Fishing options abound in August

by Tim Flanagan on July 31, 2010

Deborah Bach has the story at Three Sheets Northwest:

Summer fisheries are in full swing, and state officials say anglers can look forward to even more great fishing opportunities in the days ahead.

Anglers are reeling in chinook salmon off the coast, pulling up pots full of crab in Puget Sound and casting for trout in alpine lakes on both sides of the Cascades.

Rather crack some crab? Fisheries for Dungeness crab are open throughout August in most areas of Puget Sound – the exception being Marine Area 7-North near the Canadian border, which opens Aug. 11.

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Weather alert for boaters from Cliff Mass

by Tim Flanagan on July 31, 2010

Cliff Mass’s wonderful weather blog has this item today, which discusses the weekend’s weather patterns, but also mentions a project that regional mariners ought to be aware of:

Please help researchers evaluate how to communicate weather forecast information. The survey will take you only 20 minutes to complete. Survey data will be used to improve weather forecast products designed for boaters. If you own a boat and would like to participate, please click on the link below. Thank you.

Click to take the survey

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Vancouver BC: Burrard Bridge Allision

July 30, 2010

Woops! Captain Richard Rodriguez has this story at BitterEnd, provided (with pictures) by Chris Walker of Vancouver, BC:

Today, I was witness to an accident in False Creek where a very large sail boat ran up under the Burrard Bridge and caught her mast on the undersides of the bridge.

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Inner-Elliott Bay chinook fishery closes after this weekend due to poor chinook returns

July 30, 2010

Mark Yuasa has the story in his blog at the Seattle Times:
There was feeling in the air since the inner-Elliott Bay chinook fishery started on July 2 that it wasn’t going to live up to expectations this summer.
As each weekend went by catches in the sport fishery never amounted to much, nor did the tribal [...]

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MATT SCHUBERT’S OUTDOORS: Salmon fishing sluggish at best

July 30, 2010

Matt Schubert has this story in the Peninsula Daily News:
IF ONLY WE could party like it was 2009.
A year after one of the best saltwater salmon seasons in a decade, the North Olympic Peninsula finds itself mired in mediocrity.
From the coast all the way to Admiralty Inlet, fishing has simply been "OK," if not a [...]

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Maritime jobs in the Puget Sound are threatened by global trends

July 30, 2010

Mike Moore has the story in the Tacoma News-Tribune:
Generations of families in the Puget Sound region have enjoyed prosperity related to international maritime trade. But the advantage is rapidly shifting to other regions and could cost us thousands of jobs.
It’s time for our region to get into the game. If shipping routes are realigned, it [...]

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Report names Washington’s three dirtiest beaches

July 29, 2010

KING 5 News has this story:
SEATTLE – A new report names the dirtiest beaches in Washington state. The Natural Resource Defense Council’s 20th annual beach water quality  <http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/sumwas.pdf> report says the dirtiest beaches (with percentage of samples exceeding state standards in 2009) are:

Freeland County Park/Holmes Harbor in Island County (20%)
Hollywood Beach in Clallam County (19%)
Bayview [...]

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Tug-barge loses power in Strait; vessel in Port Angeles Harbor for inspection

July 29, 2010

Tom Callis has the story in the Peninsula Daily News:
[The articulated tug-barge Commitment is escorted into Port Angeles Harbor by the tug Jeffery Foss on Wednesday after the Commitment lost power in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. -- Photo by Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News]
PORT ANGELES — A tug pushing a barge full of BP [...]

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Coupeville replaces Keystone as state ferry terminal name

July 28, 2010

Patrick J. Sullivan has the story in the Port Townsend Leader:
[You won't see this scene much longer: the 50-car ferry Steilacoom II departing Keystone terminal. In September, it's going to be the 64-car ferry Chetzemoka departing Coupeville terminal. Photo by Patrick J. Sullivan]
The state has assigned a new name [...]

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Lighthouse Park’s Phase 2 now open

July 28, 2010

Sara Bruestle has the story in the Mukilteo Beacon:
[Photo by Sara Bruestle: Mayor Joe Marine cuts the ribbon at the grand-opening ceremony of Phase 2 of Lighthouse Park on July 24.  Also pictured: John Petroff, Mukilteo Historical Society president; Melanie Field, of the Parks & Arts Commission; councilmember Tony Tinsley; artist James Madison; councilmember Emily [...]

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Everett’s Jetty Island is an oasis of sand, sunshine and sweet memories

July 28, 2010

Mike McQuaide has this story in the Seattle Times:
[MIKE MCQUAIDE / SEATTLE TIMES photo: Alexis Ogden, of Marysville, works a puzzle on sunny Jetty Island.]
It’s a blindingly bright day under skies that couldn’t be more blue and that haven’t hosted anything resembling a cloud in days. And as she [...]

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Port Townsend-Seattle passenger ferry grant ‘80-percent’ likely

July 28, 2010

Steve Patch has this story in the Port Townsend Leader:
It’s too early to actually start ferryboat shopping, but the Port of Port Townsend cleared a major hurdle last week in its bid to receive the million-dollar backing to do so.
Beating out nearly a hundred others making their pitch for federal transportation money to the [...]

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Seattle wants to ban new houseboats

July 28, 2010

Vanessa Ho has the story at SeattlePI.com:
[Houseboats are shown on Seattle's Lake Union. Photo by Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com]
In a city of lakes and bays, squabbles about water are inevitable. But as Seattle mulls over a hefty set of new shoreline rules, one of the most iconic waterfront symbols — [...]

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In Migael’s Wake | Langley

July 28, 2010

Migael Scherer has this item at Three Sheets Northwest:
[Langley’s popular—and crowded—little marina is scheduled for expansion. The pilings near shore mark the launching area. The best anchoring is to the right (south) in this photo.]
Langley, northwest across Saratoga Passage from Everett, is a cozy Whidbey Island town that enthusiastically welcomes tourists. The main street is [...]

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Ferry riders will be surveyed

July 28, 2010

The Seattle Times has this brief item:
The Washington State Transportation Commission will be surveying ferry riders in late July and early August about their travel, fare issues, the reservation system and general satisfaction with the ferry system.<
The Washington State Transportation Commission will be surveying ferry riders in late July and early August about their travel, [...]

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Seattle cruise industry slows in recession’s wake

July 28, 2010

Jason Bacaj has the story in the Seattle Times:
[STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES: Cruise ships docked at Terminal 91. Twelve ships will make 223 calls, a record, at Pier 66 and Terminal 91 during this cruise season.]
The opulent floating city that is the Celebrity Infinity cruise liner dominates [...]

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Bald eagle comeback pressures coastal seabirds

July 28, 2010

Tom Banse has the story at KUOW:
The comeback of the bald eagle is one of the most celebrated success stories of modern conservation. But along the Pacific Northwest coast, the majestic eagles are marauders. Their increasing numbers are putting other bird populations at risk. For now, biologists are not inclined to intervene. The eagles’ prey [...]

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Creatures surface for academics: Program lets kids get up close with marine creatures

July 27, 2010

VENICE BUHAIN has this story in the Olympian:

OLYMPIA – Families gathered at the Boston Harbor Marina on Monday afternoon got a chance to meet the slimy and sticky creatures who live under the marina’s docks.

Divers Phil Sconce and Mike Doyle brought crabs, sea cucumbers and sea stars to the surface, as a dozen children and [...]

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Dredging up funding for the Swinomish Channel

July 27, 2010

Whitney Pipkin has this story in the Skagit Valley Herald:
Businesses along the Swinomish Channel didn’t wonder in the past whether the man-made waterway connecting Skagit and Padilla bays would be dredged every two or three years. It just was.
Scooping piles of sand and silt out of the century-old channel was a regularly funded project of [...]

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Seattle Boat Show at Shilshole Bay Marina – August 12-15

July 26, 2010

It’s a letter from NMTA president George Harris:

The sun is out, weather is warm and the summer boating season is in full swing in the Pacific Northwest. And in just a few weeks, we’ll launch the biggest party of the summer, the Seattle Boat Show at Shilshole Bay Marina – August 12-15.
With 150 boats – [...]

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