3/16 Moon snail, Fraser flooding, Trump's oil, floating oil storage, indigenous remains, museum closure

Moon snail [Slater Museum]

*EDITOR'S NOTE: Access updates on the COVID-19 virus at national and regional print publications like the CBC, the Seattle Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.

Moon Snail Euspira lewisii
One of the best-known invertebrates in the sandy intertidal zone is the Moon Snail, both because it is a large (up to 13 cm in diameter) species and because its egg masses are especially notable. This light brown species is close to spherical, with most of the shell taken up by the first whorl. The aperture is large, with a large, horny operculum on the foot that closes the shell...Moon Snails are voracious predators on the clams that share their habitat. They find a clam, presumably by chemoreception, and envelope it in their big foot and often drag it more deeply into the sand. The radula has seven rows of teeth, with which they dig a hole (easily recognizable as made by this species because countersunk) into the clam shell. A gland on the proboscis secretes enzymes and even hydrochloric acid to help accomplish this. (Slater Museum)

Metro Vancouver prepares for possibility of $30B flooding in Fraser Valley
Richmond, B.C., Coun. Harold Steves knows from personal experience how devastating a flood can be. Steves was 11 years old during the catastrophic 1948 Fraser River flood, when 22,000 hectares of farmland disappeared throughout the Lower Mainland. ..The Fraser Valley's largest flood on record was in May 1894. The flood in 1948 was the second largest: about 2,000 homes were destroyed and 16,000 people were evacuated. There have been two major changes since then that would likely make flooding on that scale much worse. First, there are far more people and businesses nestled along the Fraser River. Second, the impacts of climate change mean higher river and sea levels and stronger storm surges. According to Steve Litke, a senior manager with the Fraser Basin Council, major flooding throughout the Fraser Valley could cause up to $30 billion in damages and displace up to 300,000 people.

Trump Steps In To Help Oil Industry Facing Its Own Coronavirus Crisis
Oil prices bounced back a bit after President Trump said the Department of Energy would buy crude for the nation's strategic petroleum reserve. "We're going to fill it right to the top," Trump said Friday in a wide-ranging news conference at the White House. He said it will save taxpayers "billions and billions of dollars" while helping an industry that's been reeling. While oil prices increased nearly 5% after Friday's announcement, that was just a fraction of the amount they lost earlier in the week. Jeff Brady reports. (NPR)

Ships Turn Into Floating Storage Units for Oil and Gas as Chinese Buyers Back Out
A new glut of oil and gas is emerging, floating at sea, as the novel coronavirus epidemic cuts China’s appetite for fuel and hampers work at Chinese ports. As the coronavirus outbreak spreads, shippers are warehousing an increasing amount of fuel on the high seas. How Wallace and Benoit Faucon report. (Wall Street Journal/paywall)

'We were horrified': Fights to repatriate Indigenous ancestral remains continue worldwide
Vince Collison was 33 when he got involved with repatriating cultural treasures and ancestral human remains to Haida Gwaii. Today, the work isn't over for the silver-haired 58-year-old. Collison helped create an inventory of Haida ceremonial objects and human bones held by collectors and museums possessed worldwide. When the Haida people learned how many ancestors' remains were around the world — 500 have been returned to Haida Gwaii since 1999 — they were shocked.  Wawmeesh Hamilton reports. (CBC)

Sidney Museum closes in wake of COVID-19 spread
The Sidney Museum announced Sunday afternoon that it will close for the foreseeable future as efforts to fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) through social distancing are starting to impact local institutions.
Wolf Depner reports. (Gold Stream Gazette)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  236 AM PDT Mon Mar 16 2020   
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming E 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 2 ft at 14 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. SW swell  2 ft at 18 seconds.



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