1/29 Rockfish, flood warnings, plastic bags, wildlife center, NOAA shoreline maps, SS Valenica

 

Vermillion rockfish [Chad King/WikiMedia]

Vermilion rockfish Sebastes miniatus
Vermilion rockfish occur from Prince William Sound, Alaska to San Benito Island, Baja California, Mexico but are most commonly found from central California to northern Baja California. They can be found from 12 to 478 meters (39 to 1,568 feet) deep, and mostly live on rocky reefs. They can live up to 60 years and reach maturity at 5 to 6 years old. Spawning occurs December through March. (Marine Species Portal)

Weather service issues flood warning for Whatcom County communities along Nooksack River
Communities along the Nooksack River from the South Fork Valley to the river delta at Lummi Nation are under a flood warning in the face of heavy rain that is expected to continue well into next week. (Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

B.C. River Forecast Centre issues flood warning for Sumas River, tributary of Fraser
British Columbia's River Forecast Centre has issued an upgraded flood warning for the Sumas River, a tributary of the Fraser River east of Vancouver, as the latest round of atmospheric rivers deluge the province's South Coast. (Canadian Press)

Plastic bag bans have already prevented billions of bags from being used, report finds
Over the past several years, U.S. cities and states have passed hundreds of policies restricting the sale and distribution of single-use plastic bags. A new report says these laws have largely succeeded in their goal of reducing plastic bag use. Joseph Winters reports. (Grist)

It’s free to visit this new Pierce County marine life center. They have a red octopus
The Skansie Interpretive Center in Gig Harbor will reopen in February as the Harbor WildWatch Marine Life Center. Harbor WildWatch is a nonprofit that provides environmental education to the community. They have been inside the Skansie Interpretive Center since 2014. Aspen Shumpert reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

NOAA releases high-resolution land cover data to boost coastal climate resilience efforts
The new data is 900 times more detailed than what NOAA previously provided. Local leaders have long wanted such data, which can be “prohibitively expensive,” NOAA’s administrator said. Download on NOAA’s Digital Coast website.  Ysabelle Kempe reports. (Smart Cities Dive)

1906: The SS Valencia hits a reef and 136 people die
The disaster off the west coast of Vancouver Island is the third largest loss of life in a shipwreck in B.C. history. John Mackie writes. (Vancouver Sun)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  210 AM PST Mon Jan 29 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT    
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell  8 ft at 12 seconds building to 11 ft at 12 seconds in the  afternoon. A chance of rain in the morning then a slight chance  of rain in the afternoon.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming S after midnight. Wind  waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 11 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of rain.

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