12/6 Bay pipefish, ship strikes, WA carbon auctions, TMX Asia oil, PSA suit, week in review

Editor's note: Here's where we are in meeting the second match challenge in our fundraising campaign: we've raised from the generous readers of both Salish Current and News and Weather about $5,000 since the Thanksgiving weekend and have another $10,000 to raise during the next two weeks. (The holiday weeks at the end of the month are a great time to put the fundraising aside and celebrate.) So, if you can make a monthly or one-time donation to the $15,000 Salish Current 2xLocalMatch challenge and help meet the challenge, I'll go back to curating your weekday news and slipping back behind the curtain. Thank you! Mike Sato.

Bay Pipefish [Tewey]

Bay Pipefish Syngnathus leptorhynchus
Picture a straightened and very slender version of a seahorse floating upright in the water, and you'll have the Pipefish. The same bright green as eelgrass, this unusual fish has a pencil-slim body and can grow to 13 inches long. Pipefish live among the eelgrass where their color and upright posture give great camouflage as they imitate the swaying grass. Pipefish can even change color from green to brown to match the closest vegetation. (Friends of Skagit Beaches)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Cooperative to resume livestock processing in San Juan Islands

Ship strikes now leading cause of whale deaths, UW study finds
With the near complete end of commercial whaling, ship collisions are now a leading cause of death worldwide for large whale species, according to new research published in Science.  In a first of its kind global analysis, scientists found that shipping overlaps with 92% of whale ranges, and less than 7% of the hot spots with the greatest collision risk had any management strategies in place to reduce strikes. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Washington carbon auctions resume after surviving election challenge
Washington state held its first carbon auction since voters upheld the state’s flagship climate law in November. The results of Wednesday’s auction, with hundreds of millions of dollars changing hands, won’t be revealed for another week. But with the state’s system for capping carbon emissions no longer at risk of being repealed by voters, the price businesses are willing to pay to keep harming the climate is expected to climb. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Crude oil carried to Burnaby by TMX could be shipped to Asia if U.S. tariffs are applied
The government-owned project could become an even more critical relief valve for Canada’s oilpatch if Trump imposes 25 per cent tariffs on imports from the country, raising the cost of the crude for U.S. refiners. The marine terminal at the end of Trans Mountain could help ship as many as 630,000 barrels of oil a day — roughly 16 per cent of Canada’s total oil exports — directly to Asia or elsewhere, avoiding tariffs. Robert Tuttle reports. (Bloomberg)

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance Sues Accurate SM Over Water Pollution
Accurate SM has been sued by a Washington state environmental group for allegedly discharging polluted stormwater from into a tributary of Puget Sound. The plaintiff alleges that the defendant violated the terms of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit by discharging polluted stormwater from its Mukilteo, Washington facility into Big Gulch Creek, a tributary of Puget Sound. The group claims these violations are ongoing. (Bloomberg Law)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 12/6/24: Roy Orbison Friday, salmon good news, catch-and-release, 'dead salmon hat,' Enbridge pipe, rising seas, bird flu, N Dakota pipeline, blue state battles, oil and gas ads, Tokitae, salmon return.

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 weekend tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  308 AM PST Fri Dec 6 2024    
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: SE  3 ft at 4 seconds and W 5 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance of  rain late this morning. Rain likely this afternoon.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 20 kt, veering to SW after midnight.  Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: SE 3 ft at 4 seconds and W 7 ft at  14 seconds. Rain.  
SAT  SW wind 15 to 20 kt, becoming W 20 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 5 seconds and W  7 ft at 13 seconds. Rain.  
SAT NIGHT  SW wind 20 to 25 kt. Seas 6 to 9 ft, building to  9 to 13 ft after midnight. Wave Detail: W 13 ft at 15 seconds.  Rain.  
SUN  W wind 15 to 20 kt, becoming NW 5 to 10 kt in the  afternoon. Seas 9 to 12 ft, subsiding to 7 to 10 ft in the  afternoon. Wave Detail: W 12 ft at 14 seconds. Rain likely in the  morning.

---


"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 msato(at)salishseacom.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