2/6 Sturgeon, fed fund blockage, protest Trump, freezing and warming, climate vs salmon, BC LNG, lumber tariffs, Cascade aquifer, paddleboarder fined, sailboat aground, first 100 days

 

White sturgeon

White sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus
A survivor from the age of the dinosaurs, White sturgeon can attain lengths in excess of six meters, weights of over 600 kilograms, and can live for over 150 years. The White sturgeon is the largest and longest-lived species of freshwater fish in North America. The ancient fish is at the top of the Fraser River food web, and one of the few year-round resident species of fish in the lower Fraser River. The population of White Sturgeon in the lower Fraser River (downstream of Hell’s Gate) is a fraction of its historic levels. (Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Finding stability: services for the unhoused in Bellingham

Washington leaders offer more detail on federal funding blocked by Trump
The status of more than $50 million in federal grants to Washington’s Department of Ecology remained in doubt late Tuesday, halting projects on water quality, shoreline restoration and toxic site cleanup. Jake Goldstein-Street reports. (Washington State Standard)

Hundreds gather at Washington state Capitol to protest Trump
(Washington State Standard)  ‘We are all Americans’: Bellingham crowd gathers to protest Trump administration actions (Bellingham Herald)

The US is freezing and La Nina usually eases warming. Earth just set another heat record anyway
The world warmed to yet another monthly heat record in January, despite an abnormally chilly United States, a cooling La Nina and predictions of a slightly less hot 2025, according to the European climate service Copernicus. Seth Borenstein reports. (Associated Press)

Climate vs. Salmon
The salmon of the Salish Sea, long revered as keystone species and cultural icons, are facing unprecedented challenges due to climate change. As warming temperatures and erratic weather patterns disrupt the salmon life cycle, the survival of this sacred fish hangs in the balance. Max Thaysen reports. (Watershed Sentinel)

Tariff Threats Add to BC Forest Sector Woes
If U.S. President Donald Trump carries out his threat to introduce tariffs next month, expect even more forest companies to leave the province, forestry experts say. Isaac Phan Nay reports. (The Tyee)

Major B.C. LNG projects won’t have to pay for carbon emissions for 2 years, docs reveal
B.C.’s new industrial carbon pricing system gives big emitters a break on paying for emissions. That includes most new LNG export projects. Shannon Waters reports. (The Narwhal)

Aquifer discovered in the Cascades could be one of the largest in the world
Recent research reveals an aquifer in the Oregon Cascades holds a significant volume of water stored in volcanic rock, about three times the maximum capacity of Lake Mead. Lauren Paterson reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)

Paddleboarder fined $2,500 for getting too close to orcas in Ucluelet
A woman has been ordered to pay a $2,500 fine after she was found guilty of paddling too close to orcas in Ucluelet four years ago. Christie Jamieson, 40, was convicted Tuesday of breaching the federal Fisheries Act after she was filmed paddleboarding near a pod of transient killer whales in Ucluelet Harbour. The federal regulations require a 200-metre buffer.  Roxanne Egan-Elliott reports. (Times Colonist)

One dead after sailboat runs aground in stormy weather
A Canadian man and woman were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after their sailboat ran aground east of Saturna, but the woman was later declared dead. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

The First 100 Days
• DOGE broadens sweep of federal agencies, gains access to health payment systems (Washington Post)
• West Point shuts down clubs for women and students of color in response to Trump's DEI policies (Associated Press)

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-  326 AM PST Thu Feb 6 2025  
TODAY  E wind around 10 kt. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: E  2 ft at 3 seconds, SE 2 ft at 6 seconds and W 2 ft at 14 seconds.  
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: SE  2 ft at 5 seconds and W 2 ft at 13 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 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