Update on Canadian Tanker Grounding

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Al Bergstein

Exclusive to the Olympic Peninsula Environmental News: SUNDAY NIGHT 11/22 Update

The Canadian Gulf Islands and the U.S. San Juans dodged a bullet over the last two days, as the Canadian Coast Guard and others refloated a 794′ freighter that had run aground on Mayne Island, at Plumper Sound in the Strait of Georgia. Apparently no oil was spilled, though the freighter could have been carrying as much as 1.2 million gallons of heavy oil. The freigher apparently drug anchor during the storm, and ended up on “the reef” for as long as an entire night. Early reports stated  that may the ship may have  punctured it’s bottom, though the limited reports now out there are unclear on that issue. It was refloated Friday by the Canadians. Washington State oil spill response teams were shifted into action, according to  Dave Beyers of the Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response Program for the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Five sites in the San Juans that have been prepositioned by the state program were alerted,with staff and volunteers standing by. Since the freigher was righted and  assessments made relatively quickly, there was no moves to move additional equipment in from other, further counties, but it could have been if conditions warranted it, according to Mr. Beyers. (these spill prevention units are trailers that can be easily hauled around by truck or van.)

The 1.2 million gallons of potential fuel would have been a ‘disaster’, said Beyers, equivelent to 1/10th the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, but easily the largest spill ever seen in these waters. There was no readily available ‘rescue’ tug, as the Canadians rely on a loose coalition of independent tugs that would have to be called out to respond, based on availability. The tug at Neah Bay, paid for by Washington tax payers, is the only response tug on the Straits or the greater Salish Sea, composed of Canadian and American Sound waters. However there has been a Transboundary Oil Spill task force in place for a few years, which includes representatives of Washington, B.C., Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, and Idaho. Mr. Beyers said that the work, “paid off, in that we were in much greater communication, faster, because of these efforts.”

A report in the Gulf Islands Driftwood on Friday, the freighter ended up on “the reef, overnight” (meaning Thursday to Friday), “the call from a ashore at 9:53 PM” and the Hebel Lion called back “saying it was aground  at 10:12”.  It apparently went aground, “at low water with a rising tide” which may have been the saving grace of the incident. As the article states: “Industrial use of Plumper Sound, near Mayne, Pender and Saturna islands, has been an issue of concern for the Islands Trust. Trust Council passed a Dec. 6, 2007 motion expressing its opposition to offloading of industrial freight, specifically gypsum, in that area.”

Just a month ago, many of the key players in the U.S. and Washington State efforts met at the Jamestown S’Klallam tribal conference center on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and discussed current state of the art oil spill prevention issues, along with questions on what more needs to be done to protect the Salish Sea. Members of the Puget Sound Partnership Straits Working Group, including this reporter representing People For Puget Sound, were present. The efforts to properly protect our waters is still a work in progress, and we were extremely lucky this time, it appears.

There is a background story worth noting here. The Canadians are planning to run a pipeline from central Canada to pump the ‘tar sands’ dirty oil to ports in B.C., where they would then transship it to China (so much for using this oil for North America).  There is opposition growing in B.C. to this proposal and it would be very inconvenient to upset the population at this point with a story such as this. There has been some comment already on Canadian blogs.  And it strikes me odd that no news sources other than this one and the State DOE have had anything to say about it. More to come this week, as I get feedback from others on this story.

For more on this story, contact Al Bergstein in Port Townsend. Email al at mountainstoneconsulting dot com. Replace at with @ and dot with .

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Ecology prepared for possible response in B.C. ship grounding in Canadian Gulf Islands

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Al Bergstein

Possible 2 million gallons of fuel at risk????  No oil spill reported,yet. I’ll be on the phone to these folks at Ecology and Sen. Ranker’s office on Friday AM.

Department of Ecology News Release – November 19, 2009 09-273  

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) spill-response managers kept close watch today after a 794-foot cargo ship went aground in the Gulf Islands, just northwest of Washington’s San Juan Islands. No spill was reported. The bulk carrier Hebei Lion dragged anchor in winds that reached 74 miles per hour overnight and was blown onto a rocky reef off Mayne Island at Plumper Sound in the Strait of Georgia.

A tug towed the vessel off the reef at mid-Morning. Ecology was notified by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, and monitored the incident because it posed a significant risk of a large black oil spill. “Damage to fuel tanks on a cargo ship that size could have oiled the islands on both sides of the border,” said Dale Jensen, manager of Ecology’s Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response Program. “A major spill also could have forced a closure to vessel traffic. Given the profound environmental and economic risks we’re relieved and pleased at the outcome. We mobilized staff and were prepared to deploy response systems as needed.”

 State Sen. Kevin Ranker, who represents the 40th District, including his San Juan Island home, said, “This incident once again highlights the importance of having a strong spill prevention and response system in place, not only for Puget Sound but also for large transboundary spills that can have potentially devastating effects on our environment and economy.” Jensen added that winter storms can place ships in jeopardy, increasing the risk to the Northwest’s inland and coastal waters. He urged mariners to use extra vigilance during the high winds and rough water produced by winter storms. The Neah Bay emergency response tug is an asset the state had in place during last night’s storm in case a ship ran into trouble on the outer coast or in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Vessel safety is an essential part of Ecology’s focus on spill prevention. A cargo ship the size of the Hebei Lion can carry in excess of 2 million gallons of heavy black oil as fuel. Ecology’s spill prevention, preparedness and response programs are part of the department’s efforts to reduce toxic threats and to restore Puget Sound.

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Under Water, Old Nets Are Silent Killers – Kitsap Sun

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Al Bergstein

11/13 Kitsap Sun
Under Water, Old Nets Are Silent Killers
By Tara Garcia Mathewson

KINGSTON —
An old gill net covers the seafloor like a blanket. Small forage fish swim through its holes untouched — but a baby seal is not so lucky. When Jim Norberg and Jake Johnston dive down from the Twila Dawn to recover the lost net, they find the seal, dead and still bleeding.

Casualties like this are far too common throughout the Puget Sound because of gill nets that keep fishing long after boats have lost them. Norberg and Johnston are part of the Northwest Straits Derelict Fishing Gear Removal Program. On Thursday, they dove in Apple Tree Cove off Kingston. They and others have been have been pulling up nets — as well as the sea life they’ve trapped — in the waters of Puget Sound since the end of July.

More at
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/nov/13/under-water-old-nets-are-silent-killers/

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Action item: Contact lawmakers on Navy Testing Plan

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Al Bergstein

We have covered the proposal by the Navy to create an expanded testing range here in Admiralty Inlet before on olyopen.net. In order for you to be better informed on this, I’ve included this California site which has a good overview of the issues facing us if this goes through.

I think I agree with some who say we Washington residents should be requesting that the government hold a hearing in Washington State.  On the White House web site there is a place to put in comments. 

Read up, and make up your own mind on whether this sounds like a good idea for the waters off our shores here on the east end of Jefferson County. If you agree, you may want to send in, or call in a comment asking for such a hearing to be held locally.

http://www.californiaskywatch.com/white_house_request_comments_on_oceans.htm

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Astonishing Derelict Gear Project findings

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Al Bergstein

I attended the NW Straits quarterly meeting in Port Townsend on Friday, and was able to stay to hear the presentation by Jeff June, who has led the research project on crab mortality rates because of lost crab pots, both commercial pots and sport pots. Jeff’s project, which is now headed to a peer review magazine process, shows that as many as 375,000 crabs might be being killed in Puget Sound and the Straits by lost crab pots. These pots, of which most of us who have crabbed have lost at one time or another, can continue to kill crabs and other sea life for up to and over 320 days! The findings were far worse than anyone imagined.
What’s to be done about this? The expected outcome of this study are:

  • Greater education of the public about proper use of crab pots.
  • Perhaps changes to the laws about crab pot use.
  • A likelyhood that crab pot makers can change the way the pots are made to breakdown under water faster.
  • A possible option to retrofit existing crab pots (would require manufacturers to come up with a retrofit kit).

If you use a crab pot, be sure to use proper rot cord, make sure the depth and currents won’t carry away your pot, and don’t put your pots in the middle of a heavily traversed boating lane. These seem to be some of the most common reasons for derelict gear.

You can read the education web site for proper use of escape cord (cotton instead of nylon) at: http://www.escapecord.org/

Additionally, Jeff reported on the drift net project, removing underwater nets that have been lost and continue to kill wildlife.  His teams have worked 68 days so far, and removed 92 nets. They hope to work 768 days total, and aim to remove between 2500 and 3000 known nets. Surveying underwater with side scan sonar and reports from fishermen have been responsible for mapping the locations of these nets.  One that was found was 1800′ long and stretched 100′ deep! Most nets are only a couple hundred feet in length.

Thanks to Jeff June and his staff for the great work! To read more about Derelict Gear, see this web site: http://www.derelictgear.org/

Since 2002, the Northwest Straits Initiative has removed more than 1,900 derelict crab pots, weighing over 48,000 pounds, and saving thousands of crabs from incidental death each year. 

The Northwest Straits Initiative is a citizen-driven, Congressionally-authorized program to restore and protect the valuable marine resources and habitats in northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Marine Resources Committees in seven counties set local priorities, investigate conditions, sponsor restoration and outreach projects, and recommend science-based marine policy to their respective local governments.

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NY Times on the local fish net removal project

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Al Bergstein

Great work by our local NW Straits Initiative team (with kudos’ to Ginny Broadhurst and Jeff June), who have brought back $4.6 million in stimulus money to fund the efforts to get divers to go down and remove sunken abandoned fishing nets (known as ‘derelict gear removal’). The nets, which continue to kill sealife, have been mapped prior to this, and will now be removed. 40 new local jobs are created for a few years, some local boats are hired to get the divers down, and the Sound and Straits are helped be rid of the scourge of the abandoned nets. A win all around for taxpayers. Read the whole story at The New York Times (link below) or link to the NW Straits website off the left side of this page:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/us/25fishnets.html?ref=todayspaper

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Jefferson County SMP update – new info

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Al Bergstein

The Jefferson County Department of Community Development has weighed in with their recommendations to the County Commissioners on the draft SMP update from the Planning Commission’s modified SMP. As you may recall, after the DCD and assorted scientific and citizen’s advisory committees met over the last three years and drafted a decent start to the SMP, enforcing solid environmental regulations that could protect our shorelines better, the Planning Commission, headed by an owner of an geoduck farm, made major modifications to the document, including gutting it of conditional permitting of aquaculture. The DCD staff, has made a series of recommendations, (document available from the http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/commdevelopment/Shoreline_DCDStaffRec.htm ), and we like what we see.  They call for reinstituting the conditional permitting on aquaculture, prohibit net pen fish farming, request reinstating the 150′ buffer and ask to restore the 10′ mininum setup for building on shorelines. These were all things recommended by science and the majority of citizen’s advisory committees. As the amount of actual lots that will be affected by this is small, and many workarounds exist, both for existing structures and new construction, we support these changes.  We hope you will come out on September 8th to the next county commissioners meeting and show your support by testifying in support of these staff requests for changes.

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Call for Nominations for Eleanor Stopps Award

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Al Bergstein

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is seeking nominations for the 2009 Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award. As someone who knew how hard Eleanor worked in the 1970s and 80s to make Protection Island a protected national treasure. Recieving this is a truly an honor. Here’s the story…

Eleanor Stopps is a powerful advocate for lasting protection of the North Olympic Peninsula environment. In the 1960s and 70s she recognized the need to protect the uniquely important marine environment of the Salish Sea.  With no special political base or powerful financial backers she testified before the Washington State Legislature and the United States Congress and was instrumental in getting legislation and public support for protection of the area.  She was responsible for the establishment of the Protection Island Sanctuary, which was the only refuge created during the Reagan administration. Today, it is a critical link in the preservation of the whole Salish Sea region. 

Since 2005, Eleanor’s example and legacy of citizen leadership in efforts to protect our environment in the North Olympic Peninsula (Jefferson and Clallam Counties) has been recognized through the Environmental Leadership Award.

The Leadership Award is awarded annually to a citizen of the North Olympic Peninsula who has:

  • Led a successful resource conservation effort that benefits the north Olympic Peninsula and its residents directly;
  • Acted as a community catalyst for programs, initiatives or ventures that demonstrate a commitment to the future of the earth and its biodiversity;
  • Become a model for future leaders in business and education; or has been an exemplary citizen or policy maker who has implemented decisions that, though they may entail risks, have helped our communities take the next step towards environmental sustainability.

 

2009 nominations for recognition of citizens on the North Olympic Peninsula who have provided leadership in protection and stewardship for our environment may be made by downloading the nomination form from www.ptmsc.org, info@ptmsc.org or calling (360) 385-5582 and requesting a form.

 

NOMINATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL OR BE RECEIVED IN THE PTMSC OFFICES AT FORT WORDEN BY AUGUST 31st, 2009.

 

Winners and runners up will be honored at the PTMSC Stewardship Breakfast at the Fort Worden Commons at 8 a.m. on October 1st, 2009.  Contact JoAnne Heron at jheron@ptmsc.org for questions about the breakfast or the award.

 

Previous winners include:  2005: Katharine Baril, natural resource educator and planner Washington State University;  2006: Anne Murphy, Executive Director, Port Townsend Marine Science Center; 2007: Tom Jay and Sara Mall Johani, artists and environmentalists; 2008: Al Latham, Jefferson County Conservation District Ranger.

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News from Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Al Bergstein

Passing it along. Note that they would like you to subscribe to their Google Calendar.

Several of OCNMS’s management plan review working groups are planning meetings for August and September. The Spills working group will be holding its first meeting on Aug. 12 and the Living Resources Conservation working group will hold its first meeting on Aug. 21. For details, visit our on-line calendar at http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/protection/mpr/welcome.html. In order not to flood your inboxes, from now on we will not send notifications out about individual working group meetings, but we will post all the details on the calendar. We are also in the process of planning three day-long workshops for three priority topics: maritime heritage, ocean literacy and socioeconomic values of resources in the Sanctuary. These public workshops will take place this fall and we will send out notification once all three have been scheduled. If you are interested in a particular working group/workshop and would like to get on its individual distribution list, please contact us at ocnmsmanagementplan@noaa.gov or 360.457.6622 x28. For more information, email us at ocnmsmanagementplan@noaa.gov or call 360-457-6622 ext. 28. To subscribe or unsubscribe from this listserv send an email to ocnmsmanagementplan@noaa.gov with the request in the subject line.

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