7/28 Red crab, Tahlequah, Springer, fossil fuel infrastructure, haz data, Cooke stteelhead, Hamada fishers

Red rock crab [Kirt L Onthank]

Red rock crab Cancer productus
Red rock crab, as their name implies, prefer rocky substrates but can also be found in eelgrass, soft-bottom habitat, and shellfish beds from the mid intertidal to depths of about 260 feet. The species is native to North American west coast estuaries from Alaska to Northern Baja California and is common throughout Puget Sound. This species usually measures less than 6 inches across the back and is characterized by large claws. It can be distinguished from the Dungeness by the presence of black on the tips of its claws and by its red coloration. (WDFW)


Tahlequah, the orca who carried her dead calf for 17 days, is pregnant again
Tahlequah is pregnant again. The mother orca raised worldwide concern when she carried her dead calf 17 days and more than 1,000 miles, almost exactly two years ago. Now, she has another chance at motherhood, scientists have learned. Scientists John Durban, senior scientist of Southall Environmental Associates and Holly Fearnbach, marine mammal research director for the nonprofit SR3, recently finished recording drone images of the southern residents and discovered pregnancies amid the J, K and L pods. The recordings were done as part of a long-term study of the body condition of the endangered southern resident orcas that frequent Puget Sound. The photography is done non-invasively by a remote-activated drone flown more than 100 feet over the whales. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Celebrate Springer 2020! Presentation and Q&A 
The Whale Trail presents on July 30 at 7 pm a virtual presentation of Springer (A73), an orphaned orca who was spotted near Seattle in January 2002—- lost, alone, and 300 miles away from home-- and after six months was rescued, rehabilitated, and returned to her pod. Today she is thriving, tending her two calves. It's the first—- and so far only—- successful orca rehabilitation and reunion in history. Springer's story will be told by members of her team and will be followed by a panel discussion with Bob Lohn, Joe Scordino, Kathy Fletcher, Suzie Hall (OrcaLab) and others. The Zoom event is free but please register in advance.

King County Council restricts coal mines, fossil fuel infrastructure in zoning and development changes
The King County Council Friday approved changes to its land use and development regulations that make it more difficult to expand or develop major fossil fuel infrastructure in the county. The county in 2019 passed a moratorium on developing such infrastructure.  The new measures make it more difficult to construct pipelines or storage facilities for oil or natural gas. The changes do not apply to gas stations or existing fossil fuel infrastructure. Evan Bush reports. (Seattle Times)

A hazardous data gap in B.C. means it costs $125,910 for the right to know
Three hundred thousand pages of records, stuffed into 50 cardboard boxes each year with no filing method. It’s a system so broken and antiquated you’d be forgiven if you assumed this was a thing of the distant past. But you’d be wrong. In the year 2020, when online retailers can trace millions of packages simultaneously and ride-hailing services can tell you when your driver is around the corner, British Columbia continues to use physical papers to track the movement of hazardous waste across the province. Arik Ligeti reports. (The Narwhal)

Switch to steelhead has Cooke on a new path in Puget Sound
Cooke Aquaculture Pacific is hoping to farm a species native to Washington state – steelhead or rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) – in four Puget Sound net pen sites where it previously raised Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The company is waiting for an answer to its permit application and, if approved, will begin raising raise all-female, sterile rainbow trout. It’s a hopeful wait, because in January the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Cooke’s approved request to produce this native species. The application is currently under review by the Department of Ecology, which regulates marine net pen aquaculture to protect water quality through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Lauren Kramer reports. (Aquaculture Alliance)

The Old Man and the New Sea
Three generations of the Hamada family have fished British Columbia’s coast. Will the latest generation outlive the salmon they seek? Braela Kwan reports. (Hakai Magazine)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  257 AM PDT Tue Jul 28 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 5 ft at 8 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. W  swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.




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