12/24 Shipping noise, Idle No More, murrelet, GMO salmon, Tesoro report

From BirdNote.Org

Best of the season: A safe and happy holiday to you.  Cheers!

Salish Sea Communications blog: “Dan Inouye visited Iolani School in Honolulu sometime soon after becoming one of Hawaii’s first U.S. Senators in 1963. He exhorted our high school class of boys to become men our families, our state and our nation could be proud of...”  Aloha, Senator Dan

Some of B.C.’s quietest and most critical stretches of whale habitat could be transformed for the worse by increased shipping noise associated with Enbridge’s Northern Gateway and other planned projects on the north coast. A study headed by Christine Erbe, director of the Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, predicts total underwater shipping noise could increase 10-fold in B.C.’s northern fiords if Northern Gateway proceeds. Larry Pynn reports. Gateway tanker noise could drive whales away from B.C.'s north coast

If you like to watch:  Local supporters of the Idle No More movement took to the Bay Centre with drums and dance to demonstrate their support for better communication and action between Canada's First Nations and federal government. Idle No More demonstration at the Bay Centre

The population of a reclusive Northwest sea bird has declined by about a third in just 10 years. That’s according to a new federal study of the marbled murrelet. The murrelet is a relative of the puffin that nests in coastal old growth forest. Trained observers on boats off the coast of Oregon, Washington, and California tallied the number of murrelets they saw each summer, for 10 years. Amelia Templeton reports. New Study: Threatened Northwest Seabird Numbers Drop 30 Percent

Federal health regulators say a genetically modified salmon that grows twice as fast as normal is unlikely to harm the environment, clearing the way for the first approval of a scientifically engineered animal for human consumption. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday released its environmental assessment of the AquaAdvantage salmon, a faster-growing fish that has been subject to a contentious, yearslong debate at the agency. Genetically-engineered 'Frankenfish' moves closer to dinner tables  

Nearly three years after the explosion at the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes claimed seven lives, six members of Washington’s congressional delegation today called on federal investigators to complete their investigation. “As the third anniversary of the event is rapidly nearing, we note with growing concern that the one major report still outstanding is the one being conducted by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. We are also very dismayed by reports that the Board has redirected personnel and resources from this investigation in order to work on other, more recent accidents and incidents.” the letter states. Final Tesoro explosion report demanded by congressional delegation

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST MON DEC 24 2012
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. ISOLATED SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT BECOMING E 20 TO 30 KT LATE. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT LATE. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 9
 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.

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