"Sterling said the captains of Washington State Ferries do their best to avoid crab pots, but at night there is only so much they can do to avoid the small buoys that mark the pots. Those setting crab pots are encouraged to note the ferry routes and set pots out of the way of the ferries to avoid losing their gear and potentially damaging vessels."

Really? Tens of thousands in damages? Hundreds? And a piddly polite "Pretty-please don't cost taxpayers / ferry riders increased fares and inconvenience because of your stupidity / carelessness"?

Mr. Sterling and the bright lights in Olympia (or wherever the WSF brass dusts their potted plants) oughta put their heads together and come up with a more effective solution better than...nothing - which is what we have now. Is there technology that tracks pots to avoid these recurring, super-costly collisions? Bigger, brighter buoys? Hello?

Or what, do we wait for it to inevitably happen again? And again? Where does the buck stop, Mr. Sterling?