10/12 Bay pipefish, BC gas, consulting natives, super oysters, vanishing world

Bay pipefish Syngnathus leptorhynchus
The bay pipefish is generally a nearshore species, though sometimes it is found in shallow offshore water. It camouflages itself in eelgrass beds (where it looks like a strand of eelgrass) and in patches of other seaweed in bays and estuaries. It can also be found hanging around wharves and floating freely in tidelines. Its range stretches from Sitka Alaska to southern Baja California... Pipefish and seahorses belong to the same family. For all species of this family, the female transfers eggs to the males brood pouch, located under the tail, and the male cares for the developing young. (Biodiversity of the Central Coast)

Canadian natural-gas flow to Washington resumes, but PSE maintains conservation warning
Western Washington utilities told their customers Thursday they can return to normal use of hot water and electricity after a shortage of Canadian natural gas that they rely on was resolved. The disruption to garbage collection also ended. Natural gas resumed pumping into Washington from Canada early Thursday, having been halted since Tuesday by a pipeline rupture near Prince George, British Columbia, according to Puget Sound Energy, Washington’s biggest private energy utility company. Cascade Natural Gas, another company impacted by the stoppage, said Thursday morning that its customers no longer needed to curtail their usage, according to an emailed statement. Paige Cornwell reports. (Seattle Times) See also: 'Is this gonna blow up?' Fear, questions from B.C. First Nation after pipeline explosion  Andrew Kurjata reports. (CBC)

Supreme Court rules Ottawa has no duty to consult with Indigenous people before drafting laws
Canada's lawmakers do not have a duty to consult with Indigenous people before introducing legislation that might affect constitutionally protected Indigenous and treaty rights, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The decision will be welcomed by the federal government, which has argued such an obligation would be far too onerous and slow down the legislative process considerably. In its 7-2 decision, the top court has ruled against the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Alberta, which had argued that two omnibus budget bills introduced by the former Conservative federal government in 2012 affected its constitutionally protected treaty rights because they amended regulatory protections for waterways and the environment. John Paul Tasker reports. (CBC)
Can these super oysters survive our screwed-up oceans?
Thanks to us, the famously delicious oysters of the Pacific Northwest are in danger. The CO2 and methane we release into the atmosphere ends up acidifying the ocean — which makes it difficult for oysters and other shelled sea creatures to calcify the homes they carry on their backs. But at the NOAA Research Station in Manchester, Washington, marine biologist Joth Davis of Pacific Hybreed is helping oysters fight back by selectively breeding varieties that are resistant to ocean acidification and other threats. Basically, he's growing super oysters. To get there, Davis raises millions of oyster larvae (a single mother can produce 100 million eggs at a time) from dirt-like specks to super-shelled adults in specialized tanks and eventually the open ocean. The experiment is ongoing, but the hope is that genetically resistant oysters can eventually overcome ocean acidification, disease or any other doomsday threat we can throw at them. Sarah Hoffman reports. (Crosscut)


How to Write About a Vanishing World
Scientists chronicling ecological destruction must confront the loss of their life’s work and our planet’s riches. Elizabeth Kolbert reports. (New Yorker)


Now, your weekend tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  227 AM PDT Fri Oct 12 2018   

TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. SW swell 3 ft  at 4 seconds. Widespread fog with visibilities below one quarter  mile this morning. 

TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt becoming E after midnight. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 1 ft at 5 seconds building to 6 ft at  5 seconds after midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. 

SAT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at  7 seconds. Patchy fog in the morning. 

SAT NIGHT  E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  4 ft at 6 seconds. 

SUN  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. SW swell 4 ft at  7 seconds.


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