12/10 Red-legged frog, BC wind power, Carlisle Indian School, 'Chevron doctrine,' caviar pizzas, bad news deer

 

Editor's Note: There's a lot of stress in some of our lives so take a minute to read Don Monfort's story about burning rubber on the new I-5 (link below) and consider that today's gift from the Salish Current to you, the reader of News and Weather. One part of the equation is quality stories that can be read without paywall, the other part is community writers bringing those stories to readers. Please support community-based journalism with a donation to the 2xLocalMatch challenge today. Thank you! Mike Sato.

Red-legged frog [Julia Kirby]

Northern red-legged frog Rana aurora
The Northern red-legged frog is active for most of the year from late February through October, with breeding occurring in late winter through early spring. These frogs are most commonly found in and around fish-free bodies of fresh, still water, especially those in more open areas exposed to sunlight. (Save The Frogs)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Our private freeway: Burning rubber on the new I-5

B.C. announces 9 new wind projects to power equivalent of 500,000 homes
That number is roughly equivalent to the power projected to be generated by the Site C dam, which recently started feeding power into B.C.'s electrical grid at a construction cost of $16 billion. Majority of projects are in Interior and north and will add about 8% to power supply, government says. (Canadian Press)

Honoring the children: Biden proclaims new national monument at Carlisle
President Joe Biden announced the creation of a new national monument on the site of the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School to honor the tens of thousands of students who attended boarding schools...Deb Parker, a citizen of the Tulalip Tribes and executive director of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Project, known as NABS, who attended the summit, said the monument will honor the survivors as well as those children who died at the school and never made it home. Mary Annette Pember and Jourdan Bennett-Begaye report. (Indian Country Today)

Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies
The overturning of the ‘Chevron doctrine’ may affect everything from fishing rules to transgender rights under Trump. Tim Henderson reports. (Stateline)

Caviar Pizzas, New Money, and the Death of an Ancient Fish
Fancy fish eggs have become the latest luxury good to go viral on social media, raising questions about the future of sturgeon. Paul Greenberg reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Deer may be cute but their growing population is bad news for B.C. forests, birds. Here's why.
Much-loved deer are more plentiful in B.C. than in the 1800s. Trouble is they're devouring forest plants once central to Indigenous food supply. Birds suffer, too. There are solutions.  Douglas Todd writes. (Vancouver Sun)

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-  255 AM PST Tue Dec 10 2024    
TODAY  E wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: W 2 ft  at 10 seconds and W 5 ft at 16 seconds.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: E  4 ft at 4 seconds and W 5 ft at 15 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


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

 

Editor's note: Thank you for reading News and Weather. It's a perfect outlet for me as an environmental news junkie to curate and provide headlines and links to edited news stories. I do the same on a wider range of news items in the Friday edition of the Salish Current newsletter and you can check that out by taking a minute to scroll down last Friday's edition. Salish Current, like News and Weather, is open-access, no paywall but needs community support to pay its freelance reporters and keep its pages open. That's my ask for your recurring or one-time donation to the 2xLocalMatch challenge. Thank you. Mike Sato.

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)

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-  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.

---


"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


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


 

12/5 Pacific wren, Navy spill, oil and gas ads, wildfires, Tokitae documentary, Vancouver Is salmon return, marmot births

 Editor's note: Highlighted below as the top story in Salish Current is a report on San Juan County's year-long experiment with a 32-hour work week. It's a story informing readers of the Current but also one of interest to the wider Salish Sea readership of News and Weather. It's not every day that a "local" story has a regional interest but sometimes it does and I think that it's worth the monthly or one-time donation News and Weather readers can make to support freelancers writing in a nonprofit publication like the Current. Give Nancy's story a read and if you agree, p;ease make a donation to the 2xLocalMatch campaign today. Thank you. Mike Sato.

Pacific Wren [Mason Maron]

Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus
Pacific Wrens are tiny brown wrens with a song much larger than themselves. One researcher deemed them a “pinnacle of song complexity.” This tinkling, bubbly songster is more often heard than seen within the dark understory of old-growth evergreen forests where they live. When Pacific Wrens sing they hold their tail upright and their entire body shakes with sound. They move like mice through the forest understory, hopping along logs and upturned roots. (All About Birds)

Today's top story in Salish Current: San Juan County sees benefits from shortened work week

Navy well drilling project near Keyport causes sewage spill into Liberty Bay
This story has been updated: The Kitsap Public Heath District updated its advisories at 3:20 p.m. on December 3. The area of the no-contact and shellfish harvesting advisories has been reduced to the southern portion of Liberty Bay and the Keyport shoreline. A Navy environmental project to drill two wells near the Keyport base has resulted in a large volume of sewage spill that initially affected all of Liberty Bay, Keyport, and some water near the west shoreline of Bainbridge Island. Peiyu Lin reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Drilling into oil and gas ads — how accurate are they?
You may have noticed a lot of oil and gas advertising recently, mainly driven by the Government of Alberta and Cenovus Energy. These ads point to dire consequences if the oil and gas industry is disrupted. Cenovus's ads imply, for example, that without a strong oil and gas industry, Canadians will get less for their dollar. But how accurate are these claims? cole Mortillaro reports. (CBC)

How a new era of weather is challenging the idea that some wildfires shouldn't be put out
Putting out every fire is a recipe for long-term disaster. But increasingly extreme weather can turn even remote blazes into dangerous infernos. Tyler Olsen reports. (Fraser Valley Current)

Documentary follows effort to free Tokitae, the famous orca held in captivity for 53 years
A new documentary film tells the story of a captured orca named Tokitae that died in 2023 amid efforts to free her from more than 50 years of captivity, and it’s being shown this week at the Whistler Film Festival in the British Columbia resort.“Resident Orca” follows the plight of Tokitae, a qwe ‘lhol mechen, as orcas are known to the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) people who consider them as ancestors going back to the beginning of time. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Vancouver Island salmon return 'one of the best in 20 years'
Climate change could undermine this year's good return and impact future salmon generations, expert says. Olivier Laurin reports. (Coast Mountain News)

Baby boom! Vancouver Island marmots break records for 2024
A baby boom has taken over Mount Washington as the critically engaged species, the Vancouver Island Marmot, welcomed over 100 newly born pups. As its name suggests the Vancouver Island marmot is found only on Vancouver Island, mainly on Mount Washington and in the Strathcona Park area. 20 years ago the species faced near extinction, with only 38 marmots left remaining in the wild. Lauryn Mackenzie reports. (CHLY.FM)

New rules for whale watching
Beginning Jan 1, 2025, boaters in Washington state will be required to stay 1000 yards away from Southern Residents. The distance is based on best available science showing the harmful impact of noise and disturbance on the ability of Southern Residents to find and catch their prey. On Dec. 10, The Whale Trail hosts a program featuring Capt. Alan Myers, WDFW Enforcement, speaking about new distance regulations and researchers Mark Sears and Maya Sears discussing their fieldwork and recent encounters with the orcas, including a rare superpod in October. Halls of Fauntleroy, 9131 Fauntleroy Way SW, 7 p.m. Tickets.

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-  301 AM PST Thu Dec 5 2024    
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 5 ft  at 13 seconds. A chance of rain.  TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 5 ft  at 13 seconds. A chance of rain after midnight.

---


"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


12/4 Threespine stickleback, battery energy storage, enviro rules rollbacks, WA hiring freeze, Clallam tree sales, orca breath, health equity initiative, whale watch rules

Editor's note: Thank you for your "Giving Tuesday" donations. News and Weather readers and Salish Current readers took us $1400 closer to meeting our second $15,000 2xLocalMatch challenge. December is a short workday month with the holidays and we'd love to wrap up this fundraiser knowing the Current can move into 2025 funded and ready to do its reporting. Please make a donation of what you can afford. Every dollar will be doubled. Thank you. Mike Sato.

Threespine stickleback

Threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
The threespine stickleback fish are in marine, brackish and coastal freshwater habitats of the northern hemisphere. They are found in boreal and temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and in marine waters and lowland freshwater habitats in the Atlantic and Pacific basins.In the Pacific Ocean, threespine sticklebacks are found from Baja California, Mexico northward along the coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, and then along the coast of mainland Asia and Japan to the southwest coast of Korea. Marine and freshwater populations are found in Japan, but the limit of marine populations in Asia is unclear. (Animal Diversity Web)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Bioregionalism, poetry and the democracy of the mind

Skagit County hearing examiner to consider permit for battery energy storage facility
A public hearing will be held Dec. 20 on whether to grant a special-use permit for a battery energy storage facility on McFarland Road west of Burlington. NextEra Energy wants to build the facility on about 22 acres of land zoned for heavy industrial use. The two parcels are owned by Sierra Pacific Industries and are near a Puget Sound Energy substation. Racquel Muncy reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Blue states prepare for battle over Trump’s environmental rollbacks
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to slash federal climate, clean air and clean water regulations during his second term — an agenda that could target rules governing everything from auto emissions to power plant pollution to drinking water standards. Trump has said that Lee Zeldin, his nominee to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses.” Attorneys general expect a long 4 years in the courtroom. Alex Brown reports. (Stateline)

WA Gov. Inslee orders hiring and travel freeze for state agencies
With the state facing a multi-billion dollar budget gap, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered state agencies to freeze “most non-discretionary and non-essential” hiring, service contracts, purchasing and travel. Inslee’s directive, issued late Monday, contains exceptions such as positions that “directly impact public safety,” contracts tied to tax collection or revenue generation, and travel required for people to carry out core job duties. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Washington State Standard)

Tree sale is approved for auction
The state Board of Natural Resources has approved another Clallam County timber sale, despite advocates’ request that Unit 3 of the sale be preserved from harvest. The sale in question, “Dungeness and Dragons,” has 69 harvestable acres, 39 acres preserved due to conservation policies and leave tree strategies, and 139 acres of newly found, permanently preserved old growth. Unit 3 contains 20 of the harvestable acres, with stands that originated post 1875. Emma Maple reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Robots just collected something significant from the breath of these rare orcas
What they found could have profound implications on the future of this small population of whales off the west coast of North America. Melissa Hobson reports. (BBC Discover Wildlife)

Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe selected by DOH for health equity initiative
The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe will be the first indigenous community served under a state program aimed at improving outcomes for communities with measurable health disparities, The Washington State Department of Health announced in a statement Monday. Through Washington’s Health Equity Zones Initiative, the Tribe will receive $200,000 in grant funds annually for at least the next two years. Funding will go towards identifying health priorities and development of community action plans, according to the DOH. Conor Wilson reports. (Kitsap Sun)

New rules for whale watching
Beginning Jan 1, 2025, boaters in Washington state will be required to stay 1000 yards away from Southern Residents. The distance is based on best available science showing the harmful impact of noise and disturbance on the ability of Southern Residents to find and catch their prey. On Dec. 10, The Whale Trail hosts a program featuring Capt. Alan Myers, WDFW Enforcement, speaking about new distance regulations and researchers Mark Sears and Maya Sears discussing their fieldwork and recent encounters with the orcas, including a rare superpod in October. Halls of Fauntleroy, 9131 Fauntleroy Way SW, 7 p.m. Tickets.

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-  300 AM PST Wed Dec 4 2024    
TODAY  E wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 5 ft  at 13 seconds.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W  5 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers after midnight.

---


"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


 

12/3 Cockle, Enbridge pipe, bird flu, Royal BC Museum, Hope Slough, enviro rule challenge

 

Editor's note: Today in the nonprofit world it's "Giving Tuesday." I've never asked you, the reader of News and Weather, to donate to this weekday blog which is free to read but I've ask you to donate to the Salish Current which provides local news, essays and news clips related to Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. The Current is also free to read but pays its freelance reporters. News and Weather is free to read because it has been curated and posted over the years by one volunteer— me —as a community service at no cost. The Current has been published and edited for the last four-and-a-half years by two volunteers —Amy Nelson and me — with the goal of establishing a sustainable, community-based local news publication that is free to read. "Free to read" does not mean free from cost, and that's how a cause like Salish Current, which is also a business, comes to "Giving Tuesday" and the two-month 2xMatching campaigns I've asked you to donate to. So, I'll do it again on this "Giving Tuesday." Please support local news that all can read without a paywall with a monthly or one-time donation to the Salish Current 2xLocal Match challenge. Thank you! Mike Sato.

Cockle [Dave Cowles]

Nutall's Cockle Clinocardium nuttallii
Nuttall's cockle is a large edible saltwater clam native to the coastlines of California and the Pacific Northwest,This species can be found from the Bering Sea to Southern California and has been used by the indigenous peoples of California and the Pacific Northwest as food.(Wikipedia)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Clyde Ford to speak on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Enbridge Drops the Westcoast Connector Pipeline
Enbridge says it will not develop the Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission line, one of several pipelines previously slated for northern B.C., after its environmental certificate expired last week. The Westcoast Connector received provincial approval in 2014 to carry gas from northeast B.C. to a liquefaction facility on the coast for overseas shipping. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Worried about bird flu? Here’s what you need to know
The H5N1 avian flu virus has killed tens of thousands of wild birds and devastated poultry flocks. Human cases are rare, but experts say the virus poses a pandemic risk. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Royal B.C. Museum unveils new, old exhibits
Stunning wildlife photography, Indian chintz textiles, migration journeys of Chinese Canadians and the music of resistance and change are among new exhibits coming to the Royal British Columbia Museum in 2025. Darron Koster reports. (Times Colonist)

First Nations sound alarm about mysterious and smelly discharge flowing into the Hope Slough
The Cheam and Sqwá First Nations in the Fraser Valley are sounding the alarm for the second time in a few months about mysterious discharge flowing into the Hope Slough in Chilliwack, B.C., that they say is toxic.  Cheam First Nation biologist Mike Pearson said the cloudy, foaming substance running through a ditch into the main stem of the slough smells like a combination of chemicals and sewage. (CBC)

Court case in North Dakota calls federal environmental review regime into question
A lawsuit before a North Dakota federal district court could upend nearly five decades of environmental regulations affecting infrastructure projects. Mary Steurer reports. (North Dakota Monitor)

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-  240 AM PST Tue Dec 3 2024    
TODAY  E wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 5 ft  at 13 seconds.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W  5 ft at 12 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


12/2 Decorator crab, NW salmon, kokanee, catch-and-release, Everett sewage, saddle patches, 'dead salmon hat,' YVR sea level rise, small tree harvest, fossil tracks, whale watch rules

Editor's note: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thanks to News and Weather readers who helped us reach our first $15,000 2xNewsMatch goal supporting Salish Current's open-access, local news initiative. We have a second 2xLocalMatch goal of $15,000 put up by board members, advisors and a local business we want to match with your donations by Dec. 31. When we do, we'll have a total of $60,000 supporting the Current's freelance reporting and its no-paywall-to-read publication. You will always read the News and Weather at no cost— will you support the Salish Current? Thank you! Mike Sato.

Graceful Decorator crab [Rebecca Reader-Lee]

Graceful Decorator crab Oregonia gracilis
This crab decorates more liberally than any of the other decorator crabs in this area. During decoration, pieces of material are attached to specialized hooked setae and also interact with pappose setae. The crab's chelae are small and delicate. In males the chelipeds are longer than the walking legs, but in females they are shorter. Will eat carrion. Predators include Pacific halibut. In Puget Sound area, eggs may be carried during most seasons. Recently hatched eggs are orange-red; eggs nearly ready to hatch are reddish-brown. (Encyclopedia of Puget Sound)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Indigenous Fashion Show highlight of Native American Heritage Month

2024 saw some good news for Pacific Northwest salmon
Zombie kokanee tumbled downstream as new waves of crimson fish dashed through the riffles making the journey to their spawning grounds. The creek was alive with hundreds of these landlocked sockeye amid the biggest return of the salmon in the Lake Sammamish watershed in a decade...In addition to these little red freshwater fish, some oceangoing salmon have returned in big numbers. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

King County’s little red fish swims back from brink of extinction
It’s been a banner year for kokanee salmon, which nearly disappeared from Lake Sammamish, east of Seattle. More of the little red fish have spawned in streams above the lake, King County’s second largest, in 2024 than at any other time in a decade.Kokanee are sockeye salmon that spend their whole lives in freshwater, rather than migrating to the ocean and back like most salmon. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Catch-and-release fishing causing many salmon to die. Here's how to fix the problem, say UBC researchers
A six-year UBC study finds injuries from hooks, nets and handling as leading to high mortality rates of coho and Chinook salmon. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Everett water pollution facility’s new permit aims to protect salmon
The state Department of Ecology last month approved a water quality permit that cleared the way for Everett’s Water Pollution Control Facility to better monitor PBDE chemicals found in flame retardant that harms Chinook salmon. Eliza Aronson reports. (Everett Herald)

For Killer Whales, Saddle Patches are Like Fingerprints
Each killer whale has a distinct pattern of pigmentation behind its dorsal fin. How do these patterns vary around the world? Marina Wang reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Orcas revive 'dead salmon hat' trend from the 1980s
Researchers in Washington have noticed at least one orca balancing salmon on its head in Puget Sound this fall, taking the dead fish for a ride and possibly snacking on it.  Darron Cloister reports. (Times Colonist)

Rising sea levels could put Vancouver’s airport underwater
YVR — the second busiest airport in Canada — sits on an island that could be flooded due to climate change, a new Senate committee report warns. Shannon Waters reports. (The Narwhal)

How Harvesting Small Trees Could Create a Future for BC Forestry
Thinning in planted forests can be beneficial for ecosystems and industry. So why isn’t the province doing it yet? Zoë Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

95-million-year-old fossil tracks found in northeastern B.C., says paleontologist
Track may have come from a 'very big bird or else a bird-like dinosaur' (CBC)

New rules for whale watching
Beginning Jan 1, 2025, boaters in Washington state will be required to stay 1000 yards away from Southern Residents. The distance is based on best available science showing the harmful impact of noise and disturbance on the ability of Southern Residents to find and catch their prey. Orca Network hosts a free webinar about the new rule on Dec 3., 6-8 p.m. with guest speakers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Register here.  https://givebutter.com/STWRulewebinar Also: On Dec. 10, The Whale Trail hosts a program featuring Capt. Alan Myers, WDFW Enforcement, speaking about new distance regulations and researchers Mark Sears and Maya Sears discussing their fieldwork and recent encounters with the orcas, including a rare superpod in October. Halls of Fauntleroy, 9131 Fauntleroy Way SW, 7 p.m. Tickets.

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-  300 AM PST Mon Dec 2 2024    
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: E 2 ft  at 4 seconds and W 5 ft at 14 seconds.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 10 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: E 2 ft at 4 seconds and W  5 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