6/29 Greenling,, Roberts Bank 2, open-net farms, Seabeck bridge, sport fishing, quiet seas, wolf kill, flood risk, PSE oil gas, sick rabbits

Painted greenling [Tristan Blaine]

Painted greenling Oxylebius pictus
Painted greenling are found from the Gulf of Alaska to southern California, and are common near shore in sheltered water. Slow moving but not shy; adults more active in summer. They engage in elaborate courtship and the male actively defends egg masses (often of more than one female) against males of the same species. (Marine Wildlife of Puget Sound, the San Juans and the Strait of Georgia)

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 would make Fraser River estuary a ‘giant parking lot,’ observers warn
A review panel has concluded the proposed Vancouver port expansion threatens salmon, southern resident killer whales and Indigenous ways of life. Now critics are calling for a close look at the cumulative effects of existing industry and a slew of other proposed projects. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

First Nations call for end to B.C. open-net salmon farms
B.C.’s First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is calling for an immediate end to marine-based salmon farming in the province, following reports by B.C. fish farm owners that show 37 per cent of facilities, or 19 farms across the province, exceed government sea lice limits. The FNLC also point to a recent study by marine biologist Alexandra Morton that show high numbers of juvenile wild salmon migrating through southern B.C. waters were infected with the lethal parasite. The council now wants the federal government to fast-track its promise to end open-net farming by 2025.  Quinn Bender reports. (Westerly News)

New bridge in Seabeck will allow easier passage for salmon
Salmon will have an easier time passing through Seabeck Creek after a new bridge replaces a culvert on Seabeck Holly Road NW. The Kitsap County Public Works Department and the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group are working together on the project, which will cause a road closure from mid-July likely through the rest of the year. Gus Johnson, project manager for Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, said Seabeck Creek is home to a number of native salmon populations. The undersized culvert at Seabeck Holly Road NW combined with an older fish ladder causes a big problem for adult salmon trying to spawn or juveniles trying to get through. Steelhead, fall chum, coho and coastal cutthroat trout all travel up Seabeck Creek. Jessie Darland reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Sport fishing outfitters claim new federal regulations unfairly target their business
Sport fishing outfitters on the B.C. coast say new federal regulations on chinook salmon announced late last week are hurting their businesses and don't line up with what they're seeing on the water. And that's not only bad news for the industry, they say, but bad science as well...The federal government says the new regulations are necessary to protect fragile chinook salmon stocks in the upper Fraser River.  Kieran Oudshoorn reports. (CBC)

Quiet Salish Sea gives scientists chance to study endangered killer whales
A significant drop in sea traffic brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has created what scientists call a rare opportunity to study how quieter waters affect southern resident killer whales off the British Columbia coast. Ocean Networks Canada, which has been monitoring noise from ships and sounds made by marine mammals such as orcas, said it believes the change will be a boon for the animals. "The anticipation is that the quieter environment will help the killer whales in communicating, in socializing, in navigating and most importantly, in finding food," said Richard Dewey, the organization's associate director of science. A paper published last month in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America said there has been about a 30 per cent decrease in commercial shipping traffic into the Port of Vancouver from China due to COVID-19 in just the first four months of the year. Hima Alam reports. (CBC)

Washington Commission Rejects Petition To Limit Killing Of Wolves
A petition that called for new rules to limit when the state can kill endangered wolves that prey on livestock was rejected Friday by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The petition was filed in May by four conservation groups who sought to prevent conflicts that have led to the killing of 31 wolves in the state since 2012. The conservation groups are the Center for Biological Diversity, Cascadia Wildlands, Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians.  Nicholas K. Geranios reports. (AP)

New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America
Across much of the United States, the flood risk is far greater than government estimates show, new calculations suggest, exposing millions of people to a hidden threat — and one that will only grow as climate change worsens. That new calculation, which takes into account sea-level rise, rainfall and flooding along smaller creeks not mapped federally, estimates that 14.6 million properties are at risk from what experts call a 100-year flood, far more than the 8.7 million properties shown on federal government flood maps. A 100-year flood is one with a 1 percent chance of striking in any given year.  Christopher Flavelle, Denise Lu, Veronica Penney, Nadja Popovich and John Schwartz report. (NY Times)

Oil and gas coloring books teach kids safety, fossil fuel dependence
Last week, Puget Sound Energy, the Seattle-area utility, shared an odd activity on Twitter: “Color your way through Natural Gas Town and learn how natural gas provides energy to your neighborhood!” The tweet, later deleted, linked to an online coloring page showing a detailed map of how natural gas lines run underneath your yard and into your home. The image is from Energy Safe Kids, a national program that teaches children safety tips — like how to sniff out a gas leak and avoid pummeling natural gas meters with water balloons. Kate Yoder reports. (Grist)

The Rabbit Outbreak
This past February, a pet rabbit being boarded overnight at Manhattan’s Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine, the busiest rabbit veterinary practice in New York City, died. The fact that the rabbit had seemed fine and then expired without warning was chalked up to the rabbit habit of feigning good health. Later that evening, another rabbit at the clinic died. The coincidence of the additional death was strange, especially because the first rabbit that died was elderly, and the second was young. A third rabbit that died the same night was middle-aged; even though she was known to have had an abdominal mass that compromised her well-being, there had been no reason to think she was about to perish. Two deaths might have been a fluke; three seemed ominous. Susan Orlean reports. (New Yorker)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PDT Mon Jun 29 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft  at 9 seconds. A slight chance of showers after midnight. 






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