Salish Sea Communications

Friday, November 24, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 24 2023

Pacific sardines [NOAA]

Aloha Sardine Friday!
No other edible fish is as prevalent as the sardine, and sardines are one of the most eaten foods in the world. The small, oily fish belongs to the Clupeidae family. The name sardine dates back to the fifteenth century, likely coming from the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea, an area around which sardines were once prevalent. Sardines are still abundant in the Mediterranean, as well as in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Huge spike in costs to help salmon could derail WA transportation budget
Come January, lawmakers will face a surprise that will strain Washington’s transportation budget for years: an up to $4 billion increase in the cost of complying with a court order to improve salmon passage under state highways.

Federal agency recommends allowing Makah whale hunt
The federal government has issued its final environmental impact statement. It recommends a ceremonial hunt of up to two or three gray whales per year. But the final decision can’t come for at least another 30 days. The Makah tribe originally made this request in 2005. Bellamy Paithorp reports. (KNKX)

B.C. releases draft framework for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem health
Conservationists are welcoming a years-in-the-making strategic plan that would prioritize the health and biodiversity of ecosystems in B.C. in provincial legislation.

First Nations decisions on tourism in B.C. must be respected: minister
'We have to make sure that we are developing a new stream of tourism that's led by Indigenous communities,' says federal tourism minister.

Study shows climate change vulnerability of trees used for urban forestry in Puget Sound
A study by an Evergreen State College student shows the climate change vulnerability of several trees used for urban forestry in the Puget Sound region.

Petitions filed for initiative to erase Washington’s ambitious climate law
Backers say they turned in nearly 420,000 signatures. The measure seeks to end the cap-and-invest program that’s brought in nearly $1.6 billion this year for pollution-fighting efforts.

Surging numbers of pink salmon raise ecological concerns
An estimated 70% of all the salmon in the North Pacific are pink salmon. Scientists say the extreme abundance of pinks could be causing a "trophic cascade" that is harming species across the food web.

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, November 17, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 17 2023

Leonid meteor shower [NASA]

Aloha Leonid Meteor Shower Friday!
Probably the most famous of the annual meteor showers will soon be reaching its maximum: The Leonids. These ultrafast meteors are due to reach their peak on Saturday morning (Nov. 18). The famous Leonid meteor shower produced one of the greatest meteor storms in living memory. Rates were as high as thousands of meteors per minute during a 15-minute span on the morning of November 17, 1966. That night, Leonid meteors did, briefly, fall like rain. Some who witnessed it had a strong impression of Earth moving through space, fording the meteor stream.

Commercial fishing groups sue 13 US tire makers over rubber preservative that's deadly to salmon
The 13 largest U.S. tire manufacturers are facing a lawsuit from a pair of California commercial fishing organizations that could force the companies to stop using a chemical added to almost every tire because it kills migrating salmon.

A proposed 50-acre oyster farm causes concern for neighbors
Mark and Christin Herinckx had only been living in their home on Oakland Bay for a year before they learned about the proposal by Taylor Shellfish: a 50-acre oyster farm, the size of several aircraft carriers, in the middle of the bay right behind their new house.

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against WA’s carbon-pricing law
The private operator of a natural gas power plant in Grays Harbor County must continue to buy pollution allowances, a federal judge ruled, further protecting Washington’s Climate Commitment Act against those looking to overturn the legislation.

Debate over Pebble mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region moves to dueling Supreme Court briefs
The company seeking to develop the controversial copper mine is sticking to its plans, despite federal action that barred permitting for the project.

Dabob Bay area expanded
The state Department of Natural Resources has added another 671 acres to the Dabob Bay Natural Area by moving lands into the state’s new carbon sequestration program as the first of what will ultimately be 2,000 acres in the program.

WA raises $260 million in most-recent carbon-pricing auction
Washington’s latest auction of carbon-emission allowances raised an estimated $260 million. In all, about 31.9 million carbon allowances have been sold this year, hauling in more than $1.5 billion. Each allowance represents one metric ton of emissions from the state’s biggest greenhouse-gas polluters.

Report raises concerns about tracing water quality, salmon safety
The U.S. and Washington environmental agencies are not adequately tracking how high water temperatures and oxygen-depleting substances are harming Puget Sound’s salmon, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.

Friday, November 10, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 10 2023

Aloha Sesame Street Friday!
Sesame Street first aired on November 10, 1969, and for generations has helped young children learn. It is the longest-running and most widely viewed children's program in the world. Children in more than 150 countries watch it, over 30 international versions of it are produced, and it has won more Emmy Awards than any other television show.

U.S. regulators will review car-tire chemical that kills salmon, upon request from West Coast tribes
U.S. regulators say they will review the use of a chemical found in almost every tire after a petition from West Coast Native American tribes that want it banned because it kills salmon as they return from the ocean to their natal streams to spawn.

Returning grizzly bears to the North Cascades
There are cultural, ecological and legal obligations to return the bears.

A billion dollars for nature in B.C. as long-awaited agreement is signed
Federal, provincial and First Nations leaders gathered against the backdrop of Burrard Inlet Friday to announce a long-awaited nature agreement that promises further protections for old-growth forests and at-risk species.

Low returns so far for chum, coho on Goldstream River
The return of chum and coho salmon to spawn in the Goldstream River so far is well below last year, according to hatchery officials monitoring the run.

Trudeau government failing to meet emissions target for 2030, audit finds
Key portions of the climate plan aren’t being prioritized, while responsibility for emissions reductions has been scattered across government, environment commissioner said.

B.C. acquires land to expand 5 provincial parks
The B.C. government is set to increase the size of five provincial parks in what it says is an effort to enhance recreational opportunities and improve ecosystem health across the province. The acquisitions are worth about $1.9 million.

Bigg's killer whale sightings in Salish Sea reach all-time high
The Orca Behavior Institute says this is the ninth year out of the last 10 that the record has been broken.

Puget Sound ecosystem holding on, but recovery remains uncertain, says latest status report
Efforts to restore ecological health to Puget Sound have largely failed to meet recovery goals, yet fish and wildlife populations are still hanging on, according to a new report that describes many struggling populations as neither increasing nor decreasing to a significant extent.

Friday, November 3, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 3 2023

Aloha Jellyfish Friday!
Jellyfish consist of about 95 percent water, and are not actually fish, since they are invertebrates that don't have any bones. They have a nerve network, but no central nervous system or brains, nor a circulatory system or respiratory system. Jellyfish stomachs are found in their umbrella-shaped bodies, which are known as bells, and jellyfish have tentacles with cnidocytes, a type of exploding cell. Found in oceans around the world, most jellyfish eat plankton, fish larvae, and fish eggs, and are eaten by the likes of sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, and tuna and other fish.

Second snow crab season canceled as researchers pinpoint cause
The precipitous drop of Alaskan snow crab populations by 90% to only one billion currently is attributed to warming ocean temperatures caused by climate change.

Cigarette butts remain Vancouver's most littered item — and a seemingly unsolvable waste problem
cigarette butts are still the No. 1 most littered item in Vancouver, where several education and mitigation programs over the years — including the threat of up to $10,000 in fines — have done little to make it socially unacceptable to discard them in the street.

Conservationists fail in push to tighten WA wolf killing rules
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected a petition to update rules around when the state authorizes lethal action against wolves that attack livestock.

Despite opposition and environmental violations, major B.C. pipeline project nearly complete
TC Energy says the 670-km Coastal GasLink pipeline has been fully installed from Dawson Creek to Kitimat.

Lower Snake River dam removal still possible as talks continue
Dam removal on the Lower Snake River is still on the table as talks continue over salmon survival and the operation of dams in the Columbia Basin.

Capturing Carbon with Seaweed: What We Know, What We Don’t, and What We’re Totally Unsure About
Towering underwater kelp forests are often likened to trees, but seaweed carbon sequestration is far more complex than in soil-bound ecosystems.

Protection of B.C.'s marbled murrelet reaches federal court
A federal order to protect marbled murrelet nests — along with 24 other migratory bird species — failed to protect wider habitat they need to survive, hears justice.

Birds in the Americas Will No Longer Be Named After People
The American Ornithological Society has committed to replacing all bird names derived from people so as not to honor figures with racist pasts.

Friday, October 27, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review October 27 2023

Aloha Lemur Friday!
There are over 100 species of lemurs. By one count there are 112, but the number changes when new ones are identified through discoveries and genetic testing. Subfossils indicate there once were more and that some became extinct, possibly from being hunted by humans after humans arrived on Madagascar. The 2020 update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species indicated that almost all lemur species were threatened with extinction and that almost a third were critically endangered.

What will B.C. do when disaster strikes again?
As the climate crisis intensifies, experts weigh in on proposed changes to province's decades-old emergency legislation.

WA still suffers from drought despite rain — and El Niño won’t help
Despite recent rainfall most of Washington still suffers from drought and climatologists say the months ahead aren’t likely to offer much relief.

‘Crabs everywhere’: off Canada’s Pacific coast, Indigenous Haida fight a host of invasive species
The unique wildlife of Haida Gwaii’s 150 islands is under attack by invasive crabs, rats and deer – echoing how local people also became vulnerable to outside forces.

Northwest sinks millions into derelict vessel removal on region’s waterways
Leaking fuel and other toxins from hundreds of abandoned ships in Oregon and Washington pose serious environmental risks.

Port of Vancouver posts record-breaking cruise ship season
The Port of Vancouver staff knew they would welcome a record 332 cruise ship visits but hose vessels reached a 90 per cent occupancy rate to close out Vancouver’s cruise season at a record 1.25 million passengers.

WA lands chief: State just had one of its ‘most challenging’ fire seasons ever
Lands commissioner Hilary Franz says while responders kept most fires contained, the overall number of blazes was at a historic high, and more burned in western Washington.

B.C., Wash. agree to address Nooksack River flooding, set no timeline
A recent agreement signed by B.C. and Washington State to come up with projects to address flooding from the Nooksack River does not lay out a timeline or funding obligations.

BC Overhauls Water Management as Scarcity Looms
Mopping up British Columbia’s water management mess is now the responsibility of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Nathan Cullen.

‘The money that’s needed’: B.C. announces $300-million Indigenous conservation fund to protect old-growth forests
The new funding is welcomed by conservation groups that say the province has voiced support for old forest protections while continuing to allow clearcut logging in rare ecosystems and in the habitat of endangered species.

Friday, October 20, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review October 20 2023

Snoop Dogg

Happy Birthday, Calvin!
Happy birthday to Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., known professionally as Snoop Dogg, an American rapper, actor and entrepeneur. His fame dates back to 1992 when he was featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, "Deep Cover", and then on Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic.

How Megafires Are Remaking the World
Fire is a natural phenomenon; some species actually benefit from its effects and even those that don’t can be remarkably resilient in the face of flames. But as fires intensify, they are beginning to outstrip nature’s ability to bounce back.

The Supreme Court rejected a Republican challenge to Biden’s climate math
The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the “social cost of carbon,” one of the most important calculations in U.S. climate policy. Tclimate-related regulations. Kate Yoder reports.

The oldest Puget Sound orca: L25 may be approaching 100
L25 is the world’s oldest known living wild orca, the uncontested reigning matriarch of the southern resident orcas that frequent Puget Sound.

What killed Lolita? Necropsy findings released for the Seaquarium’s beloved orca
The Seaquarium’s beloved performing killer whale, Lolita, appears to have died of old age and multiple chronic illnesses, according to the executive summary of her necropsy released Tuesday afternoon.

Indigenous people in WA incarcerated at higher rates than any other group, data show
Washington in recent years imprisoned Indigenous people at more than six times the rate of white people. That’s according to U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics data that the Prison Policy Initiative assembled and released last month.

‘It’s never too late’: Canada taken to court for near-extinction of spotted owls
As the species hangs on to survival in the country, the federal government will defend its role in delaying emergency measures that could have helped the raptor from disappearing in B.C.’s heavily logged forests.

Lead pollution from small planes threatens human health, EPA finds
Agency takes first step toward regulations aimed at reducing exposure to a dangerous neurotoxin, a potential health benefit for people who live near smaller airports.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review October 13 2023

Aloha Paddington Bear Friday!
The popular children’s literature character first appeared in English author Michael Bond's illustrated book, "A Bear Called Paddington" on this day in 1958. Paddington is a polite Peruvian spectacle bear with a special fondness for marmalade. The success of the first book was followed by 20 more books featuring the lovable bear and a successful toy franchise.

Ginormous South Tacoma warehouse project gets green light despite social justice, environmental concerns
A major warehouse project big enough to cover 43 football fields can go forward in South Tacoma, following a decision by Tacoma's hearing examiner. That’s despite concerns by environmentalists and social justice advocates.

‘Poster child’ estuary preserved at Edmonds’ Meadowdale Beach Park
A 5-foot-wide culvert had previously been the only way water from Lund’s Gulch Creek at Meadowdale Beach Park could enter Puget Sound. Now, the opening is 100 feet across. It’ll preserve and protect what’s called a pocket estuary.

World’s Hottest Summer: Map of Extreme Temperatures in 2023
The planet just experienced its hottest months on record, and by a large margin, scientists said.

Tribe catches coho salmon on free-flowing Elwha River, a first since dam removals
Two dams blocked nearly 90 miles of river and tributary habitat on the Elwha, or more than 90% of the river, since 1911. But both the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams were gone by August 2014 after a couple of years of demolition in what was the largest dam removal project ever undertaken. And on Monday, the wait for a run of salmon healthy enough to be fished was over.

Inslee pushes for Washington to become offshore wind manufacturing hub
The Biden administration has a goal of generating 30 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2030. Washington government and business leaders want manufacturers of offshore wind turbines to build equipment in the state.

What impacts did wildfires have on the Northwest this summer?
In Washington, a total of 165,365 acres burned. The 10-year annual average for acres burned is 472,881.

B.C.'s last spotted owl faces uncertain future
The federal government will not intervene to prevent logging in spotted owl habitat in southwestern B.C.

A no-death census year for Puget Sound’s orcas, with observations about a recent shift to more female births
For the first time since Census Year 1993, no deaths were reported this year among the Southern Resident killer whales, which frequent Puget Sound. Two new births were reported among the whales, increasing the population from 73 to 75.