5/23 Shellfish hatchery, BC fish farms, spill risk, climate change, Monika Wieland, trains derail

Olinguito (Mark Gurney/Science Daily)

Top ten new species for 2014
An international committee selected the top 10 from among the approximately 18,000 new species named during the previous year. The list includes a quartet of tiny newcomers to science: a miniscule skeleton shrimp from Santa Catalina Island in California, a single-celled protist that does a credible imitation of a sponge, a clean room microbe that could be a hazard during space travel and a teensy fringed fairyfly named Tinkerbell. (Science Daily)

Officials will celebrate new shellfish hatchery as important step in restoring Washington waters
Representatives from federal, state, local and tribal organizations will celebrate the opening of the new shellfish restoration hatchery today, May 22, at the NOAA Fisheries Manchester Research Station as a significant step forward in recovering shellfish in Washington's Puget Sound and beyond. The Kenneth K. Chew Center for Shellfish Research and Restoration is a direct result of NOAA’s National Shellfish Initiative and Washington State’s Shellfish Initiative, the first state to pass such an effort.  (Port Orchard Independent)

Group wants probe of B.C. salmon farms
Officials at an environment commission established under the North American free-trade agreement are calling for an investigation into whether Canada is enforcing pollution laws around salmon farms in British Columbia. In a statement released Thursday, the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation said there are grounds to investigate complaints “that Canada is failing to effectively enforce fish habitat protection and pollution prevention provisions … in relation to salmon aquaculture operations authorized by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in coastal B.C.” Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

In case you missed this yesterday: Study measures oil spill risks from Puget Sound projects
The potential risk of an oil spill is likely to spike if three marine terminals are completed, bringing increased oil tanker and other vessel traffic through the greater Puget Sound region, according to a new study released by the Puget Sound Partnership. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Obama and Gov. Jay Inslee: in sync on climate change measures?
How well will Gov. Jay Inslee's carbon emissions proposals mesh with national efforts to deal with climate change? That will be answered June 2 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveils its proposed regulations to reduce carbon emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act. President Barack Obama ordered the EPA to create the regulations as part of his plans to deal with climate change issues. Making a visit in Seattle on Thursday, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy declined to give any details of the upcoming regulations. John Stang reports. (Crosscut) See also: EarthFix Conversation: Gina McCarthy, Head of the EPA, Talks Climate Change  Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

If you like to listen: Podcast with Monika Wieland, Author, and Blogger Discussing the Changing Behaviors of Whales in the San Juans
Whitney Neugebauer talks with Monika Wieland about whales and birds and why Southern Resident killer whales haven't been seen nearly as often in the San Juan Islands.

Train Derails North of Centralia
A train derailed from the Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad north of Centralia early Thursday morning. Large sections of rail in the area of Foron Road were severely damaged, and several cars were sitting off track, but none were flipped over. It does not appear any materials or products were spilled. However, large sections of the rail were torn from the ties and lying on their sides, while in other sections the rails were missing completely. (Chronicle)

North Idaho BNSF tracks closed after train derails
A freight train has derailed in North Idaho near the Kootenai River, but BNSF officials said nothing has spilled into the waterway and no hazardous materials were involved. BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said the train with three locomotives derailed at 1:55 a.m. Thursday, five miles east of Bonners Ferry. The train, which originated in Great Falls, Montana, and was heading through Spokane to Pasco was carrying 116 loads of general merchandise, including beer products, rock material and grain. (Spokesman-Review)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 233 AM PDT FRI MAY 23 2014
TODAY
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
 RAIN THIS MORNING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS...THEN ISOLATED SHOWERS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT.
SAT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. ISOLATED SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED
 SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 18 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING S TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 17 SECONDS.
SUN NIGHT
S WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 17 SECONDS.
MON
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT.

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