12/8 Banana slug, SRKW rights, BC endangered species, Lummi traditional foods, AK crab collapse, murder kittens, injured humpback, long-lost BC gold

Banana Slug [Slater Museum]

Banana Slug Ariolimax columbianus
The largest slug in North America (up to 20 cm, rarely more), perhaps the second largest slug in the world, Banana Slugs are a special feature of our region. They are restricted to the wet Pacific Northwest coastal lowlands, from British Columbia to central California. A smaller, paler subspecies occurs locally in southern California. (Slater Museum)

Port Townsend recognizes legal rights of southern resident orcas
A growing legal movement seeks to recognize the rights of nature. Activists in the Northwest are celebrating a first here: the city of Port Townsend, Washington, this week recognized the inherent rights of southern resident orcas. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

‘High profile’ endangered species to receive new protections in B.C. nature agreement: internal docs
With plants and animals rapidly disappearing, B.C. and the feds are close to a new agreement to protect nature. But some environmentalists question just how strong protections will be. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

One WA tribe tests waters for locally sourced, traditional foods
The Lummi Nation in northwest Washington is part of a push to give Native Americans more control over food assistance program. Lizz Giordano reports. (InvestigateWest)

Bering Sea crab collapse spurs push for stronger conservation measures
...[The] North Pacific Fishery Management Council this week will consider what protective measures should go into a plan to help rebuild snow crab populations, and a request to exclude more fleets this winter from a swath of the Bering Sea — known as the “savings zone” — where king crab mate. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Murder kittens: outdoor cats take heavy toll on wildlife
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the domesticated cat as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species. Biologists have estimated that free-roaming cats kill 1 billion to 4 billion birds and 6 billion to 22 billion small mammals a year in the contiguous United States, more than any other cause of mortality. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Humpback swims from B.C. to Hawaii despite severe injury
The entire back of the mature female known as Moon — from dorsal fin to fluke — is curved into an unnatural “S” shape. The injured whale travelled from B.C. to Hawaii using just her pectoral fins. Darron Kloster and Alanna Kelly report. (Times Colonist)

Long-lost B.C. gold up for grabs after sunken ship discovered in Salish Sea
Around $10 million worth of gold carried by miners on board the ill-fated Pacific could be salvaged from the wreck. David Carrigg reports. (Vancouver Sun)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PST Thu Dec 8 2022   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  W wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 3 ft  at 12 seconds building to 8 ft at 12 seconds in the afternoon.  Rain likely in the morning then a chance of showers and a slight  chance of tstms in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 11 ft at 13 seconds. Rain  in the evening then rain likely after midnight.

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