1/5 River otter, refinery towns, BC farm freeze, GasLink work, crab season, Chine MPAs, Biden's climate ills

 

River otters [Nancy Feltman]

River Otter
Was that a sea otter or a river otter you just saw swimming offshore? People often think they see sea otters foraging on our beaches, swimming by, or playing in a boat at the marina. Sea otters are actually rarely spotted near Port Townsend, but river otters are thriving local residents. Sea otters have been documented near Protection Island and by Point Wilson, but most spotting in the Strait of Juan de Fuca occurs closer to Port Angeles.  Nancy Feltham writes and photographs. (Rainshadow Journal)

With Oil Unreliable, Refinery Communities Deserve a Transition Plan
The long-term stability of Washington’s five oil refineries is in doubt. But that doesn’t mean the workers and local communities who support this industry have to share its fate. Just a few hours south, the town of Centralia offers a model of a successful economic transition as a community untangles from its dependency on a few dominant fossil fuel employers. If local leaders start planning now, communities like Anacortes and Ferndale could not merely avoid the economic hardship typical when a major employer leaves town, but plan ahead to shape the kind of healthy, vibrant, and prosperous future they deserve. Zane Gustafson writes. (Sightline)

Challenges mount as B.C. farmers face aftermath of floods, cold weather
Flood-damaged facilities may see worse effects from the freeze, says B.C. Agriculture Council president. Jon Azpiri reports. (CBC)

Pipeline work resumes after blockades in northern B.C., Coastal GasLink says
Opponents of the pipeline will continue to protect the land and the water 'at all costs,' says leader. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC)

Off Washington state’s coast, crabbers get early start to season, haul in bounty of Dungeness crab
Some 60 vessels in Washington’s oceangoing crab fleet worked through a stormy December to bring in more than 4.69 million pounds of Dungeness in a strong start to the annual harvest. For fishers, processors and retailers, this is a welcome change from the past six years when the season hasn’t started until Dec. 31 or later due to the lack of meat in the crabs or the presence of domoic acid, a marine biotoxin. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

China’s Surprisingly Robust System of Marine Protection
China, as the world’s largest producer and consumer of seafood, is well known for its voracious international fishing fleet. But a comprehensive understanding of the country’s efforts on marine protection, at least in its domestic waters, has remained elusive—even to many experts within China. Now, an international group of researchers has compiled the first database of marine conservation efforts in the country, and it is more extensive than many expected. Brian Owens reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Biden ‘Over-Promised and Under-Delivered’ on Climate. Now, Trouble Looms in 2022
As the new year opens, President Biden faces an increasingly narrow path to fulfill his ambitious goal of slashing the greenhouse gases generated by the United States that are helping to warm the planet to dangerous levels. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  138 AM PST Wed Jan 5 2022   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming E 20 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Rain  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 5 ft  at 10 seconds subsiding to 3 ft at 9 seconds after midnight.  Rain.

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