12/17 Ribbon worm, shrinking whales, Northern orcas, no-discharge zone, ocean acid, Whatcom sea rise, First Nations BC pipe challenge

Lavender and white ribbon worm [Mary Jo Adams]

Lavender and white ribbon worm Micrura verrilli
The unique color pattern of this nemertean makes it easy to identify.  The body of Micrura verrilli is deep purple or brownish purple with 30-40 white bands and the head is orange.  The underside of the body is ivory white.  The nemertean is sometimes cloaked in a translucent mucus tube.  Look for it under rocks low in the intertidal, among the root masses of surfgrass, in eelgrass, and in kelp holdfasts.  This species has also been known under the scientific name Lineus striatus and the common name Verrill’s ribbon worm. (Mary Jo Adams/Sound Water Stewards)

Northwest killer whales are shrinking in size -- and so are their prey, chinook salmon, new research shows
Hungry young orcas grow up to be stunted orcas, new research shows, revealing that salmon run downturns can have lifelong effects. The findings, published last month in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Endangered Species Research, were based on aerial photos taken by drone of whales in both the southern and northern resident orca populations. The photos document just how closely the health of resident killer whales is tied to the abundance of their favorite prey: big chinook salmon. Younger whales born since the 1980s in both the northern and southern populations of salmon-eating resident orcas are shorter in length than older whales that grew up when chinook runs were more abundant, the photos revealed. It was a significant difference: The stunted whales growing up in lean times were on average nearly half a meter shorter than older adults... Lynda Makes reports (Seattle Times)

Northern Resident orcas compete with endangered Southern Residents for largest Chinook
Chinook salmon – the Northwest’s largest and most iconic fish species – are shrinking. Researchers have documented that adult kings returning from the North Pacific are on average 10 percent shorter and as much as 30 percent lighter than 40 years ago. “If you catch a 30-pound Chinook these days, you’re pretty happy with that,” said Daniel Schindler, a professor in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Washington. “It used to be relatively common to catch 50-pound Chinook salmon. And those size fish are almost unheard of these days.” Schindler is part of a team of UW scientists who collaborated with federal researchers at NOAA Fisheries to query data sets over the past four decades, looking for the reason why the endangered fish are getting smaller. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX) See also: Killer whales: Northern orcas devour salmon, southern orcas go hungry   Northern resident killer whales and Alaska residents are getting first crack at the best chinooks. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

EPA Loses Bid for Remand of Puget Sound Discharge Determination
A lawsuit challenging an EPA determination allowing a no-discharge zone in Puget Sound will move forward after a D.C. federal judge refused to remand or vacate the agency’s decision. A tugboat, towboat, and barge industry association challenged the Environmental Protection Agency’s determination on the grounds that the agency hadn’t considered how expensive it would be for boaters to comply. Washington’s state ecology department and a trio of environmental groups intervened, and the EPA asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to remand so the agency could take costs into consideration. Jennifer Bennett reports. (Bloomberg)

Rate of ocean acidification may accelerate, scientists warn
Ocean acidification, which threatens sea life throughout the world, is affecting Pacific Northwest waters — including the Salish Sea — sooner than most regions around the globe, according to ongoing studies. Even more alarming is new research now causing oceanographers to predict that the changes in ocean chemistry will soon pick up the pace, causing the rate of ocean acidification to accelerate...Ocean acidification, caused by the absorption of more and more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, can affect the survival, growth and behavior of all kinds of sea creatures. New evidence suggests that ocean acidification impairs the sense of smell in salmon, impedes growth in herring and other critical prey species, and can affect plankton populations, thereby altering the food web. Most notable in the struggle for survival amid ocean acidification are species that form shells of calcium carbonate — including succulent oysters that support a vast industry, solitary corals that live in local waters, and a wide variety of tiny animals that serve as food for others. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Here’s where Whatcom County will see the impacts of rising sea levels
Most coastal damage in Whatcom County is caused by high wind and large waves from storms — especially when powerful El Niño storms arrive during a winter high tide. Because of climate change, scientists expect to see more storms like the ferocious Dec. 20, 2018, monster that hammered Blaine and Birch Bay, flooding homes and businesses and damaging a stretch of coastal roadway...Sea Level Rise in Washington State, A 2018 Assessment, from the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and others found a likely rise of 6 inches to a foot by 2050 and about 2 to 3 feet by the year 2100. Models from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine show about 10-inch rise in that time frame. Whatcom County from Blaine to Chuckanut Drive faces the potential of about 1 to 2 feet of sea-level rise over the next 80 years, according to data from the 2018 UW report. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Court to hear First Nations’ challenge of Trans Mountain expansion 
A lawyer for a British Columbia First Nation is accusing the federal government of withholding key information about oil spills until after the latest consultation on the Trans Mountain pipeline was over. Scott Smith, who represents the Tsleil-Waututh, told the Federal Court of Appeal in Vancouver today that the First Nation prepared three expert reports on the risks of oil spills and other environmental concerns surrounding the pipeline expansion. Smith says a federal peer review of the reports effectively agreed with their findings that there is a lack of information about the effects and behaviour of diluted bitumen, but it wasn’t shared with the First Nation until after consultation closed. Amy Smart reports. (Canadian Press)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  252 AM PST Tue Dec 17 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 10 ft  at 14 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning then rain likely  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  10 ft at 13 seconds subsiding to 8 ft at 16 seconds after  midnight. Rain.



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