April 2009

In this issue:

News Items

The Northwest Straits Initiative’s Re-authorization Bill

The Northwest Straits Initiative’s Re-authorization Bill was introduced in both the US House and Senate on March 23. Senator Patty Murray and Representative Rick Larsen sponsored the legislation.  Click here to see a full press release.

Winner of the Magnuson Puget Sound Legacy Award

The Northwest Straits Initiative received the prestigious Warren G. Magnuson Puget Sound Legacy Award presented by People For Puget Sound at a ceremony April 8 in Seattle. The Initiative was recognized for its continued commitment to tackling the tough issues facing Puget Sound and the Straits, with special recognition of the derelict gear removal program. In addition to recognizing the Initiative as a whole, former director Tom Cowan and project manager Jeff June received special recognition for their leadership on the derelict gear project.

Northwest Commission Highlights

Management of Dungeness Crabs in Puget Sound

Rich Childers from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife gave an interesting presentation on the management of Dungeness crabs in Puget Sound. Commissioners and audience members were intrigued by the information that Rich presented and discussion followed about the possible role of the Commission with regards to educating crabbers on best practices so that future crab pots losses could be minimized. Rich said that the number of recreational crabbers is on the rise and speculates that trend will continue. 

Click here for the presentation on Puget Sound Crab Fishery Management

A New Benchmark Account Established

The Northwest Straits Commission finalized its 2009 budget at the March meeting and established a new Benchmark Account. The Commission’s goal is to make additional funds available to those MRCs that are ready to take on additional project work. Currently there is $161,000 in the account. Commissioners envision awarding funding to 2-3 MRC projects. The process for applying and criteria for funding is to be determined in the next couple of weeks through a Commission sub-committee. Details to come. Call Ginny with questions or to participate in the development of a review process.

MRC Membership

Farewell to Buck Meloy

Buck Meloy has served as a part-time Commissioner since the first Commission meeting in 1999, splitting his time between Puget Sound and commercial fishing in Alaska. Buck contributed greatly to the Commission’s work and to the Whatcom MRC. He was instrumental in helping the Whatcom MRC develop policy recommendations on salmon farming for the county council. He always kept us honest on fishing issues as well as grammar!  We will miss you, Buck.    

Member Spotlight: Ed Bowlby

A person might wonder how a kid from the land-locked state of Oklahoma finds his way to a career in marine biology, but Ed Bowlby was inspired early on by the work of Jacques Cousteau. One thing led to another, and he made his way to California and then traveled further north along the Pacific to work in Seattle and Alaska. During these travels he discovered the Olympic Peninsula, so when a job opened at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Ed found himself finally able to happily work and live in the same place.

Ed joined the Clallam County MRC wanting to put his professional skills to use in a volunteer position. He soon realized that the most essential skills for participating were interpersonal skills. One of the last of the original members still serving on the MRC, Ed enjoys the challenge of balancing the many ideas that members bring to the table. Luckily for the MRC, Ed is a dedicated scientist as well as a very personable fellow, able to exchange ideas and information in order to come to consensus around important issues. Over the years, Ed has also represented the Clallam MRC on the Northwest Straits Commission many times.

The Strait of Juan de Fuca presents a lot of shoreline in Clallam County, but one of Ed’s favorite local places is Tongue Point, where the beaches start to become rockier and provide excellent places to go diving, tidepooling and just observe the natural world. These nearshore areas are the focus of many of the Clallam MRC’s projects, including forage fish habitat surveys, eelgrass mapping, nearshore surveys around the Elwha River. Ed enjoys seeing individual projects emerge and looks forward to the next step of weaving together all the pieces to get at the bigger picture.

Clallam MRC and the Northwest Straits Commission are fortunate to have Ed as a volunteer. His long-term participation has contributed much to the success of the MRC locally and the Northwest Straits Initiative regionally.

MRC Happenings

April Commission Meeting

The next meeting of the Northwest Straits Commission on April 24 is the annual presentations by Marine Resources Committees on their proposed projects for the next two years. All MRC members are encouraged to attend, as well as anyone interested in the work of the MRCs. This is a great opportunity to learn more about what the MRCs will be working on this year. Lunch is provided for the Commission and MRC members who register to attend in advance. Please RSVP to Connie Price at price@nwstraits.org or 360-428-1064 by no later than Monday, April 20.

Click here for a copy of the March MRC report.

Northwest Straits Foundation Happenings

The Russell Family Foundation

The Northwest Straits Foundation was awarded funding from the Russell Family Foundation to help build awareness about the problem of derelict fishing gear in Puget Sound and to build support for funding large-scale removal operations.

US Fish and Wildlife

US Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal and Recovery Programs awarded the Northwest Straits Foundation funding to continue derelict fishing gear removal operations throughout Puget Sound.  

Bulletin Board

Job Announcement

The Marine Program Coordinator position is now open. Click here or go to www.careers.wa.gov using reference number NB00016966* (including asterisk) for more information.

The SeaDoc Society

Click here to check out the SeaDoc Society’s website for the recently published “Top Ten Principles for Designing Healthy Coastal Ecosystems like the Salish Sea.”

Reports recently added to our bibliography:

• ROV Assessment of Rockfish Abundance, Distribution, and Habitat in Whatcom County Marine Waters
• Wetland Characterization: Chuckanut Village Marsh

Events

April 17, 2009 - Low Impact Development Tour in Island County starting at Oak Harbor at 10:00am. Click here for more information.

April 17-19, 2009 - Sustainable San Juans 2009 Conservation Summit. Friday Harbor, WA. For further information and event registration, please see www.stewardshipsjc.org

April 25, 2009 – The 2009 Swinomish Earth Enhancement Celebration. 9:00am - 4:00pm at the Snohomish Community Center in Anacortes. Click here for more information.

May 15, 2009 - Shoreline Armoring Synopsis: Current Science and Management Implications. 8:30am-12:00pm at the Kitsap Conference Center. Contact Linda Lyshall to RSVP or for more information.

May 16, 2009 - Penn Cove Water Festival on Whidbey Island in Coupeville. Click here for more information.