1/8 Rockfish eyes, BC quake, train rules, pipeline conversion, girl orca, wildlife director, longhouse

(PHOTO: Danny Kent/Seattle Times)

If you like to watch: Rockfish get glass eyes, with assist from Seattle Aquarium
One-eyed fish are picked on by their tankmates, so a Seattle veterinarian is fine-tuning a procedure to fill those empty sockets with fake taxidermy eyes. Sandi Doughton reports. (Seattle Times)

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Tofino, B.C., rattles houses
Vancouver Island residents reported houses rattling after an earthquake struck shortly after 6 p.m. PT Wednesday. The 4.8 magnitude quake hit 18 kilometres east-northeast of Tofino, B.C., at a depth of 24 kilometres. A tsunami is not expected and there were no reports of damage. (CBC)

MV Council resolution seeks tougher oil-by-rail rules
The City Council passed a resolution expressing its concern for the transportation of oil by rail just in time for the 2015 legislative session. Resolution No. 879 details expectations for the rail and oil industry. Copies of the resolution will be sent to state legislators and the state Department of Ecology. Shannen Kuest reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

B.C. regulations ban oil and bitumen from natural gas pipelines
A proposed network of pipelines from natural gas fields in British Columbia's northeast to liquefied natural gas export plants in the northwest will not be permitted to pump oil and diluted bitumen, the provincial government says. The Natural Gas Development Ministry said a new regulation prohibits the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission from allowing any conversion of a natural gas pipeline supplying an LNG facility. Dick Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

J-pod’s new orca baby is female, researchers say
It’s a girl! Though the identity of its mother is still unclear, researchers have confirmed that the newborn orca spotted in the Salish Sea on Dec. 30 is female, the Center for Whale Research announced Wednesday. The southern resident killer whale is the newest member of the J-pod and its celebrated birth brought the total number of southern resident killer whales to 78. Paige Cornwell reports. (Seattle Times)

New Fish-Wildlife director to be named Saturday
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled on Saturday to select one name from candidates being considered to succeed retiring Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Phil Anderson. (Spokesman Review)

Longhouse build at Francis Point park halted over land ownership
The Sechelt Indian Band has halted construction on what it describes as a community longhouse after learning the structure was being built on land that is privately owned, not – as the band had mistakenly believed – on Crown land. But the band plans to build more longhouses at other locations, citing a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision related to aboriginal title and the Sechelt band’s long-standing concerns about what they see as unjustified infringements on their claimed territory. The band, which has been self-governed since 1986, is currently in treaty negotiations with the province of B.C. Wendy Stueck reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your tug weather--

WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PST WED JAN 7 2015
THU
E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 17 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG.
THU NIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 15 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG.
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