3/19 Tube anemone, whale hunt, CleanBC, Canada water, WA budget, Gateway Program, urchin harvest, first 100 days

Tube anemone [Pat McMahon]

Tube anemone Pachycerianthus fimbriatus
The tube anenome is found in the parts of the Salish Sea where they can easily burrow into soft sediment. They secrete a protective tube around themselves for protection from predators who are mainly the giant nudibranch (Dendronotus iris). The nudibranch will feed on the tentacles of the anenome and lay its eggs on the tube providing an easy first meal for its young. This colorful animal lives at depths of up to 800' and can live for 10 years. (Courtesy Pat McMahon)

Today's top story in Salish Current: How Black PNW artists find peace in a changing world

Makah Tribe applies for permit to resume its traditional whale hunt
The Makah Tribe has applied for a permit to resume its traditional whale hunt this July. The tribe, based in Neah Bay in the northwest corner of Washington state, has conducted a permitted hunt only once in the last 25 years, despite its exclusive treaty right to whaling. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

B.C. spent $3.5B to reduce carbon emissions over 7 years. That plan has failed
CleanBC sought to cut greenhouse gases, but emissions are the same as they were in 2007. The province says emissions targets are no longer ‘workable’ — advocates say B.C.’s push for LNG projects is part of the problem. Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

Is Trump Coming for Canada’s Water?
An abandoned water project known as the North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA) was tabled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s. It’s considered a zombie project, always resurfacing, never dead. The $80 billion plan proposed construction of 369 structures that would divert water from the Yukon, Liard and Peace Rivers through a “Rocky Mountain trench” connecting Alaska to the Mississippi and Colorado River basins, and Alberta to the Great Lakes. Tricia Stadnyk reports. (The Tyee)

WA's latest budget outlook shows another $845M dent in revenue
The latest forecast shows that money flowing into the state’s operating budget during that time is expected to be nearly $900 million lower than projections released in November. Revenues for the remainder of this budget cycle show a modest, $54.4 million increase from the November figures. When taking this into account, revenue is down $845 million through 2029. Jake Goldstein-Street and Bill Lucia report. (Washington State Standard)

Major Puget Sound area construction project could be delayed amid funding concerns
The Puget Sound Gateway Program, which spans King and Pierce counties, is experiencing an approximate $155 million funding gap, the Washington State Transportation Commission was told March 18. The state told commission members if it delayed the project by a year, it could make that money up through tolling portions of state Route 509 and 167. Kipp Robertson and Tess Wagner report. (KING5)

Company probed for urchin harvest
A company that offloaded 1,400 pounds of green sea urchins worth $2,000 at Port Angeles Boat Haven is under investigation for receiving the spiny delicacy without the proper paperwork...Among the charges the WDFW is pursuing are first-degree unlawful fish and shellfish accounting, a Class C felony, and operating without a valid commercial wholesale license. Paula Hunt reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

The First 100 Days

• Social Security Administration to require in-person identity checks for new and existing recipients (Associated Press)
  
• RFK Jr.’s Prescription for Bird Flu on Farms: Let It Spread (NY Times)
  
• Federal judge blocks Trump effort to ban transgender troops from military service (NPR)
  
• Amid ‘DEI’ purge, Pentagon removes webpage on Iwo Jima flag-raiser (Washington Post)
  

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  209 AM PDT Wed Mar 19 2025   SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM PDT EARLY THIS  MORNING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT    
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 20 kt, rising to 20 to 25 kt late this  morning and afternoon. Seas 4 to 6 ft, building to 5 to 8 ft this  afternoon. Wave Detail: SE 5 ft at 6 seconds and W 3 ft at  12 seconds. Rain.  
TONIGHT  S wind 20 to 25 kt, becoming SW 15 to 20 kt after  midnight. Seas 7 to 10 ft, subsiding to 5 to 7 ft after midnight.  Wave Detail: SE 5 ft at 6 seconds, W 6 ft at 13 seconds and SW  4 ft at 13 seconds. Rain, mainly in the evening.

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