5/5 Skate, island butterfly, big hornet, clean water suit, wave project, climate Pulitzer, BC LNG, neonicontinoids

Big skate [Seattle Aquarium]

Big skate Beringraja binoculata
Big skate are found along the Pacific Coast—including in the waters of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea—and is the largest skate species in North America. Big skates live on average between 15 and 26 years, and they mature later in life (after 12 or 13 years for females, seven or eight years for males). The word “binoculata” from its scientific name comes from the Latin “bi,” meaning “two,” and “oculatus,” meaning “eyed.” This refers to the two large eyespots on the big skate’s fins, which resemble eyes. Scientists think these "eyes" might confuse predators or make a smaller skate look bigger, and therefore less vulnerable to a predator, such as a shark. (Seattle Aquarium)


*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.



Island butterfly earns endangered species listing
The island marble butterfly found only in San Juan County will be recognized as an endangered species, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced Monday. The federal agency is designating 812 acres as critical habitat for the green and white butterfly. Most of that habitat is within the southern portion of San Juan Islands National Historical Park. With the new protections under the Endangered Species Act, it will become illegal to harm the species. The endangered species listing will take effect the first week of June. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

'Murder hornet' risk and name overblown, says B.C.'s top bee expert
A large invasive hornet is waking up for spring, and experts say a few of the bee-eating predators may soon be buzzing around B.C. But B.C. bee experts, while concerned, don't expect swarms of Asian giant hornets this summer and say the threat is minimal and no reason to stay inside. Yvette Brend reports. (CBC)

NC Joins Suit Against Clean Water Rewrite
North Carolina joins California, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Massachusetts And Virginia, Washington, D.C. and New York City in the challenge...Earlier this week, several environmental and conservation groups represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center also filed a lawsuit challenging the rule. (Coastal Review)

Field Studies Continue for Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is continuing field studies in May 2020 as part of ongoing environmental and technical work for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project. According to the Port, the purpose of these studies is to determine the physical conditions (e.g., temperature and salinity) influencing biofilm presence and distribution at Roberts Bank. The Roberts Bank study area is located in the upper and mid intertidal zones north of the Roberts Bank causeway. (Dredging Today)

Oregon Wave Energy Project Enters Critical Permitting Phase
An innovative wave-energy project proposed for Oregon has entered a key stretch as it seeks the environmental approvals needed to move forward. Oregon State University’s PacWave testing array would be located about 2 miles offshore. An underwater cable would connect the array to the electrical grid just north of Waldport on the state’s central coast. Yes Burns reports. (OPB)

Washington Post wins Pulitzer Prize for series that detailed environmental devastation in global hot spots
The paper’s “2°C: Beyond The Limit” series about places on the planet that had experienced above-average warming won the prize for explanatory journalism. (Washington Post)

What rock-bottom natural gas prices mean for Canada’s aspiring LNG industry
10 things you should know as the coronavirus pandemic ‘implodes’ the already-shaky economics of exporting Canadian liquefied natural gas. Sarah Cox writes. (The Narwhal)

What’s Bad for Bees Could Be Bad for Marine Life, Too
Over the past two decades, farmers hoping to ward off pests have increasingly turned to planting seeds that come straight from the supplier pre-coated in neonicotinoids, a controversial class of insecticide chemically related to nicotine...But as it turns out, neonics, as they’re also known, do impact other species—most famously honeybees, the steep decline of which has been linked to the insecticides...Now, Haley Davis, an undergraduate student studying toxicology in marine ecosystems at Hollings Marine Laboratory in South Carolina, and her colleagues are raising yet another reason to be concerned about the insecticides. Neonics dissolve easily in water, they say, and could be harming marine life. Ramin Skibba reports. (Hakai Magazine)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  214 AM PDT Tue May 5 2020   
TODAY  SE wind to 10 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 15 seconds building to 9 ft at  13 seconds in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 11 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the evening then  rain likely after midnight.




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