6/9 Moth, salmon restriction, Electon dam, Salish Sea, TM pipe, ancient gardens, habitat protection whale hearing

Bilobed looper moth [Wikipedia]

Bilobed looper moth Megalographa biloba
Bilobed looper moth is a medium-sized (FW length 16 - 18 mm) brown moth that has been collected at widely disparate localities throughout the Northwest during most of the year. Based on a limited number of records, it appears that this species is found in the Willamette Valley and Puget Sound of western Oregon and Washington, respectively and separately in the eastern part of the Northwest in British Columbia and southern Idaho. This species is migratory and is often encountered in open disturbed, agricultural, or urban habitats.  In the Pacific Northwest, it is probably not a permanent resident, but migrates northward in late summer. It has been found most commonly in large urban areas in the western part of the Northwest. (PNW Moths)

Feds could restrict West Coast salmon fishing to help orcas
Federal officials are proposing to curtail nontribal salmon fishing along the West Coast in especially bad years to help the Northwest’s endangered killer whales. NOAA Fisheries is taking public comment on the plan, which calls for restricting commercial and recreational salmon fishing when Chinook salmon forecasts are especially low...If NOAA Fisheries adopts the plan as recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, it would be one of the first times a federal agency has restricted hunting or fishing one species to benefit a predator that relies on it. (Associated Press)

Dam operator fined $501,000 for polluting Puyallup River with artificial turf, crumb rubber
The Washington Department of Ecology has fined Electron Hydro, LLC, $501,000 for discharging discarded plastic field turf into the Puyallup River last summer. Pieces of the artificial turf were found up to 21 miles downstream. Deposits of ground-up tire rubber – used as padding for the turf — are believed to have cascaded to the river’s mouth and into Commencement Bay in Tacoma, 41 miles downstream, Ecology said in a news release issued Tuesday. The turf and its crumb rubber material are toxic when ingested by fish and other aquatic life. The Puyallup is home to many protected endangered species: steelhead, bull trout and Chinook, a critical food source for endangered southern resident orcas. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

The Salish Sea: An imperiled wonder of the Northwest
The Salish Sea stretches almost 400 miles from the southern end of Puget Sound near Olympia, to the northern boundary of the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia. It's easy to take for granted, and a new study suggests we do so at our peril. Dr. Kathryn Sobocinski is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Western Washington University. She's the lead author of a new study looking at the current health of the Salish Sea. Kim Malcomb and Andy Hurst report. (KUOW)

Indigenous group seeks full ownership of Trans Mountain Pipeline
Project Reconciliation, a Canadian Indigenous group seeking a stake in the Trans Mountain oil pipeline, is now aiming for a path to full ownership, the group’s new chairman said...Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has said it will sell its ownership once the expansion is completed and derisked, and is open to Indigenous participation. Robert Tuttle reports. (Bloomberg News)

Ancient Gardens Persist in British Columbia’s Forests
Indigenous-managed landscapes retain higher biodiversity than surrounding areas a century after the people who kept them were displaced. Jessa Gamble reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Hunters join forces with conservationists to call on B.C. to protect fish and wildlife habitat
As B.C. faces a biodiversity crisis, a new coalition of unlikely allies is calling on the provincial government to live up to its promises and protect ‘Beautiful British Columbia.’ Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

A U.S.-Funded Study Of Whales' Hearing Is Going Ahead Despite Concerns For The Whales
An international team of scientists is preparing to trap a dozen baleen whales off the coast of Norway and conduct hearing tests on them to gauge their sensitivity to human-made sounds such as sonar. Researchers have tested the auditory faculties of smaller animals in captivity, but this would be the first time scientists have ever captured live whales in the wild to assess their hearing...The study has already generated a wave of pushback from some scientists and environmentalists who believe it puts the whales at unnecessary risk. Joe Hernandez reports.(NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  214 AM PDT Wed Jun 9 2021   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of  rain in the evening then a slight chance of rain after midnight.

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