10/31 Black widow, closing BC herring fishery, BC transport power, Rock the Park

Western black widow spider

Western Black Widow Spider Latrodoctus hesperus
Probably the most famous but also most reclusive spider is the Western Black Widow. Adult females have very dangerous venom, but will often try to run away rather than confront or bite. They usually are shiny black with a red hourglass marking on their belly, but the belly marking can also be yellowish-orange, and it might be in the shape of an hourglass, two distinct marks, or just a spot. The body of the female is about 1/2 inch long. Their favorite sites for webs are usually in dark, undisturbed areas like woodpiles, piles of rubble, stacks of hay bales, water meter boxes, under eaves and on fences. The typical web of a black widow is very messy looking - not an organized or "pretty" web - and is made of strong, sticky silk. (Eastside Exterminators)

Feds called on to enforce emergency closure of B.C.’s last herring fishery
Conservation groups are calling for the immediate closure of the herring fishery in the Strait of Georgia following the release of new federal government data showing a four-year population biomass decline of almost 60 per cent...Herring once spawned en masse in bays and inlets along the B.C. coast, turning waters chalky with eggs and milt in one of nature’s spectacular events. Today, largely due to overfishing, the only remaining area of spawn is between Qualicum Beach and Comox.  Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

B.C. will need more power to electrify transportation industry
To electrify transportation, which produces a third of the B.C. greenhouse gas emissions, the province will need to generate up to 60 per cent more electricity, according to a report. The report released Wednesday by the University of Victoria, makes a case for using renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal and wind power to save on costs to meet the demand of shifting to all zero-emission vehicles in the next three decades. The report by UVic researchers with the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions says electrifying vehicles would drop greenhouse emissions for the combined electricity and transportation sectors by 38 per cent or 260 million tonnes of CO2, between 2015 and 2055, as long as 93 per cent of electricity continues to come from renewable sources. The province will need to increase its electrical production capacity to 23 gigawatts from a 2015 baseline of 15.6 gigawatts  to meet forecast economic and population growth, the reports says. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

If you like to watch: San Juan Islands: Exploring The Salish Sea (20:14)
Colton and Jack are on the San Juan Island exploring the Salish Sea and discovering the wide variety of land and sea creatures that make up its fragile ecology. They search for Orcas, spot a wide variety of marine life including harbor seals and bald eagles and what lurks underwater in the Salish Sea. (Rock the Park)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PDT Thu Oct 31 2019   
TODAY  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft  at 12 seconds. 
TONIGHT  Light wind becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 12 seconds.



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