Salish Sea News Week in Review January 23 2026

 

Aloha Pie Day.
National Pie Day was started in 1975 by Charlie Papazian, who later went on to found the Great American Beer Festival. He chose his birthday, January 23, as the day of celebration. (Pie Day is not to be confused with Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π. Pi Day is observed on March 14 since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant figures of π.)

Climate change is killing this PNW tree. In Europe they want to plant it
Western redcedars are declining at home, but they’re climate change winners in Central Europe’s changing climate. 

Renewed calls for Moratorium as DFO approves more than 2k tons of herring harvest 
Despite the declining numbers of herring, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has approved more than 2,000 tons of herring to be taken from the Salish Sea this winter, an increase in the harvest rate from 10 per cent last year to 14 per cent in 2025. 

Canada forecasts 2026 to be among the hottest years on record
The Government of Canada has released its annual global mean temperature forecast, providing early insight into expected global temperature conditions for 2026. Following record-breaking global heat in 2023 and 2024 and a comparably warm 2025, global temperatures are expected to remain at historically high levels. 

Why WDFW is bringing eDNA project to Washington rivers
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has begun a wide-ranging study to catalogue all native, freshwater aquatic species found in every river and major drainage in the state. The Aquatic Biodiversity Study is the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, and possibly the nation. 

Woodfibre LNG didn’t monitor salmon correctly. B.C. took 4 months to tell the public 
The August monitoring lapse didn’t make it into public records until December. One advocate says Canada is spending millions on salmon restoration while B.C. is ‘approving destructive LNG projects that undermine all of that work.’ 

Testimony in legislative committees focuses on when a toxic tire chemical should be banned
While not exactly a chicken-or-egg debate, when it comes to regulating a deadly tire chemical, Washington state lawmakers are being called upon to decide what comes first in the effort to save salmon. 

LNG Canada has been flaring up to 15 times more gas than expected, documents reveal
An issue with the Kitimat, B.C., facility’s flaring equipment has resulted in LNG Canada burning significantly more gas — and it could take three years to fix. 

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 msato(at)salish-current.org .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