4/15 Yellowlegs, virtual SSEC, virus in sewage, steelhead farming, dead humpback, whale watch, ferries, carbon drop, Cristina Mittermeier

Greater Yellowlegs [All About Brids]

Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
Found in open marshes, mudflats, streams, ponds. In summer, look for them in wooded muskegs and spruce bogs. During migration and winter, they are found in a wide variety of settings, including tidal flats, estuaries, open beaches, salt and fresh marshes, shores of lakes and ponds, and riverbanks. They breed in boggy and marshy places within northern coniferous forest. (Audubon)


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


2020 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
Register now for the 2020 virtual Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. Digital program opening April 20; Virtual Conference April 21-22. All virtual and digital content will be available free of charge, but registration is required to attend the virtual conference.

Coronavirus found in Tacoma sewage could help scientists track the pandemic
Researchers at a non-profit biotech startup in Tacoma have found traces of the novel coronavirus in the city’s sewage, opening up new possibilities for tracking and monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. The testing is being led by Center for Urban Waters collaborator David Hirschberg who directs the RAIN biotech incubator in Tacoma, along with RAIN’s principal scientist Stanley Langevin and recent University of Washington Tacoma graduate Ryan Culbert who ran the tests. “We found it,” said Hirschberg, who began collecting samples of raw sewage and sludge from the city’s Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in recent weeks. “The [coronavirus] is in there. There is no way it can’t be.” Hirschberg said the levels of the virus were very low and “we don’t think it is infectious,” but the presence of the virus may help scientists in the battle to identify infection hot spots around the world. The evidence was found in raw sewage influent referred to as “water sludge” by wastewater treatment officials. Jeff Rice reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Cooke Aquaculture applies to modify permits for steelhead farming in Puget Sound
Cooke Aquaculture wants to use its fish farming pens off the southern coast of Bainbridge Island to raise rainbow trout, officials with the Washington Department of Ecology said Tuesday, and has submitted applications to the state requesting modifications to its existing water quality permits for its Bainbridge operation and three other net pens in Puget Sound. Ecology officials said it will accept public comments on the proposal online through May 22. Cooke Aquaculture said it will use its fish pens to raise all-female, sterile rainbow trout, also known as steelhead, which are native to Washington instead of non-native Atlantic salmon. (Bainbridge Review)

Entangled humpback whale found dead on remote B.C. island
Officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are looking into the death of a humpback whale that washed ashore on a remote island just off Vancouver Island's northwest coast."It was really smelly and it was quite decayed," said Tracy Gosselin, a resident of Kyuquot who posted photos of the dead whale on social media. "It had like five crab traps wrapped around its tail, I don't know where it came from or exactly what happened." she said.  Kieran Oudshoorn ·reports. (CBC)

Researchers seek help from waterfront residents for whale sightings
With the coronavirus outbreak sidelining those who volunteer to gather whale sightings across the Puget Sound region, whale researchers are asking for those who live along the waterfronts to help keep their research going. Spring is the busiest time for whale spotting, according to the Orca Network, especially for gray whales who often wander into Puget Sound this time of year during their migrations north. It's also a time to spot transient orcas in the inland waters. (KOMO)

Washington State Ferries relies heavily on fares to run. Ridership is at 1950s-era lows
Ridership on Washington State Ferries vessels has plummeted over the last two months to historically low levels. And as people stay home during the coronavirus outbreak, less fare revenue, which the agency relies on heavily to fund operations, comes in. According to state data reviewed by the Kitsap Sun for the last two months, systemwide ridership figures fell for six consecutive weeks during that period. Figures recovered slightly last week, April 5-11, when roughly 110,000 passengers and vehicles traveled aboard a state ferry. Numbers for last week showed ridership had fallen by nearly 75%, compared with the week of Feb. 16-22, when roughly 414,000 riders had been aboard a ferry. Ridership levels have dropped to levels equivalent to the beginning of the state ferry system in the 1950s, Washington State Ferries spokesman Ian Sterling said. Nathan Pilling reports. (Kitsap Sun) See also: BC Ferries reverses course on hundreds of layoffs  (CBC)

Carbon Emissions Are Falling, But Still Not Enough, Scientists Say
With the dramatic reduction in car traffic and commercial flights, carbon emissions have been falling around the globe. If the slowdown continues, some are estimating the world could see the largest drop in emissions in the last century. Still, overall greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere are still going up and the decline will likely be smaller than what scientists say is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Lauren Sommer reports. (NPR)

Marine life photographer Cristina Mittermeier protects our ‘blue gold’ oceans
Earth is a blue marble because over 70% of the planet is covered in oceans. Oceans sustain life as we know it, drive the world’s climate patterns, provide humans with natural resources and shaping many of nature’s most magnificent wonders...For National Geographic photographer Cristina Mittermeier, protecting the blue in our blue marble of a world has become her life’s work. Born in Mexico City as Cristina Goettsch, she migrated to the United States and eventually to Vancouver Island where she now resides in the forest near the Salish Sea. Mittermeier always had a passion for conservation in her blood, she said. Evangeline Liu reports. (LA Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  216 AM PDT Wed Apr 15 2020   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell  4 ft at 10 seconds.




--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told