8/3 Butter clam, K-21, Siberia thaw, BC groundwater, fish traps, BC name change, Commencement Bay fishing

Butter clam [Dave Cowles]

Butter clam Saxidomus gigantea
This species burrows moderately deep (to 35 cm), as suggested by the deep pallial sinus.  It has been extensively commercially harvested, especially for clam chowder.  Predators include the seastars Pycnopodia helianthoides and Evasterias troschelii, the moon snail Euspira lewisii, Dungeness crabs Metacarcinus magister, and sea otters.  The species is especially vulnerable to carrying paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), which accumulates especially in the dark tips of the siphons, so great caution should be used before eating them. Ranges from Aleutian Islands and SE Bering Sea, Alaska to San Francisco Bay, CA (rarely seen S of Humboldt Bay).

Southern resident orca near Washington state presumed dead
An orca is presumed dead after being found in distress last week in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a body of water that separates Washington state from Canada, officials said. The cause of death for the southern resident orca pod’s oldest male, known as Cappuccino or K21, is still undetermined, but could include starvation, a chronic disease such as cancer, or both, according to Paul Cottrell of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans Marine Mammal Unit. (Associated Press)

Scientists expected thawing wetlands in Siberia’s permafrost. What they found is ‘much more dangerous.’
More distressing news from the north: A heat wave in northern Siberia during the summer of 2020 increased atmospheric methane, most likely from fossil fuel previously locked up in reservoirs below and within the permafrost, according to researchers. Steven Mufson reports. (Washington Post)

BC’s Faltering Effort to Manage Water Use Brings a Looming Crisis
Thousands of groundwater users could be cut off in March as they fail to apply for water licences. Critics blame government inaction. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)

The Ingenious Ancient Technology Concealed in the Shallows
Fish traps have a long history around the world, and a vast network in a Vancouver Island estuary reveals generations of ecological wisdom. Brian Payton writes. (Hakai Magazine)

Should British Columbia change its name? As we reckon with history, some say it's time
There's been a national reckoning on place names and the people they're named after — and some say that conversation should include looking at the name of British Columbia, which is derived, in part, from Christopher Columbus. (CBC)

See all those boats on Commencement Bay the last few days? Here’s why they were there 
A flotilla of small boats on Commencement Bay is a sure sign that salmon fishing has opened.On Monday morning, anglers were out in force off the shores of Tacoma pursuing chinook and chum salmon, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. It happens about the same time every year. Angelica Relente reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  227 AM PDT Tue Aug 3 2021   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 4 ft at 7 seconds. Haze in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after midnight. W  swell 2 ft at 11 seconds. Haze in the evening.

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