January 2009

In this issue:

• Reflecting on 2008
• Derelict Fishing Gear Removal on Lawson Reef
• Outer Coast MRC Report
• Member Spotlight – Jim Slocomb, San Juan MRC
• Welcome to New MRC Members
• Northwest Straits Foundation in 2008

News Items

2008: Reflecting on another Successful Year for the Northwest Straits Initiative

Thanks to the hard work of each MRC member and staff, a solid budget, and our many project partners, 2008 was another successful, inspiring year for the Northwest Straits Initiative. Trying to capture a complete list of our many activities and accomplishments is a daunting task. We took a stab at one here, fully recognizing we’re bound to leave something off.

For a more complete “year in review,” stay posted for the 2008 Northwest Straits Initiative annual report, due out in February. Feel free send Simon any of your favorite photos, MRC quotes, and flag projects and activities that you were most proud of in 2008. Thank you all for your hard work this year!

Derelict Fishing Gear Removal on Lawson Reef

The last field days of the year were some of the most grueling for our derelict fishing gear removal team as the weather was not friendly. The crew worked on Lawson Reef off Whidbey Island. Here’s a summary from Jeff June, field manager: 
“There is a lot of gear on Lawson Reef. It is a high current area and the nets tend to get shredded into small clumps stuck under or around boulders with bare lead lines going everywhere. There are numerous nets through the bull kelp forest on the center of the reef as well. The divers say the entire reef is nearly devoid of fish and invertebrates. They saw some bait fish and an occasional juvenile lingcod but no adult rockfish, dogfish, red rock crab, Dungeness crab or other typical resident of this type of habitat. Kenny believes it is because nearly all the good hiding habitat under the boulders is filled with small balls of gillnet. If a fish or crab takes up residence on the reef they eventually get caught by one of the net balls. Both divers described it as very weird because there just isn't anything alive down there. We did recover bird bones from the shallower areas, particularly around the navigation buoy that had a number of cormorants perched on it.”

Outer Coast MRC Report Available Online

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has released their final report on 2008 outer coast MRC activities and it’s available here. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and outer coast citizens made great strides developing a framework for successful outer coast MRCs. The Northwest Straits Initiative was happy to assist in this process and is proud to see expansion of the MRC model.

Member Spotlight

Jim Slocomb, San Juan MRC

As a liveaboard boater and long time resident of San Juan County, Jim Slocomb may have a greater appreciation than most for the marine waters in Puget Sound. Being on the water every day also gives him a perspective that is a valuable contribution to the MRC.

To meet him, you will likely have to head out to the San Juans to find him in his native habitat – he is known to avoid “the mainland” at all costs, preferring an intentional life exploring the archipelago by sailboat and kayak. When not exploring the islands by boat, he is often exploring them through underwater video surveys or digitally through his GIS work.

San Juan MRC was the first of the marine resources committees to form, prior to the establishment of the Northwest Straits Initiative. Though he joined the MRC in 1998 as a representative for the town of Friday Harbor, he was elected chair of the MRC the following year and became a citizen-at-large representative. Jim served as chair of the MRC for six years, ending his reign in 2005.

A dedicated advocate for the MRC model and local control, Jim imagines endless possibilities for what the MRC can accomplish with its broad community support, the consensus-based process, and its insulation from political pressures. He is most proud of the work San Juan has done on bottomfish recovery, its marine stewardship area, and integration with the salmon recovery work.

Despite his aversion to mainland life, Jim is far from reclusive: regaling island visitors from the wheelhouse of his sailboat is a favorite pastime, and one would be hard-pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable or passionate about the marine resources of the San Juans.

Northwest Straits Commission Highlights

Commission Bids Farewell to Kirby Johnson and Phyllis Kind

The December meeting was the last official meeting for Kirby Johnson and Phyllis Kind as Commissioners. The Commission presented Phyllis and Kirby each a Northwest Straits Commission hat and thanked them for the years of commitment and dedication.

Northwest Straits Commission’s Forage Fish Project Update

Simon Geerlofs, staff for the Commission, presented on the Forage Fish Ecosystem project. Simon explained that Suzanne Shull, GIS Specialist for Padilla Bay, created maps by combining MRC and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife data on forage fish spawning with data analysis on forage fish habitat suitability compiled by Anchor Environmental for the Northwest Straits Commission in 2002. Read More…

Welcoming New Commissioners

The Northwest Straits Commission has new representation from three MRCs beginning this January. Rex Porter, Executive Director for the Island MRC will be joining the Commission. Rex has been with the Island MRC for two years and has his own consulting business providing training on project evaluation. Tom Hoban is the new Snohomish MRC representative. Tom is retired from a varied career that included many adventures from recent work in real estate to years with the Coast Guard. Charlie O’Hara, Planning Director for the Swinomish Tribe will be the Skagit MRCs representative. Charlie has been with the MRC for many years and is a member of the Commission’s tribal committee. We welcome these new representatives and look forward to getting to know all of them a little better in the coming months.  

Governor Gregoire Re-Appoints Joe Gaydos to the Commission

In early January, Governor Gregoire re-appointed Joe Gaydos for a second term to the Northwest Straits Commission. We appreciate Joe’s participation and continued leadership chairing the Commission’s technical committee.

Click here to see a draft of the December Commission meeting minutes.

Marine Resources Committee Happenings

Goodbye to Stef Frenzl, Snohomish Marine Resources Committee

Snohomish County MRC and all of us in the Northwest Straits Initiative send a big Thank You to Stef Frenzl, staff to the Snohomish MRC for his three and a half years of dedicated work for the MRC. Stef is starting a new position in Snohomish County’s Surface Water Management department working to develop public involvement and strategic social marketing programs. Stef always brought a lot of passion and energy to his job. We enjoyed working with Stef in his roles as staff, Commission representative and friend. Congratulations, Stef. We’ll miss you and we’re glad you’re still nearby. 

Several MRCs have new members who’ve joined recently:

Welcome to Lenny Corin and Leal Dickson who just joined the Island MRC in December, Britta Eschete joined the Skagit MRC in November, Andy Holman joined San Juan MRC in October, and Melissa Roberts was hired by Whatcom County to help staff the Whatcom MRC. 

Northwest Straits Foundation News

In the Year 2008

2008 was a hallmark year for the Northwest Straits Foundation. Funding expenditures topped $600,000 and funding raised exceeded $700,000. The Foundation is now the major source of funding for the Initiative’s derelict fishing gear removal program, spending more than $300,000 on gear removal, planning, and research in 2008. 

Several important projects were completed this year, including the derelict gear prioritization project and the net mortality study. In addition, the Foundation completed the Port Susan Bay targeted interview project and the regional creosote beach debris removal project.

Projects started this year include an expanded recreational crabber escape cord outreach project and a study to assess the economic and biological impacts of derelict crab pots.

On the Horizon

Save the Date: April 24

For the past several years, the April meeting of the Northwest Straits Commission has been dedicated to presentations by each of the seven Marine Resources Committees on proposed or current projects. This year the meeting will be held on April 24 at Padilla Bay, and MRCs are invited to share information about one or two of their proposed projects for the next two-year grant period. This meeting is an opportunity for the Northwest Straits Commission to hear what the MRCs are doing and provide input before projects begin, and is a great way for MRC members to learn about work happening in other counties.

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