4/27 Orca tanker risks, ban US coal, LNG jobs threat, Survive the Sound, whale whispers, claw evolution

Dandeliion (Wikimedia)

Common dandelion Taraxacum officinale
The common dandelion was imported to North America on early sailing ships. The young leaves make a good vegetable green. The cooked roots can be eaten as a vegetable or dried and ground for use as a coffee substitute. The flowers can be used to make dandelion wine and the whole plant can be brewed to make beer. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast) See also: Dandelion Greens with a Kick  "Dandelion greens are one of my favorite bitters! They're not for everyone, but I enjoy their unique flavor. I decided to try them sauteed instead of in a salad and it was a huge hit! Makes good use of those dandelions in the yard or you can usually find dandelion greens at the grocery or Asian market." TTV78 cooks. (allrecipes)

Tribes Sue Coast Guard Over Tanker Traffic's Risk to Orcas
The Tulalip and Suquamish tribes are suing the Coast Guard, alleging a failure to protect endangered orcas from the risk of oil spills associated with tanker traffic in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday, the tribes argue that the Coast Guard has failed to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service over the impact of the tanker traffic it regulates on the killer whales. The tribes say the risk has increased significantly since the Canadian government approved the expansion of the TransMountain pipeline last November. That decision is expected to increase tanker traffic in the Strait of Juan de Fuca sevenfold. Chief Petty Officer David Mosley in Seattle said the Coast Guard is reviewing the complaint. The tribes are represented by the environmental law firm Earthjustice. They seek an order requiring the Coast Guard to avoid harm to the whales until the agency consults with the fisheries service. (Associated Press)

B.C. moves to ban U.S. coal transport in retaliation for softwood duties
In the wake of the U.S. imposing new penalties on Canadian softwood lumber imports, B.C. Premier Christy Clark is asking Ottawa to ban the shipment of all thermal coal — including U.S. thermal coal — through British Columbia. "We've gone from seeing Americans as being good trading partners to being hostile trading partners," said Clark when asked why she was making this move now.  On Monday, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its first batch of duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports, ranging from three to 24 per cent, a move that could have serious consequences for B.C.'s large forestry industry. Karin Larsen reports. (CBC)

LNG Exports Pose a Threat to Domestic Jobs, Warn US Manufacturers
Plans to increase the export of liquefied fracked gas in the United States pose a direct threat to jobs and manufacturing competitiveness, says a powerful trade group that represents some of the largest manufacturers in the U.S. In a blunt letter to the Trump Administration, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) said the U.S. Department of Energy had approved so many LNG terminals that the export industry created “significant risk to domestic manufacturers” by eliminating a secure and cheap supply of natural gas.  Andrew Nikiforuk reports. (The Tyee)

Not Just A Game: Steelhead, Science, and a Race for Survival
If you ever wanted to follow a steelhead from the stream it was born in to the open ocean, now you have your chance. There’s a new online game, called “Survive the Sound,” which is like Oregon Trail, except with real fish instead of computerized wagon trains. And for a game with real fish to play out, scientists have to catch steelhead. That’s part of the job for fish biologist Clayton Kinsel. It’s late April and juvenile salmon and steelhead are rushing down the Big Beef Creek, a stream that empties out into Puget Sound’s Hood Canal. The smolts, as scientists call them, are trying to make it to the ocean. Eilís O'Neill reports. (KUOW)

Recordings Reveal That Baby Humpback Whales 'Whisper' To Their Mothers
Baby humpback whales seem to whisper to their mothers, according to scientists who have captured the infant whales' quiet grunts and squeaks. The recordings, described in the journal Functional Ecology, are the first ever made with devices attached directly to the calves. "When they're born, these whales are around 5 meters long," says Simone Videsen at Aarhus University in Denmark, who notes that this is "pretty big considering it's a baby."  Nell Greenfieldboyce reports. (NPR)

Sea creature with can-opener-like claws found in Burgess Shale
A B.C. fossil bed continues to be a treasure trove of discovery for Canadian scientists as another new species has been found. The latest wonder in the Burgess Shale is a sea creature estimated to be 507 million years old which helps shed light on the evolution of claws found on many present-day species such as crabs, scorpions and millipedes. Twenty-one specimens of the new species — named Tokummia katalepsis — were found in the Marble Canyon site in Kootenay National Park by researchers from the Royal Ontario Museum and University of Toronto. The discovery is detailed in a paper published Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature. Michele Jarvie reports. (Calgary Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  430 AM PDT THU APR 27 2017...UPDATED  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT  
TODAY  W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 10 FT  AT 11 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING NW 15 TO 25 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS.  ISOLATED SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.

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