Good news for the salmon smolts on their way to the ocean; the upwelling machine just got turned on "high". The wind is supposed to howl all week, then lay down for the weekend salmon opener because, of course, it always lays down for the opener. Those salmon you heard about in 200 feet of water will likely have relocated by the time this week's gales have passed, but it would sure be cool if a few stayed put. Usually I'm not that interested in the early season but current events have changed that.
   The upwelling machine very likely was a factor in the death of a boater on Tomales Bay today. Very few facts are available about what happened and reports have somewhere from two to six persons involved in the incident. What is for sure is that the wind was really strong and gusty today. Some of the clammers reported their inflatable boats blowing over with the clammers aboard. With lower tides and more winds forecast for tomorrow and Thursday, one hopes that the clammers give it a few days off. The clams will wait.
    Hey, what if salmon fishermen and whale lovers (I'm both) got together and jointly advocated for more salmon?  Hatcheries, better river management, etc.? Dam eradication seems like a no go (it is clean energy, isn't it?) but if what we both want is more fish, isn't that a problem we have a few answers for already? I realize this doesn't involve a lawsuit (at first glance) and the group pushing for the killer whales works almost exclusively by lawsuit, but hey, learning new things and having varied experiences  are good for you. Well, my mom said so, so it's probably true.