Salish Sea News and Weather

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

10/12 Rougheye rockfish, restoring salmon habitat, Bigg's orcas, black bears and wolves killed, quiet vessels, pandemic winners and losers

Rougheye rockfish [NOAA Fisheries]

Rougheye rockfish Sebastes aleutianus
Rougheye rockfish range from Japan into the Bering Sea, throughout the Aleutian Islands, and south to San Diego, California. In Washington most live at water depths between 150 and 450 m (495-1,485 ft). Commonly caught off the Washington coast by commercial harvesters using otter-trawls and longline gear. Rougheye rockfish can grow up to 97 cm (38 in) in length. Maximum age is at least 205 years old. One of the longest lived fishes in the world. (WDFW)

Puget Sound salmon habitat restored with tribes leading the way
Reconnecting estuaries — the place where fresh and salt water meet — is an effort largely led by Washington’s tribes and backed by local and state leaders... At 353 acres, the Port of Everett’s Blue Heron Slough restoration project is among the largest along the Puget Sound. Near completion, the project joins two nearby restoration projects at Smith Island and Qwuloolt marsh to create over 1,000 acres of recovered estuary. At the center of this effort is an attempt to restore struggling salmon populations. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Orca predators take down large minke whale
A group of nine Bigg’s orcas attacked and killed an adult minke whale near Smith Island, Washington — about 40 kilometres southeast of Victoria — last Friday. The scene played out in front of a boat of whale watchers as two families of killer whales worked in tandem to bring down the nine-metre minke, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

B.C. has killed 5,632 black bears since 2011: ‘there’s no sign that it’s getting better’
Conservation officers kill hundreds of black bears in B.C. each year. Experts say there are simple steps communities can take to reduce human-bear conflict, but not enough are taking them. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal) Officials confirm 6 wolf poisonings in NE Washington Wildlife officials Monday confirmed the deaths of six wolves in northeastern Washington was due to poison...In February, Stevens County deputies found four dead wolves while on a snowmobile patrol, according to an incident report. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

SCHOTTEL Gets Canadian Funding to Develop Quiet Propulsion
German propulsion company SCHOTTEL has been selected for funding within the Government of Canada's Quiet Vessel Initiative, which supports the development of new quiet vessel technologies, designs, and operational practices, leading to less underwater noise from vessels in Canadian waters. (Marine Link)

Who won the pandemic? In our state it’s not even close
At 11.2 deaths per 100,000 population, San Juan County has by far the best record for handling the COVID disease in the pandemic to date. Ferry County has 413.8 deaths per 100,000. “For the first two years, we had the lowest case rate in the United States,” says San Juan’s health director, Dr. Frank James and explains why. Danny Westneat reports. (Seattle Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 225 AM PDT Wed Oct 12 2022
TODAY E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 7 seconds.
TONIGHT Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Tuesday, October 11, 2022

10/11 Anemone, kelp farm, AK crab seasons, airplane lead fuel, The Weather, gray whales, The Border

Christmas anemone
["Jack" Conroy McGee-Obuhoff]

Christmas anemone Urticina crassicornis
Urticina crassicornis, commonly known as the mottled anemone, the painted anemone or the Christmas anemone, is a large and common intertidal and subtidal sea anemone. Its habitat includes a large portion of the coastal areas of the northern hemisphere, mainly polar regions, and it lives a solitary life for up to 80 years. Mottled anemones are similar to Dahlia anemones (U. felina) and both are commonly referred to as northern red anemones. (Wikipedia)

Can kelp farming help save our marine environment?
SEA2SEED, a Guemes Island nonprofit, sees multiple benefits from kelp, for land and sea. Richard Arlin Walker reports. (Salish Current)

Conservation concerns cancel Alaska’s Bering snow, king crab seasons
Alaska officials have canceled the fall Bristol Bay red king crab harvest, and in a first-ever move, also scuttled the winter harvest of smaller snow crab. The move is a double whammy to a fleet from Alaska, Washington and Oregon pursuing Bering Sea crab in harvests that as recently as 2016 grossed $280 million. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

EPA targets lead airplane fuel, citing children living near runways
The EPA said Friday that it was proposing to declare emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel pose a danger to public health. Michael Laris reports. (Washington Post)

Seattle’s record-setting warm and dry weather is both random and a dress rehearsal, experts say
Seattle’s identity has been synonymous with drizzle, moss and the angsty grunge music and compulsive coffee drinking that’s fueled by its notoriously damp, gray weather. But this year’s summer and start of fall are threatening to wring those traits from the city’s long-held character. Lisa Stiffler reports. (GeekWire)

West Coast gray whale population continues to decline but scientists remain cautiously optimistic
U.S. researchers say the number of gray whales off western North America has continued to fall over the last two years, a decline that resembles previous population swings over the past several decades. According to an assessment by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries released Friday, the most recent count put the population at 16,650 whales — down 38% from its peak in 2015-16. Associated Press and Bellamy Pailthorp report. (KNKX)

How a federal border became a dividing line for Nooksack citizenship
Disenrolled Nooksack citizens believe that the U.S.-Canada border, and legal metrics like blood quantum, ignore the nuances of pre-colonial Indigenous belonging. Luna Reyna reports. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 237 AM PDT Tue Oct 11 2022
TODAY E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. NW swell 9 ft at 9 seconds becoming W 5 ft at 9 seconds in the afternoon.
TONIGHT Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.

Monday, October 10, 2022

10/10 Sea cuke, BC drought, WA culverts, Taylor Shellfish, oil spill response, oiled birds

California sea cucumber
[Dave Cowles/Walla Walla U]

California sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus
The California sea cucumber is an important species in Puget Sound. It occurs in waters from southern California to Alaska and is one eight common species of sea cucumbers found here in Washington. Beach combers may be familiar with the brightly orange-colored burrowing sea cucumber, which you’re likely to spot in tide pools along Puget Sound. Of the sea cucumbers local to Washington, California sea cucumber are the only species harvested both recreationally and commercially. (WDFW)

Historic drought behind B.C. wildfires, salmon die off could continue, experts say
Thousands of dead fish, a prolonged wildfire season and intense water shortages leading to ice rink closures are all symptoms of record-setting drought in parts of British Columbia. The Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and West Vancouver Island areas are experiencing Level 5 drought conditions — the most severe in the province's classification scale, which the B.C. government's drought information web page says means adverse impacts are "almost certain.'' Brieanna Charlebois reports. (Canadian Press)

$1B up for grabs to help salmon get to where they're going
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announce a $1 billion program to help save the region's salmon while visiting Washington state Thursday...Salmon need to travel up rivers to spawn. A lot of them don't make it because culverts get in the way. Culverts are like tunnels that let streams pass under roadways. Many were installed decades ago. While they allow water to pass through, they don't work as well for salmon. The new program will help pay to improve or replace culverts in the region. A total of $1 billion is available over five years thanks to the "National Culvert Removal, Replacement and Restoration-Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage Program." Applications are open for tribal, state, and local governments. David Hyde reports. (KUOW)

Why the country’s largest shellfish farm is struggling to hire and retain workers
It used to be that [Taylor Shellfish] could fill a job opening within a few weeks. Now, amid a remarkably tight labor market, that process can take four months. Taylor is struggling to find technicians to grow oyster larvae, as well as farmers.... Last summer, the company’s workforce was a third slimmer than it was four years ago. (High Country News)

Preparing for disaster: Marine responders team up with First Nation in oil-spill training exercise
Dry run of oil-spill response on the southeast coast of Galiano Island was part of Coastal Response Program that includes specific plans to protect 600 sensitive areas in the event of a marine disaster. Pedro Arrais reports. (Times Colonist)

Just a tiny amount of oil damages seabirds' feathers, study reveals
Tiny amounts of crude oil on the water surface, less than one percent of the thickness of a hair, can damage seabird feathers, a University College Cork (UCC) study finds. (ScienceDaily)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 249 AM PDT Mon Oct 10 2022
TODAY W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. NW swell 5 ft at 8 seconds. Patchy fog in the morning.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds building to 9 ft at 9 seconds after midnight.

Friday, October 7, 2022

10/7 Cricket, West Coast climate pact, fish passage funds, Columbia R Treaty, Patagonia, Jean Huang, Cayou Channel, Donkey Cr octopus, week in review

House cricket
[Luis Fernandez Garcia/WikiCommons]

House cricket Acheta domesticus
House crickets can appear very similar to their cousin - the grasshopper - but can be separated by the fact that common crickets only have 3 tarsal ('ankle') segmented body sections, and grasshoppers do not. This species of cricket was commonly used to feed a variety of pets. Spiders, reptiles, and other animals kept in tanks at home depended on crickets for a live meal. A deadly paralyzing virus decimated house crickets rearing labs in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in the early 2000's, reducing their population and availability for commercial sales. The Jamaican field cricket is resistant to the virus and has replaced the house cricket for commercial use. In addition to animal feed, house crickets are also eaten by humans in many parts of the world. They are nutritious, providing a complete protein, and can be served fried, dry-roasted, or in candy. (InsectIdentification.Org)

B.C. premier signs new climate agreement with U.S. governors
B.C.'s premier and governors from the western United States have signed a memorandum agreement on climate approaches for the Pacific region. B.C. Premier John Horgan, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and California Gov. Gavin Newsom inked the deal Thursday at the Presidio of San Francisco park. (CBC)

Buttigieg wades into Northwest salmon transportation
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg paid a visit Thursday afternoon to Carey Creek, a tributary of Issaquah Creek that is an ancient migration route for now-threatened salmon. Standing under smoky skies with Democratic politicians, he announced that the first $196 million of a $1 billion fish-passage fund — a small slice of President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package — is now available for grant applications by local and tribal conservation departments. Fish transportation is infrastructure, he emphasized. Mike Lindblom reports. (Seattle Times)

Salmon advocates ask to include healthy ecosystems in Columbia River Treaty
Salmon advocates want negotiators to consider salmon and the Columbia River’s ecosystem as a part of an agreement between the U.S. and Canada. The agreement, known as the Columbia River Treaty, is around 60 years old. It coordinates flood control and hydropower along the Columbia River. During renegotiations, the United States has asked to modernize the treaty, including considerations for climate change. However, salmon advocates and tribal representatives would like to see a functional, healthy ecosystem officially added as a third purpose for the treaty, which would expand upon the current flood control and hydropower purposes. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Can Patagonia really put the climate over profits?
Patagonia's founder pledged future profits from the $3-billion company to fighting climate change. Now comes navigating the tensions between profits and sustainability, and between advocacy and democracy. Graeme Auld and Janina Grabs report. (The Narwhal)

Stunning new mural helping to raise climate awareness in Yaletown
Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist Jean Huang loves how art invites people to have deeper conversations. Huang latest artwork in Yaletown is challenging others to be the same. Her mural "Handshake with Kelp" is part of the revamped Helmcken/Mainland Street plaza that is now filled with new murals, painted tables, and hanging art installations raising awareness about climate change and the ocean. Daniel Chai reports. (Daily Hive)

Samish elders celebrate Cayou Channel
Elders from the Samish Nation are celebrating the renaming of a waterway in the San Juan Islands. State officials have renamed the passage between Orcas and Shaw islands "Cayou Channel" after the early 20th century Samish leader, Henry Cayou. Cayou's great-niece, Rosie Cayou, celebrated the change last Sunday when she spoke at a ceremony on a boat off Orcas Island. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

What was a Giant Pacific octopus doing in Donkey Creek? There are a few theories
While she was walking along Austen Park near Donkey Creek, Gig Harbor resident Ann Web spotted a rare sea animal Monday, Oct. 3. It was a Giant Pacific octopus. Aspen Shumpert reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 10/7/22: Smile Day, SCOTUS on CWA, dam removal, logging old-growth, climate plan failures, pipeline crossings, low water salmon, Toikitae, Lorna Smith, West Coast climate, fish passage funds

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 225 AM PDT Fri Oct 7 2022
TODAY Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 3 ft at 13 seconds. Areas of fog in the morning.
TONIGHT W wind to 10 kt becoming NW after midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 12 seconds.
SAT E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
SAT NIGHT Light wind becoming S to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 1 ft or less after midnight. W swell 2 ft at 7 seconds.
SUN E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.

Thursday, October 6, 2022

10/6 Stink bug, Tokitae's health, orca hunt great white sharks, Lorna Smith, AK green crab, burning wood

Stink bug {WSU/Elizabeth H. Beers]

Brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys Stål
The brown marmorated stink bug is an invasive pest from Asia, whose native range is China, Korea, and Japan. It was first found in the US in Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s, and in the Pacific Northwest (Portland) about 2004. Washington populations were first established in Vancouver (across the Columbia River from Portland), and have since spread north along the I-5 corridor. To date, brown marmorated stink bug has been recorded in 21 counties in Washington, with the majority of finds occurring in western Washington, along the Columbia River east to Walla Walla, and in Yakima. (WSU)

Report: Aging orca taken from Puget Sound fighting chronic infection at Miami Seaquarium
Ongoing medical issues may further hinder efforts to return an orca that was captured and sold to an aquarium in Florida, back home to Washington state... According to an independent veterinary report, Tokitae continues to battle an unidentified chronic infection while showing signs of discomfort. While on antibiotics, Tokitae is active, engaged with trainers and maintains a good appetite. However, her appetite and activity level decrease, according to the report. The report, issued Sept. 30, states near the end of the month Tokitae "experienced a period of decreased appetite and low activity." PJ Randhawa reports. (KING)

Rare drone footage shows orcas mauling great white sharks
Drone and helicopter footage captured off the coast of South Africa provides what scientists say is the first direct proof that orcas are capable of hunting and killing one of the world’s largest sea predators: the great white shark. A study published this week in the journal Ecology details a more than hour-long pursuit of a number of white sharks by a pod of killer whales off Mossel Bay, a harbor town in South Africa’s Western Cape province. At least two white sharks were killed over a 71-minute period in May, the researchers said. Rachel Pannett reports. (Washington Post)

Eleanor Stopps Award presented
Environmental advocate Lorna Smith was recognized for decades of conservation work Wednesday when she was given the 2022 Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award during a Port Townsend Marine Science Center ceremony at Fort Worden. Smith’s environmental career began in 1978 as a volunteer at Seattle Audubon. She worked with the late Eleanor Stopps, for whom the award is named, in the campaign that led to the creation of the Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge in 1982. Peter Segall reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Months after first sighting, Metlakatla is now catching dozens of invasive green crabs a day
Wildlife officials in Metlakatla continue to trap record-setting numbers of the invasive crab species that threaten local subsistence food sources and fish habitat. The tribe’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has trapped hundreds of European green crabs — but the numbers keep growing.
Raegan Miller reports. (KRBD)

Wood from B.C. forests is being burned for electricity billed as green — but critics say that's deceptive
From the highway just south of Prince George, B.C., you can see the logs, thousands of them, piled neatly in rows. They were cut from trees in old growth and primary forests in the province's Interior. This timber won't be used to build homes or furniture, or even to make paper. These logs will be ground and compressed into tiny pellets, shipped to Europe and Asia and burned to produce fuel for electricity. Lyndsay Duncombe, Harvey Cashore and Lynette Fortune report. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 251 AM PDT Thu Oct 6 2022
TODAY SE wind to 10 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Areas of fog in the morning.
TONIGHT Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 2 ft at 11 seconds.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

10/5/22 Crane flies, Sunshine Coast water, salmon stream drought, Quilcene Bay closure, Wet’suwet’en territory pipelines

Crane fly

Crane flies
There are several species of crane fly in the Pacific Northwest, but only the marsh crane fly (Tipula oleracea) and the common European crane fly (Tipula paludosa) damage turfgrass. Adult crane flies are a common sight in Pacific Northwest summers. You see them bouncing around walls and ceilings, or stuck in spiderwebs, long legs and wings tangled. The size and shape of these insects have earned them nicknames like “mosquito hawk” and “skeeter eater.” (OSU)

Sunshine Coast faces 'very dire situation' with historic low water supply levels
Ongoing drought means region only has a guaranteed water supply until early November. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

Low water levels caused by drought preventing salmon from spawning
Persistent dry conditions have left salmon populations struggling with low water levels and higher temperatures in streams where they typically spawn. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

Quilcene Bay is currently closed to shellfish harvesting
Harmful algae blooms continue to shut down recreational shellfish harvesting in Jefferson County. Test results received this week of shellfish samples taken from Quilcene Bay found elevated levels of the potentially lethal marine biotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Leah Leach reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

The complicated truth about pipelines crossing Wet’suwet’en territory
Alberta-based energy giant TC Energy frequently points to its agreements with 20 First Nations along the route of the Coastal GasLink pipeline. This is true, but look a little deeper and it's a lot more complex. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 222 AM PDT Wed Oct 5 2022
TODAY Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 12 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds. Patchy fog after midnight.

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

10/4 Termite, spiders, BC old-growth, climate plan suit, Duckabush estuary, reefnet fishing

Dampwood termites

Dampwood termites
Dampwood termites are the largest termites in North America by size. As such, each termite in a Dampwood colony can consume a lot of wood fiber. Dampwood termites, as their name implies, confine themselves to nesting within and eating wood that has a high moisture content, even wet wood. In the forests, Dampwood termites live in stumps and fallen trees that are damp from rain and contact with the moisture of the forest floor. Here, along with wood-rot and other insects, they turn the wood cellulose into a rich mulch allowing the forest to regenerate. You may notice the winged forms of Dampwood termites flying in late August or September—usually in the evenings. (Cascade Pest Control)

ICYMI- Spiders are special.
Great spider pix. Photos and text are by Wendy Feltham whose name was misspelled previously. (Rainshadow Journal)

Logging industry targeted B.C. old-growth forests for more than a century, SFU study finds
Ken Lertzman's paper shows between 1860 and 2016, 87 per cent of logging took place in old-growth forests. Brenna Owen reports. (Canadian Press)

B.C. government in court Tuesday to face inadequate climate plan allegations
The lawsuit — filed by Ecojustice on behalf of Sierra Club B.C. — alleges the government’s plan for the 2025, 2040 and 2050 climate targets is inadequate, and leaves out details on how it plans to cut carbon pollution from the oil and gas sector. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Jefferson County estuary to be restored
Projects on the North Olympic Peninsula have received $21,314,496 in grant funding from the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, with the largest being $19,174,000 to restore the Duckabush Estuary in Jefferson County. Grants awarded to five Jefferson County projects total $20,057,474 while those for four projects in Clallam County add up to $1,257,022. (Peninsula Daily News)

The last of the Salish Sea reefnetters don't want to be the last
Only 12 commercial fishing captains still hold permits to go reefnet fishing in the Pacific Northwest out of a fleet that once numbered in the hundreds. The distinctive fishing technique dates back thousands of years as an Indigenous method to catch salmon. Its practitioners today say the gear should proliferate as the preferred way to harvest healthy salmon runs while avoiding fragile stocks. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 230 AM PDT Tue Oct 4 2022
TODAY NE wind to 10 kt becoming N in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 16 seconds. Patchy fog.
TONIGHT N wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 14 seconds.

"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told