Orcasphere

Notes from an annual lecture at the University of Washington, March 3, 2010, at 7pm:
“Marine conservation in the Pacific Northwest: Whales, Salmon, and Sound” by
Rob Williams, 2009-2010 Canada-US Fulbright Visiting Chair
“A scientist is someone who asks ‘what if’ questions.” — Margaret Atwood
“If you want to study whales, you should put yourself in path of the [...]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/02/24/GA2010022405140.html

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/feb/23/new-calf-spotted-l-pod/

Feinstein’s Water Bomb (Feb 12 article in the High Country News) indicates that things are really starting to heat up in California.  Water stress is manifesting in political lobbying and reversals that may jeopardize the Sacramento River salmon that K and L pod presumably pursue each winter.  Up here in the Northwest the water competition [...]

Puget Sound Harbor Safety Committee meeting notes
Feb. 3., 2010, 10-12 a.m., South Federal Building
New container ship terminal in Tacoma (SSA Marine presention)

Puyallup Tribal Terminal
3-4 berths (~850′ spacing, 51′ deep)
200 acres
About the scale of Terminal 18
Market demand is too low to proceed
Permits should be in place in ~1 year
Construction will take at least 2 years
Port has [...]

Dr. Jack Rensel, Rensel Associates Aquatic Sciences (works with Puget Sound fish farmers on permitting/etc., but not BC farmers)
Harmful Algal Blooms and Possible Effects on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon
11:04 Intro
Much of this talk is based on co-author Nicola Haigh’s 10-year sockeye database.
Target algae of interest: Heterosigma akashiwo, HAMP database
11:06 Background
Heterosigma is a microflagellate that kills [...]

This Friday, January 15, 2010, is the deadline for public comment on the proposed orca conservation area along the west side of San Juan Island. All marine conservationists should consider commenting on these precedent-setting rules: comment via email | comment via web form.  (Official background and the PDF of proposed rule are on the [...]

Weeding through the records emerging from Judge Redden’s courtroom and the Obama administration’s latest meeting (distilled best by EarthJustice), it seems that Redden will not finalize a plan for Northwest Salmon until early August, 2009.  We in the orca and salmon conservation communities would do well by the endangered animals to use these next 6 [...]

Lubchenco and Sutley (head of CEQ) are coming to NW next week to talk to scientists about Columbia/Snake salmon. A very welcome development. Unfortunately, they aren’t talking to any conservation groups, or fishermen, who have to be part of the solution. What’s up with that? See Joel Connelly’s recent blog in the P-I.

There are hints here that the chinook runs in 2009 are expected to be mediocre…

clipped from wdfw.wa.gov

April 08, 2009
Contact: Pat Pattillo, (360) 902-2705

2009 salmon fisheries approved

Washington’s 2009 salmon fishing seasons, developed by WDFW and treaty Indian tribal co-managers, were approved today during the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (PFMC) meeting in California. The fishing [...]

Here is a link to a site where orca and salmon advocates can write Salazar: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1201/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27107

clipped from seattletimes.nwsource.com

Interior secretary should repeal Bush’s weakening of the Endangered Species Act

By Joe Scott

OUR new Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has some decisions to make. One of them will clearly signal whether he will fulfill President Obama’s promise to “develop [...]