1/6 Blackmouth, offshore drilling, bad oysters, BC ship recycler, Fiero Marine Life Center, WA net-pen future, BC hydrogen, Skagit battery energy, one-day uni

 

Blackmouth salmon [WDFW]

Blackmouth salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Chinook that live out their entire lives in Puget Sound are known as “resident Chinook” or “blackmouth,” a nickname derived from their dark gums. Some fish hatcheries release their Chinook later than normal to increase the blackmouth population and provide for winter sport fisheries. (Encyclopedia of Puget Sound)


Today's top story in Salish Current: More Canada crude is coming, but a trade war could hamper flow

Biden to ban future offshore drilling across more than 600 million acres
With just two weeks left in his presidency, Joe Biden will prohibit future oil and gas drilling off the entire East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the remaining portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea. Biden will sign two memoranda Monday to permanently ban offshore drilling over more than 625 million acres of ocean to advance his commitment to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, a White House statement said.  By Jacob Fischler reports. (News From The States)

Oysters recalled in Washington and Oregon over potential norovirus contaminationT
he U.S. Food and Drug Administration is recalling oysters harvested from Puget Sound in December, citing possible norovirus contamination. It’s one of several recalls to impact the Pacific Northwest’s shellfish supply in the past month. (KUOW)

B.C. ship recycler penalized $46,105 for leaking toxic effluent into ocean
The penalties to Deep Water Recovery's Vancouver Island operations come after testing found toxic metal concentrations 160 times the provincial limit. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

Marine Center receives $15 million
The Feiro Marine Life Center will receive $15 million from NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries from the Inflation Reduction Act toward the construction of the Marine Discovery Center. Feiro and NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary have partnered to design and build a new joint visitor center downtown on the Port Angeles Waterfront Center campus. (Peninsula Daily News)

DNR board to vote on future of net-pen fish farming in WA
The Board of Natural Resources on Tuesday will consider a rule proposed by Hilary Franz, commissioner of public lands, that would end the nearly 40-year history of commercial net-pen fish farming in the state. That would bring Washington in line with California and Alaska, which ban the practice. Oregon has no commercial net-pen farms. British Columbia is phasing in a ban by 2029. Net-pen fishing can be a lucrative business, but it requires operations on state-managed aquatic lands. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

How can B.C. meet its hydrogen goals?
The provincial and federal governments both hope the element can offer a low-emissions alternative to fossil fuels, and have made significant investments in hydrogen production in B.C. But producing low-emissions hydrogen requires a significant amount of renewable power — power that at the moment officials say B.C. cannot offer on an industrial scale. These challenges have put the province's largest hydrogen project on indefinite hold, and been an obstacle for the province's emerging hydrogen industry.  Isaac Phan Nay reports. (CBC) 

Battery energy storage system approved for industrial land west of Mount Vernon
A private energy company has received a special use permit to construct a 200-megawatt lithium-ion battery energy storage system, or BESS, on industrial land west of Mount Vernon. The project, proposed by NextEra Energy Resources, is the first large electrical storage system to be approved in Skagit County. The project, proposed for a Sierra Pacific-owned property south of Ovenell Road and the Skagit Regional Airport, would entail around 92 single-story inverter/transformer units and 368 battery cabinets within an 18-acre area surrounded by a security fence. Julia Tillman report. (CDN)

One-day university focuses on Salish Sea
On Saturday, Feb. 1, up to 350 people will return to the classroom at Coupeville High School for “a one-day university for all.” For the 31st year, Sound Waters University is gathering environmental experts who will discuss issues and challenges faced by the Salish Sea and those who strive to protect it. Luisa Loi reports. (Whidbey News-Times)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  242 AM PST Mon Jan 6 2025    
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: E 4 ft  at 5 seconds and W 6 ft at 18 seconds.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 20 kt, easing to 10 to 15 kt after  midnight. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: E 4 ft at 4 seconds and W  6 ft at 16 seconds.

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