Science briefs – next big one for Cali, sick plastic, poached cod

Next big quake for Southland?

I blogged earlier this week that earthquakes off the coast of Oregon, at a famous triple fault junction, might be a sign of things to come on the San Andreas.

And indeed, the likelihood of an earthquake, especially on the Southern California section of the fault, is quite high. In fact, 99.7 percent for the fault overall, and 97 percent SoCal will get a magnitude 6.7 or above within 30 years. For background, the 1994 Northridge earthquake was a 6.7. The section that runs from east of Paso Robles to the Salton Sea is expected to be the most earthquake vulnerable.

Bisphenol-A to get Canadian diss?

Bisphenol A, a near-ubiquitous component of many drink bottle plastics, is known as an estrogen mimic, and some researchers believe it may be tied to some cancers, as well as a puberty stimulator as an estrogen mimic. Well, the Canadian Ministry of Health may soon declare it a dangerous substance; it would be the first country in the world to do so.

Arctic cod being poached

WWF says cod poaching in the Arctic could put stocks of this fish at serious risk; ditto for pollock. And, it’s an international deal:

The group said illegally caught pollock was typically carried to China for processing by a Russian vessel, the deal was usually handled by middlemen in South Korea, and the processed fish re-exported as fillets to the United States.

Just one more example of overfishing.