2/14 Sevengill shark, BC aquaculture, Boldt 50, BC Land Act, nonpoint pollution, PFAS, suing 'Big Oil'

Broadnose sevengill shark [D. Ross Robertson/CC]

Broadnose sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus
The broadnose sevengill has been found in the western Pacific Ocean off China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the eastern Pacific Ocean off Canada, United States and Chile, and the southern Atlantic Ocean off Argentina and South Africa. It is found in the San Francisco Bay particularly near the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. An opportunistic predator, it preys on a great variety of animals and has been found at a depth of 1,870 feet (570 meters) in offshore waters, (Wikipedia)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Orcas Island’s Rosario Resort sale to close Feb. 29

First Nations group criticizes federal fisheries department
An Indigenous-led group is criticizing what it says is the "gross mismanagement" of aquaculture in British Columbia by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), as it calls for a separation of its regulatory and promotional responsibilities. The First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance says the department is mired in conflict of interest stemming from its dual role, which the group's chairman Bob Chamberlin described as like "marking your own homework." (Canadian Press)

Northwest Treaty Tribes call for 'big fixes' as salmon recovery lags
In accordance with treaties signed throughout the Pacific Northwest in the 1850s, Judge George Boldt ruled the agreements in which these tribes ceded land accorded them rights to 50% of Washington’s fish returns....An important subsequent ruling from District Court Judge William Orrick extended the definition of co-management, said Lummi Business Council Secretary Lisa Wilson, who is the Commission’s vice chair. “It wasn't just the fish; it was actually the habitat that we needed to sustain those fish. He said to dip one's net and come up empty, makes that treaty meaningless,” she said. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

The words ‘in common with’ were pivotal to Judge Boldt’s ruling on Native American fishing rights
Three common words and their legal interpretation a half-century ago helped set the stage for a cultural revival among Native Americans while propelling an environmental movement that still resonates today in Washington state. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Is BC ‘Returning All Traditional Lands’ to First Nations?
Anyone reading about proposed amendments to B.C.’s Land Act might believe there are major changes afoot...The government, the analysis goes, is about to quietly pass control over the vast majority of its land base to the First Nations who stewarded it for millennia. Except it isn’t.  Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Swinomish tribe objects to federal approval of pollution plan
This week, Environmental Protection Agency Region 10, which includes Washington state, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave their approval of the state Department of Ecology’s Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program...Swinomish Chairman Steve Edwards said in the statement that the tribe takes issue with the program’s lack of focus on how to combat warm water temperatures, or what is known as temperature pollution. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

PFAS in Washington’s well water could make you sick
‘Forever chemicals’ linked to ailments from high cholesterol to cancer are in our clearest aquifers — but steep costs pose cleanup challenges. Andrew Engelson reports. (Crosscut)

Saanich weighs whether to sue 'Big Oil' to pay for climate bill
Staff at the District of Saanich have become the first in Canada to propose an aggressive solution to close the fiscal gap and balance the district's budget: sue the world's largest oil and gas companies. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  250 AM PST Wed Feb 14 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT  
TODAY  E wind 20 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 3 ft  at 11 seconds.  
TONIGHT  NE wind 20 to 30 kt becoming 25 to 30 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 3 ft at 12 seconds  building to 5 ft at 15 seconds after midnight. A chance of rain  after midnight.

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