9/10 Eelpout, Arctic drilling, forest fires, green crab, looper moth, treaty fishing rights, ship noise, salmon carcasses, BC ferries, seal skulls

Blackbelly eelpout [Janna Nichols]

 
Blackbelly eelpout Lycodopsis pacifica
Common over muddy bottoms at moderate depths. Most common of 5 similar-looking local eelpout species. Feeds on clams, polychaete worms, and small crabs. Central Alaska to southern California. (Marine Wildlife of Puget Sound, the San Juans, and the Strait of Georgia)

Washington AG sues to prevent oil and gas development on Arctic Refuge coastal plain
Washington state is joining 14 other states in suing to block exploration and prevent oil and gas development in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Wednesday...Among the arguments in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Alaska, is that an environmental review didn’t properly consider the effects on migratory birds, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Alexis Krell reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Recreation becomes 'wreckreation' as careless outdoor adventures turn destructive, spark wildfires
Recreation is turning into “wreckreation,” as COVID-cabin-fevered hikers, campers and day-trippers venture out and damage public lands all over the state — including, it seems, sparking wildfires with careless or clueless behavior...Some of the fires the state DNR is presently fighting — across hundreds of thousands of acres, at great cost of public money and risk to firefighters — were started when power lines were downed by high winds over the holiday weekend. But many were caused by humans. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

145 invasive European green crabs caught in Drayton Harbor
Scientists trapped 33 European green crabs last week, 28 of which were in the mouth of Dakota Creek – one of the highest week’s capture since trapping for the invasive species began in late May. Allie Simpson, ecosystem project coordinator for Northwest Straits Commission, described the find as “alarming” and said the presence of juvenile crabs in Dakota Creek indicated the green crabs could be settling in the Drayton Harbor area – something an array of environmental agencies are working to prevent...The first week of trapping this summer yielded the highest number of crabs, at 40, but most weeks only 10 crabs have been trapped, Simpson said. As of September 4, 145 green crabs were caught this summer in the Blaine area. Grace McCarthy reports. (The Northern Light)

'Significant' looper moth outbreak threatens North Shore trees
Coniferous forests across Vancouver's North Shore have been transformed into a bug buffet in recent weeks, as groups of hungry young moths seek sustenance, threatening hundreds of trees in the process. Foresters say the population of Western hemlock looper moths, which are native to B.C., have surged in areas around the Capilano Watershed, including Upper Lynn Valley and parts of Mount Seymour. Ethan Sawyer reports. (CBC)

The standoff at this Pierce County bridge 50 years ago codified tribal treaty fishing rights
A deep red modern span stretches over Pacific Highway on the bridge that links Tacoma to Fife, carrying a steady stream of cars and trucks over the Puyallup River. The bridge and an older portion of it nearby were recently renamed by the City of Tacoma in collaboration with the Puyallup Tribe. It’s now called the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge and in Twulshootseed, yabuk’wali, meaning “place of a fight.” Fifty years ago today [Sept. 8], members of the Puyallup Tribe faced off here with local law enforcement. The mass arrest of protesters who had set up a fishing camp on federal land alongside the river ultimately led to the landmark court decision that codified treaty fishing rights for tribes throughout the region. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Feds reach out to Indigenous communities to help reduce Trans Mountain noise pollution
The federal government announced a collaboration with several Indigenous communities to address the problem of noise pollution along the Trans Mountain shipping route, which has led to the detriment of marine life in the area, including endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Transportation Minister Marc Garneau announced Tuesday that the federal government will dispense $2.5 million over three years to help Indigenous communities protect their coastlines as Trans Mountain projects continue. The funding is part of the Quiet Vessel Initiative, a five-year plan with $26 million pledged to help Indigenous groups affected by the projects...While Trans Mountain itself doesn’t own any tankers (large cargo ships), the expansion led to increased tanker traffic along the commercial shipping route from the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver's harbour... Tanker traffic has increased from five per month to about 34 tankers per month, according to Trans Mountain. Premila D'Sa reports. (National Observer)

Salmon Subsidies Get Tossed Aside
Pacific salmon die soon after they spawn. Their bodies decompose, delivering a pulse of food and fertilizer to the river ecosystem. But as salmon populations have declined along the west coasts of the United States and Canada, so have the numbers of nourishing carcasses. Since the 1990s, people have been mimicking this natural influx by tossing salmon carcasses into previously prosperous salmon rivers—a bid to revitalize these ecosystems. In the Nisqually River watershed, that task falls to groups of schoolkids and local volunteers, enlisted by the Nisqually River Education Project and the Nisqually Indian Tribe. But a new study, the first to assess the long-term benefits of these salmon-tossing efforts, has found the activity less effective than hoped. Vanessa Minke-Martin reports. (Hakai Magazine)

No more staying in your car on most BC Ferries routes, Transport Canada says
People driving onto a BC Ferries vessel will no longer be allowed to shelter in their own pandemic-proof bubble by remaining in their cars on lower, enclosed decks. That's because on Sept. 30, Transport Canada is rescinding the temporary measure it granted to BC Ferries in the spring that allowed passengers to stay in their vehicles in those areas. According to Transport Canada, adequate measures are now in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and it isn't safe for people to be in their vehicles on decks that aren't open. (CBC)

History of food web found in harbor seal skulls
Tiny bone samples show that seals alter their diets as conditions change. The findings could help scientists understand whether seals are contributing to local salmon declines. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  245 AM PDT Thu Sep 10 2020   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft  at 11 seconds. Patchy smoke. 
TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt rising to 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 11 seconds. Patchy  smoke.

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"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.

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