8/26 Stickleback, Fraser sockeye, Katrina, BC salmon monitoring, baby seal nursery, invasive beetle, silent killer, democracy watch

 Three-spined stickleback [Wikipedia]

Three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
Three-spined sticklebacks are easily identified by the three stiff, sharply pointed spines in their dorsal fins and pair of spines in the two pelvic fins. Those in most marine populations also have prominent bony plates along their sides, but these plates are fewer or even lacking in freshwater populations. They are primary food for many fishes, for example trout and pike. Not so effective against birds, there are records of a pair of loons consuming 50,000 sticklebacks during six months. (Puget Sound Museum of Natural History)

Today's top story in Salish Current:  Celebrants mark 25 years of communing with fairies 

Frustrated Commercial Fishers Are Hungry for More Sockeye
This year’s huge Fraser salmon return is lifting spirits. And raising questions about how DFO sets catch limits. Tyler Olsen reports. (The Tyee) 

20 years after Hurricane Katrina, the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans still lags behind
Almost 20 years after Hurricane Katrina hit the city, a drive through New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward takes you past boarded homes, empty, overgrown lots and block after block where there are few people or houses. In 2005, 15,000 people — mostly African Americans lived in this neighborhood. Today, the population is a third of that. Greg Allen and Marisa Peñaloza report. (NPR) 

Decline in B.C. salmon monitoring creates worst data gap in 70 years, study finds
The research links commercial priorities to a roughly 50 per cent decline in the annual monitoring of Pacific salmon stocks since the 1980s. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist) 

Breakfast time at Vancouver’s baby seal nursery
Dozens of harbour seals, many less than five days old, are rehabilitated at the Vancouver Marine Mammal Rescue centre each year. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal) 

City of Vancouver injecting ash trees with pesticide to deal with invasive beetle
Emerald ash borer, responsible for deaths of millions of trees across North America, detected in B.C. in 2024. Akshay Kulkarni reports. (CBC) 

Watch your step: a silent killer in the soil
One man’s battle with a deadly fungal infection highlights the need for better mapping of biological threats in the environment, bolstered by a warming climate. Maude Lipsett reports. (The Narwhal) 

Democracy Watch

• Trump order calls for broader National Guard role in domestic unrest (Washington Post) 
• Trump moves to ban flag burning despite Supreme Court ruling that allows it (AP) 
• Some Programs for Black Students Become ‘Illegal D.E.I.’ Under Trump (NY Times) 

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  224 AM PDT Tue Aug 26 2025    
DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING    
TODAY  W wind around 5 kt early this morning, becoming light  and variable, then becoming W 5 to 10 kt this afternoon. Seas  3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 8 seconds. Patchy dense fog  this morning.  TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W  3 ft at 7 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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