Salish Sea Communications: June 2022

Friday, June 24, 2022

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 24 2021

Aloha UFO Friday!
World UFO Day is dedicated to the existence of unidentified flying objects. First celebrated in 2001, it was created by the World UFO Day Organization. The day is often celebrated on June 24 and July 2, although The World UFO Day Organization declared July 2 to be the official day. June 24 marks the anniversary of one of the first UFO sightings in the United States, when Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine high-speed crescent-shaped objects near Mt. Rainier in Washington, in 1947. July 2 marks the anniversary of the Roswell UFO incident, which also happened in 1947.

Placing microphones on orcas offers a point-of-whale perspective on underwater noise
Research on the sounds and feeding behavior of Puget Sound's southern resident orcas is providing new insight into how the whales respond to underwater noise.

Fighting Floods, or Living With Water?
Every year, Lower Mainland residents prepare for the Big One. But there’s another type of disaster that we’re reminded about less often: a major flood. We have two choices. Last in a series.

Navy SEAL use of state parks appears over as state declines to appeal judge’s decision
The Washington Attorney General’s office has declined to appeal a judge’s ruling that bans Navy SEAL or other military training in Washington state parks.

B.C. launches strategy to protect communities from climate change
The provincial government says the strategy is backed up with more than $500 million in spending during the next three years.

New study: 2021 heat wave created ‘perfect storm’ for shellfish die-off
A team led by the University of Washington has compiled and analyzed hundreds of these field observations to produce the first comprehensive report of the impacts of the 2021 heat wave on shellfish. Michelle Ma reports. (UW News)

60K green crabs captured in Washington waters so far in 2022 ... that's a lot
State wildlife officials say more than 60,000 European green crabs have been captured in Washington state waters so far in 2022. That is far more than what they captured and killed by this time last year.

Duwamish Tribe Sues for Recognition
....[T]his year, on May 11, 167 years after Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens signed the Treaty of Point Elliott with western Washington tribes, a group of Duwamish sued the U.S. Department of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, and the federal government as a whole.

Returning home: The Elwha's genetic legacy
Following dam removal, migratory salmon have been free to swim into the upper Elwha River for the first time in 100 years. Their actual behaviors and reproductive success may well be driven by changes in their genetic makeup.

Jury awards $595,000 to Lummi tribe for salmon pen collapse
A Washington state jury on Wednesday awarded the Lummi Indian tribe $595,000 over the 2017 collapse of a net pen where Atlantic salmon were being raised

The federal government just extended B.C. salmon farm licences. Here’s what you need to know Fisheries and Oceans Canada Minister Joyce Murray announced a two-year extension for dozens of salmon farm licences that were set to expire at the end of June.

Budget watchdog says Trans Mountain expansion is no longer profitable
Canada's budget watchdog says building the federally owned Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is no longer a profitable investment after costs ballooned to more than $21 billion.

Wild steelhead still a force in the Elwha
Migration patterns have apparently reawakened for the Elwha River's wild steelhead. Studies show that the fish may have retained much of their genetic drive despite 100 years of being trapped behind dams.

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 at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to mikesato772 at gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Friday, June 17, 2022

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 17 2022

Aloha Crocodile Friday!

World Croc Day is a global awareness campaign to highlight the plight of endangered crocodiles and alligators around the world. Crocodiles and alligators are celebrated and there is hope the day will encourage people to get involved in helping them. World Croc Day was organized by the Crocodile Research Coalition in conjunction with the Belize Zoo. Hug a croc today!

B.C. salmon farm sea lice levels five times limit during critical wild fish migration, docs reveal
Sea lice counts at a fish farm in Clayoquot Sound were roughly five times the legal limit during a critical window for out-migrating wild salmon, according to internal government emails.

Campbell River estuary is a restoration showcase to save salmon habitat from climate change
For years, the estuary — Mill Pond in the Baikie Island Reserve — was an industrial wasteland, stuffed full of log booms and surrounded by timber yards.

When the Floods Hit, Will We Be Ready?
The Lower Mainland flooded in 1948. The next one will be worse. A six-;art series exploring life and risk on the Lower Mainland’s floodplain, the stretches of flat land in the region by the Fraser River and the coast.

If this dike fails, Stanwood goes underwater
The levee is over a hundred years old. And it shows. But efforts have lagged to fix it before it’s too late. The four-mile-long mound of dirt and grass is all that is holding back Puget Sound.

B.C. beekeepers grapple with 32% winter colony loss, according to survey
The province's 'spring survey' for beekeepers has shown yet another bad year for colony survival.

Why climate change could mean more jellyfish for B.C
Under a shifting climate, explosive growth of the freshwater jellyfish could damage local ecosystems.

U.S. House passes a major wildlife conservation spending bill
The Recovering America's Wildlife Act, which passed the U.S. House on Tuesday, would create an annual fund of more than $1.3 billion to conserve endangered species — from the red-cockaded woodpecker to the snuffbox mussel.

Conservation groups sue feds to protect old-growth forests
Six environmental groups sued officials of the Biden administration Tuesday, saying a Trump-era rule change that allowed logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest violates federal laws and was politically motivated.

EPA: ‘Forever chemicals’ pose risk even at very low levels
The Environmental Protection Agency is warning that two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds found in drinking water are more dangerous than previously thought and pose health risks even at levels so low they cannot currently be detected.

Law firm asks B.C. municipalities to back class action lawsuit against oil companies
West Coast Environmental Law launched a campaign called "Sue Big Oil" on Wednesday ,asking people to sign a declaration encouraging municipalities to offer up $1 per resident to go toward a class action lawsuit against fossil fuel companies.

Five proposed protected areas that could help Canada meet its 2030 conservation targets
It is possible to protect 30 per cent of land and oceans in Canada by 2030, if currently proposed conservation areas are protected, CPAWS report finds.

Friday, June 10, 2022

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 10 2022

Aloha King Kamehameha Day!
Kamehameha the Great was the monarch of Hawaii between 1782 and 1819. He is well-known and respected for uniting and establishing the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. Kamehameha Day is held in his honor on June 11 each year and in 2022 celebrated as a state holiday in Hawaii on June 10.

Tokitae's health improving, locals hope it opens the door to her return home
Feared to be deathly ill, Tokitae – an orca plucked from the Salish Sea in 1970 – is on the mend, according to veterinarians.

Are yelloweye rockfish on the path to recovery?
New research suggests that recovery efforts are working for Puget Sound’s threatened yelloweye rockfish.

Blockchain company buys $1M in carbon credits generated by Issaquah forest, the biggest such deal in U.S. history
King County announced Friday that Regen Network Development, a Delaware-based blockchain software development company, bought $1 million in carbon credits generated by a 46-acre forest in Issaquah.

BC bees face growing threat of deadly virus carried by mite
A variant of a virus that attacks the wing shape of bees is rapidly spreading across Canada, causing beekeepers in B.C. to lose entire colonies.

It’s a moth, it’s a drone, it’s ‘Smellicopter’
Meet the Pacific Northwest-built machine that uses live insect antennae to sniff out disasters.

Major grocery chains failing when it comes to seafood labelling: watchdog
SeaChoice, the retail seafood industry watchdog group, has released its annual report into how the major grocery chains in Canada are performing in terms of seafood sustainability and social responsibility.

‘They were forced off their territory’: all eyes on precedent-setting Vancouver Island title case
For weeks, the B.C. Supreme Court has been hearing arguments by the Nuchatlaht First Nation and province about who has the right to 20,000 hectares of Nootka Island.

How climate change is affecting kelp forests in BC
B.C.’s critical kelp forests withered as climate change has triggered marine heat waves along the entire West Coast in recent years. But exceptions to the rule may provide insights helpful to saving and restoring our underwater forests.

Replacing benefits of Snake River dams would cost billions
The benefits provided by four giant hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state can be replaced if the dams are breached to save endangered salmon runs, according to a new report released Thursday. But it would be expensive.

Friday, June 3, 2022

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 3 2022

Aloha Egg Friday!
Eggs are laid by female animals of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, a few mammals, and fish, and many of these have been eaten by humans for thousands of years. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen, and vitellus, contained within various thin membranes. (Wikipedia)

Tri-Cities researchers say they can extract lithium from water. That's a big deal.
Researchers in Washington's Tri-Cities say they have devised a way to use magnets to pull valuable elements like lithium out of groundwater.

How climate change will impact recreation in the Pacific Northwest
According to Climate Impacts Group Director Amy Snover, “we should expect warmer winters with less snow in higher elevations, earlier springs, with the snowpack melting sooner than what we have typically experienced in the past, and hotter and drier summers.”

The Paradox of Salmon Hatcheries
The golden dream of hatcheries was to make more fish but that reality is much more complicated.

No movement in efforts to free big red barge from Vancouver beach
Six months after washing up at Sunset Beach during a storm, the 5000-tonne vessel remains unmoved.

Green crab making inroads into Hood Canal
European green crabs continue to creep inward in the Salish Sea as local resource managers remain on the lookout.

Washington launches website dedicated to orcas of the Salish Sea
June is Orca Action Month in Washington, a time to focus on issues facing the killer whales of the Salish Sea. The state recently launched a website, dedicated to saving the endangered Southern Resident.

Female calf a beacon of hope for endangered southern resident killer whales
The birth of calf J59 offers promise for the future of the J pod, but experts say more protection for the orca’s habitat and food sources is needed to curb their decline.

Vessel slow zones expanded to protect whales
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has expanded its slow zone for vessels travelling in the Salish Sea, in a move to reduce noise to protect fragile populations of southern resident killer whales.

A Decade of Successes Against Fossil Fuel Export Projects in Cascadia
The region counts 40 canceled oil, gas, and coal export projects since 2012.

Miami Seaquarium's ‘Lolita' is Improving According to Independent Veterinarians
According to an assessment from two world-renowned veterinarians who examined Lolita, her health is improving since her retirement from performing at Miami Seaquarium.