10/26 Copper rockfish, burning ship, ESA, BC climate plan, EcoLab penalty, whale chat, state forest lands, bug seeding, Steven Guilbeault

 

Copper rockfish [Biodiversity of the Central Coast]

Copper rockfish Sebastes caurinus
Copper Rockfish range from the northern Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California. They can be found from the subtidal zone down to 183 m (600 ft). Identifying a fish as either a Copper, Brown, or Quillback rockfish can be difficult, especially in Puget Sound where these three species are known to hybridize. One way to separate Coppers from the other two species is to look for the bandings coming from the eye, these will be absent in the other two species. The distinct clear band over the lateral line can also help, but cannot be relied upon in the case of hybrids. (WDFW)

As container ship smoulders off B.C. coast, environmental concerns remain
While a fire on a container ship near Victoria, B.C., continues, some observers are expressing concerns about potential environmental impacts. The Canadian Coast Guard said Monday there are still pockets of flame on the deck of the MV Zim Kingston and some containers may have internal fires. Meanwhile, stormy weather is causing some problems for the clean-up efforts. (CBC)

Wildlife agencies to cancel Trump endangered species rules
President Joe Biden’s administration announced Tuesday that it will cancel two environmental rollbacks under former President Donald Trump that limited habitat protections for imperiled plants and wildlife. The proposal to drop the two Trump-era rules by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service is part of a broad effort by the Biden administration to undo rules imposed under Trump that favored industry over the environment. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

Critics Aren’t Buying BC’s New Climate Plan
The B.C. government says a new climate plan will let it meet the legislated target for greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2030. But critics say it won’t work because the plan allows the oil and gas sector to continue to grow. Measures include increasing the carbon tax, pushing the adoption of zero-emission vehicles and public transit and reducing industrial methane emissions. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)

Tacoma company must pay $214K for environmental violations, fire that hospitalized worker
Water and hygiene company EcoLab must pay about $214,000 in penalties for violating federal hazardous waste and pesticide laws that resulted in a fire at its facility on the Tacoma Tideflats in 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency announced. The penalties are part of a settlement between EcoLab and the EPA where the company agreed to address the violations and pay penalties for the March 2019 fire that produced significant levels of hydrogen phosphide gas, prompting an evacuation of its facility. Peter Talbot reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Are We on the Verge of Chatting with Whales?
An ambitious project is attempting to interpret sperm whale clicks with artificial intelligence, then talk back to them. Christoph Droesser reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Conservation groups want Washington forests managed ‘for all the people’
Conservation groups want the Washington Department of Natural Resources to change how it manages state trust lands. At a State Supreme Court hearing [last Thursday], an attorney for the conservation groups argued state trust lands should benefit all Washington residents but it doesn’t. The groups said the state should log fewer trees to generate revenue for public school construction. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Can 'bug seeding' improve the health of local creeks?
Bug seeding involves moving beneficial insects and other aquatic invertebrates from healthy streams to streams where these creatures are missing from the food web. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Guilbeault to become Canada's next environment minister as Trudeau unveils new cabinet
Long-time environmental activist Steven Guilbeault will be Canada's next minister of the environment and climate change, CBC News has confirmed. Liberal sources told CBC News that Guilbeault, who has worked with groups such as Equiterre and Greenpeace, will be moved to the crucial portfolio from his previous post as heritage minister. David Cochrane and Nick Boisvert report. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  256 AM PDT Tue Oct 26 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming S 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 11 ft at 13 seconds.  Rain in the morning then showers and a slight chance of tstms in  the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  9 ft at 11 seconds. Showers and a slight chance of tstms.

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