Salish Sea News and Weather

Friday, December 2, 2022

12/2 Ptarmigan, tribe fish farm, aquamation, WA climate policies, Canada greenwash, John Hart dam, sun dogs, week in review

White-tail ptarmigan [Kahn Tran]

White-tail ptarmigan Lagopus leucura
The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan is pure white in the winter, and streaked brown and gray during the summer. The tail remains white throughout the year. In Washington, this is the only species of grouse with white tail feathers. This species is found in remote, rocky, alpine areas at around 7,000 feet in Washington. (BirdWeb)

Washington tribe tests its rights to commercial net pen fish farming
An executive order from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources earlier this month aims to end commercial net pen fish farming in Washington’s public waters. Cooke Aquaculture has been ordered to dismantle its operations in Puget Sound and Skagit Bay – and told its leases will not be renewed. But it has a key partner in its fight to remain here. In 2019, the Canada-based company launched a joint venture with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, to farm two species of native fish in net pens in Port Angeles Harbor. A lawsuit delayed operations, but it’s resolved now and they’re forging ahead with the tribe. Bellamy Paithrop reports. (KNKX)

New options change choices for that final resting place
A cultural shift is underway from traditional burials and cremations to terramation, a composting process, and aquamation, a water-based process. Matt Benoit reports. (Salish Current)

Clean Fuel Standard and Climate Commitment Act set to launch Jan. 1
Two new state climate policies intended to work alongside each other to help the state achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050 by transforming how it acquires and uses energy will officially launch Jan. 1...Signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2021, the CFS and the CCA passed both houses of the state Legislature without a single Republican vote. Paula Hunt reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

The Feds Have Launched Greenwashing Investigations. Look Who’s Targeted
The Canadian Gas Association is being investigated for alleged greenwashing after it claimed its product was clean, environmentally friendly and affordable in its Fuelling Canada ad campaign. In late September the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment filed a complaint with Competition Bureau Canada, a federal watchdog that protects consumers from false and misleading claims made by companies. In early November the bureau notified the association that it was going ahead with an investigation. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

Upgrade of John Hart dam to begin in summer, take 6 years
Aecon-EBC General Partnership has been awarded the civil works contract for B.C. Hydro’s John Hart Dam seismic upgrading project near Campbell River. Construction on the dam is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2023... The project is being carried out to make sure the dam, built in the 1940s, is able to deliver safe and reliable power and is improved to address safety risks and to significantly increase its ability to withstand a major earthquake. The entire cost of the dam work has been estimated at between $497 million and $882 million. Carla Wilson report. (Times Colonist)

Giant sun dogs light up the sky as temperatures drop in Prince George
Plunging temperatures and sunny skies resulted in some great photo opportunities in Prince George, B.C., Thursday as an optical illusion known as "sun dogs" could be spotted throughout the city. A sun dog — also known as a "mock sun" or parhelion in meteorology — is formed when ice crystals hanging in the atmosphere begin bending sunlight, resulting in a bright circle surrounded by a halo of light and, if the angle is right, even rainbows. Andrew Kurjata reports. (CBC)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 12/2/22: Mutt Friday, Salish Sea map, Dungeness crab, orca prey, green crab, 'underwater Amazon,' BC LNG, Vancouver port zero-emissions, vanishing lichen, tribe net pens

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 226 AM PST Fri Dec 2 2022 |
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON PST TODAY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY E wind 20 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning then rain likely in the afternoon.
TONIGHT E wind 25 to 35 kt. Combined seas 4 to 7 ft with a dominant period of 7 seconds building to 7 to 9 ft with a dominant period of 10 seconds after midnight. Rain.
SAT E wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Combined seas 6 to 8 ft with a dominant period of 11 seconds. Rain likely in the morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon.
SAT NIGHT E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds.
SUN SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 3 ft at 10 seconds.

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Thursday, December 1, 2022

12/1 Red ribbon, vanishing lichen, scrapped tires, Everett Herald

Red ribbon [Seaweeds of the PNW]

Red ribbon Palmaria mollis
Red ribbon grown on rocks tin the mid-intertidal to upper sundial. It can be found along semi-protected and semi-exposed shorelines from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to southern California, as well as Russia. Red ribbon is edible and packed with good nutrients, including vitamins A and C. (Biodiversity of the Central Coast)

Vanishing lichens a sign rare B.C. rainforest is approaching ecological collapse
Lichens are a canary in the coal mine for the inland temperate rainforest and their demise is sounding the alarm about widespread biodiversity loss. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

2,400 scrapped tires were removed from a small B.C. island. No one's sure how they got there
A mountain of scrapped vehicle tires has been removed from an islet in B.C.'s Sunshine Coast region. Staff and volunteers with the Ocean Legacy Foundation and Let's Talk Trash program moved 2,409 tires off the islet near Nelson Island over the course of two days last month. The organizations received a grant through the province's Clean Coast, Clean Waters Initiative Fund, which aims to support marine shoreline cleanups and the removal of derelict vessels. (CBC)

Big changes coming to The Daily Herald of Everett
The Herald of Everett will no longer be a daily paper when it stops its Sunday and Monday print editions and expand its Saturday edition to include Sunday materials. Monday news will be available digitally, and the paper will be mailed instead of delivered by carriers. Brier Dudley writes. (Seattle Times)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 229 AM PST Thu Dec 1 2022 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY
TODAY E wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the morning.
TONIGHT SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E 15 to 25 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft after midnight. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain after midnight.

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

11/30 Potato, zero-emission, moving tribes, decaying whales, BC pipelines, police tactics, battery energy storage, reclaimed water

Potato
[International Potato Center]

Potato
The potato is a starchy tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern United States to southern Chile. (Wikipedia)

Port of Vancouver's 'ambitious' zero-emissions plan praised, but critics say LNG stands in the way
Canada's largest port has committed to becoming a zero-carbon port by 2050, a transition still in its infancy but has been dubbed ambitious by clean shipping advocates, as calls to dramaticaly reduce the industry's carbon footprint by that time grow louder and more urgent. But some critics say the port's simultaneous commitment to liquefied natural gas (LNG) expansion in its waters threaten to undermine its very own climate goals. The port is working with FortisBC to expand LNG bunkering in the region to meet growing demand from ships entering the port by 2030, which it says will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 30 per cent. Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)

U. S. awards millions to move tribes, including Quinaults, threatened by climate change
The Biden administration will give three Native tribes $75 million to move away from coastal areas or rivers, one of the nation’s largest efforts to date to relocate communities that are facing an urgent threat from climate change. The three communities — two in Alaska, and one in Washington state — will each get $25 million to move their key buildings onto higher ground and away from rising waters, with the expectation that homes will follow. The federal government will give eight more tribes $5 million each to plan for relocation. Christopher Flavelle reports. (NY Times)

Decaying whales are 'islands of food' for aquatic organisms
As dead whales continue to wash up on B.C.’s shorelines, experts are still trying to determine what led to their deaths, but say their carcasses are contributing important nutrients back to the food web and environment. Alanna Kelly reports. (Times Colonist)

Will BC Support Future Pipeline Development?
Former premier John Horgan said CGL is ‘fully permitted’ and DRIPA is ‘forward looking.’ So what about the three other projects authorized for the North? Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

RCMP officer criticizes police tactics at Fairy Creek
Unnamed RCMP officer criticizes police behaviour at blockade, such as smashing vehicle windows, taking away personal possessions, joking with forestry company staff. Jen Osborne and Rochelle Baker report. (National Observer)

Three controversial battery energy storage facilities proposed in Skagit
Clean energy from wind and solar projects is not available at the flip of a switch the way traditional gas and oil products are, but companies like Puget Sound Energy and Tenaska are trying to change that through major energy storage projects, like the proposed Goldeneye Project in Sedro-Woolley. The facility, designed to be an "unobtrusive" battery storage complex across 14.14 acres of land in Skagit County, would “charge” using solar and wind power during periods of high production, and “discharge” when energy production is low. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

If you like to watch: Studying the issue of chemicals in water
The LOTT Clean Water Alliance has completed a multi-year scientific study about reclaimed water infiltration. The study is intended to answer community questions and concerns about residual chemicals that may remain in reclaimed water, and what happens to them when reclaimed water is infiltrated into the ground and used to replenish groundwater. Visit the study StoryMap or watch a video. (LOTT)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 237 AM PST Wed Nov 30 2022
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY W wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 11 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers and a slight chance of tstms in the morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT NE wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt after midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 9 ft at 10 seconds subsiding to 7 ft at 13 seconds after midnight. A chance of rain.

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

11/29 GivingTuesday, Brussels sprout, green crab, 'underwater Amazon,' grizzlies, BC LNG, WA EVs, cardboard, Garry oaks, Dabob Days

GivingTuesday. Here's why: The League of Women Voters of Washington recently issued a study, The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy, that powerfully underscores the need for local journalism. On GivingTuesday Nov. 29 please show your support for the not-for-profit Salish Current's reporting of in-depth, fact-based community news that's free to read and free from advertising. Every dollar donated is doubled, whether a one-time donation, a monthly donation or a first-time small donation. Please donate to the 2X fundraising campaign or to GivingTuesday. Thank you for supporting not-for-profit local community news. Mike Sato.

Brussels sprout

Brussels sprout
The Brussels sprout is a member of the Gemmifera cultivar group of cabbages, grown for its edible buds. The leaf vegetables are typically 1.5–4.0 cm in diameter and resemble miniature cabbages. The Brussels sprout has long been popular in Brussels, Belgium, from which it gained its name. (Wikipedia)

Invasive crab population keeps booming in Washington
Trappers have caught nearly a quarter million European green crabs in Washington waters so far in 2022. This year’s record-smashing tally of the invasive species—248,000 caught as of Oct. 31—is more than twice the total caught last year along Washington shorelines. 2021 had seen a massive increase in the unwanted crabs, with 103,000 turning up in traps in the state. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

What drives Puget Sound's 'underwater Amazon'?
What drives Puget Sound's 'underwater Amazon'? The interaction between fresh and salt water stokes an engine that drives water circulation throughout the entire basin, something intensely important to the understanding and management of Puget Sound. Jeff Rice reports. (Salish Sea Currents Magazine)

Washington state considers options to reintroduce grizzlies in wilderness near Manning Park
Conservationists say a U.S. plan that could see grizzlies reintroduced in the North Cascades' region represents a "wonderful opportunity" for B.C. Glenda Luymes reports. (Vancouver Sun) Bear with us: Grizzlies may be coming back to the North Cascades How will the grizzlies get here? What will their arrival mean for local ecosystems? And will I run into them while I'm camping? Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)

Is B.C.’s $6 billion commitment to Coastal GasLink and LNG Canada still economically viable?
B.C. estimates it will earn $23 billion over 40 years once LNG Canada gets going, but net-zero pledges raise questions about whether global demand for gas will hold up over the project’s lifespan. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Gov. Inslee plans to ban gas-powered cars by 2035. Is it doable?
For Washington state drivers to fully embrace electric vehicles, they'll need more places to charge them. John Stang report. (Crosscut)

Where Does All the Cardboard Come From? I Had to Know
Entire forests and enormous factories running 24/7 can barely keep up with demand. This is how the cardboard economy works. Matthew Shaer reports. (NY Times)

Fort Worden volunteers plant Garry oak trees at state park
The Friends of Fort Worden State Park have plans to plant Garry oak trees in December, as the group adds habitat restoration to its volunteer efforts...The Friends will plant 20 native Garry oaks along Mule Barn Road and in Chinese Gardens with the help of furniture maker Kevin Reiswig. Leah Leach reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Dabob Days volunteers protect trees at the Tarboo Wildlife Preserve
Volunteers are gathering monthly to maintain Northwest Watershed Institute habitat restoration efforts in Dabob Bay. During the kickoff on Nov. 19, a group of 14 volunteers installed more than 130 protective cages around Pacific crabapple and vine maples trees that had been planted in earlier projects. (Peninsula Daily News)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 243 AM PST Tue Nov 29 2022
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM PST THIS MORNING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming E 25 to 35 kt in the afternoon. Combined seas 6 to 8 ft with a dominant period of 14 seconds. Rain likely in the morning then rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT E wind 25 to 35 kt becoming S 15 to 25 kt after midnight. Combined seas 5 to 7 ft with a dominant period of 13 seconds. Rain in the evening then rain likely after midnight.

Monday, November 28, 2022

11/28 Maize, orcas, chinook threshold, at-risk fish, WA fish farming, Dungeness crab, BC logging, funding lag, new Salish Sea map, Esquimalt Harbour

The League of Women Voters of Washington recently issued a study, The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy, that powerfully underscores the need for local journalism. On Giving Tuesday Nov. 29 please show your support for the not-for-profit Salish Current's reporting of in-depth, fact-based community news that's free to read and free from advertising. Every dollar donated is doubled, whether a one-time donation, a monthly donation or a first-time small donation. Please donate to the 2X fundraising campaign or to Giving Tuesday. Thank you for supporting not-for-profit local community news.

Maize [Franz Eugen Köhler]

Maize
Maize also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by Indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The leafy stalk of the plant produces pollen inflorescences (or "tassels") and separate ovuliferous inflorescences called ears that when fertilized yield kernels or seeds, which are fruits. The term maize is preferred in formal, scientific, and international usage as a common name because it refers specifically to this one grain, unlike corn, which has a complex variety of meanings that vary by context and geographic region. (Wikipedia)

‘A slumber party for orcas’: Incredible video shows endangered ‘superpod’ in Salish Sea
Steven Rice captured an incredible sight in the Salish Sea Wednesday afternoon as a large group of endangered southern resident killer whales stunned onlookers on shore near Seattle. April Lawrence reports. (CHEK)

Chinook threshold decreased for endangered orcas
The Pacific Fishery Management Council has decreased the number of chinook salmon it allocates each year to feed Southern Resident orca whales. The number is important because added conservation measures to ensure adequate food for the Southern Residents can only be put in place if that number is not reached. The council manages the commercial, recreational and tribal fisheries for about 119 species in federal waters off the West Coast. Racquel Muncy reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

The federal government is less likely to protect an at-risk fish if people like to eat it
When a fish is listed under the species at risk registry, federal protection measures kick in. But the vast majority of at-risk fish that are commercially valuable never get that designation, data shows. Jenn Thornhill Verma report. (The Narwhal)

Fish farming in WA goes back millennia — how will it survive?
....Traditional cultural ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest have long included forms of aquaculture, like clam gardens, where people create optimal habitat for the mollusks in hopes of boosting productivity. Today, it’s one piece of the complex, ever-evolving picture of fish farming in Washington state. But the commercial finfish farming of today shares little in common with the traditional Indigenous methods that long preceded it. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Here’s why the West Coast Dungeness crab season has been delayed
Oregon’s most valuable commercial fishery, Dungeness crab, will have its season delayed from its traditional Dec. 1 start date because of low meat yields. Testing shows the crabs in some ocean areas off the West Coast don’t have enough meat in them to satisfy the commercial market. In some areas, testing also showed elevated levels of the naturally occurring toxin domoic acid, which can make the crabs unsafe to eat. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB)

BC Timber Sales plans to log old-growth rainforest, home to endangered caribou herd
The B.C. government has spent millions in efforts to save the imperilled herd, even as it prepares to log its critical habitat. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Giant trees continue to fall amid old growth funding lag for B.C. First Nations
British Columbia has asked First Nations if they want old-growth forests protected from logging, to allow time for long-term planning for conservation and sustainable development, but advocates say it has yet to fund the process on a large scale. In the meantime, some of the biggest and oldest trees in the province are being cut down. Breena Owen reports. (The Canadian Press)

Big picture view of the Salish Sea emerges in richly detailed map
Jeff Clark thought the existing maps of the Salish Sea didn’t have enough detail. So he set out to make a much more detailed map, “to increase the geographic literacy of the area.” This meant not only showing the natural features, but also the human-made ones. And not just cities — he thought it was important to include details like the traditional lands of coastal First Nations. The result is The Essential Geography of The Salish Sea, a wall-sized map that gives viewers a “big picture view” of the Salish Sea bioregion, which stretches from Puget Sound near Seattle to the Pantheon Mountain Range, 300 kilometres up the coast from Vancouver. John Mackie reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Esquimalt Harbour among the most expensive cleanups in Canada's history
More than $2 billion has been spent on Canada's five most contaminated sites so far, and it's anticipated they will cost taxpayers billions more in the coming years. Emily Blake reports. (The Canadian Press)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 207 AM PST Mon Nov 28 2022
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING
TODAY E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 8 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of showers.
TONIGHT E wind 15 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 14 seconds. A chance of showers in the evening.

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

11/23 Great horned owl, killer whale calf, low rainfall effects, prescribed burns, BC fish farm ban

Salish Sea News and Weather is thankful for its readers and all those engaged in protecting and restoring the Salish Sea. A happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday; be back next week. Aloha.

Great horned owl [in oil, Tony Angell]

Moonlight
Artist and naturalist Tony Angell writes: "While exploring a local Cascade forest one night in early spring, I could hear a pair of great horned owls exchanging calls back and forth through the woods. Like any curious naturalist, I headed in their direction to investigate the conversation..." Read more and help support not-for-profit, in-depth community reporting. (Salish Current)

Killer whale calf seen swimming near San Juan Islands
A killer whale calf, who whale researchers said is no more than a few weeks old, was seen swimming with Bigg's killer whale T37B Harald over the weekend. Alex Bartick reports. (KOMO)

Low rainfall leads to an odd and changing year for salmon, killer whales and people
Chris Dunagan writes: "It has been an interesting year for observing the behavior of Southern Resident killer whales, chum salmon and humans in the Puget Sound region. Weather played a significant role. Two weeks ago, all three pods of endangered orcas spent four days together in Puget Sound, something we have not seen in years. Chum salmon, which the whales feed upon in the fall, appeared to be on a stop-and-go migration schedule because of the unusual rainfall pattern. And, as always, the activities of people must be noted within this ecological context." (Puget Sound Institute)

Studies show prescribed burns key to forest resiliency
Scientists discovered one type of treatment is key to forest resiliency: prescribed burns. They also said forest managers can harness wildfire to do the work of prescribed burns for them. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Will B.C. be next to ban open-net fish farms?
A UBC study published Friday found 7O per cent of samples taken from salmon waste from fish farms in B.C. and the U.S. showed genetic traces of a virus that can harm wild salmon. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 256 AM PST Wed Nov 23 2022
TODAY S wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 8 ft at 14 seconds subsiding to 5 ft at 14 seconds. A slight chance of drizzle in the morning. A slight chance of rain in the morning.
TONIGHT SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 5 ft at 12 seconds.

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

11./22 Cranberry, paper price, salmon toxins, fish farm ban, Canada biodiversity, giant hornet

Thanks to many of you who donated to Salish Current and not-for-profit, in-depth local news. If you haven't and wish to support this effort, please donate and have your donation doubled before the end of the year. Mahalo. Mike Sato.

Cranberry

Cranberry
In Washington State, you can find two species of cranberry. One is native to the area and one—the commercial one, from northeast North America—has escaped from cultivation. The cultivated, or large, cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) grows wild in various areas near the coast and in the Puget Trough, west of the Cascades. The native one, known variously as wild cranberry, swamp cranberry, bog cranberry, or small cranberry (V. oxycoccos) grows worldwide in the northern portion of the Northern Hemisphere....To see the cultivated cranberry, head for the Washington coast, mainly Pacific and Grays Harbor Counties, with some farms in Whatcom County too. In Long Beach, you could visit the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation Museum or go on their walking tour. To see the native cranberry, you'll have to find yourself a peaty area and look carefully for the plants, as Pojar and Mackinnon describe, "half buried in Sphagnum hummocks of bogs at low to middle elevations, and wet subalpine meadows." Sarah Gage writes. (WA Native Plants Society)

The Price of Paper
Coastal communities around the world contend with the toxic legacies of pulp and paper mills. Larry Pynn reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Unchecked pollution is contaminating the salmon that Pacific Northwest tribes eat
For decades, the U.S. government has failed to test for dangerous chemicals and metals in fish. So, we did. What we found was alarming for tribes. Tony Schick and Maya Miller report. (OPB and ProPublica) Also: How we tested Columbia River salmon for contaminant OPB and ProPublica collected 50 salmon and followed standard methods for fish tissue testing (OPB and ProPublica)

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe decries DNR banning fish farming in Washington waters
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe on Monday blasted Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz’s Friday decision to end net pen fish farming in state waters managed by the Department of Natural Resources. Brett Davis (Center Square)

Canada is hosting the largest biodiversity conference in the world. Here’s what’s at stake
Thousands of people will soon converge on Montreal for the United Nations’ biodiversity conference, the world’s big chance to agree on a path forward to save nature — and ourselves. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

To outwit a giant hornet, scientists try speaking its language
Even the biggest insects’ brains are very small, though not so small they can’t communicate with each other—or, to an extent, with human beings. Researchers in Washington state, Japan, and South Korea aim to tell world’s largest hornets where to go by speaking the insects’ language: the potent, wafting substances known as pheromones. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 238 AM PST Tue Nov 22 2022
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM PST THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. Rain in the morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft after midnight. W swell 9 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain in the evening then a slight chance of rain after midnight.