1/24 Kildeer, Howe Sound fishing ban, Risso's dolphins, fin whale, ghosts traps, firefighting gear toxins, methane bubbles, BC oil gas cleanup, B'ham news

Kildeer [All About Birds/Brad Imhoff]

Kildeer Charadrius vociferus
Often seen in dry, flat landscapes, running and halting on the ground in search of insects and earthworms. Although the Killdeer is common around human habitation it is often shy, at first running away rather than flying. When a Killdeer stops to look at an intruder, it has a habit of bobbing up and down almost as if it had hiccupped. Near the nest, Killdeer distract predators by calling loudly, bobbing, and running away. Killdeer are some of the best-known practitioners of the broken-wing display, an attempt to lure predators away from a nest by feigning injury. Pairs of Killdeer tend to stay together for one to a few years. [All About Birds]

Fisheries Department bans bottom fishing in Howe Sound near glass sponge reefs
The federal government has now protected all identified sections of prehistoric and living glass-sponge reefs in Howe Sound. As of this week, trawling for shrimp and setting prawn and crab traps is banned in five sections of Howe Sound by commercial or recreational fishers. This comes two years after nine other reef sites in the sound were protected. Fishing for groundfish and rockfish in the area with hook and line atop and near the reefs is also banned. David Carrigg reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Rare marine mammals sighted in Salish Sea
The Salish Sea has been alive with rare cetaceans lately. Risso’s dolphins were sighted Friday near Nanaimo in the Strait of Georgia, and last week a fin whale was spotted foraging for food near a popular beach in North Seattle. The Risso’s dolphins were first seen Thursday morning in the waters off Campbell River and again later in the afternoon near Nanoose. Almost a dozen of the dolphins were observed to be travelling south in Strait of Georgia near Nanaimo Friday morning. Scott Weston reports. (CTV) See also:‘Mystery whale’ spotted in Washington’s Puget Sound is one of the world’s longest  The Pacific Whale Watch Association said Jan. 20 a fin whale, one of the longest species of whales on the planet, was sighted in Puget Sound.Maddie Capron reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Debris from fishing, oyster farms endangers BC sea life
Abandoned oyster and other aquaculture farms of the west coast of Vancouver Island are death traps to salmon, herring, marine mammals and myriad sea life — and nobody really knows how many are out there. Darron Kloster reports. (Times-Colonist)

Firefighters hope Washington bill will help remove toxic chemicals from protective gear
Firefighters already are diagnosed with certain cancers at a higher rate than the rest of the population, according to a study from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. A new bill [HB 1694] in the Washington Legislature could help speed the process for state regulators to restrict toxic chemicals in firefighting gear. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Scientists look for answers in methane bubbles rising from bottom of Puget Sound
In 2011, sonar operators aboard the ocean-going Research Vessel Thomas G. Thompson inadvertently recorded a surprising natural phenomenon, as the 274-foot ship traversed through Puget Sound while returning to port at the University of Washington...The initial discovery of the methane plumes, by Susan Merle of Oregon State University, would lead to further discoveries of methane bubbles throughout most of Puget Sound. The findings have raised many interesting questions while providing implications related to the Puget Sound food web, studies of earthquake faults and even worldwide climate-change research. Johnson, Merle and other collaborators just published their first report on Puget Sound’s methane bubbles in the journal “Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.” Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

BC Oil and Gas Cleanup ‘Going in Wrong Direction’
The public will be the big losers after coming changes to British Columbia’s regulation of oil and gas industry contaminated sites, say critics. tarting next week, the industry will no longer have to meet contaminated site cleanup requirements set by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, says Donna Forsyth, a retired legislative advisor who worked for the B.C. Environment Ministry from 2006 to 2020. Instead, industry cleanup rules will be written and enforced by the BC Oil and Gas Commission, a Crown corporation which is wholly funded by industry and was created to promote energy resource development. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

Bellingham to be a two-newspaper town again — in a brave, new information world
A new digital and print publication launching this month will make Bellingham a two-newspaper town once again. The publication launches into an information environment much different from the last time the town had two papers, and observers look forward to the prospect of seeing more local news on government, agriculture and other topics. Matt Benoit reports. (Salish Current)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  226 AM PST Mon Jan 24 2022   
TODAY  E wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 15 seconds. Patchy fog  in the morning. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 14 seconds.

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