10/29 Red-breasted merganser, bear dens, yelloweye rockfish, big jelly, Whatcom comp plan, shrunken glaciers, Jimenez out, humpback killed,Tumlber RidgeLines, Robinson in, democracy watch.

 

Red-breasted Merganser 

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
The Red-breasted Merganser is a shaggy-headed diving duck also known as the "sawbill"; named for its thin bill with tiny serrations on it that it uses to keep hold of slippery fish. It breeds in the boreal forest on freshwater and saltwater wetlands. Red-breasted Mergansers need to eat 15 to 20 fish per day, which researchers suggest means they need to dive underwater 250–300 times per day or forage for 4–5 hours to meet their energy needs.  (All About Birds)

Today's top story in Salish Current:  Agroforestry practices spread in NW Washington 

On Haida Gwaii, logging took the trees that bears called home. Now, the Haida Nation is building them new dens 
The Haida Nation is crafting artificial dens from stumps to shelter coastal black bears for the upcoming winter, while hoping the effort doesn’t become an excuse for clear-cutting to continue unchecked. onal Gupta reports. (The Narwhal) 

Oregon yelloweye rockfish fishery to reopen after 25-year closure 
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, yelloweye rockfish was declared overfished in 2002, leading to the closure of commercial fishing for the species. A recent assessment found the population has since rebuilt enough to allow limited commercial harvest beginning in 2027. (National Fisherman) 

Heaviest jellyfish on Earth filmed on night dive in Pacific Ocean
Back in 2024, an underwater videographer shared enchanting footage of a lion’s mane jellyfish captured during a night dive in the Salish Sea – a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean between British Columbia in Canada and Washington State in the United States. The creature was so gigantic that it took him over a minute to find it after first spotting its trailing tentacles. Melissa Hobson reports. (Discover Wildlife) 

Environmental groups take Whatcom County to court over comp plan
Two local environmental nonprofits, RE Sources and Whatcom Environmental Council, have joined Futurewise, a planning nonprofit, to appeal Whatcom County’s comprehensive plan to a state hearings board, saying it falls short of state requirements around climate change.  Julia Tillman reports. (CDN) 

More than a third of western states’ glacial cover has been lost since 1950s as planet warms
Six western states, including Oregon, have lost more than one-third of their glacial cover since 1950 and more than 300 glaciers in those states have disappeared entirely as the earth has rapidly warmed, a first-of-its-kind inventory and analysis confirms. Their latest study, recently published in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences, looks at size and volume data from 1,331 Western glaciers, not all federally recognized. It compares that data to historical USGS glacial mapping data recorded between 1950 and 1980. Alex Baumhardt reports. (Washington State Standard) 

Nicolas Jimenez out as B.C. Ferries CEO, review launched
CEO Nicolas Jimenez is no longer the CEO of B.C. Ferries, with the company saying its board initiated a "leadership transition" and "revitalization review." Karin Larsen reports. (CBC) 

Humpback whale found dead was struck by B.C. Ferries vessel: DFO
Ferry passengers felt a collision with a whale on Oct. 18 while travelling on the Queen of Surrey between Langdale Terminal on the Sunshine Coast and Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. Alanna Kelly reports. (CBC) 

Every Paper in One BC Region Closed. Reporters Refused to Give Up
When Tumbler Ridge’s only newspaper closed a decade ago, Trent Ernst started his own publication, Tumbler RidgeLines. He’s among a small community of local news reporters who remain in northeast BC. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee) 

Sean Robinson takes helm as editor of Washington State Standard
Born in Washington, Robinson started his career in suburban weekly newspapers before moving to the Tacoma News Tribune, where he spent 20 years as an award-winning investigative reporter before shifting to an editing role. (Washington State Standard) 

Democracy Watch

• WA’s election chief says federal noncitizen voting list includes citizens (Washington State Standard) 
• National Guard and DOJ expected around Washington's 2026 midterm election (KUOW) 
• Peltola's campaign involved in effort to recruit second Dan Sullivan for Alaska Senate race (AP) 

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Here's your tug weather— 

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  142 PM PDT Wed Oct 28 2026    

THU  SE wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: E 2 ft  at 3 seconds and W 4 ft at 10 seconds. Rain. THU NIGHT  E wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: E  3 ft at 4 seconds and W 3 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of rain.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato.  To subscribe? Questions? Email msato(at)salish-current.org. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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