1/13 Ratfish, WA lege session, wildlife videography, SnoCo ordinance, wildfire stories, tree planting, smelt, private islands, hate speech, black widow

 

Ratfish [Monterey Bay Aquarium]

Spotted ratfish Hydrolagus colliei
These fish have smooth skin, large green eyes, a rabbitlike face and mouth with platelike, grinding teeth. The tail is tiny, so for propulsion they flap their bare, winglike pectoral fins. Ratfish cruse just above the seafloor searching for crunch food like crabs and clams. (Monterey Bay Aquarium)


Today's top story in Salish Current: Legal field sees increased diversity; progress still needed

2025 Washington state legislative session begins today
The 105-day session is scheduled to end on April 27. Lawmakers will confront a budget shortfall and other pressing policy issues. (Washington State Standard)

Who Watches the Watchers?
The recent charging of prominent documentarians in British Columbia court is raising important questions about the ethics of wildlife videography. Larry Penn reports. (bioGraphic)

Critics question proposed amendments to habitat ordinance
Snohomish County Council will likely decide on Wednesday if buffers to wetlands, streams and other critical habitats will be cut in half for development opportunities. Snohomish County’s Planning and Development Services is updating the Critical Area Regulations ordinance, which cover wetlands, fish and wildlife conservation areas, geologically hazardous areas, aquifer recharge areas and some flood hazard areas. Council members Jared Mead and Nate Nehring have introduced amendments to the ordinance, decreasing environmental protections to create flexibility for possible development. Eliza Aronson reports. (Everett Herald)

Life in the time of wildfire
These are the stories of the people on the frontlines in British Columbia.  Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Uncertain harvest: Despite recent wildfires, B.C. tree planting is set to plummet
Tree-nursery companies say the drop makes no sense, but others question the environmental value of tree planting. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

Listening to the Smelt
By monitoring the embryos of a little-studied forage fish, scientists hope to track and minimize the damaging effects of pollution in important coastal habitats. Gemina Garland-Lewis reports. (bioGraphic)

Shopping for a private island? Here are some things to consider (think boatload of cash and a boat)
Private islands may be the stuff of dreams, but they’re tough to put a price on, and timing the market to land a good deal can be difficult. Andrew A. Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)

Vancouver strip club marquee cited as hate speech on X
Known for its cheeky signage, The Penthouse's latest quip took gentle aim at president-elect Donald Trump. Karin Larsen reports. (CBC)

Black widow
The Friday critter feature on the black widow brought a couple of comments:

Wendy Feltham wrote: "I learned a lot from Burke Museum's professional arachnologist and spider curator for 50 years, Rod Crawford, when working on a photo essay about spiders a couple of years ago. .. Crawford shared this reassuring information, 'Neither black widows, nor any other species dangerous to humans, occurs at all (except for imported individuals) on the western Washington mainland.  There are small black widow populations in especially dry climate enclaves on a few islands. On the mainland, one of our common house spiders is the false black widow Steatoda grossa, which is no danger to humans. Black widows do occur east of the Cascades, especially in the Columbia Basin.'

Rick Haley wrote: "When I was working on an experimental streams project in Lewiston, Idaho, my first task each morning was to go around and take WQ readings on the four 100-m long streams.  One morning it was raining, which didn't happen often in Loserton, so I grabbed a raincoat off the rack in the shed and made my way up to the head of the streams, the aforementioned 100 m away.  Just as I was lowering the dissolved oxygen probe into the stream inlet, some motion in the corner of my vision caught my eye.  I was a black widow lowering itself out of the hood of my raincoat."

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  310 AM PST Mon Jan 13 2025  
TODAY  W wind around 5 kt early this morning, veering to NW  early this afternoon, becoming light and variable. Seas 3 to 5 ft.  Wave Detail: W 9 ft at 15 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind around 5 kt, backing to S after midnight. Seas  4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: W 8 ft at 17 seconds.

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