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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Lower Elwha Klallam agree not to plant non-native steelhead

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Al Bergstein

A few weeks old, but still worth noting, if you haven’t already. Thanks to the Lower Elwha S’Klallam for doing the right thing. It was worrisome when we heard that they were thinking of doing this. And thanks to the folks from these various NGOs for getting this done. A great win all around. Nice to actually see folks come together and agree to do something positive, rather than just fight it out in courts, or the press, yes?
______________________________________________________

The Lower Elwha S’Klallam Tribe has signed a legally-binding agreement with the Wild Fish Conservancy, The Conservation Angler, the Federation of Fly Fishers Steelhead Committee and the Wild Steelhead Coalition to hold off planting any non-native steelhead hatchery fish in the Elwha River and its tributaries in 2012. Plan to stock Elwha River with non-native hatchery fish put off

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/fieldnotes 2017619265_no_chambers_creek_hatchery_fish_planted_in_elwha_river_in_2012.html

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Field report on Japanese Eelgrass being used by herring

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Al Bergstein

The backstory here is that the shellfish industry is pushing for the ability to spray herbicides on Z. Japonica. I felt it would be worth having you read direct reports on what scientists on the ground are finding, rather than take the words of what could be viewed as biased industry spokesmen, or perhaps you don’t trust environmentalists. I think that a moratorium on this issue until serious research can be done, or reviewed in depth, is worth a consideration.
_____________________________________________________

Kathy Hamel, WDOE:

SUBJECT: Zostera japonica as documented herring spawning habitat in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay

I wish to comment from my personal observations of the usage of “japanese eelgrass” as herring spawning substrate in Washington’s coastal estuaries. I am a recently retired WDFW forage fish biologist, having spent 39 years involved in investigations of herring, surf smelt, and Pacific sand lance biology, spawning ecology and critical spawning habitat mapping throughout the state of Washington. By way of record of my professional knowledge and experience, see: Penttila, D.E., 2007. The marine forage fishes of Puget Sound. PSNERP Tech Report 2007-03, at http://www.pugetsoundnearshore.org .

I have personally observed the usage of middle intertidal beds of Zostera japonica as egg-deposition substrate by Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay stocks of Pacific herring during their February-March spawning seasons. These records of my observations would be housed within the files and photo notebooks of the WDFW Marine Resources Division at their LaConner, WA office, if more specific details were needed. These records are considered public information, and I presume I would still have personal access to them, if requested. The degee to which extensive beds of Zostera japonica also serve as herring spawning habitat in the Salish Sea region, where herring spawning on adjacent beds of Z. marina overlaps with extensive aquaculture operations, such as Drayton Harbor (Whatcom Co.) and Samish Bay (Skagit Co.), should also be investigated before any industrial-scale applications of herbicides are allowed.

In southern Grays Harbor, I photographed as well as sampled herring eggs on Zostera japonica beds in the vicinity of the Bay City bridge over the Elk River estuary. In Willapa Bay, I recall herring eggs being found on Zostera japonica beds just inshore of the native Z. marina beds in the area north of Oysterville. In both areas, the herring spawning sites in question were within short distances of active shellfish aquaculture plots, and thus would be damaged or destroyed by the application of pest-control herbicides.

In my opinion, the herring spawning habitats of Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay already suffer enough damage from uncontrolled (ie. “voluntary codes of practice”) aquaculture activities annually, through the dredging of ground-cultured oysters during the spawning season, stomping and shading. They should not be further impacted by yet another ill-considered act for the benefit of the commercial aquaculture industry’s bottom line.

In these coastal estuaries, any attempted chemical control of Z. japonica beds immediately inshore and possibly intermingled with the inshore portions of Z.. marina beds would cause damage to the native Z. marina beds and their herring spawning habitat function. It is a poorly kept secret that the aquaculture industry has for generations considered eelgrass to be a “pest” and has routinely pursued measures to eradicate the species from their culture plots, despite the species’ clear ecological value.* Such damage to herring spawning habitats should be considered a violation of the WA State GMA, WA State SMA, the WAC Hydraulic Code Rules and federal Essential Fish Habitat rules for the conservation of ESA-listed salmonids in this region, all of which advocate no-net-loss protections for documented herring spawning grounds.

* Simenstad, C.A., and K.I. Fresh, 1995. Influence of intertidal aquaculture on benthic communities in Pacific Northwest estuaries: scales of disturbance. Estuaries, Vol 18, No. 1A, p. 43-70.

Thank you for this opportunity for input.

Dan Penttila
Salish Sea Biological (consulting on forage fish matters)
5108 Kingsway
Anacortes, WA 98221
tel: (360) 293-8110
e-mail: depenttila@fidalgo.net

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More scientific support for no-take fish zones

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Al Bergstein

In our ongoing efforts to restore the seriously depleted bottom fish of the Strait and Sound, discussions on establishing no-take zones have been highly controversial. Here is more scientific proof that these zones can help restore fish stocks.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0023601

Abstract: No-take marine reserves are effective management tools used to restore fish biomass and community structure in areas depleted by overfishing. Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP) was created in 1995 and is the only well enforced no-take area in the Gulf of California, Mexico, mostly because of widespread support from the local community. In 1999, four years after the establishment of the reserve, there were no significant differences in fish biomass between CPNP (0.75 t ha−1 on average) and other marine protected areas or open access areas in the Gulf of California. By 2009, total fish biomass at CPNP had increased to 4.24 t ha−1 (absolute biomass increase of 3.49 t ha−1, or 463%), and the biomass of top predators and carnivores increased by 11 and 4 times, respectively. However, fish biomass did not change significantly in other marine protected areas or open access areas over the same time period. The absolute increase in fish biomass at CPNP within a decade is the largest measured in a marine reserve worldwide, and it is likely due to a combination of social (strong community leadership, social cohesion, effective enforcement) and ecological factors. The recovery of fish biomass inside CPNP has resulted in significant economic benefits, indicating that community-managed marine reserves are a viable solution to unsustainable coastal development and fisheries collapse in the Gulf of California and elsewhere.

In addition to the aforementioned conservation benefits, well-enforced marine reserves help reduce local poverty and increase the economic revenue of coastal communities [15], [16]. Protected areas with locally managed resources and stakeholder buy-in can be more successful than areas with top down, federally mandated preservation [see 17]. However, marine reserve agendas have faced considerable opposition from different sectors of the society (e.g. commercial and recreational fisheries), only 0.1 percent of the world’s ocean is completely protected from extractive activities, and most reserves suffer from poor management and enforcement [18], [19]. Moreover, the long-term success of marine reserves is a social issue that requires strong local leadership, social cohesion, involvement and effective self-enforcement within the community, and inter-generational coordination[20], [21].

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Sequim Bay shellfish harvest shut down. Recall in process.

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Al Bergstein

Ugly new toxin showing up in Sequim Bay. First time found in U.S. waters. Bad business.

OLYMPIA, WASH. High levels of a foreign biotoxin has been discovered in some Washington state shellfish.

The Washington State Department of Health said Thursday that this is the first time that unacceptable levels of the toxin has been found in U.S. food. It’s typically found in European counties and was recently found in British Columbia waters.

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/08/11/2138544/high-levels-of-biotoxin-found.html#ixzz1UrJJLGdq

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Salmon Advocates See Jobs in Healthy Fish Runs–KCTS9

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Al Bergstein

A coalition that says it represents more than a thousand Northwest businesses now want a new approach to salmon policy in the Snake and Columbia rivers. ‘Salmon Advocates See Jobs in Healthy Fish Runs’ http://earthfix.kcts9.org/flora-and-fauna/article/salmon-advocates-see-jobs-in-healthy-fish-runs/  “Spokane outdoor retailer Paul Fish says a healthy environment goes hand-in-hand with a healthy economy.” Yes, that’s his name

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Thoughts on Salmon– Saving them, catching them

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Al Bergstein

This week’s editorial by People For Puget Sound’s Tom Bancroft, addresses the question, “Is Salmon Extinction the Option?”

How are salmon doing in Puget Sound?  Turns out, Chinook salmon are not doing too well according to a report recently released by NOAA, not any better now than 10 years ago when salmon species in Puget Sound were listed on the Endangered Species List. NOAA’s recent report highlights that we are still losing more habitat than restoring and have not addressed toxic pollutant runoff to a sufficient level to reverse the adverse effects of toxic pollutants on fish survival.

The causes are many. Growing population around the Sound, destruction of salmon habitat, sometimes by people with the best of intentions, sometimes by raw greed, sometimes by lack of regulations and sometimes by lack of enforcement of the regulations. A century of storm water runoff that will take a century more to fix. And lets’ not forget that all major sewage systems, even treated, are dumped into the Sound.

It’s not enough to say that we want to save the salmon, a huge public resource that could have been managed for generations to come to have low cost protein, but we have squandered that opportunity decades ago, and now it’s time to do what we can to bring them back.

The Good News:

Watching the salmon derby winners on the Strait of Juan de Fuca bring in good sized fish, really huge for these days, In Gardiner, in February, 18 to 20 lb fish were caught, in Anacortes 16 to 18lb fish were caught, and in B.C. at the Juan de Fuca derby outside of Victoria, the top fish was 40 lbs, and the top ten all topped 25! This derby has raised over $200k (Canadian) to support salmon enhancement activities.

The study by NOAA that Tom mentions in his blog, states that “The Co-Managers (the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Puget Sound Treaty Tribes, collectively) met or exceeded the harvest management performance measures required in the 2004 Harvest Management Plan.

But there are deep concerns, the study states:

  • Habitat is still declining.
  • Habitat protection still needs improvement
  • Habitat restoration is heavily tilted towards capital intensive projects (think Elwha Dam).
  • Funding levels are inadequate to achieve restoration of Chinook populations.
  • Staffing for core programs remains insufficient.
  • There is no process in place to recognize changes that are being made to recovery plan strategies as implementation proceeds. 
  • The Hatchery programs remain critically underfunded.

How big could Chinook get? In 2008 a California Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist found what is thought to be the largest Chinook in modern times. It had spawned and died, and it’s body was found.

chinook-giant-salmon-battle-creek-1-emailsize

Unaltered photo of actual Chinook body found in California in 2008. Notice the kind of habitat behind them. It’s not developed.

Your support in helping local officials and non profits that are working to achieve these goals, including adoption of strong Shoreline Master Programs and Critical Areas Ordinances go a long way to helping protect our remaining salmon habitat and someday possibly seeing Chinook such as this in our Olympic Peninsula streams. 

Filed under: Around the Sound, Government, Salmon | 1 Comment »

Geoduck Article–Kitsap Sun

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Al Bergstein

“Economic benefits, ecological questions stall geoduck industry’s growth ; Geoduck farming, a unique industry in the region, has been slowed by legal and scientific challenges”

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/jul/23/economic-benefits-ecological-questions-stall/

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Rockfish Recovery Workshop Recap

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Al Bergstein

Thanks to Mike Sato for this tip. And say that title fast three times.

Rockfish. Real fish. Back in late June, SeaDoc, state Fisheries and NOAA held a Rockfish Recovery Workshop in Seattle. SeaDoc has provided a “2011 Rockfish Recovery Workshop recap”

 http://www.seadocsociety.org/2011-Rockfish-Recovery-Workshop-recap

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Male GM salmon can breed with wild species, researchers find–Vancouver Sun

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Al Bergstein

More reasons to ban Net Pen aquaculture in Jefferson County.

7/14 Vancouver Sun

By Beatrice Fantoni, Postmedia News
On the heels of a new international guideline encouraging the labelling of genetically modified foods, Canadian researchers have found that transgenic Atlantic salmon can pass their genes on to wild salmon if they escape into the wild.
"It is possible for the genetic modification to enter wild populations through natural sexual reproduction," Darek Moreau, a researcher in evolutionary ecology at Memorial University in St. John’s told Postmedia News.
Moreau and his colleagues monitored the breeding behaviour of wild and transgenic male Atlantic salmon in a lab setting over two years. They found that wild male salmon were more successful at breeding, but the genetically modified males still managed to spawn naturally even if they tended to show less interest in female salmon and bred less frequently.
More at
Vancouver Sun Article on Male GM Salmon interbreeding with wild

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Fish often mislabeled as wild salmon or red snapper, report alleges–LA Times Blog

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Al Bergstein

5/25 LA Times Blog

There’s something fishy about seafood, an international ocean advocacy group contends in Bait and Switch <http://na.oceana.org/en/news-media/publications/reports/bait-and-switch-how-seafood-fraud-hurts-our-oceans-our-wallets-and-our-health> , a seafood fraud report released Wednesday. According to Oceana, in Washington, D.C., seafood is often mislabeled in restaurants and at stores. Packaging and processing may also underestimate the amount of breading and ice in frozen fish products. 
Citing DNA tests of 1,000 fish filet samples from dozens of U.S. cities over the past four years, the report said that only 50% of the fish tested were the species listed on the label. Fish labeled as red snapper, wild salmon and Atlantic cod are actually other fish 25% to 70% of the time, the report said, with rockfish and tilapia often substituted for snapper, farmed salmon for wild, and pollock for Atlantic cod.
More at
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/05/seafood-fraud.html

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Wild coho salmon show signs of recovery

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Al Bergstein

Good news here….

3/1 Kitsap Sun — By Christopher Dunagan

OLYMPIA — Wild coho salmon are expected to return to Puget Sound in strong numbers this year — though that may not translate directly into increased fishing opportunities, according to salmon managers.

Some 600,000 wild coho, also known as “silvers,” are expected to be heading toward Puget Sound this year, according to an annual forecast released Tuesday by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. That’s double the 298,000 coho predicted last year.

The result could be higher numbers of spawning salmon returning to their natal streams — a good step for the recovery of depressed coho stocks. But it further complicates the effort to set up this year’s salmon seasons, according to Pat Pattillo, who is leading the planning effort for Fish and Wildlife.

More at
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/mar/01/wild-coho-salmon-show-signs-of-recovery/

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Washington poised to get tougher with shellfish operators

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Al Bergstein

3/1 KPLU-FM
By Austin Jenkins and KPLU News Staff

Last summer, we brought you a story about gaps in the system that’s supposed to keep Washington shellfish safe to eat. Now state lawmakers appear ready to get tougher with shellfish operators who violate food safety laws.

Early last year, Washington Fish and Wildlife cops shut down a Hood Canal shellfish harvesting operation. They allege G&R Seafood poached $500,ooo worth of oysters and clams from state and private beaches.

But Fish and Wildlife police say even after the business was raided, the company’s owner – who denies any wrongdoing – was spotted selling shellfish at fairs and other public gatherings. But Chief Deputy Mike Cenci says there was nothing his officers could do since it was G&R’s harvesting license <http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/>  that had been yanked:

More at
http://www.kplu.org/post/washington-poised-get-tougher-shellfish-operators

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Canada, U.S. may restrict chinook salmon harvest to benefit killer whales

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Al Bergstein

2/3/11 Vancouver Sun
Canada, U.S. may restrict chinook salmon harvest to benefit killer whales
By LARRY PYNN, Vancouver Sun

Fishermen in Canada and the U.S. may have to give up part of their lucrative chinook salmon catch to help the recovery of endangered resident killer whales.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a news release Wednesday it plans to hold a science workshop with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in the spring to discuss potential catch restrictions.

The federal agency said that “killer whales depend to a substantial degree on large chinook salmon as a high-calorie food source” and that “killer whale productivity is affected by chinook abundance.”

As a result of the workshop, both countries will be “better able to determine whether and to what extent additional constraints on salmon fishing may be necessary,” it said.

More at
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Canada+restrict+chinook+salmon+harvest+benefit+killer+whales/4213858/story.html

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Discussion about seabird populations to take place in Bellingham

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Al Bergstein

While not directly happening here, this event involves us, as our seabird populations are pretty much the same as the ones they are discussing. Another ‘canary in the coalmine”, pun intended…

1/17 Bellingham Herald
ISABELLE DILLS /     THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
BELLINGHAM  – A discussion about seabird populations and mortality trends will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, at The Sustainable Living Center.
The discussion will be led by Julia Parrish, a nationally known seabird and conservation biologist and director of the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team.
The program is free and open to the public.
The Sustainable Living Center is at 2309 Meridian St., above the RE Store.
Parrish also will lead a hands-on workshop on bird identification and data collection from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22. To register, contact RE Sources at 360-733-8307.        
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/17/1821083/discussion-about-seabird-populations.html

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Bottlenose dolphin seen in Puget Sound

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Al Bergstein

1/7 Seattle Times – Bottlenose dolphin turns up in Puget Sound
By Sandi Doughton –Seattle Times science reporter

The wayward bottlenose dolphin seen recently in Puget Sound is the region’s fourth tropical marine visitor in a year.

Another bottlenose dolphin and two Bryde’s whales, all native to warmer climes, appeared in Washington’s inland waters last year, said John Calambokidis, of Cascadia Research. The three animals perished in Puget Sound.

…Cascadia scientists confirmed the current visitor Dec. 15. The small bottlenose dolphin has been seen at locations between Seattle and Olympia, including Budd Inlet.

More at
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013873746_dolphin08m.html

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More good news for salmon

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Al Bergstein

12/23 Tri-Cities Herald – Dam projects improve migration of salmon – By Tri-City Herald

Improvements at all eight federal Snake and lower Columbia River dams boosted the safe migration of juvenile salmon and steelhead last year, a federal study says.

Army Corps of Engineers officials said completion of improvements such as spillway weirs, also called fish slides, help speed young fish downstream past dams by keeping them near the water surface, where they naturally migrate.

For example, tests at Little Goose Dam on the Snake River found 99.4 percent of yearling chinook, 99.8 percent of steelhead and 95.2 percent of sub-yearling chinook passed the dam safely.

The assessment report says in-river survival of juvenile Snake River steelhead migrating to the ocean in 2009 reached its highest level in 12 years, a sign the fish are benefiting from improved surface passage.

More at
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013754442_damimprovements24.html

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No fish left behind…where will we fish next?

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Al Bergstein

Any of us that love to fish have realized, instinctively, that fishing is in decline and that what we have lost in one generation, around the Straits, Sound, and out on the oceans, is a diminishing pie split among more and more people

This interesting article, by Science Daily, shows a bit more of the facts behind the belief. It’s real, and it’s getting worse.

‘No Fish Left Behind’ Approach Leaves Earth With Nowhere Left to Fish, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Dec. 3, 2010) — Earth has run out of room to expand fisheries, according to a new study led by University of British Columbia researchers that charts the systematic expansion of industrialized fisheries.

In collaboration with the National Geographic Society and published in the online journal PLoS ONE, the study is the first to measure the spatial expansion of global fisheries. It reveals that fisheries expanded at a rate of one million sq. kilometres per year from the 1950s to the end of the 1970s. The rate of expansion more than tripled in the 1980s and early 1990s — to roughly the size of Brazil’s Amazon rain forest every year.

Read the whole story here.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202181122.htm

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Elwha River Weir – WDFW

Posted on November 11, 2010 by Al Bergstein

11/10 WDFW Fish Files
An adult fish trap, termed a resistance board weir, was installed in the Elwha River in September 2010 to begin counting adult salmon, trout, and char migrating upstream and downstream in the Elwha River. The weir is part of a multi-agency effort, which includes the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Olympic National Park, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), to monitor the influence of removing two Elwha River hydroelectric dams on salmon and steelhead returns to the Elwha River ecosystem.

More at
http://the-fish-files.blogspot.com/2010/11/elwha-river-weir.html

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