence of such high-level expertise could put him at a tactical disadvantage in one of the weightiest diplomatic matters of his presidency.  Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Orca pod cruises through Victoria's Inner Harbour during hour-long visit
A pod of killer whales made a rare appearance in Victoria’s Inner Harbour Thursday, frolicking not far from the British Columbia legislature. The group of four or five orcas, including a large male and what appeared to be a calf, brought vessel traffic to a near standstill and delayed floatplane activity during the roughly hour-long visit. (Canadian Press)

One scientist's solution to our plastic problem: Eat it
A scientist at Oregon State University is developing edible food packing as well as edible coating for fruits and vegetables. Her goals: reduce plastic waste and keep food fresher longer. In this debut episode of ReInventors, host Katie Herzog visits Yanyun Zhao in her lab for a taste test. (KCTS)

Despite WA ban on farmed salmon, BC impacts may flow across border
A high-profile salmon escape led to a ban on salmon farms in Washington earlier this year. But just across the border, scientists say salmon farms in British Columbia expose migrating fish from Puget Sound to potential maladies like parasites, bacteria and dangerous viruses. They say simply getting rid of salmon farms in Washington does not put the potential impacts to rest. Eric Wagner reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Expedition off Haida Gwaii will explore underwater volcanoes — live online
The protection and understanding of underwater mountains near the islands of Haida Gwaii in British Columbia will be the focus of a new partnership — and expedition involving four groups — announced Friday. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it's joining forces with the Haida Nation, Oceana Canada and Ocean Networks Canada to share resources and knowledge about seamounts. It says seamounts, or underwater mountains, are internationally recognized as highly structured environments that are ideal for coral and sponge growth and as foraging habitat for fish and other marine life. (Canadian Press)

Oregon Reverses Course On Increasing Protections For An Imperiled Seabird
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has decided not to elevate the endangered species status of the marbled murrelet after all. The board reversed its earlier vote on the issue at a meeting Thursday. Commissioners had voted in February to change the “threatened” status of the seabird to “endangered.” But Commissioner Bob Webber, who changed his vote once in February to support the up-listing, changed it back on Thursday. He said new information changed the way he was thinking about the issue. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB/EarthFix)

Bioblitz At Wolf Haven Will Use Citizen Scientists To Document Species Of South Sound Prairie
About fifty citizen scientists and volunteer experts are converging in the south Sound Saturday for a "bioblitz." That’s when people get together for a few hours and try to document as many species as possible in one place. This bioblitz is organized by the Washington office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It’s taking place at Wolfhaven International in Tenino, which has one of the more intact prairie ecosystems in the region.   Americorps volunteer Ruthie Aldrich will be leading the blitz. She says Puget Sound prairies are unsung heroes of our environment because they clean our drinking water. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  147 AM PDT Mon Jun 11 2018   

TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 4 ft at 8 seconds. 

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. SW  swell 4 ft at 9 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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6/8 Queen Anne's Lace, PS pipe, BC pipe, Pruitt's EPA, sucking carbon, water leak, lost crab pots, Indian Is., 'tomato soup' algae

Queen Anne's Lace [Minnesota Seasons]

Queen Anne's Lace Daucus carota
Wild Carrot (Queen Anne's Lace) was introduced from Eurasia and is the wild ancestor of the cultivated carrot. Established as a weed, it is scattered but common in the Strait of Georgia-Puget Sound area south to California. Crushed seeds of wild carrot have been used for at least 2,500 years as a contraceptive and herbal 'morning-after pill.' (Plants of the Pacific NW Coast)

Is Washington Now in the Tar Sands Crosshairs?
It seems likely that the Canadian province of Alberta—home to a massive tar sands industry that produces some of the globe’s dirtiest and most polluting oil—has put the Pacific Northwest in its crosshairs. The province is partnering with the Canadian government to ram through the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, a 715-mile conduit that would carry up to 890,000 barrels of oil per day from the Canadian interior to southwest British Columbia. Much of that oil would be exported by tanker from a port just outside Vancouver—resulting in a seven-fold increase in oil tanker trips from the Port of Vancouver into the Salish Sea. Additional tar sands oil would make its way south to Puget Sound refineries, via a 69-mile pipeline called the Puget Sound Pipeline (PSP).... Canada’s purchase of the PSP went completely unmentioned by Kinder Morgan and the Canadian government until late last Friday, when a regulatory filing blandly admitted that Kinder Morgan had bundled its Puget Sound assets into the Trans Mountain deal... [T]his means that the government of Canada is poised to become the sole owner of an oil pipeline feeding Washington State refineries. Clark Williams-Derry reports. (Sightline)

First Nations lose bid to reopen Trans Mountain appeal court file
The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected a bid by First Nations opponents of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion to reopen the evidence file in their appeal of the project's approval. Lawyers for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation made the application after a series of articles appeared in the National Observer suggesting Canada undertook aboriginal consultation on the project with a "mind made up." They wanted the judges to consider unredacted versions of documents the news organization obtained through Freedom of Information requests. But after looking at redacted copies, the appeal court judges concluded, in a May 31 decision that just appeared on their website this week, that even if they had the documents in their original form, the result of the pending decision wouldn't change. Jason Proctor reports. (CBC)

The Chemical Industry Scores a Big Win at the E.P.A.
The Trump administration, after heavy lobbying by the chemical industry, is scaling back the way the federal government determines health and safety risks associated with the most dangerous chemicals on the market, documents from the Environmental Protection Agency show. Under a law passed by Congress during the final year of the Obama administration, the E.P.A. was required for the first time to evaluate hundreds of potentially toxic chemicals and determine if they should face new restrictions, or even be removed from the market. The chemicals include many in everyday use, such as dry-cleaning solvents, paint strippers and substances used in health and beauty products like shampoos and cosmetics. But as it moves forward reviewing the first batch of 10 chemicals, the E.P.A. has in most cases decided to exclude from its calculations any potential exposure caused by the substances’ presence in the air, the ground or water, according to more than 1,500 pages of documents released last week by the agency. Eric Lipton reports.(NY Times)

EPA Director Pruitt Laughs off Chick-fil-A Controversy as Senior Aide Quits
Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt laughed off questions Wednesday about whether he used his office to try to help his wife get a “business opportunity” with Chick-fil-A, while a close aide abruptly resigned amid new ethics allegations against her boss. Pruitt said in a statement that his scheduling director, Millan Hupp, 26, had resigned. It came two days after Democratic lawmakers made public her testimony to a House oversight panel that Pruitt had her do personal errands for him, including inquiring about buying a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel. Last year, Pruitt also directed Hupp’s younger sister to reach out to a senior executive at Chick-fil-A to inquire about a “business opportunity.” At the time, Sydney Hupp, 25, was also working in Pruitt’s office as an EPA scheduler. Ellen Knickmeyer and Michael Biesecker reports. (Associated Press)

B.C. company says it is sucking carbon from air, making fuel
It sounds like spinning straw into gold: suck carbon dioxide from the air where it's contributing to climate change and turn it into fuel for cars, trucks and jets. A British Columbia company says in newly published research that it's doing just that — and for less than one-third the cost of other companies working on the same technology.... In an article published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Joule, Carbon Engineering outlines what it calls direct air capture in which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere through a chemical process, then combined with hydrogen and oxygen to create fuel. Bob Weber reports. (Canadian Press)

Metro Vancouver charged in leak of chlorinated water into Fraser
Metro Vancouver is headed for a legal showdown with federal environment officials over the 2014 rupture of a water main between Lulu Island and Delta. The Greater Vancouver Water District — one of the four corporate entities that make up Metro Vancouver — is facing three Fisheries Act charges related to an alleged leak of chlorinated water into Deas Slough. One of the charges is for making false or misleading statements to a fishery officer. It's an incident that has already resulted in a lawsuit between the district and the company accused of puncturing the water main during the dredging of the slough, which sits in the Fraser River estuary by the Massey tunnel. Metro Vancouver says it plans to fight the charges — which have penalties of up to half a million dollars. Jason Proctor reports. (CBC)

Group recovers hundreds of derelict crab pots from local waters
Just north of Saddlebag Island in Padilla Bay, diver Crayton Fenn disappeared into the water at the stern of a boat Monday morning, returning moments later with crab pots in hand. Fenn, of Fenn Enterprises, was part of a team that this week departed several times from Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes to areas in Skagit County in search of derelict crab pots. The team also included representatives of Natural Resources Consultants and the Northwest Straits Foundation. On Tuesday, the team wrapped up the 15th year of the Northwest Straits Foundation’s derelict crab pot removal program. Northwest Straits operates the program because derelict — meaning lost or abandoned — crab pots can catch and kill valuable Dungeness crabs and other marine wildlife. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)


Navy, Tribes Work To Make Two Missions Coexist On One Island
Across the bay from Port Townsend is a narrow little hunk of land called Indian Island. It’s a crucial component of the great big machine known as the Pacific Northwest Navy Fleet, with ships stoping there to load up before heading out on the open ocean. But it’s also hugely significant to another group of people -- Puget Sound area tribes. Like most things, it belonged to them before it became non-Indian property, but ever-so-slowly, Indian Island is beginning to open up to its original inhabitants. Indian Island is the ancestral home of the Chemakum Tribe, then it was later occupied by the S’Klallams. Immigrants from Europe claimed parts of the land after the S’Klallams signed a treaty in 1855, forcing them to relocate. Ariel Van Cleave reports. (KNKX)

'Tomato soup' algae blooms wash up on Puget Sound beaches 
Reports of oddly colored algal blooms in Puget Sound have increased in recent days, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. Sightings of the "tomato soup" have been recorded at Seattle's Alki Beach, Budd Inlet, Central Basin, Whidbey Basin and Saltwater State Park in Des Moines. Researchers with the DOE say the plankton is nontoxic, but "their presence creates a cascade of effects in the marine food web." (KING)

Now, your weekend tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  155 AM PDT Fri Jun 8 2018   

TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Rain. 

TONIGHT  SE wind to 10 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. Rain likely. 

SAT  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of showers. 

SAT NIGHT  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 5 ft at 10 seconds. 

SUN  Light wind becoming W to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 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.

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6/7 Great Horned Owl, BC pipe, Haley Zacks, orca suit, Seattle trees, Concrete sewer, burning down the White House

Great Horned Owl [Dave Lundy/BirdNote]

If you like to listen: Voices and Vocabularies - Great Horned Owls
Great Horned Owls have a lot to say! When a pair of Great Horned Owls calls in a duet, the female usually hoots first, and the male replies at a lower pitch. Great Horned Owls may also pierce the darkness with an eerie shriek, which may signal a hungry owlet begging for food or a female defending its nest. They can also hiss, pop, meow, coo, and snap their bills. So have a listen after dark. There may be a Great Horned Owl in your neighborhood! (BirdNote)

Despite what Gov. Inslee says, Canada is committed to Trans-Mountain Pipeline safety 
Brandon Lee, consul general and head of mission of the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle, opines: "I would like to set the record straight about the Trans Mountain Project (TMX) and the government of Canada’s world-leading actions to protect our shared environment, marine life and coastal waters. Canada supports a responsible and innovative resource sector that creates jobs for middle-class families and contributes to our health, education and social programs. We are deeply committed to fighting climate change and protecting our coastal ecosystems and communities. Canadians have never accepted the false choice between jobs or the environment: vibrant, progressive societies need both. I know Washingtonians think the same. TMX is in Canada’s national interest. The majority of Canadians support the project. Most understand that we are transitioning to a clean-growth economy, but we will not get there overnight. The expansion of this pipeline alone will create thousands of well-paying jobs...." (Seattle Times Op-Ed)

Environmentalism runs deep in family of Kinder Morgan protester Hayley Zacks
One of the loudest critics of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion is also the protesters’ best-kept secret. Hayley Zacks is the 21-year-old who garnered headlines when she impersonated a reporter to gain access to a Justin Trudeau news conference and who — as project coordinator for Protect the Inlet — is a leader of the ongoing protests on Burnaby Mountain. Another round of civil disobedience is planned for Monday. Zacks is also the niece of Tzeporah Berman, a fixture of B.C.’s environmental movement since the early 1990s.... Zacks was born in Toronto, the daughter of Jeffrey Zacks, the chief financial officer for an auto-parts company, and Corinne Berman, a development director with Environmental Defence. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Group threatens lawsuit over habitat protection for orcas
A conservation group wants the federal government to move forward with protecting offshore areas along the U.S. West Coast to help endangered killer whales. The Center for Biological Diversity told the National Marine Fisheries Service on Wednesday that it plans to take legal action if the agency keeps delaying a designation for offshore habitat where the Puget Sound orcas would be protected. The fish-eating whales typically spend summers in inland waters of Washington state and winters foraging along the coast. They have struggled with food shortages, pollution, and noise and disturbances from boats. There are now just 76 of the animals, a 30-year low. Most inland waters of Washington state, including Puget Sound and the waters around the San Juan Islands, received protection as critical whale habitat in 2006. Coastal and offshore areas in the Pacific Ocean weren't included at that time. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Can Seattle's trees survive its boom?
If you want to chop down a tree in this city, not much is going to stop you — and the city of Seattle says that’s becoming a problem for many reasons. Homeowners are limited to cutting down three trees per year and cannot remove larger, high-quality trees called exceptional trees unless they are diseased or deemed a hazard to a home or to a person’s safety. But enforcement relies on people seeing and submitting violations and it’s easy enough to get a tree classified as hazardous, whether true or not. Regulations are even looser for developers. Josh Cohen reports. (Crosscut)

Concrete to appeal wastewater fine
he town of Concrete plans to appeal a $12,800 fine the state Department of Ecology issued last week for violations at the town’s wastewater treatment plant.... Concrete’s wastewater treatment facility treats sewage from about 400 homes and businesses. The facility releases treated wastewater into the Baker River, which meets the Skagit River about a third of a mile downstream. The problem, according to Ecology, is that untreated wastewater was routed into the plant’s holding pond, called a lagoon, when more wastewater was coming into the facility than the facility could handle. According to Ecology, the facility was overwhelmed due to improper maintenance and operation, and the town failed to report dozens of incidents in which untreated wastewater was routed to the lagoon between 2014 and 2017. Town officials, however, said Ecology has been aware of the issues since the town discovered them through a sewer and wastewater treatment system evaluation in 2014. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Trump asks if Canada burnt down White House in call with PM 
Canadians have reacted with dismay to reports US President Donald Trump questioned whether Canada burned down the White House during a call with the country's leader, Justin Trudeau. British forces did set fire to the presidential residence during the War of 1812 with the US. But Canada did not exist at the time - it was made up of British colonies. "Didn't you guys burn down the White House?" Mr Trump reportedly asked in a call with Mr Trudeau over new tariffs. It is not clear if the comment was intended as a joke, but CNN report that it followed an exchange in which Mr Trudeau asked how the US could justify the tariffs as a "national security" issue. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  242 AM PDT Thu Jun 7 2018   

TODAY  Light wind becoming N to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. A slight chance  of rain in the morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon. 

TONIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain  in the evening then rain likely after midnight.

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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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6/6 Mudminnow, salmon catch, BC pipe, spill protection, Gov's Pt., Brinnon resort, Site C, diving crows

Olympic mudminnow [Julie A. Tyson, USFWS]

Olympic mudminnow Novumbra hubbsi
The Olympic mudminnow is one of five species worldwide in the family Umbridae and is the only member of the genus Novumbra.... The current distribution of the Olympic mudminnow includes the southern and western lowlands of the Olympic Peninsula, the Chehalis and lower Deschutes River drainages, and south Puget Sound, west of the Nisqually River. They are usually found in slow-moving streams, wetlands and ponds. Within these habitats, mudminnows require a muddy bottom, little or no water flow and abundant aquatic vegetation.... Little is known about mudminnow mortality. However, they are less abundant when associated with both native and exotic species of fish. It is not known whether this is a result of competition or predation, but some combination is likely. Mudminnows are carnivorous and they eat a various assortment of invertebrates. (WDFW, 1999)

Puget Sound anglers impacted, buyers forced to outsource by decreasing salmon population
The Puget Sound is home to more than 200 fish species. However, none are likely more iconic than the salmon is to the Seattle area. For decades, salmon has been an integral part of tribal communities, but it’s also a major source of food and a huge part of our local economy. According to the state, our salmon supply is shrinking and more than just dollars and cents – anglers, like Mark Riedesel worry that if the population dies– so could one of the Puget Sound's favorite past times. Riedesel serves as the President of Bellingham Puget Sound Anglers and also owns Barleans Fishery--a seafood shop in Bellingham. Katie Boer reports. (KCPQ)


Protesters greet PM at meeting with Trans Mountain pipeline's Indigenous-led oversight committee
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was greeted by dozens of protesters as he arrived at the Cheam Multiplex in the B.C. Fraser Valley for a meeting about the Trans Mountain pipeline. He arrived in the Sto:lo community of Cheam early Tuesday to meet with members of the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee. The Indigenous-led committee was struck following the approval of the Trans Mountain expansion project. It was designed to be a collaborative group, comprising 13 Indigenous representatives and six federal representatives. "This committee has been set up so that all the different communities along this Trans Mountain expansion pipeline route … are able to weigh in and participate in decisions that are made that will affect them as we move forward with this project," said Trudeau in his opening remarks before the media were asked to leave. Chantelle Bellrichard reports. (CBC)

Heiltsuk Horizon Announces First Nations/Industry Partnership to Protect Canada’s Oceans
A BC First Nation and Canadian marine and offshore company announced Friday they have teamed up in a unique partnership to help prevent and respond to marine incidents on Canada’s West Coast, and to improve marine emergency response capacity in Indigenous and coastal communities. The newly-formed Heiltsuk Horizon Maritime Services Limited has submitted a proposal to supply two emergency towing vessels to the Canadian Coast Guard – through funding announced in November 2016 as part of the federal government’s $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan. (Alaska Native News)

For decades, Bellingham wouldn't supply water to Governors Point. So why will it now
After decades of saying no, the city has agreed to supply water for new homes on Governors Point in exchange for a trail and nature reserve, which will be open to the public, on much of the undeveloped peninsula. On Monday, the City Council voted unanimously to supply water to 16 homes on the 125-acre property, which is outside city limits and Bellingham's Urban Growth Area. It is located off Chuckanut Drive south of Bellingham. In doing so, the council agreed that the proposal was in the city's best interest, one of the most important criteria the request for water had to meet. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)


Proposed resort near Brinnon tops big hurdle
Jefferson County commissioners have taken major steps to move forward the long-proposed Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort, allowing the developer to begin filing for permits. The commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance that provides for development regulations of the Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort near Brinnon and approved to adopt a development agreement for the resort during their meeting Monday. “We thank the community and the county commissioners for finally reaching a consensus that this is a good opportunity for the community and for Jefferson County,” said Garth Mann, president and CEO of Statesman Group of Calgary, Alberta, which proposed the development in 2006. “We’re looking forward to creating something special for the community.” Mann did not offer a timeline for the project, but said the goal is to move as quickly as possible. He said the company can now work with engineers and architects. He said the company is waiting through a 30-day period in which people can file appeals. Jesse Major reports. (Peninsula Daily News)


Site C flood zone continues to reveal biological treasures
On her last day in the Peace River Valley, botanist Erica Wheeler finally spotted the elusive species she had sought. There it was, in full flower, on the Boons’ farm. The brittle prickly pear cactus, Opuntia fragilis. It looked as though someone had stuck a frilly yellow rose on a stubby cactus spiked with needles. With a nod from Arlene Boon, who had led Wheeler through native grassland to this concealed spot along Cache Creek, the botanist scrambled down the sandy embankment to survey her find. The flower’s outside petals were almost sheer, its centre deep yellow like a yolk. Wheeler, the botany collections manager at the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria, needed only a second’s prompting from Arlene to pull out her sampling knife. Carefully, she sliced the cactus near its base, leaving roots to grow other stems, fruit, and flowers. Then she tucked the sample into her plastic collections bag. It would be dried in a press for several days and shipped back to the museum by Greyhound bus, in the company of hundreds of other plant specimens that Wheeler and other museum botanists had collected during five memorable days of sampling in the Site C flood and erosion zone. Sarah Coz report. (Times Colonist)

Vancouverites are on high alert as crows dive-bomb pedestrians
Jessica Manhas was walking down Richards Street past the Choice's Market at the corner of Davie Street when four crows dive bombed her for an entire block. "I was screaming the whole way," said Manhas. "I didn't know if I should quickly go into a corner store or something for shelter." But Wayne Goodey, a zoology professor at UBC said attacks like these aren't uncommon because male and female crows will often take turns attacking passersby. Crows are notorious for dive bombing pedestrians across the city annually, this year being no exception and the season may even last a bit longer. Haley Lewis reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Wed Jun 6 2018   

TODAY  SE wind to 10 kt becoming N in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of rain in the  morning. 

TONIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 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