10/21 J46 pregnant?, fish farm disease, Stanley Park, Skagit mining, spill response base, cow methane

J46 [Brittany Philbin/PNW OPS Photography]

 
Photos show pregnant southern resident orca J46 in Puget Sound
More great news for the southern resident orcas, a J-pod member is pregnant, according to recent reports from a Puget Sound whale watcher who captured photos of the whale on Sunday. Brittany Philbin, a West Seattle resident, said the southern residents started swimming in the area around Friday, and observed the pod make their way to Point Robinson off of Vashon Island on Sunday, where she spotted J46. Ken Balcomb with the Center for Whale Research told Q13 News on Tuesday he could not officially confirm the orca was pregnant, but says based on recent photos and reliable observers, the whale looks "very pregnant." "I cannot confirm from our CWR observations, but there are several reliable observers who took photographs of a whale that looked very pregnant, and one of our trained ID specialists agrees that the photos are of J46. The photos that I have seen are off-angle and I trust our ID specialists and the original observers that reported to Orcanetwork are correct," said Balcomb. (KCPQ)

New study suggests fish farms raise risk of exposure to infectious disease for wild B.C. salmon
A new study suggests that the presence of active fish farms in B.C. waters can more than double the chance of finding genetic material from pathogens that cause disease in wild salmon. In research conducted over three years, scientists discovered that the likelihood of finding DNA from viruses, bacteria and other microscopic organisms that infect salmon was 2.72 times higher near active aquaculture operations. "This suggests that the management of salmon farms and the conservation of wild salmon are absolutely not distinct issues," said the lead author on the new paper, University of Toronto PhD candidate Dylan Shea. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

Vancouver’s Stanley Park aquatic life on ‘red alert’: ecology report
Stanley Park’s tree cover is growing, but aquatic life in Beaver Lake isn’t doing very well at all, according to a new report on the park’s ecological health. The report by the Stanley Park Ecology Society found that the park has 1,031 native species that include 239 birds, 27 mammals and two reptiles. The biggest group are invertebrates and zooplankton at 325. “Water temperatures are high in Beaver Lake and Lost Lagoon and oxygen levels are exceptionally low in Beaver Lake to the point they are reaching lethal levels for salmonids and amphibians,” the report summary says. “Without proper intervention, the situation is expected to worsen.” Kevin Griffin reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Residents push back against mining proposals
Proposals to mine rock from three sites in Skagit County have neighbors of the sites on edge.  As of this week, Skagit County Hearing Examiner Wick Dufford is reviewing a mine proposal for an area south of Anacortes and the state Department of Natural Resources has decided to extend a comment period for a mine proposal near Marblemount.  A third proposal, for mining in an area northwest of Sedro-Woolley, is under review by Skagit County Planning and Development Services. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Sc'ianew First Nation signs deal on spill response base
 The organization tasked with cleaning up oil spills around Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia and Metro Vancouver’s coastline has signed a deal with the Sc’ianew First Nation to build a response base in its East Sooke territory. Western Canada Marine Response, which has undertaken a $150 million spill-response ­program to establish a network of response bases and procure as many as 48 new vessels in ­preparation for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, will establish a marine base at Cheanuh Marina and a warehouse nearby. Andrew Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)

Belching Cows and Endless Feedlots: Fixing Cattle’s Climate Issues
The United States i home to 95 million cattle, and changing what they eat could have a significant effect on emissions of greenhouse gases like methane that are warming the world. Henry Fountain reports. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  520 AM PDT Wed Oct 21 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING   
TODAY  NW wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft at 6 seconds. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming E 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 8 seconds  subsiding to 5 ft at 9 seconds after midnight.

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