10/18 Anemone, sewer plant, salmon kill, salmon for orcas, sea star extinction, hatchery lawsuit,sea otters, sunken boats, Orca Recovery Day. Oly Green Faith, Spirit Bears

Ritter's brooding anemone [Mary Jo Adams]

 
Ritter's brooding anemone Epiactis ritteri
This low intertidal species is found in rocky areas with open coast conditions.  Column color is red/brown and sometimes having indistinct white lines around the pedal disk.    Sand or shell debris may adhere to small tubercles on the stalk.   When closed up, the appearance of this species is rather squat as it is shorter than it is wide.  When the tentacle crown is open, white radiating lines are present but do not come close to the oral opening. Maximum diameter of the oral disk is about 1.6 inches (4 cm.).  This species has also known under the scientific name of Cnidopus ritteri.  Another common name is the sandy anemone. (Sound Water Stewards/ Mary Jo Adams)

Metro Vancouver terminates contract of 'abandoned' North Shore wastewater treatment plant
Metro Vancouver is terminating its contract with the builder of a billion-dollar sewage treatment plant in North Vancouver after it missed key construction milestones and has appeared to have “abandoned” the project. Metro Vancouver said it provided a letter to Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP on Friday giving notice of its intent to terminate the contract for them to build the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant which is already two-and-a-half-years behind schedule. Cheryl Chan reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: North Shore wastewater treatment plant contractor claims Metro Vancouver owes it $100m  (Vancouver Sun)

Heat-loving bacteria kills thousands of Washington salmon
An estimated 2,500 Chinook salmon died before they could reach their spawning grounds in Whatcom County in September. Lummi Nation officials say a triple whammy of warm water, low flows, and bacteria killed 80% or more of Chinooks returning to the South Fork Nooksack River. Drone photos show their bleached-white carcasses – the latest victims of the Northwest’s summer of deadly heat – littering the bottom of the river. Tribes and state officials have been working for years to bring the South Fork Chinook population back from the brink of extinction. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Researchers make surprising discovery while tracking Chinook salmon in Salish Sea, B.C. 
Researchers made a surprising discovery while tracking Chinook salmon in both the foraging areas of endangered southern resident orcas and the growing, healthy population of the northern resident orcas in B.C. In a study published last week in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, the researchers stated they expected to find the robust population of northern residents fat with fish, and the southern residents stuck with lean pickings. Instead, the team found four to six times the density of big Chinook in the area they tested in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, part of the southern residents’ core foraging area, compared with the area they sampled in the northern residents’ territory, in the Johnstone Strait. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

B.C. ocean researchers push to help understand, restore all but extinct sunflower sea stars
A Vancouver-based conservation organization is pushing for continued study and more resources to help restore a species of sea stars following a mass die off and cascading consequences for other marine life. A study released this week from Ocean Wise says that the decimation of sunflower sea stars, which began in 2013, has resulted in barren underwater landscapes in places like Howe Sound as the disappearance of the marine animals has thrown ecosystems out of whack. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

Lawsuit claims hatcheries harm wild fish, orcas
The latest lawsuit over fish in the state claims hatchery-raised salmon and steelhead may impact already-diminished wild populations and the orca whales that eat them.  In the lawsuit filed this week in King County Superior Court, the nonprofits Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler argue that the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has in recent years not adhered to State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) regulations when making decisions about hatcheries. Kimberly Cauvel reports. The nonprofits are asking that Fish and Wildlife be ordered to halt any changes underway at its hatcheries that were based on decisions the state agency has made since 2018, and that Fish and Wildlife be required to review those recent decisions. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Sea otters' seemingly destructive digging is making eelgrass more resilient: study
Scientists in B.C. have shown how the seemingly harmful actions of one marine species are actually benefiting another. By digging holes in eelgrass beds, sea otters have helped the long ribbon-like plant become more genetically diverse, according to a new study published this week in the journal Science. The research was undertaken by University of Victoria graduate student Erin Foster and other B.C. scientists. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

Eight sunken boats lifted from area around Oak Bay Marina
Five sunken boats and big pieces of three others were pulled from the depths around Oak Bay Marina over the weekend — drawing cheers from crowds on the docks and shore as some of the wreckage emerged. The three-day job by divers and crews aboard two barges with cranes picked all of the sunken vessels in the large bay, according to the Dead Boats Society. An underwater survey by Oak Bay Marina had earlier identified the wrecks. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

On Orca Recovery Day, students help document small but important fish in food chain
Holding up a jar filled with water and sand, students looked at roughly 400 tiny, white eggs floating inside — surf smelt at the very early stages of their lives. The small fish, a kind of forage fish found in the shallow waters of Puget Sound, are an importance food source for many species, including salmon. Salmon, in turn, are the favorite food of Southern Resident orcas. Several middle-school students in the Salish Sea School, which offers outdoor-based programs for youths, learned on Saturday the importance of forage fish in the marine food chain, and assisted with a forage fish egg survey on Fidalgo Bay. Jacqueline Allison reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Groups host Orca Recovery Day to connect people with Harper Estuary  Peiyu Lin reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Olympia Green Faith to call for climate action at Oct. 18 event
The Olympia arm of Green Faith, an international, multi-faith grassroots organization, will call for climate action at an event at Fertile Ground on Oct. 18. The event, called Faiths for Climate Action, will run from 5 to 6 p.m. at the corner of Adams St. and 9th Ave. The scheduled activities are an introduction to the Green Faith movement and the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference, a song, an interfaith prayer, and a tree prayer inspired by a Siberian indigenous tradition. Julia Ornedo reports. (JOLT)

Spirit Bears Have a Special Power When Hunting
A UVic scientist has discovered the advantage their white fur gives them for catching dinner. Marina Wang reports. (The Tyee)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PDT Mon Oct 18 2021   
TODAY  SW wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 12 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SW wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt after  mid

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told