6/26 Octopus, octo arms, VanAqua cetacean ban, PS funding, Fraser rockslide, Skagit water, oil pipe consensus

Giant Pacific octopus [Monterey Bay Aquarium]

Giant Pacific octopus
The giant Pacific octopus, also known as the North Pacific giant octopus, is a large marine cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. Its spatial distribution includes the coastal North Pacific, along California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Russia, Japan, and Korean Peninsula. (Wikipedia) See also: Giant Octopus Revealed  According to local legend, the largest octopus in the world lives below the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Dive deep into one of Puget Sound’s most beloved mysteries... Some say it’s a 600-pound creature, once coined King Octopus by the The News Tribune, that tackles divers in the murky waters beneath the bridge. Others know it to be a scientific phenomenon, seeking nothing more than solitude on its ocean throne. Lauren Foster writes. (South Sound Magazine/Sept2015)

Researchers model how octopus arms make decisions
Researchers studying the behavior and neuroscience of octopuses have long suspected that the animals' arms may have minds of their own. A new model being presented here is the first attempt at a comprehensive representation of information flow between the octopus's suckers, arms and brain, based on previous research in octopus neuroscience and behavior, and new video observations conducted in the lab. The new research supports previous findings that octopus' suckers can initiate action in response to information they acquire from their environment, coordinating with neighboring suckers along the arm. The arms then process sensory and motor information, and muster collective action in the peripheral nervous system, without waiting on commands from the brain. (American Geophysical Union)

Vancouver Aquarium agrees to cetacean ban in new 35-year lease agreement
The Vancouver Aquarium has agreed to a cetacean ban as part of a new 35-year lease agreement with the Vancouver Park Board. It's also dropping its legal action against the park board over lost revenue because of the ban. In 2017, the Vancouver Park Board voted to ban keeping whales and dolphins in captivity at the aquarium. Ocean Wise followed with a lawsuit against the city, claiming the ban resulted in millions of dollars in lost revenue and constituted a breach of contract. Jodi Muzylowski reports (CBC)

Budget Cuts Will Devastate US Estuaries, Experts Warn
When an endangered orca named Tahlequeah lost her calf last summer, the entire pod swam 1,000 miles with the grieving mother as she carried the young whale’s body for 17 days through the Salish Sea. Laura Blackmore, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, told House lawmakers Tuesday that Tahlequah’s story is one of many that speaks to the death knell that has been sounding for the Seattle-area deep fjord estuary.... The House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment invited experts like Blackmore to testify this morning against the Trump administration’s proposed 31% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency budget — a move that would cut nearly $650 million in funding for environmental and restorative efforts. Jack Rodgers reports. (Courthouse News Service)

Rock slide in Fraser River may hinder salmon passage
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it is aware of a “significant” rock slide that occurred in the Fraser River in British Columbia, which could possibly hinder the passage of returning salmon.Rancher Tom Hancock says the slide happened Tuesday morning north of the Big Bar Ferry, causing a disturbance in the river. In a statement, the fisheries department says it is aware that the slide occurred in a narrow portion of the Fraser River. (Canadian Press)

Residents asked to conserve water
Because of drought conditions and low streamflow in the Skagit River, the city of Anacortes and the Skagit Public Utility District are asking customers to reduce their water consumption, according to a Monday news release from the Anacortes Public Works Department. The state Department of Ecology has established minimum instream flows for the Skagit River. The levels fluctuate during the year mostly to provide adequate streamflow for fish, according to the release. The minimum flow for June is 12,000 cubic feet per second. A U.S. Geologic Survey site in Mount Vernon reported Monday morning a flow of 10,300 cubic feet per second. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Is finding consensus on oil pipelines ever possible?
"... Although both sides of the TMX debate have valid arguments, the government sided with the proponents. This move will result in more delays as the decision is challenged on the grounds that consultation with First Nations was rushed to meet an artificial deadline. This will be accompanied by the inevitable protests to block construction. The government may ultimately conclude that these political risks combined with the economic risks of higher construction costs, more competition from other pipelines and weaker oil markets may make TMX not worth building. It would be imprudent for the government to ignore these risks. Instead of fanning conflict by picking a side, the government could have sought more creative options that come closer to meeting the interests of both sides...." Thomas Gunton, director of the Resource and Environmental Planning Program at Simon Fraser University and a former deputy minister of environment in B.C. writes (Globe and Mail)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PDT Wed Jun 26 2019   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 11  seconds. A slight chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3  ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers.



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