-Watch out for the Ghost Boat-

A barnacle-covered derelict boat, believed to be debris from the 2011 Japan tsunami has been spotted off the shore of Oregon. The U.S. Coast Guard first started tracking the boat last Wednesday, and expect it to beach itself between Cape Arago and Bandon within the next 24 hours. Once on land the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Hatfield Marine Science Center will determine the boats whereabouts. This is oddly reminiscent of another ghost ship from the 2011 Japan tsunami that washed ashore in Crescent City back in 2013. That boat ended up being named Kamome, The Boat of Hope, and inspired the children’s book, The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome, A Tsunami Boat Comes Home. 

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-Commercial Crabbing A-Go!-  

There might finally be commercially caught-caught crab on dinner tables in California soon. Last Friday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that Dungeness crab caught south of Mendocino-Sonoma County line showed domoic acid levels low enough to deem the crab safe for consumption. The commercial crab season, initially scheduled to start November 17th will open this Saturday, March 26. Health officials still advise diners to tear out the guts before cooking, and say crabs should only be steamed or boiled, not fried or broiled, and that chefs should discard the cooking water.

The lift on the ban is exciting news, but this has been the longest closure due to domoic acid on record and fishermen have suffered a significant hardship. The Crab Emergency Disaster Assistance Act, proposed by U.S. Reps Jackie Speier and Jared Huffman, would provide $138.15 million in relief to fishermen and the crab industry. The funding will be dependent on if California’s crab industry is declared a disaster and a commercial fishery failure.

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-California Coastal Commission - Still Big Issues-

As you might have heard by now, the Coastal Commission fired their Executive Director, Dr. Charles Lester, a little over a month ago behind closed doors and without any legitimate reason. Since then there has been non-stop backlash from environmentalists, social justice advocates, elected officials, and the general public. Now Assembly Members and Senators are weighing in with legislation to increase transparency and restore trust of the Coastal Commission.  

Yesterday, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson announced she will be amending her bill, S.B. 119 to prohibit ‘ex parte’ communications with the Coastal Commissioners. In simpler language, this bill would attempt to stop any form of off-the-record meetings, emails, phone calls, etc. between interest groups (such as developers) and the Coastal Commissioners. This bill is in addition to AB 2002 (Stone, Atkins, Levine), which Jackson is also a co-author of, and would require development agents appearing before the Coastal Commission to register as lobbyists. 

“Today, our oceans face the very significant threats of climate change, pollution, unchecked development and oil spills. It’s more important than ever that we seek to preserve an independent, functioning Commission and staff,” stated Jackson in her press release announcing her bill amendment. For more updates on these bills and the Coastal Commission in general visit actcoastal.org. 

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Mission Completed for the Zero-Waste Fairy!

Remember how the Zero-Waste Fairy, Sarah Bellum, made a pit-stop in Humboldt a few weeks back on her zero-waste bike tour? Well that insane girl who decided to bike from San Luis Obispo, CA, to Portland OR, in the middle of an El Nino winter has reached her destination! Bellum arrived in Portland yesterday after biking 1,192 miles over 50 days on her 1960s Schwinn bike. She now plans to write a children’s book and create a film to share her adventure and continue spreading the message of the zero-waste lifestyle. 

Read more about Sarah’s visit to Humboldt here and visit her blog here for more info.