12/2 Jicama, Canadian aquaculture, highway traffic, Jordan Cove LNG, plastic waste, banks, 'living'robots

Jicama

Jicama
Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama, Mexican yam bean, or Mexican turnip, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. Jícama is a species in the genus Pachyrhizus in the bean family. Wikipedia

Most Canadian aquaculture fisheries meet new U.S. standard for wildlife protection
Most Canadian aquaculture operations have been exempted from a new U.S. rule requiring that seafood imports prove they do not harm whales, seals and other marine mammals. However, most of Canada's wild-capture fisheries will have to demonstrate they meet the new American standards. Starting in 2023, all seafood entering the United States that hasn't been granted an exemption will have to demonstrate it is harvested with protections equivalent to those used in American fisheries — a so-called comparability finding now required under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. Paul Withers reports. (CBC)

Highway traffic has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, but transit still way down
You're not imagining things if driving in Pacific Northwest traffic feels as busy these days as it was before the pandemic. Traffic data from the Oregon and Washington transportation departments show highway volumes are nearly back to 2019 levels. Traffic monitored around the clock at 32 locations statewide by WSDOT during November 2021 was down four percent on average from the comparable period in 2019. Automatic traffic recorders at 38 locations across Oregon showed similar trends, with some places getting fully back to “normal” in some weeks as of this summer. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Jordan Cove developers abandon plans for pipeline, Coos Bay LNG terminal
The developers that had hoped to build the Pacific Connector Pipeline and Jordan Cove Energy Project have told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission they do not intend to move forward with the project. Carisa Cegavske reports. (The News-Review/Oregon Live)

U.S. is top contributor to plastic waste, report shows
Scientists reveal the U.S. role in the “deluge” of plastic littering the world’s oceans in a congressionally mandated report. Tik Root reports. (Washington Post)

Britain Enlists Banks to Fight Climate Change
The financial industry will be relied on to meet climate goals. NatWest, a lender to oil giants, provides a template. Advocates descended on the streets of Glasgow last month, pressing banks and other financial institutions at 26th United Nations climate summit to be more responsible stewards of the climate. But a bank based just 50 miles east of the Scottish city is already showing what that might look like. She Nelson reports. (NY Times)

Living robots made in a lab have found a new way to self-replicate, researchers say
Scientists say they’ve witnessed a never-before-seen type of replication in organic robots created in the lab using frog cells. Among other things, the findings could have implications for regenerative medicine. The discovery involves a xenobot – a simple, "programmable" organism that is created by assembling stem cells in a Petri dish — and is described by a team of researchers from Tufts University, Harvard University and the University of Vermont in a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scott Neuman reports. (NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  232 AM PST Thu Dec 2 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  NW wind 15 to 20 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 11 ft at 13 seconds. 
TONIGHT  N wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 13 seconds.

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