5/26 Blackcap, BC fjords, methane, building pipeline, wildfires, wood waste, BC ferries, fed dam water, sport fishing

Black raspberry [Zoya Akulova/CalPhoto]

Black raspberry Rubus leucodermis
Black raspberries, along with the fruits of salad, black twinberry, and wild raspberry, were mashed and used as a purple stain by the Coast Salish. In spring, the young shoots were sometimes peeled and eaten raw or cooked, but they were rarely stored. Rubus leucodermis is native to western North America and is closely related to the eastern black raspberry Rubus occidentalis. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast/Wikipedia)

How the Blob Is Warming British Columbia’s Fjords
For those who have braved swimming in British Columbia’s spectacular, glacier-fed fjords, “warm” is probably not a word that springs to mind. But at least four of British Columbia’s fjords are real hotspots for climate change. Since the 1950s, they’ve warmed up to six times faster than the rest of the ocean, according to new data. Nicola Jones reports. (Hakai Magazine)

‘I don’t think we will ever catch up’: B.C. methane targets out of reach amid growing LNG, fracking
The province committed to a 45 per cent reduction in methane emissions by 2025, but an explosion in fracking to feed a growing LNG industry has experts saying that goal is not achievable. Natalia Balcerzak reports. (The Narwhal)

Trans Mountain pipeline: Protest ban is 'great time' to build, says minister
A top Canadian official has said this is a "great time" to build a pipeline because coronavirus-related restrictions ban large public protests. Alberta's Energy Minister Sonya Savage said people needed jobs and "ideological protests" would not be "tolerated" by ordinary Canadians. She was referring to the Trans Mountain oil pipeline, opposed by indigenous groups and environmentalists. (BBC)

Western Washington wildfire: What are we facing this year and beyond?
Trying to predict the likelihood that Western Washington will be scorched with severe forest fires this summer must be an overwhelming job for our region’s meteorologists. In the midst of a pandemic, fire managers and fire crews desperately would like to know what kinds of fire conditions they will face this year, not only in Western Washington but wherever they might be sent. Will firefighters be able to ward off the COVID-19 disease as they battle one blaze after another? How many times might they be called out to fight fires this year? Chris Dunagan writes. (Puget Sound Institute)

Up in smoke: B.C. backtracks on promise to deter logging industry from burning wood waste
Nearly three years ago the province promised to rein in the air pollution and unwanted emissions from slash-pile burning by introducing a carbon tax that has yet to materialize — to the great frustration of rural communities and a small mill operator who says valuable wood fibre is needlessly going up in smoke. Ben Parfitt reports. (The Narwhal)

BC Ferries to resume service between Nanaimo and Vancouver at half capacity
BC Ferries is set to resume service between Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and Departure Bay in Nanaimo after COVID-19 forced the route's suspension in early April. The ferry service says there will be four round-trip sailings every day starting June 3. Sailings will operate at 50 per cent capacity for passengers and B.C. Ferries recommends reserving a spot ahead of time. (Canadian Press)

Washington state aims to regulate water temperature at federal dams, wading into controversy
....Today Columbia and Snake River salmon, and orcas that depend on them, are at risk of extinction. And Washington state regulators are taking a new regulatory role to chill fish-killing hot water at four dams in the lower Columbia, and four in the lower Snake. Regulators also have a new tool to work with, in a just-published analysis of heat pollution in the river by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), open to public comment until July 21. Temperatures always have spiked in the rivers at times in summer, even before the dams. But today, the effects of the dams combined with the cumulative effects of climate change, push temperatures in the Columbia and lower Snake rivers over the state maximum temperature of 68 degrees for weeks on end, the EPA found. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Some coastal recreational fishing reopens Tuesday in Washington
Much of the Washington coast reopens for recreational fishing on Tuesday after two months of coronavirus closures. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says Marine Areas 1-3 will open for bottomfish, shellfish, mussels, clams, oysters starting May 26. This stretch includes waters from the mouth of the Columbia River to Cape Alava. Crabbing on the Columbia is also set to resume. Some restrictions remain though: halibut and razor clam harvest will remain closed in those areas, and Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay) is still closed to all recreational fishing and shellfish harvesting. More details are available here. Coastal razor clam digs also remain closed. WDFW says this is because there are concerns that the digs draw too many people to small coastal communities and beaches. WDFW previously opened all freshwater fisheries and many on Puget Sound on May 5. Some spot shrimp fishing is scheduled to open May 28. Michael Crowe reports. (KING)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  239 AM PDT Tue May 26 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind waves  2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 13 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds.




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