1/18 Black brandt, orca decline, spot prawn 'tubbing,' derelict boat removal, BC polluted land

Black brandt [eBird]

Black brandt Branta nigricans
Along our interior coastlines and into the Salish Sea, black brandt assemble in small flocks from Edmond's sandy beaches northward up into the embays of Pt. Susan, Skagit, Samish  Bellingham  and beyond.  Here they graze on eelgrass beds and along the surf line sometimes keeping close company with shorebirds like sanderlings and western sandpipers that race back and forth at the upper edge of the water line to feed on a variety of small animals including mollusks, crustaceans, worms and crane flies. (Tony Angell)

"No shortage of questions to be answered" for region's shrinking orca population
While scientists, wildlife managers and others continue to untangle the complex web of fish, boat and water quality issues that affect the health of Southern Resident orca whales, the population remains endangered — and continues to shrink. The National Marine Fisheries Service published a five-year review of the species on Jan. 4 in which it recommended the orca’s status under the federal Endangered Species Act remain unchanged. The species uses West Coast and Salish Sea habitat and eats the region’s salmon. Despite billions of dollars spent and dozens of studies authored since the Southern Resident orca was listed as endangered in 2005, there are now 15 fewer whales than there were in 2005. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

B.C. fishers celebrate DFO announcement allowing spot prawn 'tubbing' to continue
B.C. prawn fishers are celebrating a change of heart by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that will allow the practice of "tubbing" — freezing spot prawns in tubs of ocean water while at sea — to continue with minimal change. The announcement Monday by Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray is an about face from an announcement less than a year ago when DFO served notice it was making tubbing illegal. Karin Larsen reports. (CBC)

‘Dead’ derelict boats pulled from Goose Spit K’omoks First Nation harbour
Sunken yachts, skiffs and boats decomposing underwater are being pulled from the K’omoks harbour. The Dead Boat Disposal Society, an organization that removes sunken ships from the sea, will be removing 18 individual boats in the waters off Goose Spit. They work with Salish Sea Industrial Services, Esquimalt First Nations and Songhees First Nation along with other organizations and the provincial government to remove the boats. Justin Waddel reports. (Commox Valley Now)

It Pays to Pollute In BC
British Columbia’s property assessment for industrial areas is meant to give property owners a clear understanding of the value of their land. But there’s a serious loophole for companies looking to pay less property tax, according to experts. The loophole goes something like this: pollution decreases a property’s overall value, so corporations who wrap up a mine, creosote plant or even a neighbourhood gas station are incentivized to delay cleanup and remediation, as they pay less property taxes on the polluted land. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  208 AM PST Tue Jan 18 2022   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft  at 11 seconds. A chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  SW wind to 10 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of  showers in the evening then a slight chance of showers after  midnight.

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