12/4 Gig Harbor, tire dust, salmon funds, BC energy, razor clamming, BC coal

 
Gig Harbor
Gig Harbor, a town on the southeastern shore of Kitsap Peninsula, derived its name form a small harbor named by Wilkes because it "has sufficient depth of water for small vessels." A gig, commonly captain's gig, is a boat used on naval ships as the captain's taxi. (Washington State Place Names/Wikipedia)

Tire dust killing coho salmon returning to Puget Sound, new research shows
...In a breakthrough paper published in the Dec. 3 issue of Science, a team of researchers revealed the culprit behind the deaths of coho in an estimated 40% of the Puget Sound area — a killer so lethal it takes out 40 to 90% of returning coho to some urban streams before they spawn. It is a killer hidden in plain sight. Tires. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Funding arrives for salmon habitat projects
Two local salmon habitat projects are getting a boost in funding as part of a $918,700 grant package announced Thursday. The region’s endangered Southern Resident orca whales are the focus of the grants offered through the Killer Whale Research and Conservation Program overseen by the National Fish and Wildlife Federation. The grants support research and restoration to address the three major issues orcas face: too few salmon, too much boat traffic noise and polluted water. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

B.C. is Canada’s leader in energy efficiency. But it still has a long way to go
Province’s innovative building code and commitment to electric vehicles earned it points, while Site C dam and lack of Indigenous programs cost it. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Economy, traditions suffer as toxic algae shuts down clamming on Washington coast
....Razor clamming has been off limits on Washington’s coast for more than a month. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife abruptly closed the season in October, after health officials found unsafe levels of domoic acid in the clams. And last week, they closed recreational crabbing on the central coast after tests showed the crabs had ingested high levels of the acid as well. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

BC’s Coal Mining Has Failed to Deliver, Finds Report
Costs exceed benefits say experts who tallied jobs, dollars and habitat destruction. Andrew Nikiforuk writes. (The Tyee)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PST Fri Dec 4 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  10 ft at 15 seconds building to 12 ft at 14 seconds in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  8 ft at 13 seconds subsiding to 6 ft at 13 seconds after  midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance  of rain in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell  8 ft at 12 seconds. 
SUN  S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. SW swell 9 ft at  11 seconds.

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