Nature filled with unique animals–The News Tribune

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Al Bergstein

When people ask me, “so who cares if animal whatever goes extinct”? I usually discuss that we don’t really know what these animals might teach us. Sometimes it might unlock an issue of great importance to us. There is an assumption by the public that we know everything there is to know about snail darters, or whatever species is on the Endangered Species list.   Here’s a good quick article about one such bit of knowledge, right here in our Sound.

Sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference between what is real and what is only a myth. In the Northwest, we have some incredible natural wonders that sound almost too bizarre to be real. Aequorea victoria, a common jellyfish in the Puget Sound waters, can really make a statement when agitated. This amazing jellyfish combines two different proteins within its body to create bioluminescence and glow in the dark. Scientists have been able to extract one of these proteins and apply it to modern medicine to help researchers track proteins in living cells. 

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/10/14/2331617/nature-filled-with-unique-animals.html

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Rare Fin Whale Surfaces in Strait of Georgia–Vancouver Sun

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Al Bergstein

If you see something out of the ordinary out there, you’ll now know what it is.

A massive fin whale cruised up the Strait of Georgia to Johnstone Strait this week for the first time in recorded history. “It was photographed off Campbell River and off Nanaimo. It is the first confirmed sighting of a fin whale in Georgia Strait,” said Jared Towers, a Fisheries and Oceans cetacean research technician who has spent the summer doing photo identification of the growing number of fin whales in Hecate Strait and Caamano Sound. Judith Lavoir reports.

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Rare+whale+surfaces+Strait+Georgia/7278430/story.html

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Commerce secretary declares Alaska salmon disaster–Seattle Times

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Al Bergstein

I know that there are many fishing families here on the Peninsula. Here’s some news from up north, if you aren’t already aware of it.The  causes? Still unknown, which always bodes ill for a solution. Given that the upper runs where the fish breed are pretty much natural if not wild, this points more to an ocean issue, as stated in the story.

King salmon fisheries in major Alaska watersheds have been declared failures by the U.S. Department of Commerce, making commercial fishermen eligible for disaster relief. Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank announced the disaster declaration Thursday for the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, which flow into the Bering Sea, and for Cook Inlet region south of Anchorage, which includes the Kenai River.  

Alaskan King Fishery declared a disaster

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Dr. Lawrence Dill Net Pen Presentation Now Online

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Al Bergstein

If you are concerned about the latest proposals to bring net pen aquaculture to the Strait of Juan de Fuca (5 miles west of Port Angeles), or are concerned and unclear about the current standoff by the Department of Ecology and the Jefferson County Commissioners over allowing in water net pen aquaculture in Jefferson County (through the Shoreline Master Program updated), then you should take the time to listen to this lecture (it runs over an hour in total). It is, to be sure, one of the most comprehensive overviews of the possible negative impact of net pens I’ve ever heard, and is based on research done just north of us, in BC. While Dr. Dill clearly states that there are variations of environment between there and here, the issues are ones that we may face if they are allowed here. Then again, as pointed out in the Q&A session at the end, by the manager of one of the net pen companies south of Bainbridge Island, some of these issues have not shown up (though that comment was not based on peer review independent scientific research, but on experiential information. It was not independently verified and simply is presented as the point of view of the farm manager).

Dr.Dill is one of the foremost researchers on sea lice, and has a lot to say about the “possible” negative impacts of net pen aquaculture based on years of scientific, peer reviewed, published work. He was brought to lecture in Port Angeles last week, by a consortium of environmental groups concerned about the proposals for net pen aquaculture in Jefferson and Clallam counties lately. The event was sponsored by the Coastal Watershed Institute, Wild Salmon Center, Sierra Club Activist Network, and Olympic Peninsula Chapter Surfrider Foundation.

His talk was titled:
Evolutionary & Behavioral Ecology and Earth2Ocean Research Groups of Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada presented:
POTENTIAL NEGATIVE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF OPEN NET PEN SALMON AQUACULTURE: LESSONS FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA

The discussion included:
• The impacts that salmon farms can have on wild salmon stocks
• Recent research on sea lice and other pathogens.
• How the iconic Fraser River sockeye salmon have been put at risk by salmon aquaculture.
• Degradation of the bottom communities below the farms.
• Pollution, by-catch of other fish species, escapes, and inadvertent or intentional reduction of marine mammal populations.
• New potential open pen aquaculture projects near Port Angeles.

The introduction by Anne did not have a microphone so it’s a bit noisy. Dr. Dill did have a microphone on, so it sounds better when you get to him speaking. The video was published in two parts. A shorter 10+ minutes to allow you to get the gist of the presentation, and the rest of the presentation in Part 2. The audio podcast is presented in it’s entirety.

You can view Part 1 of the lecture online at https://vimeo.com/47903851.

Part 2 is located at
https://vimeo.com/47906547

Or you can listen to it online at:

http://soundcloud.com/mountainstone/dr-lawrence-dill-netpens

I am adding the links above to the “Educational” links on the left hand side of the front page. You can always find it there if you need to refer to it later. Thanks to Dr. Dill for allowing the sponsoring groups to videotape the presentation, and offer it to those who were unable to make it to the discussion.

Dr. Larry Dill on Net Pens

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Hood Canal Shellfish Closed Due To Vibrio – State of WA

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Al Bergstein

If you have purchased or dug shellfish on Hood Canal in the last few days, you might want to consider this news.

Hood Canal 5 growing area is closed effective immediately because of a Vibrio parahaemolyticus-associated illness outbreak involving six unrelated people. According to the Model Ordinance Chapter II, when a
growing area is closed for naturally-occurring pathogens, a recall must be initiated; the recall will apply to all oyster product harvested on and after August 16, 2012. All growers in Hood Canal 5 will be
contacted telephonically with details. The growing area may be reopened when it is determined that the naturally-occurring pathogen is no longer a risk to public health. If you have any questions, please contact Richard G. Lillie, MPH State Standardization Officer at 360.236.3313 or via email, or Cari Franz-West at 360.236.3326. Questions about the recall may be addressed to Frank Cox at
360.236.3309.

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Discovery of deadly salmon virus in freshwater fish puts pressure on B.C. to conduct wider study–Times Colonist

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Just north of us, over the Strait, we are now seeing the spread of the Piscine reovirus (PRV) that has been affecting farmed salmon show up in fresh water trout. Our county commissioners are continuing their standoff with the State on the issue of allowing salmon farms here in our county. 

Discovery of Salmon Virus in Trout

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Sea cucumbers: An unlikely, profitable delicacy–Goanacortes

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Sea cucumbers are slimy, rubbery sacks of ocean water. About a foot-long, sausage-shaped and covered in warts, these echinoderms (think sea urchins and starfish), inhabit ocean floors around the world. Their skin is also able to morph from flexible and blubbery to rigid in a matter of seconds to defend against predators. When startled or threatened, some of the more than 1,000 species will excrete their entrails. Who would have guessed that the blubbery, slug-like creatures are also a big cash crop for commercial dive fishermen in Anacortes and throughout Puget Sound?

http://www.goanacortes.com/news/entry/sea_cucumbers_an_unlikely_profitable_delicacy

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Sockeye salmon numbers continue to fall–CBC

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Canada has been quite smug over the last years about how their salmon numbers seem better than the those in the US. Many have recognized that this was only because of the lack of development in BC as compared to the US Northwest. Watching the suburbs explode into salmon spawning areas east of Vancouver it was easy to see that there was no protection of the habitat over the last decade. It’s only been a matter of time, rather than stewardship.

Now research delves into the productivity of sockeye, who’s numbers have been crashing. The research shows this decline is across an entire coast. While local issues can affect the runs, the problem may be much larger than expected.

Sockeye salmon adult populations in widespread decline http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/07/03/sockeye-salmon-productivity.html

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Next Tribal struggle for saving fish– Land Use

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Al Bergstein

.If you want to know the next phase of the struggle to restore Salmon, then this article clearly lays it out. The Tribes are pushing to have the Feds, State and Local governments do a better job of protecting salmon habitat. That means more restrictive use of shorelines and watersheds. We’ve had a free pass over the last 100 years to develop just about any piece of ground for a price. That, I predict, is about to end. We will have to set aside with zero development (or reverse development) a lot of ground. Why? Read on..

W. Wash. tribes say tribal fishing rights at risk http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/W-Wash-tribes-say-tribal-fishing-rights-at-risk-3677013.php

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State Closes More Strait Beaches to Shellfish

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Al Bergstein

While I cannot find confirmation of this on either DNR ro WFW web sites, the PDN is reporting that a mussel sample taken from Ediz Hook earlier this week has led to the closure for shellfish harvesting of additional beaches on the Strait of Juan de Fuca because of elevated levels of the potentially deadly paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP. Strait beaches from Dungeness Spit west to Cape Flattery now are closed to recreational harvesting of all species of shellfish.

 More Strait beaches closed to harvesting http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120629/news/306299994/more-strait-beaches-closed-to-harvesting

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Decline in king salmon is rooted in the sea, Alaska state biologists–Bellingham Herald

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Al Bergstein

The loss of King salmon continues. This is a very good article that looks at a lot of the issues. Worth the read if you care about salmon and how to reverse the downward trends. 

Something in the ocean has been death to Alaska’s king salmon. The state’s iconic fish, treasured for food, sport and cash, should now be swimming in droves up rivers from the Southeast rain forests to the populated Railbelt and the Western Alaska tundra. But they’re not.

and this

"The drift fishery in front of the Kenai and Kasilof is a pretty clean sockeye fishery," Gease said. "Last year, they caught 3.2 million sockeyes and about 500 kings. That’s a phenomenal low rate of bycatch."

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/06/26/2578852/decline-in-king-salmon-is-rooted.html

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Spectacular film of Orcas chasing Dolphins

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Thanks to Jules for sharing this with us. An amazing film of orcas hunting dolphins at Hyacinthe Bay BC (north of Nanaimo). And thanks to Grind TV for getting it up online!

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/33983/pacific+white-sided+dolphins+take+flight+to+evade+killer+whales/

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Radioactive Tuna Migrated Into Californian Waters From Japan – Medical News Today

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Al Bergstein

The good news here is that the levels are lower than that which is deemed hazardous, the bad news is that it wasn’t detected by people being paid to monitor such things, but by some researchers looking at migratory issues.

It is critical that the government get their monitoring in place and in front of these kinds of issues, before the public panics and destroys the fishing industry , which is likely to happen from this anyway. Many people do not trust government monitoring to be accurate and timely.

Pacific bluefin tuna which have migrated from Japan to California have been found to be contaminated with radioactive cesium from the Fukushima nuclear accident, researchers from Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific have reported in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Despite radiation contamination, levels so far detected are well below those considered hazardous for human health, the authors emphasized.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245939.php

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Ties break down between B.C. salmon-farming firm, environmental coalition

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Al Bergstein

As the spread of INH virus keeps moving through BC salmon farms, the relationships that were put in place to work towards avoiding this very situation start to fray.

———————————————–

A unique relationship meant to reduce conflict between environmental groups and British Columbia’s largest salmon farming company has fallen apart. The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform and Marine Harvest Canada confirmed Saturday that the project, known as the Framework for Dialogue, is officially over.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/ties-break-down-between-bc-salmon-farming-firm-environmental-coalition/article2444558/

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Deadly virus appears in Washington state salmon farm – Pacific Fishing

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Pacific Fishing, 25th May 2012

A virus has infected a Bainbridge Island salmon farm, forcing the owners to begin culling and destroying infected fish.

It’s the same disease – infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, or IHNV – that caused a British Columbia salmon farm to destroy 560,000 fish last week. The fish ended up in a composting facility.

Another British Columbia salmon farm announced this week that it
had voluntarily quarantined itself because the disease was found in its stock.

Alan Cook is vice president for aquaculture at Icicle Seafoods,
which owns American Gold Seafoods, the operator of the Bainbridge Island salmon farm at Orchard Rocks.

“There is no human health implication,” he said. “The virus is
endemic. Wild fish have it. The disease came from wild fish to our fish, not the other way around.”

Cook said the path of the disease can be proved by DNA analysis.
Hugh Mitchell, a Seattle area veterinarian who specializes in fish, agrees. The disease “is endemic. It’s common. It’s part of the natural ecosystem.”

At the Orchard Rocks farm, diseased fish are being culled. Fish
large enough for the market are being butchered and sold, Cook said. Smaller fish are destroyed.

He declined to say how many fish were in the farm.Once the stocks are gone, the farm will be fallow for three months.
Nets will be removed and disinfected, Cook said.

The largest financial hit for Icicle will come from lost production.

“More than anything else, it’s the cost of the loss of livestock,” Cook said.

There has been a salmon farm for 30 years at that Bainbridge Island location. Never before has it been hit by IHNV, Cook said.

However, the disease was reported in salmon farms in British
Columbia about 10 years ago, Mitchell said.

The disease is part of the natural ecosystem in the North Pacific. Wild salmon species here have built some resistance to the virus. Healthy wild fish can withstand the infection.

However, Atlantic salmon used in farming have no resistance to
the disease, Mitchell said. They are made even more susceptible to disease because they live in close confinement.

“Farmed fish are way more susceptible to wild diseases,” Mitchell said.

And why did the disease made another appearance this year and
not others?

“No one knows,” Mitchell said.

http://pacificfishing.com/news/pf_20120525_virusII.pdf

Read more stories via Pacific Fishing: http://www.pacificfishing.com/

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Penn Cove company shifts shellfish harvesting operation to Quilcene Bay–Port Townsend Leader

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Luckily for Penn Cove Shellfish, they have a backup location. Hope that the State starts taking derelict vessels more seriously after this.

Until it gets the “all clear” notice that Penn Cove waters are clean, Penn Cove Shellfish has relocated its mussel-harvesting operation to its Quilcene Bay farm on Hood Canal.

Read the whole article at the PTleader online

http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=31481&SectionID=36&SubSectionID=55

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New Means of Safeguarding World Fish Stocks–Science Daily

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Hope this gets here soon.

Powerful and versatile new genetic tools that will assist in safeguarding both European fish stocks and European consumers is reported in Nature Communications. The paper reports on the first system proven to identify populations of fish species to a forensic level of validation.

With up to 25% of fish catches being caught illegally across the world, and with an estimated cost to Europe of up to €10 billion by 2020, the EU were eager to address the problems facing the European fishing industry. …The EU has already introduced a law requiring any fish sold in the EU to be identified with the species and region of origin on the label from 2011. …

Read the whole story here:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120522135036.htm

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Seagrasses Can Store as Much Carbon as Forests–NSF

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Al Bergstein

The National Science Foundation has just released a study that shows the incredible effects of seagrasses in helping act as a carbon sink for our planet. This reinforces our efforts locally via our Marine Resource Committees, and the efforts of Shoreline Master  Programs (SMPs) to protect the shorelines and near shore environments from abuse.

The results demonstrate that coastal seagrass beds store up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils beneath them.

As a comparison, a typical terrestrial forest stores about 30,000 metric tons per square kilometer, most of which is in the form of wood.

The research also estimates that, although seagrass meadows occupy less than 0.2 percent of the world’s oceans, they are responsible for more than 10 percent of all carbon buried annually in the sea.

Read the whole story here:

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=124263&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click

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Eat lots of fish, need cleaner waters–News Tribune

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Al Bergstein

State government assumes, when deciding how clean Washington waters should be, that people eat up to a half-pound of local seafood per month. But it’s not unusual for Jim Peters, a member of the Squaxin Island Tribal Council, to dine with his family three times a week on locally caught salmon, halibut, clams or shrimp – not to mention leftovers. 

Encouraged by tribes and environmentalists, Gov. Chris Gregoire’s Department of Ecology is moving toward making a much higher estimate of people’s fish-eating habits that could shape the water-pollution decisions of the next governor’s administration.

Jordan Schrader reports.  http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/05/20/2151271/eat-lots-of-fish-need-cleaner.html 

See also: Swinomish kick off salmon season with a blessing http://www.goskagit.com/news/local_news/swinomish-kick-off-salmon-season-with-a-blessing/article_2008ebf5-b25e-5da0-a3bc-24f92c774d3a.html

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Combating Snails To Save Oysters – OPB.org

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Imagine you’re an oyster laying snugly in your bed in Willapa Bay, filtering in nutrients while growing to two and a half inches in diameter. And then you feel a weight on your quarter-inch thick shell and a short time later you begin to hear a grinding sound. Slowly, inexorably over the next few hours the drilling continues as the radula (a sandpaper-like tongue) of an Atlantic or Asian oyster drill snail takes away debris that its secretions of hydrochloric acid has created on your shell. When the snail inevitably pokes through your shell, its proboscis makes you its next meal.

http://news.opb.org/article/combating_snails_to_save_oysters/

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