3/1 Breathing space, BC sea life, WA kelp, catching crabs, lumpsuckers, 'blob,' SSEC2022, Tacoma gas

Breathing Space [Laurie MacBride]

Space to Breathe
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "I love the shift in perspective I get when I’m aboard our boat for an extended period of time – when we unplug from the online world, leave the clamour of human affairs behind, cast off our lines and immerse ourselves in the marine world...."

Through the murk: An underwater cinematographer sheds light on B.C.'s sea life
A Vancouver Island-based cinematographer is trying to raise awareness about the "vibrant and colourful" life in the waters off British Columbia with a new mini documentary that showcases the variety and beauty of the creatures below the water's surface.  John Roney has been spending more time underwater since the pandemic hit and he has been sharing what he finds through videos and pictures on his website. (CBC)

Shrinking WA kelp and eelgrass beds draw legislative attention
One of the building blocks of Puget Sound aquatic life is disappearing from the ecosystem, and scientists have only a fuzzy idea of why it’s happening and what to do about it. What the scientists do know is that they are way behind in finding a solution for shrinking kelp and eelgrass beds and that their work could mean life or death for many other species. John Stang reports. (Crosscut)

Catching Crabs in a Suffocating Sea
When oceans are starved of oxygen, it can be devastating to crabs and the fishers who rely on them. New tools could help crabbers sidestep dead zones. Julia Rosen reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Seattle Aquarium debuts new ‘swimming golf balls’ fish exhibit
Adorably ugly. Funny-looking and awkward. The Seattle Aquarium is not mincing words about a new fish exhibit featuring eight Pacific spiny lumpsuckers. The golf ball-shaped cold-water fish is now on display, for a limited time, in the eelgrass area of the aquarium’s Puget Sound Fish alongside the sailfin sculpin and high cockscomb. Amanda Zhou reports. (seattle Times)

Model of heatwave 'blob' shows unexpected effects in the Salish Sea
The marine heatwave that struck the Pacific Ocean in late 2013 also caused large changes in temperature in the Salish Sea, but scientists are still puzzling over the impacts of those changes on Puget Sound's food web. The so-called "blob" of warmer than average water was thought to have increased the production of plankton, which potentially benefits creatures like herring and salmon that feed on the tiny organisms. A new paper in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science calls that interpretation into question pointing to a computer model that links the cause to higher than normal river flows in the region. Eric Wagner reports. (Salish Sea Currents Magazine)

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference schedule
Check out the program schedule for the three-day virtual conference Apr. 16, 27, 28. Registration deadline April 20.

How a Tacoma gas facility started a fight over climate change, sovereignty and human rights (Pensions, prisoners and Puyallup)
In the Tideflats of Tacoma, Washington, beyond the masts of sailboats anchored in the Puyallup Tribe’s marina, pipelines emerge from the earth and snake their way inland. Their destination — an 8 million-gallon liquefied methane gas tank — was once considered by politicians to be the logical answer to the climate crisis. Now, it’s the center of a local controversy with international implications. Rico Moore reports. (High Country News)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  215 AM PST Tue Mar 1 2022   
TODAY  S wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell  7 ft at 12 seconds. Rain. 
TONIGHT  E wind to 10 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind waves  1 ft or less. SW swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Rain.

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