9/3 Red-footed booby, mosquito, wildlife conservation, permafrost, sewage spreading, Makah Days, Samish R, Lummi hatcheries, shellfish toxins

 

Red-footed booby [Rainshadow Journal]

Port Townsend’s Red-footed Booby: A messenger from the future
A little after noon on July 31, 2024, Colleen Farrell, biologist aboard a Puget Sound Express vessel, identified a Red-footed Booby sitting on a channel marker off the Dungeness Spit, north of the lighthouse. The following evening, the bird was reported by UW researchers aboard the Rachel Carson, anchored off Diamond Point. That night, word spread on birding social media. There had never been a Red-footed Booby anywhere in the Pacific Northwest that people could actually go and see. Stephen Carr Hampton writes. (Rainshadow Journal)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Governor’s San Juan visit focuses on climate change, Climate Commitment Act

Battle Hymn of the Floodwater Mosquito
The eggs sit patiently in the moist soil, waiting for the river to rise. They are tiny things, not even a millimetre long, dotting the banks of the Fraser River from Vancouver to Hope and beyond in the millions. Aedes sticticus is one of two floodwater mosquitoes that call the flood plain of the Fraser River home. As much as humans have tried to shape the river to their will, its shores will always be mosquito territory. Christopher Cheung reports. (The Tyee)

Washington embarks on once-a-decade update of wildlife conservation plan
The plan helps focus conservation on the areas and species that need it the most. Laurel Demkovich reports. (Washington State Standard)

Thawing Alaskan permafrost is unleashing more mercury, confirming scientists’ worst fears
Alaska’s permafrost is melting and revealing high levels of mercury that could threaten Alaska Native peoples. Anita Hofschneider reports. (Grist)

Something’s Poisoning America’s Land. Farmers Fear ‘Forever’ Chemicals
Fertilizer made from city sewage has been spread on millions of acres of farmland for decades. Scientists say it can contain high levels of the toxic substance. Hiroko Tabuchi reports. (NY Times)

Scientists discover way to determine whales’ sex with surface water
Scientists at West Vancouver’s Pacific Science Enterprise Centre have devised a novel way of studying the Salish Sea’s endangered southern resident killer whales – looking for specks of their DNA left floating in their wakes. Brent Richter reports. (North Shore News)

100th anniversary of Makah Days showcases revived native culture in Neah Bay
The tiny Makah tribe welcomed home far-flung relatives and guests, for the 100th annual Makah Days festival in Neah Bay. Every year, the town on the northwesternmost tip of Washington state's Olympic Peninsula comes alive with the 3-day celebration. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Whale calf struck by B.C. Ferries vessel
The calf, named Crochet, suffered a gash on the right fin of its tail and bruising on its right side. Sarah Grochowski reports. (Vancouver Sun) 

Rules instituted for Samish River salmon fishing
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has instituted special fishing rules to maintain a more orderly Samish River hatchery Chinook salmon fishery. Vince Richardson reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) 

Lummi Nation salmon hatcheries to undergo major renovations
The Lummi Nation received $2 million as part of a large federal award given to tribes meant to help repair hatcheries. The Skookum Creek Fish Hatchery near Acme, WA, will undergo major infrastructure improvements as a result of the funding. Rachel Showalter reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Deadly Shellfish Toxins Hinder Indigenous Food Sovereignty. How to Fix That
A collaboration between VIU and the feds is working to improve testing and identify other reliable seafood sources. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  233 AM PDT Tue Sep 3 2024    
TODAY  E wind around 5 kt, backing to NW around 5 kt late. Seas  3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 10 seconds. Areas of dense fog  early this morning. Patchy dense fog late this morning.  
TONIGHT  NW wind around 5 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W  3 ft at 10 seconds. Patchy dense fog after midnight.

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