8/15 Nazca booby, Big Bar salmon, plankton, steelhead science, SLAPP suits, AK kings, BC farm fish, Cherry Pt report, glass sponge, BIPOC outdoor access, Atlas moth, oil spill, coast drilling

Nazca booby, 7/24 [Matt Stolmeier]

Rare Nazca booby bird sighting near Vancouver Island leaves boat captain, whale watchers amazed
A Duncan, B.C. boat captain says it was the "highlight of her birding career" when she got a glimpse of a rarely-seen South American bird while out on a tour a few weeks ago. Tasli Shaw says she was on a full-day boat trip in the Salish Sea on July 23 when she noticed a bird that looked different from the usual gulls she's seen over her 13-year career, just south of Trial Islands close to Victoria. It's only the third confirmed time the seabird has been seen in B.C. waters. Akshay Kulkarni reports. (CBC)

Higher salmon returns celebrated upstream of 2019 Big Bar rockslide north of Lillooet, B.C.
First Nations are cautiously celebrating upstream of a 2019 landslide that dealt a devastating blow to salmon populations reaching the Upper Fraser River to spawn. This year, preliminary data suggest that more of the fish are finally reaching their spawning grounds upriver, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). As of this week, more than 280,000 salmon have migrated past a monitoring site roughly 40 kilometres upstream of the rockslide. Over 80 per cent of those are sockeye, and the rest are chinook salmon, according to the DFO. David Ball reports. (CBC)

A Fascinating Explosion of Puget Sound Plankton So Big It was Seen from Space
Ross Anderson writes: "A week or so ago, folks in the Port Townsend area found themselves gawking at Discovery Bay, wondering what to make of the strange turquoise color that stretched shore-to-shore. They weren’t the only ones.  NASA scientists were seeing the same thing in satellite photos – a brilliant aqua-hued bay surrounded by the normal deep blues and greens of Puget Sound Country." (Post Alley)

B.C. wildlife federation alleges DFO meddling in steelhead science
B.C.’s commercial fishers are anticipating a lucrative Fraser River sockeye salmon harvest this season, but conservationists fear critically low Interior steelhead trout remain at risk due to a federal decision not to list them as endangered. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

‘Every citizen in British Columbia won’: court dismisses defamation suit against conservationists
On Monday, the B.C. Supreme Court dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by a developer against the Qualicum Nature Preservation Society and its president Ezra Morse, ruling that the case did not have substantial merit. The case was a test of B.C.’s new Protection of Public Participation Act, intended to prevent strategic lawsuits against public participation (often referred to as SLAPP suits), which can be used by companies to silence and out-resource opponents.  While the law has been tested a handful of times, this may be the first time it was used to defend an environmentalist against defamation claims arising from land-use disputes, according to Morse’s counsel, Chris Tollefson. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

Ruling clouds future of southeast Alaska king salmon fishery
A federal court ruling this week has thrown into doubt the future of a valuable commercial king salmon fishery in Southeast Alaska, after a conservation group challenged the government’s approval of the harvest as a threat to protected fish and the endangered killer whales that eat them. The ruling, issued Monday by U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle, said NOAA Fisheries violated the Endangered Species Act and other environmental law when it approved the troll fishery. The ruling means the federal agency will have to consider anew the effects of the fishery on orcas and on protected Puget Sound and Columbia River salmon stocks and whether a plan to offset the harvest by releasing more king salmon from hatcheries is sound. Gene Johnson reports.(Associated Press)

Fisheries minister tight-lipped on timeline for B.C. salmon farm transition
Conservation group worries ‘slippery language’ in discussion document could signal the federal government is walking back commitments to transition salmon farms out of the water in coming years. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Conservationists worry about destruction of B.C.'s rare glass sponge reefs
...These reefs are as fragile as the most delicate crystal, given that they are made of silica, the main component of glass. They can be instantly shattered by things like crab and prawn traps, anchors, fishing line and downriggers. Not only are these sponges rare, scientists say they contribute to the health of the Howe Sound. Susana da Silva reports. (CBC)

Environmental report on Cherry Point Refinery dock begun in 2006 released Friday
An environmental impact statement examining the incremental environmental impacts of the BP Cherry Point Marine Terminal was released Friday, Aug. 12, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The report looks at several alternatives to traffic at the refinery docks and evaluates their environmental impact risks. Risks include the possibility of oil spills and accidents in Puget Sound. Additional considerations of the report included assessing vessel traffic, including the use of extended escorts and the effect of eliminating a path between Cherry Point and Padilla Bay. Zach cortège reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Meet the BIPOC groups working to make the outdoors accessible
The culture of outdoor recreation appeals to communities of color in Washington but for some, it remains too white for comfort.  Chevon Powell is trying to change that. At the annual Refuge Outdoor Festival — a three-day event beginning Aug. 12 in Carnation, Washington — her team centers Black, Indigenous and people of color, or BIPOC, communities in outdoor experiences, including workshops, music and art. Maleeha Syed reports.(Crosscut)

Behemoth moth lands in Bellevue, alarming agriculture officials
One of the world's largest moths showed up in Bellevue, Washington, to the astonishment of the homeowner who found it basking in the sun on the side of his garage — and the alarm of entomologists. How did an Atlas moth, with massive orange wings wider than an outstretched hand and wing tips resembling a pair of cobras, get from Thailand to the Seattle area? John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Coast Guard responds to small oil spill near San Juan Island
The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a diesel spill off the west coast of Washington state’s San Juan Island after a 49-foot (15-meter) fishing vessel sank with an estimated 2,600 gallons (9,854 liters) of fuel on board. The cause of the sinking wasn’t immediately known. The Aleutian Isle reported it was taking on water about 2 p.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said. (Associated Press)

Could oil and gas drilling happen off B.C.’s coast? A new lawsuit aims to prevent it
Conservation groups want to keep resource development out of marine waters that support millions of seabirds and face multiple environmental threats, despite supposedly being protected. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  234 AM PDT Mon Aug 15 2022   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds.

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