5/15 Sturgeon poacher, Navy jet noise, marmots, carbon emissions, owl housing

Sturgeon poacher

 

Sturgeon Poacher Agonus acipenserinus
The Sturgeon Poacher can grow up to 12 inches in length. They have a slender, tapering body that is covered with scales that are actually modified bony plates. Found from Northern California to the Bering Sea in Alaska, in shallow waters to depths of about 200’, these fish have very small mouths, that are surrounded by clumps of cirri. These cirri actually contain their taste buds which are used to grovel through the sand and silt bottoms it prefers to inhabit in search of a tasty shrimp or other very small invertebrate. (Scott Boyd)

Today's top story in Salish Current: What tighter fed PFAS mandates mean for local contaminated communities

Navy jet noise could mean long-term health impacts for Whidbey Island
More than 74,000 people on Whidbey Island could face long-term health impacts from the U.S. Navy jet noise that’s blasted over residents several days a week for over a decade, new research shows.  A study  from the University of Washington, published last week in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, reports the noise from the Boeing EA-18G Growlers and their training drills present a “substantial risk” to two-thirds of Island County residents. Elise Takahama reports. (Seattle Times)

Environmentalists seek protections for marmots on Olympic Peninsula
Environmentalists say the species is in trouble, with around 2,000 to 4,000 of the animals believed to be left after a sharp population decline from the 1990s to mid-2000s. With this in mind, the Center for Biological Diversity this week petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to grant the marmots, which can grow to around 32 inches long and weigh up to 20 pounds, new protections under the federal Endangered Species Act. Bill Lucia reports. (Washington State Standard)

The carbon cost of return-to-office mandates
Many companies made headway during the pandemic on promises to go green. But with work commutes required again, emissions are rising. Kate Yoder reports. (Grist/Crosscut)

Climate Change and Housing Adaptation: Owl Edition
After scores of barn owls died in overheated nest boxes, conservationists set out to give the birds less heat-prone homes. Larry Pynn reports. (Hakai Magazine)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Wed May 15 2024    
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 3 to 7 ft at 7 seconds becoming NW 3 to 4 ft at 7 seconds  in the afternoon.  
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. NW swell 4 ft at 10 seconds.

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"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.



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