9/16 Salamander, boat harassers, orca census, sea louse, closed border, Everett port, oil demand, climate migration, Science World

 

Western red-backed salamander [Minette Layne]

Western Red-backed Salamander Plethodon vehiculum
The western red-backed salamander is found in extreme southwestern Canada and the northwestern United States. It is found in temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. It is considered widespread in the region and is not strictly associated with a specific habitat type. (Wikipedia)

Recreational boaters worst offenders for harassment of killer whales
Reckless whale enthusiasts intent on getting as close as possible to our local celebrity wildlife are in danger of loving them to death. Recreational boaters violated minimum distance requirements meant to protect southern resident killer whales in more than 45 per cent of encounters with orcas, according to a study conducted on the Salish Sea. The two-year study of 784 encounters between boats and both killer whales and humpback whales found that commercial whale-watching vessels violated minimum distance requirements 18 per cent of the time with killer whales and 14 per cent with humpbacks. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Orca census: One death in January, but no births were reported until September
his year’s official census for the endangered killer whales that frequent Puget Sound will record one new orca death but no births from mid-2019 to mid-2020. Because the census accounts for the southern resident orca population as of July 1 each year, this year’s report will not include the much-welcomed birth of J57, born on or around Sept. 4 to Tahlequah, or J35, according to Ken Balcomb, director of the Center for Whale Research who compiles the annual census documents. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Overlooked Sea Louse May Be a Big Problem for Salmon
Sea lice attach to the skin of fish, and feed on their mucus, tissues, and blood. These parasites are one of the major threats to both wild and farmed salmon. To date, however, most research on sea lice has focused on just one species, Lepeophtheirus salmonis. L. salmonis is a salmon-infesting specialist that plagues aquaculture operations, which explains why it’s drawn the most attention. But it is not the only louse that hurts salmon—Caligus clemensi is a generalist that attacks salmon as well as other fish. “One of the things that is still unclear in the world of salmon lice is how these two species co-infect different Pacific salmon species,” says Cole Brookson, a biologist at the University of Alberta. Brian Owens reports. (Hakai Magazine)

U.S.-Canada border shutdown likely to extend through November, Ottawa cool to more exemptions - sources
The United States and Canada are likely to extend border restrictions until at least the end of November as coronavirus cases spike in some states, according to well-placed Washington and Ottawa sources. The sources also said Canadian officials were showing little enthusiasm for suggestions from U.S. authorities about relaxing some of the measures in the near term...Canadian officials, especially those in provinces bordering the United States, insist the restrictions must remain. David Shepardson, Ted Hesson and David Ljunggren report. (Reuters) See also: Canada to keep border with U.S. closed until at least Oct. 21, says source  Katie Simpson and Peter Zimonjic report. (CBC)

Port again wins millions in grant money for mill site revamp
A major effort to bring jobs back to a prime waterfront property is back on track after the project’s financing plan hit a snag earlier this year. The Port of Everett has won nearly $18 million in federal funding to help pay for the construction of a new cargo terminal on the roughly 60-acre site, which once was the home of a Kimberly-Clark paper and pulp mill, officials announced on Tuesday. The project was selected in 2019 for a similar grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, but the agency rescinded the offer in May, citing changes to the scope that went beyond what the port outlined in its initial application for the funding. Rachel Riley reports. (Everett Herald)

Oil Demand Has Collapsed, And It Won't Come Back Any Time Soon
2020 is shaping up to be an extraordinarily bad year for oil. In the spring of 2020, pandemic lockdowns sent oil demand plummeting and markets into a tailspin. At one point, U.S. oil prices even turned negative for the first time in history. But summer brought new optimism to the industry, with hopes rising for a controlled pandemic, a recovering economy and resurgent oil demand. Those hopes are now fading. In a report Tuesday, the influential advisory body called the International Energy Agency revised its forecasts for global oil consumption downward, warning that the market outlook is "even more fragile" than expected and that "the path ahead is treacherous." Camila Domonoske reports. (NPR) See also: Big Oil’s green makeover  Can BP master new disruptive technologies or will it go the way of typewriter makers? Steven Mufson reports. (Washington Post)

How Climate Migration Will Reshape America
Millions will be displaced. Where will they go? Abrahm Lustgarten reports. (NY Times)

$8M loss threatens to temporarily close Science World
Science World has been hit hard by the pandemic losing $8.2-million — 85 per cent of its revenue — since March. It's a loss that is threatening to close the non-profit, hands-on science museum's doors, at least temporarily. The interactive attraction housed in a glittery disco ball-shaped home at the end of False Creek is usually the go-to place for parents and teachers on a rainy spring-break day. Yvette Brend reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  236 AM PDT Wed Sep 16 2020   
TODAY  E wind to 10 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. SW swell 4 ft at 8 seconds. Smoke. Patchy fog  in the afternoon. A slight chance of showers in the morning. A  chance of showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. SW swell 3 ft at 8 seconds. Smoke. A chance  of showers in the evening. A slight chance of showers after  midnight.

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