Well, not shells. And I've only once seen an anchor in all the shipspotting I've done from Ediz Hook, but yes ships. Lotsa big ships around the harbor yesterday. Polar Discovery and Polar Enterprise already anchored in harbor, American Tern at the terminal. Working boats like Park Responder, Shearwater and Kittiwake also in the terminal area. Alaska Frontier comes out of Puget Sound and straight into the harbor.
Once out on the Hook, I was parked next to one of the pilots' vehicles, and he came out to put something in his trunk, so I finally had a chance to ask someone who knows, "Where is the other pilot boat??" "It had a fire," he said, "it's being worked on. Be back in a couple of months." Hmmmm. This needs pursuing. A fire? They were awfully quiet about it.
Saturday, out on Ediz Hook, the recreational fisher-folk were just coming back in after a morning pursuing 'blackmouth'. King salmon, chinook salmon. 
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lady went down on the dock with her bucket of tools as each boat landed, to weigh and measure and tally their catch. 27 boats went out, they caught 22 blackmouth between them. The largest catch of the day may have been a 20-pounder; could be a record. The fisherman took it in to be weighed officially at Swain's General Store.
The as-of-today late-lamented Post-Intelligencer says, "A winter blackmouth is simply a chinook salmon that has not reached maturity and pointed its nose back toward its natal stream -- at which point anglers here call it a king salmon." Angler Guide says, "Fisheries for blackmouth salmon will run through April 10 in marine areas 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 11 (Tacoma-Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal) with a one-fish daily limit. WDFW says about 132 pages worth of rules which since I am not fishing I am not going to worry about.
PS That title is an allusion.
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