Kailin, Doyle honored with Eleanor Stopps environmental award – PDN

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Al Bergstein

A 99 year old doctor from Sequim who was pivotal in stopping both a nuclear plant that was planned for the Miller Peninsula (just west of Cape George) as well as the planned Northern Tier pipeline that was planned to run through the waters off Protection Island, was honored with the Eleanor Stopps annual environmental award. Along with Dr. Eloise Kailin, young Sara Doyle was also a co-recipient, the first time the award was given to two people, and the youngest person to receive it. Doyle has been the Stewardship coordinator for the North Olympic Salmon Coalition. Eleanor Stopps was the woman who worked tirelessly for over a decade to turn Protection Island into a National Wildlife Refuge in 1982.

Read more on the story at the Peninsula Daily News

Kailin, Doyle honored with Eleanor Stopps environmental award

 

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More on the impact of farmed fish – The Nation

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Al Bergstein

As if we needed more evidence. The Nation brings another damning indictment of raising farmed salmon. This time from Chile.

“The sea around the salmoneras is dead. The waste they produce falls to the seabed. The waters here used to be so clean.…”

The Eco-Disastrous Salmon

Farmed salmon is Chile’s second-biggest export. Twice, it’s proved an environmental hazard. By Cédric Gouverneur

https://www.thenation.com/article/the-eco-disastrous-salmon/

 

 

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Mounting evidence affirms decision of Ecology to deny use of pesticide in shrimp farms – WA Dept of Ecology

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Al Bergstein

The Department of Ecology has denied a request by oyster growers to use a pesticide called Imidacloprid on shellfish beds in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. This little known issue exploded into the open a few years ago when a scientist for the Department of Ecology, Rich Doenges, the water-quality manager for the state Department of Ecology signed off on use of the chemical even though the instructions for it clearly stated

“This product is highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates. Do not apply directly to water, or to areas where surface water is present or to intertidal areas below the mean high water mark.”

Ecology noted the following environmental impacts as key reasons for denying the permit:

  • Significant, unavoidable impacts to sediment quality and benthic invertebrates.
  • Negative impacts to juvenile worms and crustaceans in areas treated with imidacloprid and nearby areas covered by incoming tides, including high mortality for Dungeness crabs.
  • Negative impacts to fish and birds caused by killing sources of food and disrupting the food web.
  • Concern about non-lethal impacts to invertebrates in the water column and sediment.
  • A risk of impacts from imidacloprid even at low concentrations.
  • Increased uncertainty about long-term, non-lethal, and cumulative impacts.

This will have significant effects on shellfish farmers in the two major bays on the west coast of Washington State. Some shellfish farmers may lose their farms over this decision. There are no known alternatives to kill the shrimp.

It has been claimed that this problem was caused by the introduction of the Columbia River dams in the 40s and beyond. Originally the plume of the river’s outflow of fresh water kept the shrimp under a natural control. With the lack of fresh water the shrimp were able to move into the bays and not have a natural control on their expansion.

The controversy was highlighted in a 2017 story on KNKX radio. http://www.knkx.org/post/questions-remain-about-pesticide-proposal-combat-burrowing-shrimp-infestation

Also more background on the controversy was reported in the Seattle Times.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/dept-of-ecology-growers-cancel-pesticide-permit-affecting-oysters-2/

and also in this Seattle Times story:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/disbelief-over-state-plan-to-spray-neurotoxin-into-oyster-beds/

 

After considering and responding to more than 3,000 public comments, the Washington Department of Ecology has finalized its decision to deny the use of imidacloprid on shellfish beds in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. Mounting scientific evidence confirms the harm from this neonicotinoid pesticide poses too great a risk to Washington’s environment.

Shellfish growers from the Willapa-Grays Harbor Oyster Growers Association requested a permit from the state to spray imidacloprid on oyster and clam beds to control native burrowing shrimp. Ecology tentatively denied the request in April pending the evaluation and response to public comments.

https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/News/2018/Sept-27-Imidacloprid-denial

 

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New Genetic Research Shows the Legacy of Fish Farm – Hakai Magazine

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Al Bergstein

The fish farming industry has been saying for the last number of years that this couldn’t happen. Well, it apparently has. While this could not happen here because of the distinct species, it does add fuel to the fire that these farmed fish are just not a good idea. We have no idea what additional information the industry, along with certain departments in WDFW and NOAA who seem to be simply mouthpieces for the industry, are not investigating, or actually hiding from the public.

Newfoundland’s great fish jailbreak took place on September 18, 2013, when a damaged sea pen, roiled by currents and tides, discharged 20,000 farmed Atlantic salmon into the frigid freedom of Hermitage Bay. Cooke Aquaculture, which owned the failed pen, swiftly set about controlling the damage in the media, if not the ocean. Seals and other predators would scarf up the rogue salmon, the company assured the CBC. The fish, it added, “pose[d] no threat to the environment.” A new genetic analysis, however, refutes that dubious claim. Researchers with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have shown that the fish fled Hermitage Bay, fanning out and infiltrating many of southern Newfoundland’s rivers. There, the escapees interbred with their wild cousins—potentially weakening the gene pools of imperiled populations. Ben Goldfarb reports. (Hakai Magazine)

New Genetic Research Shows the Legacy of Fish Farm

 

 

 

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Research submarine arrives at Friday Harbor – San Juan Journal

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Al Bergstein

More research will be done on the effects of trawling (a bit late to save places like Discovery Bay, which was trawled in the 70s). Also red sea urchins and sand lance, a food source for salmon and other larger fish.

Often called Earth’s final frontier, the darkest depths of the ocean contain mysterious creatures and otherworldly habitats researchers have only begun to discover thanks to evolving submarine technology. For the first time, one such submarine will be arriving in the San Juans…. The submarine arrived Sept. 8 at the labs and assisted with three local studies: one regarding red sea urchins, another focusing on the effects of trawling (a method of fishing and researching that scrapes the seafloor) and the third will take a look at sand lance. Heather Spaulding reports. (San Juan Journal)

Research submarine arrives at Friday Harbor

 

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B.C. municipalities call for end of open-net fish farms -The Star Vancouver

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Al Bergstein

Interesting article about what’s happening around net pens north of the border. While these calls for land-based farms are growing stronger by the month, there are plans afoot in Norway to rollout new designs for in-water pens. The issues will still remain, however. Norway has banned all in-water pens for a while now, but the fish farming industry there (the largest in the world) is rolling out new experimental pens that likely will be allowed by their government, and probably, by association, by Canada’s. This issue is far from finished being a lightning rod.

https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/09/12/bc-municipalities-call-for-end-of-open-net-fish-farms.html

 

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Jefferson Dems Endorse All Candidates

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Al Bergstein

In a high spirited meeting running over three hours, Jefferson County Democrats endorsed all candidates presented on their slate. The entire list can be viewed under the tab at the top of this page, titled 2018 Elections.

The three candidates that drew the most debate were Joe Nole for Sheriff, Maria Cantwell for Senator and Derek Kilmer for House of Representatives.

The debate on Joe Nole’s endorsement came from a group of people in support of Sheriff Stanko who brought up issues that had happened under Nole’s temporary leadership as interim sheriff in the months before Dave Stanko’s election. They also discussed issues of aggressive policing, (not by Joe but by officers under his command at that point) and positions that Joe was claimed to have made. Ultimately, a series of speakers who have worked with Mr. Nole, including outgoing County Commissioner Kathleen Kler, allowed for a clear win for endorsement.

Opposition to Derek Kilmer came from what is known as the “Progressives”, who primarily are supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders. They identified a number of issues that Rep. Kilmer has not taken a stand on, or has supported such as Single Payer Healthcare, bills that supported Israel to the exclusion of Palestinians, and his vote supporting the massive recent military budget (HR5515) and tax bills, which far exceeded the demands of President Trump. To be clear, many Democrats ended up supporting the bills as there were numerous items added that they requested. Representative Kilmer also has not achieved anything of substance around the expansion of the Navy airbase and it’s subsequent noise issues for the entire north Sound and Strait. He has done nothing of substance to also protect the west end of the Olympic Peninsula from being used as a Navy training ground with low flying jets over the west side of the Olympic National Park. These issues have engendered huge meeting turnouts and thousands of letters of support for him to take action. However, as of this writing, his efforts have returned nothing of consequence on the issue. Representative Kilmer  has been endorsed 100% by Planned Parenthood, Human Rights Campaign, and to a lesser degree, by the ACLU (88%) and The League for Conservation Voters (92%). His entire voting record can be viewed here:

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/derek_kilmer/412583

Similar issues were raised about Senator Maria Cantwell. Senator Cantwell did vote no on the Defense Appropriations Act. Senator Cantwell has been endorsed 100% by Planned Parenthood, Human Rights Campaign, and to a lesser degree, by the ACLU (88%) and The League for Conservation Voters (91%). Her voting record can be found at

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/maria_cantwell/300018

Both these candidates have been strong supporters  of environmental bills.

Supporters of the two argued for Democratic unity in the face of goals to take back the House and Senate, along with positive bills that both had supported. Ultimately, both easily won endorsement.

 

 

 

 

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California signs bill to go carbon free by 2045

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Al Bergstein

The biggest news of the year. California showing the way. Can we pull it off too?

California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that would require all of the state’s electricity to come from carbon-free sources by 2045, marking the biggest step yet in his fight against global warming. The measure, passed last month by the legislature, will eliminate the reliance on fossil fuels to power homes, businesses and factories in the world’s fifth-largest economy, accelerating a shift already under way. The state currently gets about 44 percent of its power from renewables and hydropower.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-10/california-s-brown-signs-bill-for-carbon-free-power-by-2045

 

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PCC Community Markets Ends Sale of Pacific Northwest Chinook Salmon

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Al Bergstein

From the PCC news site

(September 10, 2018) – Seattle-based PCC Community Markets (PCC), the nation’s largest community-owned food market, announced it has stopped selling all chinook (king) salmon products — fresh, frozen and smoked — caught in the waters of Washington, Oregon or British Columbia. PCC is responding to the needs of the critically endangered Salish Sea southern resident killer whales (SRKW) that feed predominantly on area king salmon during the summer.

SRKWs have historically thrived on chinook from the Columbia River, but with the salmon runs at just 10 percent of their original population, the orcas are relying more on salmon from the Fraser River in British Columbia for sustenance. Chinook runs on the Fraser, as well as the Columbia and Sacramento River in northern California, have declined. In sum: SRKWs lack the food they need to survive.

“Last month, the heartbreaking ordeal of the mother orca, Tahlequah, and her baby touched many of our members and staff,” said Brenna Davis, VP of Social and Environmental Responsibility. “In the midst of it, the PCC leadership team began discussing how and if we could make an impact on this issue. By committing to no longer sell Pacific Northwest chinook salmon, we realize that we will not solve the complex set of issues facing our resident orcas. We are simply doing our part as a co-op to ensure, as we have for decades, that our supply chain protects our region’s vital ecosystems.”

Dedicated to protecting local food systems, PCC has long put into place comprehensive efforts to protect the Salish Sea including:

  • Partnerships with Salmon-Safe certified farms, like Wilcox Family Farms. Salmon Safe is a nonprofit devoted to restoring agricultural and urban watersheds so salmon can spawn and thrive;
  • Donating proceeds of sales of Chinook Wines to “Long Live the Kings,” a local non-profit organization that works to protect chinook salmon;
  • Financial support to organizations working to protect marine ecosystems, such as the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition and Stewardship Partners’ Salmon-Safe certification; and
  • Other efforts including advancing the organic supply chain to keep pesticides and other toxins out of streams, and advocating an end to net-pen fish farms, especially for non-native Atlantic salmon.

In place of Pacific Northwest chinook, PCC will sell Alaskan chinook, which is certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. PCC also will continue to support local fishers by selling other species of Pacific Northwest salmon. To learn more, please visit: https://www.pccmarkets.com/statements/pcc-ends-the-sale-of-pacific-northwest-chinook-salmon/

About PCC Community Markets Founded in Seattle in 1953, PCC Community Markets (PCC) is the nation’s largest community-owned food market with an unmatched enthusiasm for making food from scratch. Celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2018, PCC is a haven for those who share a dedication to fresh, organic seasonal food that is sustainably sourced from local producers, farmers, ranchers and fishers. With an active membership of more than 60,000 households, PCC operates 11 stores in the Puget Sound area, including the cities of Bothell, Burien, Edmonds, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond and Seattle. Seattle stores are in the neighborhoods of Columbia City, Fremont, Green Lake, View Ridge and West Seattle, which will reopen in 2019. The co-op also plans to open new stores in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood in 2019 and Bellevue, Madison Valley and Downtown Seattle in 2020.

In 2017, PCC returned 57 percent of its profit to members and contributed an additional 11 percent to the communities it serves, including schools and nonprofits around the Puget Sound area, such as the PCC Farmland Trust and FareStart.

This website called for a ban on eating locally caught wild chinook over on August 18th.   See “One Orca Two Stories. A way forward?”

In it I stated:

One thought is that if the Chinook fishing is still allowed out off LaPush, and the Orcas have gone there, it must be after the fish. So I’m left wondering, if we really wanted to save starving orcas, why on earth are we allowing recreational fishers to catch 3023 fish? As to the ocean limits, according to state F&W, the ocean recreational limits were:

27,500 fish, which is 17,500 fewer fish than 2017’s quota of 45,000.

So this is approximately 30,000 chinook we are catching when the story of the day is that the Orcas can’t find these fish in the Salish Sea. And this is in addition to whatever the seals and sea lions  have been taking, The studies on seals and sea lions show that they eat primarily juvenile salmon, not as much the older ones! However the study concludes that the seals and sea lions are a problem.

Seattle Chefs Tom Douglas, Thierry Rautureau, Renee Erickson and other major chefs in Seattle have also called for and are implementing a boycott on eating local chinook. This one decision will not immediately put a lot of fish back in the water, but it is clear we are competing with the orcas for their food, and it *will* immediately add to the small amount of Chinook available for them. It will not impact Alaskan Chinook. And  you can also order any of the other salmon that are on the menus or in the stores. So support your local fishermen and eat locally caught salmon other than Chinook. It is OK to dry up demand for local Chinook as a gesture to showing that we need action from our government officials. No more talk!

 

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UPDATE: Nature Conservancy Supports Atlantic Farmed Salmon – Boycott Needed? No

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Al Bergstein

As of today, the Nature Conservancy web site no longer shows the page referred to below. There is no mention of Mr. Jones, and a search of their listing of scientists, senior leadership, issue experts and volunteer leadership has no listing of Mr. Jones. The web site has some modifications showing the good work they are doing with aquaculture around the world, which I have always supported in the past. Since they have chosen not to communicate with me since my emails and phone conversations of two weeks ago, I am assuming that things have changed there, for what appears to be the better.

I am going to leave this original post up, because I am sure that people will wonder what happened to it if I take it down, and I want this post to show that I am asking any of you that reach this page to hold off taking any action against The Nature Conservancy until further notice. Given that The Nature Conservancy had such an interview in place for some time (weeks?) it would be good to see them post a page discussing the controversies here in the Pacific Northwest to show that there are environmental concerns we face, and are looking forward to working with the Nature Conservancy in the future to come up with solutions that can be supported by all of us.

Thanks in advance.  AL BERGSTEIN – EDITOR

THE ORIGINAL POST

The Nature Conservancy has come out in support of farmed Atlantic Salmon in their latest online and printed magazine. In an interview with aquaculture program manager Robert Jones, he states:

So can I buy farm-raised salmon?

I do. You have to compare it against every other terrestrial animal: Switching from beef to salmon or pork to salmon is a good environmental choice providing that the producer has done its job reducing the environmental impact. I think, for example, that the Norwegian industry is doing better than others. The Scottish also do a pretty good job. So, yes, I do believe that aquaculture, when done sustainably, is a smart environmental choice.”

Mr. Jones does not offer any explanation or overview of the controversy of net pens in British Columbia, Washington State, or Alaska (which has a ban on them). No mention of our Washington’s new ban on farming Atlantic salmon. No mention of massive overuse of anti-biotics to combat diseases rampant in the Pacific off Chile. Also not mentioned is the fact that Norway is shipping diseased fish embryos to North America. No mention of issues with farming shrimp around the world nor the documented slave trade of workers employed by the industry.

and https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2015/12/16/how-to-find-shrimp-thats-not-produced-by-slave-labor-in-thailand/?utm_term=.aab952613539

The Nature Conservancy refused to give me access to Robert before writing this article. In looking at his background on Linked In I find that Robert came from the very agency, NOAA, that has supported farmed salmon with spurious research that only looked at effects of the net pens in the waters under the pens, and ignored disease vectors, effects farther from the pens, sea lice, and the like.

Also, it appears Robert Jones has pulled his Linked In resume since my inquiries.

To be clear, I am not saying that all farmed fish is a problem. But it is clear that farming Atlantic Salmon has become a serious environmental issue in many parts of the world.

It is time to wake up The Nature Conservancy. They have allowed a person into their upper management who appears to be unable to view the environmental problems of the farmed Atlantic salmon industry with a non biased eye. Please feel free to forward this article.

Please join me and others in supporting a ban on donations to the Nature Conservancy in any form, until they change this position and offer a balanced approach to aquaculture around the world. Please call your local Nature Conservancy office and let them know you will be donating during the fourth quarter of the year to other environmental organizations. 

 

 

 

 

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Canada proposes more habitat protection for southern-resident orcas – Seattle Times

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Al Bergstein

Canada is taking steps to expand habitat protection for killer whales to boost survival of the critically endangered southern-resident population. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada is taking steps to expand habitat protection for killer whales to boost survival of the critically endangered southern-resident population. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced Wednesday the department is initiating a 60-day comment period on creating new areas of critical habitat for the whales.

One area is off the coast of southwestern Vancouver Island, including Swiftsure and La Pérouse banks (important for both northern and southern residents). The other is in Dixon Entrance, along the north coast of Graham Island from Langara to Rose Spit (important for northern residents). The move to expand habitat protection comes on top of a reduction by the department of chinook salmon harvest by up to 35 percent for the 2018 fishing season, with a full closure of commercial and recreational fish for chinook in three key foraging areas for the southern residents: the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Gulf Islands and the mouth of the Fraser River.

These measures, enacted June 1, will continue until Sept. 30, and include increased monitoring to assess the effectiveness of the closures. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

 

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Acceleration of mountain glacier melt could impact Pacific NW water supplies – AGU 100 Earth and Space Science

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Al Bergstein

This study should be a wake up call for our local politicians. We need to be contemplating how we are going to get water for this city when the mountains are unable to sustain us. It’s not too soon to have a plan and begin looking for funding sources as they become available.

The model showed that summer melt from some lower elevation glaciers is already declining, and summer melt from some higher elevation glaciers is expected to begin declining by 2050, according to the study.

https://blogs.agu.org/geospace/2018/08/16/acceleration-of-mountain-glacier-melt-could-impact-pacific-northwest-water-supplies/

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Event: Local Salish Sea Day of Action to Feature Singer/Guitarist Dana Lyons – Sept 15th

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Al Bergstein

PRESS RELEASE

September 3, 2018

Port Townsend, Wash.— On September 15th, from 2-4 pm at Pope Marine Park in Port Townsend, there will be a free concert featuring singer/songwriter and guitarist, Dana Lyons.  He will be sharing his “Songs of the Salish Sea” focusing on the health and restoration of our important waterway.

The event will feature song, art and education integrated together to raise awareness of how we all can help Save the Salish Sea. Interspersed with Dana Lyons’s songs, leaders in the community will talk about the challenges the Salish Sea faces and how we all can protect it. The family-friendly event will also include inter-generational art creation and information tables. Speakers include Deborah Stinson, Mayor, City of Port Townsend; Laura Tucker, Climate Educator; and others.

Our local community is joining other communities around the bioregion to build broader awareness and advocacy for protection for our Sacred Sea and all living creatures.    While the sea itself may separate us physically, we are uniting to face these growing threats together.  #WeAretheWater

The event is being organized by the Sierra Club North Olympic Peninsula Group, Local 20/20, QUUF’s Green Sanctuary Environmental Action Committee, and Olympic Climate Action in partnership with organizations throughout the peninsula.

The organizers strongly encourage participants to bike, bus, walk or carpool to the event.

Additionally, for those interested in direct action before the event, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is hosting an International Coastal Cleanup day from 12pm – 4pm on the same day, September 15th. Go to PTMSC.org for more information.

See attached photo of Dana Lyons.

 

CONTACTS:  

Cherri Mann, cherrimann@aol.com, 360-390-4877.

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Shellfish Harvesting at Fort Flagler, Mystery Bay and Kilisut Harbor Closed Due to Biotoxins

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Al Bergstein

Always check with the state before going shellfish harvesting. Recreational shellfish harvesters should check the DOH clickable map at www.doh.wa.gov/ShellfishSafety.htm or call the DOH Biotoxin Hotline at 1-800-562-5632 before harvesting shellfish anywhere in Washington State. Recreational harvesters should also check Fish and Wildlife regulations and seasons at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/ or the Shellfish Rule Change Hotline 1-866-880-5431.

 

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WDFW authorizes transfer of Atlantic salmon into net pens

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Al Bergstein

Note the new location to get future alerts on farmed salmon issues at the bottom of the story.

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has authorized Cooke Aquaculture to transport about 800,000 juvenile Atlantic salmon from the company’s hatchery in Rochester, Wash., to existing net-pen facilities in Puget Sound.

WDFW issued the fish transport permit this week after working to ensure Cooke had met all of the state’s requirements for fish health.

Earlier this year, state lawmakers passed legislation to phase out Atlantic salmon net pen operations in Puget Sound as soon as 2022. Cooke is continuing its operations in the meantime.

On Aug. 2, Cooke submitted applications to move a total of 800,000 1-year-old Atlantic salmon from its Scatter Creek facility in Rochester to two different net pen locations in Puget Sound.

Both WDFW and Cooke tested samples of the fish, which met the state’s health requirements, including testing negative for all forms of the fish virus PRV (piscine orthoreovirus), said Ken Warheit, WDFW’s fish health manager.

Cooke typically transports fish eggs from an Iceland facility to Scatter Creek, where the eggs grow into smolts before being moved to net pens. In May, an exotic strain of PRV that shows up in north Atlantic waters was detected in a different batch of smolts at Cooke’s Scatter Creek facility. WDFW denied the company’s request to transfer those fish into net pens.

The state also requires that Cooke leave its net pens empty (or “fallow”) for at least 30 days before transferring fish there. Warheit noted that Cooke will also meet this requirement as it transfers fish in October and November.

Cooke will move about 400,000 juvenile Atlantic salmon to its Cooke’s Hope Island facility in Skagit Bay and another 400,000 fish to its Orchard Rocks facility (Kitsap County) in Rich Passage.

All future notifications about Atlantic salmon transfer permits will be posted online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/ais/salmo_salar/ where people will be able to sign up for email notifications in the near future.

See related story: https://olyopen.com/2018/08/27/alexandra-morton-and-sea-shepherd-take-water-samples-in-pa-harbor/

 

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PSI COLLABORATOR RECEIVES NSF GRANT TO STUDY COHO DEATHS – Puget Sound Institute

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Al Bergstein

Good news. A grant has been awarded to do deeper research into road runoff and how it kills salmon. It will include citizen scientists to help find the specimens and alert the researchers to die offs.

PSI collaborator Ed Kolodziej has received a $330,000 National Science Foundation grant to expand his research on toxic pollutants in Puget Sound. Kolodziej’s project will identify chemicals in stormwater that are killing coho salmon and endangering some spawning runs. The project includes a collaboration with citizen scientists who will alert project members to salmon die-offs as they are happening. Kolodziej’s team will then collect water and tissue samples from these sites that they will analyze using at the labs of PSI’s parent group the Center for Urban Waters.

Read the full story here:

https://www.pugetsoundinstitute.org/2018/08/psi-collaborator-receives-nsf-grant-to-study-coho-deaths/?utm_campaign=grants-and-funding&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

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Alexandra Morton and Sea Shepherd take water samples in PA Harbor

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Al Bergstein

Photo by Al Bergstein

Independent fish biologist Alexandra Morton brought the the 81 ft. Sea Shepherd and her crew down to Port Angeles today to begin sampling the water around the net pens in Port Angeles harbor as well as other locations around the Salish Sea. She was joined by Kurt Beardslee of the Wild Fish Conservancy.

Photo courtesy of John Gussman

She has started using a new technique that allows her to detect piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) in farmed salmon without having to physically get into the net pens. As she describes on her blog…

Last winter, I used a tiny mesh aquarium net to scoop up hundreds of fish scales that were knocked off young farm salmon as they were pouring into the pens from transport vessels. I also collected bits of flesh from dead farm fish that was pouring out of a salmon farm and had them tested. Viruses were detected in these samples. I learned that farmed Atlantic salmon infected with piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) are being put into the farms in Musgamagw territory.

By collecting the waste pouring out of the farms, I now have the capacity to discover the infectious status of individual farms. Previously I only had access to farm salmon from markets with no way of tracing them to individual farms. Sampling the farm sites will allow me to begin measuring the impact of specific farms on wild salmon. Aboard the Martin Sheen I have now sampled every salmon farm between Vancouver and Alert Bay.

She successfully took samples of the water outside the pens while boats from the net pen company watched at a respectful distance.

Photo courtesy of John Gussman

On the boat’s return, Alexandra and Kurt discussed their work with Representative Mike Chapman. Mike was a key legislative driver for the state house bill that finally banned any Atlantic Salmon aquaculture in Puget Sound, the Strait and Hood Canal. They expressed their thanks to Mike noting that the example shown by Washington State has been instrumental in helping gain more legislative support for a ban in British Columbia.

State Representative Mike Chapman, Wild Fish Conservancy’s Kurt Beardslee & Alexandra Morton Photo by John Gussman

Kurt and Alexandra are working on efforts to get Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife to test for the virus. If the virus is present, it could infect young hatchery fish on their way to sea, as well as on their return to the hatcheries. They believe that there is little to waste because hatchery fish will be released in four months. If the virus is present then they are hoping for more rapid shut down of the net pens so as not to spread it further afield. There are concerns that the virus appears identically using DNA testing, to the virus running rampant in Norway. Apparently Kurt and Alexandra believe that the eggs being shipped from Norway are infected, and are infecting the salmon in the pens here.

Photo by Al Bergstein

Alexandra collected fat samples for analysis.

In addition to their crew, Alexandra and Kurt were joined by George Quacksister Jr. the Hereditary Chief Gigame of the Laichkwiltach Nation. He was instrumental in taking underwater video of sick salmon in net pens in B.C.

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Democrats take steps to reform presidential primaries

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Al Bergstein

The Democrats nationally have taken steps to address the concerns of the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic party. The Sanders coalition railed bitterly about the use of Superdelegates, those people given independent delegate status by virtue of their having been elected officials (which makes total sense), having worked for years helping build the party (an SD that I met had been a union organizer for decades, turning out the vote for the Dems her whole working career, the new Bernie people hated that she somehow outranked them in the process). Also big donors are sometimes given SD status as thanks for their financial support of candidates.

The new rules are a mixed bag for Sanders supporters, but they were at the table for these so they should now be able to go back to their get out the vote campaign so Ds can actually win back the Senate and House.

Rule 1 is that Superdelegates now have less power on the first ballot. They will have to wait for a second ballot before weighing in. Never the less, neither Barack Obama nor Hilary Clinton needed to have these rules in place. With the juggernaut of Obama approaching, the SDs rolled over to the inevitable winner of the nominating process, and Hilary all but threw in the towel before the convention.

The nomination in 2016 was never in doubt for the Clinton. A majority of Democrats voting in primaries were for her, especially in the south, where Sanders was a virtual unknown and he took no real steps to fight her there.

But the accusations by the Sanders Democrats of ‘fixing’ the election for Hilary found some fertile ground, and the Democratic party gave in to their demands. The compromise feels like it should silence them now, since both sides win something. Bernie’s people can go into the next primary season feeling like the SDs can’t be the final arbiters (though anyone who knows that a convention that goes to the second round can be even more contentious than the first).

Rule 2 is a bit more problematic for Bernie’s folks. The D’s decided to press for primary elections and move away from caucuses. In some places that might have helped Bernie, but not in Washington, where Bernie’s people came out in force for caucuses, but Clinton won the non binding primary. I’m sure we’ll have a fight if the state Dems decide to move to just a primary. But in places like Nevada they are likely to do that without a thought. I heard many older people, saying that they didn’t come out to the caucuses because they were intimidated by the anger that some of the Bernie supporters were showing when they were seen wearing Clinton buttons around town.

Rule 3 is simply to push for more transparency and access to caucuses. Allowing last minute registration, and other rules that didn’t seem to effect Jefferson County.

The hope is that now that Bernie’s people have got the Superdelegates pushed to the second ballot, they will close that chapter, stop rehashing their loss and go back to the job of getting out the vote for this fall. There are great candidates running in many hotly contested races, and all hands are needed on deck. If I have learned anything from being a youth in Chicago, to a lifetime voting in every election since I could vote, it’s that sometimes you lose, and there is always a next time. Congratulations to the Dems for coming up with a workable way forward to attempt to bring everyone into line.

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Whales and their watchers in Discovery Bay

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Al Bergstein

It was reported to me by someone watching from their home that whales visited Discovery Bay on Thursday, with a fleet of whale watchers of various size surrounding them. The whales were likely the T65As, mom and her 5 kids.

Here’s what my friend reported:

Discovery Bay is a place normally void of boaters. I look out over Becket Pt. Sometimes whales come. Yesterday I saw one killer whale. There may have been more but I only saw one surface at a time. It was followed by 4 whale watching boats. 3 of them very large, slowly following the whale. The whale(s) moved to off where Joe D’Amico used to have his gun range. Then these huge whale watching boats started going full throttle past Beckett Pt towards town and some back from town. This went on for a few hours then I had to leave. I’m not sure how many boats were involved. One big boat had an especially load engine and I can only imagine what it sounded like underwater. Sometimes the boat closest to the whale would like guess where the whale was and sometimes be in front of it and sometimes behind. The others kept a bigger distance. The chase boat would slow down and turn around and head for the whale. The other boats were farther away and I guess 100 yards away. But the chase boat probably got closer than that.

A couple of things worth noting. First. The distance to the whales should be 200 yards or more by law.

In 2011, NOAA Fisheries Service adopted new regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act to protect all killer whales in inland waters of Washington. Be Whale Wise and Follow the Law. It’s easy as 1, 2, 3…

WHO do the new rules apply to?  All motorized and non-motorized vessels (including kayaks), with exceptions to maintain safe navigation and for certain types of vessels- government vessels in the course of official duties, ships in the shipping lanes, research vessels under permit, and vessels lawfully engaged in commercial or treaty Indian fishing that are actively setting, retrieving, or closely tending fishing gear.
From the BeWhaleWise web site:
Except for specific exemptions, it is unlawful for any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United State to:
I. Cause a vessel to approach, in any manner, within 200 yards (182.9 m) of any killer whale.

II. Position a vessel to be in the path of any killer whale at any point located within 400 yards ( 365.8 m) of the whale.

WHEN do the new rules go into effect?  May 16, 2011

WHERE do the new rules apply?  In inland waters of Washington State- east of the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and south of the U.S./Canada international boundary.

WHY did NOAA adopt new regulations?  Southern Resident killer whales were listed as endangered in 2005.  Vessel impacts were identified as one of the threats.  These new regulations implement an action in the recovery plan and are designed to protect all killer whales by reducing impacts from vessels.  Additional background information on the rationale and analyses to support the regulations is available at  www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov.

IF you see boats harassing an orca, please note the name of the boats, the date, the time, general location, lat/long if you can get it (how? your smart phone! Yes, there is an app for that! Once you note these things, you can either right then or later go online and fill out the following form

http://www.bewhalewise.org/report-violators/

Or call:

For you boaters, please learn the rules so you will help protect our Orcas and not get fined a lot of money!

 

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Policy pivot: A new emphasis on restoration to protect Puget Sound – UW

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Al Bergstein

Interesting research by the UW. It’s nothing that we didn’t already instinctively know, but it’s always good to be able to point to research when facing legislators asking about methodology and costs.

But protecting Puget Sound is not just about recovering certain species of fish. As the region continues to grow, it is also about protecting the livelihoods and diverse cultures of the people who live there, and balancing their needs with the needs of the natural world.

The second half of their study looks at an example of a restoration project that involved various social groups and produced multiple benefits — a potential model for future restoration in Puget Sound. A similar approach has been used for the Nisqually Delta restoration project along Interstate 5 northeast of Olympia, as well as for the Ebey Slough restoration adjacent to I-5 near Marysville.

https://www.washington.edu/news/2018/08/21/policy-pivot-a-new-emphasis-on-restoration-to-protect-puget-sound/

 

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