11/13 Pinto abalone, tire makers sued, Brothes Cr fish kill, Oalkland Bay oyster farm, Site C dam grizzlies, AK Willow oil drilling, mushrooms, cuttlefish dreams

 Pinto Abalone [Taylor Frierson]

Pinto Abalone Haliotis kamtschatkana
Pinto abalone are herbivorous marine snails with one shell and a strong, muscular “foot” that is used to move as well as to grip tightly onto hard surfaces. Pinto abalone range from Southeast Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. Pinto abalone live in kelp beds along well-exposed coasts. They occur from the low intertidal zone to 40 meters (120 feet) depth. The typical depth range varies by location (shallower depths in the northern part of the range and deeper depths in the southern part of the range). Pinto abalone can reach a maximum length of about 6.5 inches, and live at least 15 to 20 years. They have separate sexes and are broadcast spawners, likely spawning in April to July. Pinto abalone are listed as endangered by British Columbia and Washington state. (NOAA)

Commercial fishing groups sue 13 US tire makers over rubber preservative that's deadly to salmon
The 13 largest U.S. tire manufacturers are facing a lawsuit from a pair of California commercial fishing organizations that could force the companies to stop using a chemical added to almost every tire because it kills migrating salmon. Also found in footwear, synthetic turf and playground equipment, the rubber preservative 6PPD has been used in tires for 60 years. As tires wear, tiny particles of rubber are left behind on roads and parking lots, breaking down into a byproduct, 6PPD-quinone, that is deadly to salmon, steelhead trout and other aquatic wildlife when rains wash it into rivers.  Ed Komenda reports. (Associated Press)

Stream watchers fear chemical found in tires killed salmon in West Vancouver creek
Stream watchers in Metro Vancouver say they were shocked to find more than 40 dead coho salmon along the banks of a creek on the North Shore. The West Vancouver Streamkeeper Society said there are concerns the dead fish found near Brothers Creek were caused by urban runoff, specifically a compound found in tires. (CBC)

A proposed 50-acre oyster farm causes concern for neighbors
Mark and Christin Herinckx had only been living in their home on Oakland Bay for a year before they learned about the proposal by Taylor Shellfish: a 50-acre oyster farm, the size of several aircraft carriers, in the middle of the bay right behind their new house...Tom Gorman, the division manager for aquatic resources at DNR, told McClatchy that Taylor Shellfish initially submitted an application for the lease in 2021... In May, Oakland Bay residents, with the help of the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, submitted their own application for rights to the aquatic area to DNR, proposing that the area of the bay being considered by Taylor Shellfish be used for research and conservation purposes instead. Shauna Sowersby reports. (Olympian)

BC Hydro scrambles to tranquilize and remove bears hibernating in Site C dam flood zone before waters rise
While construction of the megadam has been underway for more than eight years, B.C.’s public utility appears to be engaged in last-minute efforts to find grizzlies and black bears and relocate them to artificial dens — a plan one biologist says is ‘potentially deadly’ for the creatures. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Federal judge dismisses lawsuits seeking to halt Alaska’s Willow oil drilling project
The decision, which allows construction to continue, has multibillion-dollar potential for Alaska’s economy and portends global climate impacts. James Brooks reports. (Alaska Beacon/Washington State Standard)

After last year’s drought, a banner season for mushrooms
After one of the poorest seasons in recent memory for mushrooms last fall — the product of a drought that lasted from summer into the early autumn — foragers were waiting with trepidation for signs of a similarly poor crop this fall. They needn’t have worried. The rains came and a wide array of mushrooms in large numbers burst from the ground. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

Cuttlefish and Their Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoats
Cuttlefish change colors to hide, hunt, and communicate—and, these scientists think, when they dream. Olivia Ferrari reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  225 AM PST Mon Nov 13 2023    
TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW to 10 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less in the  afternoon. W swell 8 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers in the  morning.  
TONIGHT  S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 7 ft

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  225 AM PST Mon Nov 13 2023    
TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW to 10 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less in the  afternoon. W swell 8 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers in the  morning. TONIGHT  S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 7 ft  at 13 seconds. A slight chance of showers after midnight.

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