12/9 Pacific yew, ghost river fish farms, lost containers, BC biodiversity, Coldwater R logjam, Adventuress, Puget Sound wastewater, crab season

Pacific Yew [Slater Museum]

Pacific Yew Taxus brevifolia
Yews are well known in history for the use of their wood in making longbows all around the world, and this species was not only prized by Northwest native people but is still used for that purpose by present-day archers. The supple heartwood can be compressed and return back to its original shape, and the strong sapwood protects the heartwood from breaking. (Slater Museum)

Tacoutche Tesse, the Northwest’s great ghost river — Part 3: Saving wild salmon versus the net pen industry
Scores of open-water farms raising nonnative salmon along British Columbia's west coast straits and channels are facing new challenges from wild-salmon advocates who say the farms endanger Fraser River native fish runs. Eric Scigliano writes. (Salish Current)  Help support not-for-profit community-based local news stories like this with a donation.  Thank you!

From urinal mats to unicorns, cargo from major container spill is still washing up on B.C. shores
When Jill Laviolette started picking debris off Cape Palmerston beach on Vancouver Island following the container spill from the MV Zim Kingston freighter, the inflatable dinosaur and unicorn toys she pulled from the sand looked nearly pristine. More than a year later, consumer goods from some of the ship's 109 lost containers still wash up on British Columbia shores, the inflatable toys now torn to pieces by the elements to be picked up alongside vacuum cleaner parts, bike helmets, coolers and urinal mats. Ashley Joannou reports. (The Canadian Press)

B.C. vows to reverse ‘short-term thinking’ with pledge to protect 30% of province by 2030
Advocates say Premier David Eby’s conservation mandate is an ‘important step’ in the fight against biodiversity loss in B.C., which is home to nearly 700 globally imperiled species. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Thousands of salmon return to spawning grounds after channel dug around Coldwater River logjam
One year after the floods of November 2021 left coho salmon stranded behind a logjam in the Coldwater River, recovery efforts have cleared the way for 2,000 of the fish to swim upstream to their spawning grounds. The Coldwater, one of B.C.'s most important salmon rivers, was blocked when the floods threw logs and sediment across the waterway, barring access to over 10 kilometres of important habitat. Eva Uguen-Csenge reports. (CBC)

Adventuress hauls out to new heights
One of Washington’s most historic maritime vessels is returning to its full glory. The Adventuress was hauled out on Monday, Dec. 5 for its biennial check-up from the Coast Guard, and while she’s out of the water for the winter, her topmasts will at long last be restored. Derek Firenze reports. (Port Townsend Leader)

Puget Sound wastewater plants may need billions to meet state mandates
An effort to protect Puget Sound's marine life has ignited a debate over a new environmental mandate that wastewater treatment plants say will cost billions and lacks clear science to back it up. The Washington State Department of Ecology issued a permit, effective in January 2022, that requires municipal wastewater treatment plants that discharge into the Sound — there are 58 of them — to reduce the amount of certain nutrients in their discharge.  Caitlin Devitt reports. (The Bond Buyer)

West Coast commercial Dungeness crab season delayed again
The West Coast commercial fishing season for Dungeness crab is being delayed through the rest of the month. That means holiday menus will be planned without the popular Northwest seafood. Testing in Oregon has determined that crabs in some areas don’t have enough meat. Those tests are continuing to detect elevated levels of the naturally occurring toxin domoic acid, which can make the crabs unsafe to eat. California and Washington are also delaying their Dungeness seasons until at least Dec. 31. (OPB)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 12/9/22: Llama Friday, orca buffer, WA carbon rules, marine transport malaise, ocean acid, SRKW rights, AK crab collapse, murder kittens, Puget Sound wastewater, no crab

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Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  250 AM PST Fri Dec 9 2022   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY 
STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON PST TODAY THROUGH LATE  TONIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 30 to 40 kt in the  afternoon. W swell 9 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance of rain in  the morning then rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 30 to 40 kt easing to 25 to 35 kt after  midnight. Combined seas 6 to 9 ft with a dominant period of  12 seconds. Rain. 
SAT  E wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 3 to 5 ft subsiding to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. SW  swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. Rain. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming S 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 13 seconds. 
SUN  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft  at 13 seconds.

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