Northwest Yachting

Draft of New Orca Protections

Washington State’s Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force published a draft of their second round of potential new recommendations. The five-page document builds upon the Task Force’s initial 36 official recommendations released in the fall of 2018 and designed to...

Star Signs: Fighting Ocean Illness

September 24, 2019 726 Like

Our world is getting hotter. Here in the Salish Sea, we are experiencing warmer water and a rise in marine disease, often caused by pathogens. Chasing down these microscopic villains keeps Dr. Drew Harvell busy at Friday Harbor Laboratories on...

Southern Resident Killer Whales: +2, -3

September 10, 2019 161 Like

The world watches the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) with bated breath. At the time of this writing, the SRKWs are up two calves from the winter—a female named J56 and a male, J124 (Lucky)—and down three missing...

Cleanse for Portland Harbor Superfund Site?

June 19, 2019 227 Like

The State of Oregon, the City of Portland, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to provide $24 million to help fund the detailed cleanup plans for the Portland Harbor Superfund site. If you’re unfamiliar with it, the Superfund...

Boaters Divert Sewage from Washington Waters

June 12, 2019 315 Like

Last year, Washington boaters prevented over 11 million gallons of sewage from entering inland waters by emptying their tanks at one of 144 of the state’s pump-out stations. The network of free pump-out stations is operated by the Washington State...

$20M Invested to Protect
Washington Streams

April 15, 2019 283 Like

The Washington state Department of Ecology will invest up to $20 million to support local river and streamflow protection and improvement projects across Washington. The new grant program carefully selected 15 projects out of 46 applicants in 11 watersheds for...

Pacific Legends: Gray Whales

March 26, 2019 548 Like

Killer whales are often thought of as symbols of the Pacific Northwest, but there’s another member of the cetacean family (whales and dolphins) that might be even more Pacific Northwest than mainstays like orcas, beavers, craft beer, waxed beards, or...

Boating BC Launches
Vessel Disposal Campaign

March 12, 2019 327 Like

Owning a vessel comes with a lot of responsibilities, there’s no doubt about that. Boats require a lot of tender love and care throughout every stage of their life, all the way until she’s hauled out for the last time...

The New Ways of
Being Whale Wise

February 20, 2019 753 2

We dive into the Southern Resident Orca Task Force recommendations to find out how the boating community can be Whale wise and help our endangered orcas.

Oil Spill Response Grant Funding

February 14, 2019 798 Like

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) announced it will offer grants for emergency responders to purchase oil spill equipment and to help fill the gaps in preparedness. New routes and methods of moving crude oil have changed in Washington...