Salish Sea News Week in Review October 9 2020

Aloha Nautilus Friday!

Chambered nautiluses (Allonautilus and Nautilus species) are the only living descendants of a group of ocean creatures that thrived in the seas 500 million years ago when the earth’s continents were still forming. Chambered nautiluses are known as living fossils because they have remained virtually unchanged for millions of years. Among the last representatives of the ancient lineages of cephalopods (animals with no backbones but with tentacles or arms), chambered nautiluses are easily distinguished from their closest living relatives -- the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish -- by their distinctive external coiled shells. A feat in molluscan evolution, the internal chambers of their shell provide a buoyancy mechanism to facilitate movement that inspired the inventor of the earliest modern submarine to name the invention “Nautilus.”

New Orca-focused rules take shape for whale watching in Washington 
Washington state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife published on Sept. 23 a draft Environmental Impact Statement examining options for licensing commercial whale-watching companies to better protect the endangered orcas.

UTC staff suggest regulators deny PSE request to sell stake in coal-fired power plant
Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission staff are recommending that Puget Sound Energy not be allowed to sell part of its stake in a coal-fired power plant in Montana.

Critics vow to continue efforts to remove Snake River dams in Washington
Environmental groups are vowing to continue their fight to remove four dams on the Snake River in Washington they say are killing salmon that are a key food source for endangered killer whales.

Puyallup Tribe plans to sue Pierce County dam owner over AstroTurf, impacts on fish 
The Puyallup Tribe intends to sue Electron Hydro and its backers over violations of the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Multiple wildlife species being managed to zero, BCWF says
B.C.’s spending on wildlife and habitat protection has declined by 65 per cent over the past 20 years as wild populations of caribou and endangered runs of steelhead and salmon plumb new lows, according to an analysis by the B.C. Wildlife Federation.

Dozens of boaters being investigated for violating killer whale safe zones
Transport Canada is pursuing 89 investigations of boaters for alleged violations of safe-distance requirements and sanctuary zones intended to protect southern resident killer whales.

Canada to ban plastic grocery bags and straws in 2021
Plastic bags and straws could be illegal in Canada come next year. Federal environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced the list of single-use plastic items the Liberals plan to ban in order to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.

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These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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