12/31 Cutthroat trout, San Juan salmon, BC population, Trump's mercury, commercial crabbing

12/31/18 Salish Sea News and Weather


Cutthroat trout [Timothy Knepp, USFWS]

Cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii
The cutthroat trout is a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus Oncorhynchus, it is one of the Pacific trout, a group that includes the widely distributed rainbow trout. (Wikipedia)

San Juan County projects receive more than $120,000 for salmon recovery
Salmon recovery projects in San Juan County were awarded $277,742 from the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board on Dec. 10. The board issued nearly $18 million in grants for projects to restore salmon habitat to bring the iconic fish back from the brink of extinction. An estimated 75 percent of the funded projects will benefit Chinook salmon, which make up a large part of the southern resident orca whale diet. (Islands Weekly)

B.C.'s population passes 5 million, thanks to high international migration numbers
The population of British Columbia has passed the five million mark for the first time, according to a Statistics Canada estimation.  The report says international migration is to thank for the spike — as it is in every province that saw a population increase.  Canada's population was approximately 37.2 million on Oct. 1, up 184,000 from July 1. This was the largest population increase in number since 1971. (CBC)

Trump EPA Says Mercury Limits On Coal Plants Too Costly, Not 'Necessary'
In another proposed reversal of an Obama-era standard, the Environmental Protection Agency Friday said limiting mercury and other toxic emissions from coal and oil fired power plants is not cost-effective, and should not be considered ‘appropriate and necessary.’ The EPA says it’s keeping the 2012 restrictions in place for now, in large part because utilities have already spent billions to comply with them. But environmental groups worry the move is a step toward repealing the limits, and could make it harder to impose other regulations in the future. In a statement, the EPA said it’s “providing regulatory certainty by transparently and accurately taking account of both costs and benefits.” Jennifer Ludden and Jeff Brady report. (NPR)

After Delay, Oregon Crab Season Set To Open Jan. 4 .
Despite fears that the season opener for Dungeness crab could be further delayed, commercial fishermen will be able to set their gear Tuesday in parts of Oregon and Washington state, fishery managers announced. Fishermen will be able to start pulling their gear on Friday. The valuable commercial fishery traditionally starts on Dec. 1, but was delayed after tests showed crab had not filled out enough. In Oregon, from Cape Arago south to Gold Beach, crab are still below the state’s meat quality criteria and these areas will remain closed. Katie Frankowicz reports. (Daily Astorian)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  806 AM PST Mon Dec 31 2018   
TODAY  E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 12 seconds. 
TONIGHT  S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft  at 11 seconds.


--
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12/28 Holly, BC pipe, Indigenous politics, bitumen pucks. Enbridge refund, melting glaciers, runaway barges, armoring, Growlers

European holly [Wikipedia]

Holly
Ilex, or holly, is a genus of about 480 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones worldwide. (Wikipedia)

Managing an aging pipeline is a bit like driving the wrong way down a freeway'
The Trans Mountain pipeline carries tar-sands oil to Washington state from Alberta — and now there’s a change in the response plan should it rupture, leak, or spill. On the way to refineries in Anacortes and Ferndale, the pipeline crosses the Nooksack River as well as many other rivers and creeks that drain into Puget Sound. If tar-sands oil "leaks into or spills into a river, it will sink to the bottom of the river,” said Eric de Place, with the environmental think tank Sightline Institute. “The river, of course, is moving, so it’s moving that product along.” The new spill response plan, which Washington’s Department of Ecology approved on Wednesday, aims to deploy new technology that could theoretically clean up the oil before it sinks. Under the plan, contractors would bring in equipment to locate, contain, and recover the oil. The plan also calls for oil spill drills to test equipment and train staff. Eilis O'Neill reports. (KUOW)

'We'll continue to win': How Indigenous leaders reached new heights in 2018
From a landmark court decision that put the brakes on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, to a Sixties Scoop settlement, to a renaissance in Indigenous languages, it was a fascinating year in Indigenous politics. The stories have shed light on tensions, inequality and resilience in Indigenous communities. Angela Sterrit reports. (CBC)

CN lining up partners to make bitumen pucks that can be shipped in open rail car, float in water
Canadian National Railway Co. says it is planning to build a pilot plant worth up to $50 million next year to create pucks made of oilsands bitumen to transport by rail and ships to customers around the world. CN has been working for years on a technology that mixes and coats the heavy, sticky oil with polymer plastic, creating a pellet-shaped product called CanaPux that can be shipped in an open rail car and will float if spilled into water. (Canadian Press)

Trans Mountain Pipeline Rally draws hundreds of vehicles
Edson had one of the most impressive pro Trans Mountain Pipeline Rallies on Dec. 22. Close to 500 vehicles, including oilfield-related trucks and private vehicles clogged Second and Fourth Avenues between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to show their solidarity for the building of the pipeline and the energy sector in general. Speakers at the rally included Yellowhead MP Jim Eglinski, Yellowhead election hopeful Martin Long, Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara, Yellowhead County Mayor Gerald Soroka and Alberta Party West Yellowhead hopeful Kristie Gomuwka. The current West Yellowhead MLA, NDP’s Eric Rosendahl did not attend. Edward Moore reports. (Edson Leader)

Enbridge gets $14.7M federal refund over Northern Gateway project
Enbridge is getting a $14.7-million refund on fees it paid Canada’s federal energy regulator for a pipeline it won’t build. The Northern Gateway pipeline was supposed to connect Alberta’s oilpatch to a port in Kitimat, B.C., but the plan started to came apart when the federal Liberals banned tankers carrying large amounts of crude oil from British Columbia’s northern coast. Without tankers to serve the port, there would be no point constructing more than 1,100 kilometres of pipeline to send Alberta bitumen to Kitimat. (Canadian Press)

80% of mountain glaciers in Alberta, B.C. and Yukon will disappear within 50 years: report
Climate change is causing glaciers in Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon to retreat faster than at any time in history, threatening to raise water levels and create deserts, scientists say. David Hik, an ecology professor at Simon Fraser University, said the region is one of the hotspots for warming and the magnitude of change in the glaciers is dramatic. "Probably 80 per cent of the mountain glaciers in Alberta and B.C. will disappear in the next 50 years," he said. Hina Alam reports. (Canadian Press)

Runaway barges cause more than $1M in property damage, Vancouver police say
Two heavy barges the size of soccer fields that broke loose of their moorings early Wednesday are believed to have caused at least $1 million in property damage, police say. gt. Jason Robillard of the Vancouver Police Department told reporters at a press conference Thursday the barges were moored in North Vancouver when they came loose just after 5 a.m. and floated across Burrard Inlet toward Coal Harbour. The barges, which were tied together and carrying shipping containers, damaged a seaplane base, a local restaurant and two luxury yachts in the Coal Harbour Marina. (CBC)

The latest numbers on shoreline armoring
Washington state has released the latest statistics for Puget Sound’s shoreline armoring Vital Sign, comparing armoring creation and removal in 2017. Those familiar with the Vital Sign will know that the state’s goal is to finally see by 2020, a net decrease in the length of shoreline armoring throughout Puget Sound. Armoring such as seawalls, bulkheads and other structures has been shown to harm salmon and forage fish. It damages beaches and diminishes the overall health of the shoreline... To date, about 29% of Puget Sound’s shoreline is armored, which translates to more than 700 miles of winding coastline.... The numbers, released by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Puget Sound Partnership, show that removal of armoring has increased steadily since 2005. At the same time, a study of construction permits showed that new armoring was outpaced by removal in 2014, 2016 and 2017, with 2017 being the strongest year on record for this trend. Jeff Rice reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Federal agency hears comment on Navy jet affect on historic properties
During the past few weeks, Navy Growlers have not been training at Outlying Field on Whidbey Island — and that has been a relief, according to Port Townsend Council member Michelle Sandoval. Sandoval has been involved in jet noise from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island since 2012.... On Dec. 19, Sandoval represented Port Townsend during a regional meeting of the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) in Coupeville on Whidbey Island to discuss local historic treasures affected by the Growlers and the Navy’s plans — which have not been finalized — to add 36 Growlers to operations at Outlying Field (OLF) in Coupeville, which translates into a total of 24,000 takeoffs and landings annually. Over 400 concerned people from Jefferson, Skagit, Clallam and Island counties were on hand to discuss the impact of the jets on the environment and historic properties in the region. The Navy abandoned the Section 106 process at the end of November that provides protection to historic properties. That triggered a review by the ACHP. The ACHP has a 45-day window to review comments and make recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy prior to the publication of the Navy’s Record of Decision on the Growler jet expansion. However, due to the government shutdown, the countdown of days has been stopped and will resume when the shutdown concludes.  Jeannie McMacken reports. (Peninsula Daily News)


Now, your weekend tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  200 AM PST Fri Dec 28 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 9 ft at 14 seconds subsiding to 7 ft at  13 seconds in the afternoon. Rain. 
TONIGHT  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 13 seconds  building to 10 ft at 19 seconds after midnight. Rain. 
SAT  SW wind 10 to 20 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 11 ft at 17 seconds.  Rain. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell  12 ft at 11 seconds. 
SUN  NW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 11 ft at  13 seconds subsiding to 9 ft at 14 seconds in the afternoon.


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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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12/27 Hagfish, salmon fry, Trump's retreat, climate costs, NOSC celebrates, Murray Morgan books

Hagfish [Visuals Unlimited/naturepl.com]

Southeast Alaska fishermen target hagfish as winter catch 
Consider the hagfish. Maybe you’ve never heard of these deep ocean creatures, also called “slime eels” for their eel-like appearance and ability to secrete huge amounts of opaque slime. Not exactly a mouth-watering description at first glance; yet over the past two years, a small-scale effort has developed in Southeast Alaska to harvest these fascinating uggos as a fledgling Alaska fishery. That’s unusual news in a state where most fishery resources are already developed. Annie Zak reports. (Associated Press)

State replaces nearly half of 6.2 million chinook salmon fry killed at Gig Harbor hatchery
The state will be able to replace nearly half of the 6.2 million chinook salmon fry that died earlier this month when a windstorm knocked out power at a Gig Harbor hatchery. Up to 2.75 million fall chinook fry will be taken from six other state hatcheries for release from Minter Creek and Tumwater Falls in May and June. “This won’t fully replace the salmon lost last week, but it will allow us to put a significant number of fish into these waters next year,” said Kelly Susewind, director of the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife. A power outage Dec. 14, coupled with the failure of Minter Creek Hatchery’s backup generator, led to the death of 4.2 million Deschutes fall chinook fry, 1.5 million Minter Creek fall chinook fry and 507,000 White River spring chinook fry. Stacia Glenn reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

President Trump’s Retreat on the Environment Is Affecting Communities Across America 
In just two years, President Trump has unleashed a regulatory rollback, lobbied for and cheered on by industry, with little parallel in the past half-century. Mr. Trump enthusiastically promotes the changes as creating jobs, freeing business from the shackles of government and helping the economy grow. The trade-offs, while often out of public view, are real — frighteningly so, for some people — imperiling progress in cleaning up the air we breathe and the water we drink, and in some cases upending the very relationship with the environment around us. Since Mr. Trump took office, his approach on the environment has been to neutralize the most rigorous Obama-era restrictions, nearly 80 of which have been blocked, delayed or targeted for repeal, according to an analysis of data by The New York Times. (NY Times)

Climate change: Huge costs of warming impacts in 2018 
Extreme weather events linked to climate change cost thousands of lives and caused huge damage throughout the world in 2018, say Christian Aid. The charity's report identified ten events that cost more than $1bn each, with four costing more than $7bn each. Scientists have shown that the chances of heat waves in Europe were influenced directly by human-related warming. Other events, say the authors, are due to shifts in weather patterns, said to be a consequence of climate change. Matt McGrath reports. (BBC)

Salmon Coalition celebrates decade-long project
The North Olympic Salmon Coalition honored 10 years of work and partnerships made along the way in its 3 Crabs nearshore and estuarine restoration project at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the estuary off 3 Crabs Road earlier this month.... This restoration project is one of many NOSC has implemented in areas throughout the Olympic Peninsula. It was made possible by 29 stakeholders and supporters involved in the project. Erin Hawkins reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Murray Morgan’s historic ‘Puget’s Sound’ gets an update
Murray Morgan is best remembered around Seattle as the author of “Skid Road,” the lively history of the city’s early decades that was first published back in the 1950s. But Morgan wrote plenty of other books, including a handful of additional titles about local history. New editions of some of Morgan’s most popular titles have just been released, including “Puget’s Sound,” his 1979 history of Tacoma and South Puget Sound. Michael Sullivan was tapped by University of Washington Press to write a new introduction to “Puget’s Sound.” Feliks Banel reports. (MyNorthwest)


Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  213 AM PST Thu Dec 27 2018
TODAY  NW wind to 10 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less in the morning becoming less than 1 ft. W  swell 9 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  9 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of rain in the evening then rain  likely after midnight.


--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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12/26 Winter scavenge, Green New Deal, oilsands opposition, Skagit R climate, ocean acid, shooting sea lions, protect marine mammals, saving coral

Raven [Richard Wesley/BirdNote]

Winter - Nature's Cold Storage
For birds and other animals with good natural insulation, winter provides a striking benefit as they scavenge. Bacteria function very slowly or not at all in the cold, preventing dead bodies from rotting. In northern latitudes, ravens and other scavenging birds take advantage of winter's cold storage. When a caribou, moose, or deer dies in Canada, Alaska, or other cold place in the winter, it's available to be eaten for months. Bacteria must wait until spring warms the carcass before they can begin to consume it (BirdNote)

The Optimistic Activists for a Green New Deal: Inside the Youth-Led Singing Sunrise Movement
On a Sunday in mid-December, some eight hundred young people filled the pews and the aisles of Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, D.C. They had trickled in from all over the country, in vans and buses, carrying backpacks and sleeping bags, some of them college students and others still in high school. They belonged to an environmental movement called Sunrise, and they had come to the capital to pressure their congressional representatives on the issue of climate change. The next day would be one of visits and protests, where the young people planned to lobby the incoming Democratic majority to begin work on a Green New Deal. The plan they hope to see adopted—to make the United States economy carbon neutral—would be nothing less than a total overhaul of our national infrastructure. Emily Witt reports. (The New Yorker)

Drawing a line in the oilsands
Why the leaders of First Nations that have been on the front lines opposing oilsands expansion now support a project to develop the industry's biggest mine in their own backyard Kyle Bakx & Geneviève Normand report. (CBC)

Changing climate, water flows impact bald eagles' feasts on the Skagit River
From mid-December to February, hundreds upon hundreds of bald eagles flock to the Skagit River in northwest Washington to feast on spawning salmon. It's one of the biggest seasonal concentrations of eagles in the Pacific Northwest, but this eagle watching hot spot is being affected by changing cycles of nature. Researchers from the National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey observed the timing of the peak eagle convergence has moved about two weeks earlier over the past 30 years. The bald eagles are following the chum salmon run, which is moving earlier by about half a day per year for reasons that are not entirely clear, but might have to do with changing water temperatures. North Cascades National Park Service Complex senior wildlife biologist Jason Ransom said the shift in timing is unfavorable for eagles because the salmon now arrive prior to the usual winter flooding. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network) See also: Eagle Watcher program victim of government shutdown  Brandon Stone reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Study: Northwest Salmon Not Immune To Ocean Acidification
A new study suggests that salmon will not be immune to the effects of ocean acidification. Scientists found that changes to ocean chemistry disrupt a fish’s ability to smell danger in the water. Researcher Chase Williams of the University of Washington exposed young coho salmon to the elevated ocean CO2 levels expected over the next few decades. He then dropped in an odor that normally makes the fish react as if a predator is near. The fish ignored it. Jes Burns reports. (OPB)

Sea lion shootings: Federal crime or legal response to annoying animal?
Casey Mclean, a veterinary nurse, stood over the 800-pound carcass of a California sea lion on the West Seattle waterfront. The bloated animal had washed up on a boat launch after floating around Puget Sound for weeks. “Typically this time of year, we'll see maybe three or four animals, but we're up to case 16 of dead animals,” Mclean said. She worked with SR3 – Sealife Response Rehabilitation and Research. Of those, 12 of the dead sea lions had bullets in them. Federal officials are investigating what could be a federal crime – or a perfectly legal response to an age-old conflict. Competing for food Sea lions and humans both like to eat salmon, which brings the two mammals into conflict. John Ryan reports. (KUOW) See also: New law to allow culling of sea lions  The Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act will permit as many as 900 sea lion killings per year in and around the Columbia River to protect endangered fish stocks. Gabe Stutman reports. (Kitsap Daily News)

NOAA issues more protective rules for marine mammals
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has authorized new rules that are more protective of marine mammals during U.S. Naval training and testing exercises in the Pacific than ever proposed in the past. NOAA said on Thursday that the new rules under the Marine Mammal Protection Act — the third authorized in a series of five-year regulations for the Navy’s Hawaii-Southern California training and testing activities — will allow for only incidental, not intentional, “takes” of marine mammals, and cover a larger area, through December 2023. By “take,” NOAA means the disruption of behavioral patterns or temporary hearing impairment among marine mammals, as well as some significantly lesser number of injuries and a very small number of mortalities. Nina Wu reports. (Honolulu StarAdvertiser)

Saving Coral
Special Report: Researchers in Hawaii are involved in cutting-edge science aimed at countering the effects of climate change on the world’s oceans. (Civil Beat)


Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  830 PM PST Tue Dec 25 2018   WED  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds  building to 9 ft at 11 seconds in the afternoon. Rain. 
WED NIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 10 ft at 12 seconds. A chance of  showers in the evening then a slight chance of showers after  midnight.


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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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12/24 Mistletoe, Frognal, stormwater violations, Kalama methanol, littleneck clams, Canadian invasives, grizzlies, Salish mag

Mistletoe in winter [Wikipedia]

Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the English common name for most obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. Their parasitic lifestyle have led to some dramatic changes in their metabolism.... Pre-Christian cultures regarded the white berries as symbols of male fertility, with the seeds resembling semen. The Celts, particularly, saw mistletoe as the semen of Taranis, while the Ancient Greeks referred to mistletoe as "oak sperm."(Wikipedia)

Opponents of the Frognal development drop their court battle
An environmental group abruptly dropped its court battle to overturn permits for the controversial Frognal Estates housing development, but said it won’t give up its scrutiny. The Sno-King Watershed Council entered a voluntary dismissal Monday in King County Superior Court. The move came a week after a judge denied the group’s request to halt logging until a February hearing. The petition focused on managing drainage on the steep, wooded terrain south of Mukilteo. “Given that they were entitled to proceed, all of this would have been academic,” said Jeffrey Eustis, an attorney representing the Watershed Council. Developer Integral Northwest secured permits from Snohomish County in August to log and grade the 22-acre site. Two months earlier, the Everett-based developer and the county had won a case in state appellate court against neighbors who sought to limit the proposal for 112 homes. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)d

'Numerous' stormwater violations reported at Port Orchard development
A Port Orchard development discharged sediment-laden water into a neighboring wetland last fall and retention ponds at the site were close to overflowing with rainwater this week, potentially endangering downhill properties, according to multiple agencies monitoring the project. The city of Port Orchard issued a stop work order for Stetson Heights on Oct. 26, halting construction at the Glenwood Road SW site, where more than 300 homes are planned. City community development director Nick Bond said the order was issued because the builder failed to adequately control erosion after clearing the property. On Thursday night, homeowners downhill from Stetson Heights received a letter from the Kitsap Department of Emergency Management notifying them that "retention ponds in the development near your home are near capacity and we have concern that with additional rain, the ponds might overflow and potentially impact your property." Tad Sooter reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Port denied competitive federal grant for methanol plant dock, roads
The Port of Kalama did not receive federal grant funding it sought to help pay for the dock and roads needed for the proposed $2 billion methanol plant. The port applied for a $11.5 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant (or BUILD) earlier this year. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced grant winners last week. Port Executive Director Mark Wilson said the program is competitive and only two projects in Washington were funded in 2018. Katie Fairbanks reports. (Longview Daily News)

Study finds littleneck clams declining in Salish Sea, West Coast
A recent study evaluating shellfish populations on area beaches found that native littleneck clams have declined over the past several decades, most likely due to ocean conditions rather than local impacts. Littleneck clams are one of several commercially and recreationally important species in the region. Pinpointing whether local impacts, such as harvesting and pollution, or large-scale ocean conditions are influencing area shellfish populations can help guide management of the species. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Spread of invasive species in Canada costs billions
For two decades experts have been carefully nursing a community of endangered northern leopard frogs in B.C.'s Kootenay region but invasive bullfrogs and fish threaten to muscle in, potentially swallowing years of work. Purnima Govindarajulu, a small mammal and herpetofauna specialist at B.C.'s Ministry of Environment, said disease and invasive fish already mean the endangered frogs aren't thriving as they should be in a wetland in Creston. More concerning to her is that a mass of bullfrog eggs was recently missed in a lake just 15 kilometres away, and Govindarajulu said teams in Canada and the United States are preparing to do battle with the voracious bullfrog to prevent its spread. (Canadian Press)

With Zinke Out, North Cascades Grizzly Reintroduction Plan Stalls
A controversial plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to Washington’s North Cascades will not be finished by the end of the year. Federal officials had pushed to bring grizzlies back to wilder parts of the state. Those efforts have stalled. Grizzlies in Washington are down to just a handful of bears. Biologists say if nothing is done to help them, they will disappear from the state for good. The 30-year effort to reintroduce bears into remote spots in the North Cascades has gone through fits and starts. But a decision seemed to be moving forward earlier this year after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke made a surprise visit to the region in March. Zinke said he was “in support of the great bear.” Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)

New online magazine describes life in and around Puget Sound
John F. Williams, a Suquamish resident who has been creating dramatic underwater videos for years, recently launched a new online publication called Salish Magazine. Its goal is to help people to better understand the ecosystem in the Puget Sound region.... The new online publication shifts to the use of more words, along with photos and videos, to explain the connections among living things. The first issue includes extensive articles on sea anemones, barnacles, sea stars, mussels and glaciation, spiced up with art, poetry and personal stories. Download the magazine as a huge PDF (56.6 mb) file or open it in iBooks.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  824 AM PST Mon Dec 24 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM  PST THIS MORNING   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 9 ft at  12 seconds. A chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  NE wind to 10 kt becoming NW after midnight. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 14 seconds.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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12/21 Winter solstice, BC voting referendum, Exxon BC LNG, blue carbon sink, salmon hatcheries, green crab stock

Oak King and Holly King

The Legend of the Holly King and the Oak King
In many Celtic-based traditions of neopaganism, there is the enduring legend of the battle between the Oak King and the Holly King. These two mighty rulers fight for supremacy as the Wheel of the Year turns each season. At the Winter Solstice, or Yule, the Oak King conquers the Holly King, and then reigns until Midsummer, or Litha. Once the Summer Solstice arrives, the Holly King returns to do battle with the old king, and defeats him. Patti Wiginton writes. (Thought.Com)

B.C. votes to keep first-past-the-post electoral system
For the third time, British Columbians have voted to keep the first-past-the-post system for provincial elections. Elections BC announced the results Thursday, saying 61.3 per cent of ballots had been cast in favour of the status quo, while proportional representation got 38.7 per cent. (CBC)

Exxon Mobil withdraws application to approve $25-billion BC LNG project
Exxon Mobil Corp. has withdrawn its environmental assessment application for a $25-billion LNG export facility on the B.C. coast it proposed in 2015. The apparent shelving of the WCC LNG project is the latest blow to the West Coast liquefied natural gas export industry which at one time featured about 20 proposals, but has resulted in only one firm commitment to build. The project had been proposed by Exxon Mobil and its Canadian partner, Imperial Oil Ltd., for Tuck Inlet in the Prince Rupert area on B.C.’s north coast. (Canadian Press)

Deep Seagrass Bed Could Stall Climate Change, If Climate Change Doesn't Kill It First
Amid a sea of dire climate change news, researchers say they’ve found a rare bright spot. A meadow of seagrass among Australia’s Great Barrier Reef — estimated to be twice the size of New Jersey — is soaking up and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to global warming. Scientists call this carbon-removal powerhouse a “blue carbon sink.” The term refers to an ocean or coastal ecosystem — including seagrasses, salt marshes and mangrove forests — that captures carbon compounds from the atmosphere, effectively removing carbon dioxide, a known greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Emma Bowman and Michel Martin report. (NPR)

Salish Sea hatcheries to increase salmon stocks
When the demand for a product increases, a company will often raise production to meet that demand. Fish hatcheries are using this economic concept in Washington, and are planning to release more Chinook salmon next spring to fulfill the demand by humans, marine mammals and the Southern resident orcas. “Everybody wants Chinook — the fishermen, the whales, people in the restaurants, so that’s what we’re focusing on,” said Glenwood Springs Facility Manager Mike O’Connell. Orcas Island’s Glenwood Springs, managed by nonprofit Long Live the Kings, is incubating one million Chinook eggs over the winter to be released at the end of May. Since salmon are not native to the creek where Glenwood Springs is located, it gets its eggs from the Samish Hatchery near Burlington. This year, the Samish hatchery had extra eggs because of increased production requirements from the state, so it’s giving that surplus to Glenwood Springs. Mandi Johnson reports. (Islands Weekly)

A Rich Stock for the Feast
As you start to count your seven fishes, here’s a holiday helper: Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Company is selling seafood stock for stews and soups. It’s made from green crabs, an invasive species that threatens New England’s shellfish. This aggressive European crab is not new to American waters, but warming seas have led to increased numbers of them, according to fishery experts. The crabs have too little meat for commercial value, but Vinny Milburn, an owner of the Brooklyn fish market, is exploiting them to make stock. It’s sold frozen at the store, and is dark, murky and richly flavorful. Florence Fabricant reports. (NY Times)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  222 AM PST Fri Dec 21 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT TODAY   
TODAY  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming S in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 14 ft at 12 seconds subsiding to 10  ft at 11 seconds in the afternoon. A slight chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  8 ft at 12 seconds. Rain in the evening then rain likely after  midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 8 ft at 13 seconds. A  chance of rain in the morning then rain in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  13 ft at 16 seconds. 
SUN  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 13 ft at 14 seconds. 
SUN NIGHT  SW wind 15 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell  20 ft at 15 seconds.

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