4/9 Comb jellies, baby orca, NOAA cuts, AI whale watch, Trump's coal, Yakima drought, WA schools DEI, enviro justice funding, Summit Carbon Solutions, first 100 days

 

Comb jellies [Pat McMahon]

Comb jellies Ctenophores
Comb jellies are small animals with bodies made of a gelatinous material but are are not jellyfish. Instead of pulsing their bodies to move they use small cilia paddles that line the sides of their bodies to move. Comb jellies living near the surface are mostly colorless almost transparent. They have an important role in the ecosystem of the Salish Sea acting as both predator and prey contributing to the marine food chain. They will eat the larval stages of zooplankton, the adults of small zooplankton and larval fish. Some have large mouths and will prey on other comb jellies. (Courtesy Pat McMahon)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Bellingham adds 66 acres to Samish Crest green space / Cultural resources require nurturing, not eliminating

Another baby orca spotted with Northwest's endangered J Pod
A Center for Whale Research crew spotted the baby, still ruddy from the womb, from a boat near Victoria, British Columbia, on Sunday. It is the fourth calf born to the southern resident orcas since December. Two of the four have died already. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

NOAA Staffing Cuts Threaten Years of Salmon Harvests
In Washington, where salmon is a multibillion dollar industry, government staff terminations and budget freezes may put salmon production at risk. Austyn Gaffney reports. (NY Times)

Research and whale watching enhanced with artificial intelligence to identify individual orcas
Thanks to artificial intelligence, amateur whale watchers can now submit photos of orcas to a website that “predicts” each whale’s identification. The system — something like facial recognition technology used to identify people — is designed to get faster and more accurate over time. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Trump signs orders targeting revival of ‘beautiful, clean coal’
President Donald Trump signed four executive orders Tuesday aiming to invigorate the U.S. coal industry. In wide-ranging comments in front of a phalanx of coal miners at the White House, Trump said the orders would revitalize an industry pushed to the brink by Democratic policies that encourage renewable energy. Jacob Fischler reports. (News From The States)

Ecology declares third year of drought for Yakima Basin
The drought declaration, which began in 2023, covers the Upper Yakima, Lower Yakima and Naches watersheds. Kittitas and Yakima counties and part of Benton County are part of the drought emergency. Questen Inghram reports. (Yakima Herald-Republic)
 
WA schools superintendent resists Trump’s DEI order
Washington’s state school superintendent will not sign the Trump administration’s order to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices in public schools, arguing that the state has already agreed to follow requirements spelled out in federal law. Claire Bryan reports. (Seattle Times)

EPA withholds $85 million meant to fund environmental justice projects in Oregon
Ten Oregon projects are among more than 470 across the country stuck in limbo, with recipients denied access to millions in funding. Alex Baumhardt reports. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

A pipeline company filed hundreds of lawsuits against landowners. Now its project is threatened
Summit Carbon Solutions, the company behind a massive proposed carbon pipeline, sued farmers through eminent domain legal actions in South Dakota to obtain land for the nearly $9 billion pipeline spanning five Midwest states. Eric Ferkenhoff and Josh Kelty report. (Lee Enterprise/Associated Press)

The First 100 Days

• The IRS finalizes a deal to share tax information with immigration authorities (NPR)
  
• NOAA contracts are being reviewed one by one. It's throwing the agency into chaos (NPR)
  
• Trump administration opens more public land to drilling, mining (NY Times)
  
• ‘Just a Mess’: Staff Cuts, Rushed Changes and Anxiety at Social Security (NY Times)
  

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  230 AM PDT Wed Apr 9 2025    
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft  at 10 seconds.  
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 10 kt, becoming SE 10 to 15 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: SE 2 ft at 3 seconds and W  3 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 msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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