1/31 Black rockfish, rising temps, salmon research, Salish Sea ship traffic, carbon costs, Guemes Is beach, fossil fuel bans, biochar, Nooksack flood

Black rockfish [Steve Lonhart WikiCommons]

Black rockfish Sebastes melanops
The black rockfish, also known variously as the black seaperch, black bass, black rock cod, sea bass, black snapper and Pacific Ocean perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is sometimes misidentified as the "red snapper". (Wikipedia)

Rising temperatures take toll on coastal waters
Warmer summers, heat domes and marine heat waves are transforming B.C.’s coastal waters, and the consequences may well be far-reaching and long-lasting, a series of recent studies suggest. Over the past decade, 90 per cent of ­sunflower sea stars have disappeared from B.C. waters. The near-extinction of the colourful, many-armed ­seafloor-dwelling predator has removed checks on the region’s sea urchin populations, which inhabit rocky reefs and ­voraciously eat kelp. Monique Keiran reports. (Times-Colonist)

International research team to probe salmon mysteries in North Pacific
An international team of more than 60 scientists on four vessels is headed out on rough winter seas to investigate West Coast and Alaska salmon in the North Pacific. The Shimada, a flagship research vessel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will depart Port Angeles Tuesday to join the expedition with ships from Canada and Russia. The scientists will search for salmon as they probe mysteries that have long bedeviled scientists seeking to better understand the Pacific salmon that support cultures, communities and ecosystems across western North America. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Anticipated Salish Sea vessel traffic increases spark calls for more environmental protections
Fossil fuel and terminal expansion projects up and down the Salish Sea are estimated to boost annual shipping vessel traffic by at least 25% in the near future, and the projected increase has raised concerns about increased risk to the environment. Clifford Heberden reports. (Salish Current)

Canada’s biggest emitters are paying the lowest price on carbon
Oil and gas producers pay among the lowest average carbon costs of any sector – and it’s threatening Canada’s climate targets. Yannic Rack reports. (The Narwhal)

Keep walking, or keep off? Guemes beach-walking pushes question of private property versus public access
Disagreement between those who hold to a long-established practice on Guemes Island of public access to walking across privately owned tidelands and a property owner's opposition to what he sees as trespassing has evolved into a lawsuit. The underlying issue of public access to privately owned tidelands has been decided for other Pacific Coast states and for Washington state's oceanfront beaches, but not yet for beaches that surround the Salish Sea. Lauren Gallup reports. (Salish Current)

Bans on fossil fuel heating in new homes gain steam as world aims for net-zero emissions
Vancouver and Quebec recently banned certain kinds of fossil fuel-based heating in new home construction. Similar — and, in some cases more extensive — bans are happening around the world, from Norway to New York City. The goal? To cut CO2 emissions from buildings by replacing fossil fuel burning with electric heating. But are such bans necessary? And what impact will they have on people who live in those cities? Here's a closer look. Emily Chung reports. (CBC)

This new climate change solution could be tested on Whatcom, Skagit farms
The Whatcom-based organization Kulshan Carbon Trust is launching a pilot program in the coming months to experiment with a type of charcoal called biochar. When this substance is spread on the land, it has been shown to suck planet-warming greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere while boosting crop yield and tree growth. Ysabelle Kempe reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Atmospheric Rivers Spur Debates on Flood Management in Washington State
After a series of storms dumped unprecedented amounts of rainfall on the northwestern corner of Washington last November, small communities in the Nooksack Valley were left severely flooded and asking questions about how to prevent flood damage in the future. But finding a solution to flooding isn’t easy. The region is home to a diversity of stakeholders, including Indigenous tribes, community leaders, gravel-extracting firms, and agricultural landowners, whose interests, such as protecting fish habitat, commercial business, and private property, often come into direct conflict with flood prevention measures. Emily Denny reports. (Columbia Climate School)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PST Mon Jan 31 2022   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  W wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 11 ft at 10 seconds  subsiding to 9 ft at 10 seconds in the afternoon. A chance of  rain in the morning then a slight chance of rain in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 10 ft at 10 seconds.

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