12/9 Red octopus, failed aquaculture, Vancouver gas, OR kelp forests, extinction, Anacortes glacier

 

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Red octopus [Pat McMahon]

Red octopus
Of the two octopuses found in the Salish Sea the Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) is thought to be the most abundant but it is not commonly seen due to it's small size and cryptic nature. It grows to a maximum length of 20” and is mostly found in the inter-tidal and shallow sub-tidal zones. They have a lifespan of about two years. Sometimes the Red Octopus will move to deeper water in Puget Sound where they can be caught during the Washington State Spot Prawn season. This is one of several that were caught and released in 300' of water in Port Susan in 2024. (Courtesy Pat McMahon)

Today's top stories in Salish Current:  Natural gas restrictions restrained, but the battle continues / Everybody’s watching their wallet: a look at the GOP economic plan / Election reaction explodes on social media

The Destructive Legacy of Failed Aquaculture
Removing abandoned infrastructure is challenging, time-consuming, and costly. Aquaculture is big business in Canada. In 2023, open-net-pen salmon farming in British Columbia alone produced 50,000 tonnes of fish worth just over US $350-million. But on June 30, 2029, the federal government’s long-looming ban on open-net-pen salmon farming is set to take effect. On that day, 63 operations will be forced to shut down. Larry Pynn reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Did Trans Mountain actually make gasoline cheaper in Canada’s most expensive city?
Prices are still high at Vancouver’s pumps — but an economist who predicted price relief believes they’d be worse without the pipeline. Carl Meyer reports. (The Narwhal)

New report shows how Oregon’s kelp forests have dwindled
A new report spells out exactly how much Oregon’s kelp forests have dwindled over the past decade or so — and the picture is bleak. According to a status report released by the Oregon Kelp Alliance in November, nearly 900 acres of bull kelp forest has essentially disappeared off the Oregon Coast since 2010. Only around one-third of Oregon’s kelp forests remain — important oases facing ongoing threats and stressors in a changing ocean. Katie Frankowicz reports. (KMUN)

How many species could go extinct from climate change? It depends on how hot it gets.
To consider how climate change could cause some extinctions, imagine a tiny mountain bird that eats the berries of a particular mountain tree. That tree can only grow at a specific elevation around the mountain, where it's evolved over millennia to thrive in that microclimate. As global temperatures rise, both the tree and the bird will be forced to rise too, tracking their microclimate as it moves uphill. But they can only go so far.  Scientists call this mountain phenomenon the "escalator to extinction." Jonathan Lambert reports. (NPR)

Nick on the Rocks: How an ancient glacier carved coastal Anacortes
About 15,000 years ago, Washington was covered by a massive sheet of ice. As it melted, it helped shape the state into the landscapes we know today. Adam Brown reports. (CascadePBS)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  230 AM PST Mon Dec 9 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL UNTIL NOON PST TODAY    
TODAY  E wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: W 10 ft  at 14 seconds subsiding to W 6 ft at 12 seconds.  
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 10 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt after  midnight. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: E 4 ft at 4 seconds and W  4 ft at 12 seconds.

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