1/7 River otter, Cooke steelhead, saving BC salmon, ANWR drilling, Alaska bird watch

River Otters [Chris LeBoutillier/WDFW]

River Otter Lontra canadensis
The North American river otter is equally versatile in the water and on land. It establishes a burrow close to the water's edge in river, lake, swamp, coastal shoreline, tidal flat, or estuary ecosystems. The den typically has many tunnel openings, one of which generally allows the otter to enter and exit the body of water. Female North American river otters give birth in these burrows, producing litters of one to six young. (Wikipedia)

Cooke’s Washington steelhead switch approved
Cooke Aquaculture has been granted permission to start growing steelhead at four of its former salmon sites in Washington State. The future of the company’s sites in Puget Sound had been called into question following a mass escape of Atlantic salmon in 2017 from its sites, which inspired a law that banned the farming of non-native species in the state. However, the State of Washington Department of Ecology has now approved a permit modification application from Cooke Aquaculture Pacific which makes it possible for the company to raise female, triploid steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at four of these sites for a minimum of five years. (The Fish Site)

Want to save B.C. salmon? Bring back Indigenous fishing systems, study says
Traditional technologies, harvesting practices and management systems could bring endangered populations back from the brink, but government buy-in is needed. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

Trump auctions drilling rights to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday
Trump administration officials auctioned off oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, capping Republicans’ decades-long quest to drill in one of the nation’s most vast unspoiled wild places. The move marks one of the most significant environmental rollbacks the president has accomplished in his term. But with lackluster oil prices and an increasing number of banks saying they would not finance Arctic energy projects, major oil companies did not try to buy the leases. That left the state agency, Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, as the main bidder. The agency put up all but two of the winning bids, which went to a couple of small energy firms. Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson report. (Washington Post)

Keeping Watch Over Seabirds at the World’s Edge
In Alaska, one of the longest-running and most comprehensive seabird monitoring projects is equal parts tedium, adventure, truth, and beauty. Sarah Gilman and Nathaniel Wilder, text and photos. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  213 AM PST Thu Jan 7 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON 
GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 12 ft  at 15 seconds. Patchy fog in the morning. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 11 ft at 16 seconds. A  chance of rain after midnight.

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