3/18 Yelloweye rockfish, pesticides harm, Pebble Mine lawsuit, rewilding, Nisqually R, new orcas?, pyrosomes, Powell River, Oso landslide, FortisBC

 

Yelloweye rockfish [AK Fish&Game]

Yelloweye rockfish Sebastes ruberrimus
Yelloweye rockfish are among the longest lived of rockfishes, with maximum age reported to be up to 150 years. This species also is very slow growing and late to mature. Although conservation measures like fishing bans have been put in place in Puget Sound, recovery from threats such as past overfishing and continued bycatch will take many years due to the life history of yelloweye rockfish. The Puget Sound/Georgia Basin distinct population segment (DPS) in Washington State is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Today's top story in Salish Current: Way cleared for repair of Skagit tidegate critical to delta protection

Study shows short pesticide exposure harms fish
Although pesticides can rid your home of cockroaches or farm fields of unwanted insects, they also can harm fish and potentially even people, according to a new study from Oregon State University. At high concentrations, these commonly used pyrethroid pesticides, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin and cyhalothrin, act as a neurotoxin for pests. Courtney Flatt reports (NW Public Radio)

Alaska lawsuit claims feds owe state $700B for quashing mine
A complaint filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims is part of a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn the EPA decision barring development of the controversial mine. Yereth Rosen reports. (Alaska Beacon/Washington State Standard)

Unpaving paradise: Returning industrial spaces to nature on Vancouver Island
What does it take to go from asphalt and buildings to water and plants? Right now on Vancouver Island, there are several projects underway to turn urban or industrial spaces back into natural places or parks. (CBC)

The Thriving Business of Rewilding
Victoria-based Rewilding Water & Earth employs seven and leads hundreds of volunteers restoring wetlands in British Columbia. Elsewhere in the bioregion, firms like Portland’s Mosaic Ecology carry out similar projects. Isaac Phan Nay reports. (The Tyee)

How one river in south Puget Sound tells the story of salmon’s plight
Carving his boat through the the river, Willie Frank III, chairman of the Nisqually Tribe, called out nearby bald eagles over the roar of the motor. “My grandfather Willie Frank Sr. used to say the Nisqually Indians lived in paradise before the white man came,” he said Thursday morning. “We still live in paradise. We’ve just got to protect it, restore it and bring it back to life.” Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

In B.C.'s forests, a debate over watershed science with lives and billions at stake
The harvesting plan on the slopes of Mount Elphinstone has caught the attention of local officials, concerned about a situation that represents a case study on the effects of logging on forest hydrology and flooding, and how such risks are assessed in B.C. Scientists say the stakes in getting it right are huge, with lives and billions of dollars in the balance during climate-related extremes in a province where clear-cutting has been a dominant practice for decades, affecting large swaths of the landscape. Brenna Owen reports. (Canadian Press)

Orcas seen attacking other whales may be new population, according to UBC researchers
After observing a group of killer whales hunting other marine mammals off the coastline in California and Oregon, UBC researchers think that a new population of orcas may exist. Out of the 49 orcas spotted, a small pod was caught facing off against nine sperm whales and made off with one, according to the researchers. After comparing the whales with known photos and descriptions and finding that there were no matching species, the researchers believe that the pod could “belong to a subpopulation of transient killer whales or a unique oceanic population.” Beth Rochester reports. (Daily Hive)

Blobby creatures washed up on West Coast beaches during marine warming, sucking up energy
During recent marine heat waves, millions of gelatinous, pickle-like filter feeders washed up on West Coast beaches. Little has been understood about how the population explosion of the seemingly alien creatures, called pyrosomes, affected life in the Pacific Ocean. But a new study shows the proliferation of the animals might have sucked up precious energy from the food web, likely affecting fish and animals higher up in the food chain. Amanda Zhou reports. (Seattle Times)

Powell River divided over potential name change
Powell River, with a population of over 13,900 about 120 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, has been at the centre of a heated discussion between its city council, the Tla'amin Nation and several residents. Powell River is named for Israel Powell, a B.C. superintendent in the 1800s who supported residential schools. In 2021, the Tla'amin Nation approached the City of Powell River to consider a name change — which MLA Nicholas Simons says has created a deep community divide. Arrthy Thayaparan reports. (CBC)

The art and science of landslide preparedness a decade after Oso
“Revolutionary” mapping gains followed the 2014 Oso, Washington landslide, which claimed 43 lives. But there’s still more work to do predicting hazards. In the aftermath of the Oso landslide, state and federal agencies stepped up efforts to prevent a repeat of such heavy casualties. Since 2015, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources received more than $13 million in phases from the Legislature – and another $5 million from the feds – to collect and analyze remote sensing imagery. Tom Banse reports. (Washington State Standard)

Green Energy or Greenwashing? Inside FortisBC’s ‘Renewable Gas’ Claims
The company banks its future on a type of methane called renewable because it’s from organic waste. Does it meet the climate test? First in a series. Zoë Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  250 AM PDT Mon Mar 18 2024    
TODAY  Light wind becoming E 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W  swell 4 ft at 13 seconds.  
TONIGHT  NE wind to 10 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 12 seconds.

---


"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate



Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told