In Graphic Detail: Whaling in Japan

After decades of controversy, Japan resumes the commercial harvest of fin whales.

Aug 28, 2024 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

Life, Death, and Dollars Spent

The Canadian government and the Ehattesaht First Nation dropped a huge chunk of change trying to save the stranded killer whale kʷiisaḥiʔis (Brave Little Hunter). Now, they’re wondering how to make up the money.

Aug 22, 2024 | 1,300 words, about 6 minutes

The Estuary Smothered by a Thousand Logs

For decades, scientists have known that allowing the timber industry to store logs in estuaries kills marine life. So why does British Columbia still permit it?

Jun 25, 2024 | 2,500 words, about 13 minutes

Climate Change and Housing Adaptation: Owl Edition

After scores of barn owls died in overheated nest boxes, conservationists set out to give the birds less heat-prone homes.

May 15, 2024 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

We’ll Get You Out of Here—Just Follow the Sound of My Voice

How broadcasting the familiar calls of female killer whales saved two males from starvation in an isolated Alaska lagoon.

May 1, 2024 | 1,500 words, about 7 minutes

Like It or Not, Even Wildlife-Focused Ecotourism Affects Wild Animals

Under the watchful gaze of ecotourists, British Columbia’s grizzly bears become skittish and avoid prime hunting spots.

Apr 30, 2024 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Canada’s Limits on Sea Lice in Salmon Farms Don’t Measure Up

A new study ranks Canada behind three other countries in responding to parasite outbreaks.

Dec 7, 2023 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes

Scientists Level New Critiques of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Scientific Rigor

Critics allege the federal department’s ability to provide vital scientific advice is weighed down by systematic industry and political interference.

Aug 1, 2023 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes

Using Drones to Spy Beach-Bound Sharks

Ongoing tests show drones are an effective way to spot sharks that wander too close to busy beaches.

Dec 21, 2022 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

The Price of Paper

Coastal communities around the world contend with the toxic legacies of pulp and paper mills.

Nov 22, 2022 | 2,900 words, about 14 minutes

Pandemic Poaching Sets Rockfish Conservation Effort Back Years

Illegal fishing in rockfish conservation areas around Galiano Island, British Columbia, spiked dramatically in 2020 and 2021.

Sep 22, 2022 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

In Graphic Detail: The Green Grass of the Arctic

Eelgrass and seaweed are advancing north so fast your grandkids may be crabbing and fishing in formerly polar regions.

Jul 22, 2022 | 300 words, a quick read

How Your Caffeine Addiction Is Hurting Marine Life

Lab trials show caffeine has a range of negative effects on marine species.

Mar 16, 2022 | 400 words, about 2 minutes

For Juvenile Shrimp, Green Light Means Stop

LED light—especially green light—is an effective deterrent for juvenile shrimp.

Feb 14, 2022 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

For Good or Ill, Porpoises Avoid Tidal Power Turbines

The finding is good news if it means the porpoises are staying safe, but it is bad if they are losing habitat in the process.

Jan 31, 2022 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

The Great Bear Rainforest’s Great Big Whales

British Columbia’s Kitimat fjord is an unlikely home for massive fin whales, and scientists are beginning to understand what makes the area so attractive.

Jan 10, 2022 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Saving Salmon for the Bears

The Wuikinuxv Nation is conducting research to figure out how much salmon to set aside to help the bears.

Aug 7, 2021 | 850 words, about 4 minutes

Salmon Smolts: Here Today, Guano Tomorrow

In British Columbia, great blue heron guano explains the mystery of the vanishing salmon smolts.

Feb 26, 2021 | 850 words, about 4 minutes

Trophy Hunters Could Threaten the Social Acceptability of Hunting

Hunters who hunt for food will need to work to avoid the ire aimed at trophy hunters.

Feb 3, 2021 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

Sleeping with the Enemy

Great blue herons are seeking safety by nesting beside predatory eagles. Researchers call it the “mafia protection racket.”

Jan 21, 2021 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

The Lone Wolf That Was Loved to Death

The question of who killed Takaya, British Columbia’s famous solitary wolf, goes far beyond who pulled the trigger.

Oct 27, 2020 | 4,000 words, about 20 minutes

What Would a British Columbia Seal and Sea Lion Cull Actually Entail?

Proponents are calling for the deaths of at least 75,000 seals and sea lions in the first year.

Oct 22, 2020 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes

To Dam or Not to Dam

As dams are being torn down across the United States, Washington is floating a plan to dam one of the state’s greatest rivers.

Jul 13, 2020 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

The Alaskans Are Coming

Underwater recordings confirm that a new killer whale population is poking its head into British Columbia.

Jul 3, 2020 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Necropsies Unveil More about Mass Gray Whale Deaths

Hundreds of gray whales in the eastern Pacific Ocean have died since last year, and scientists are beginning to understand why.

Jun 5, 2020 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Whales Get a Break from Watchers

The COVID-19 pandemic is giving whales some respite from boat traffic and whale watching tours, but some say associated shutdowns are impacting research and conservation.

May 22, 2020 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

Teachable Moments on the Dock

A British Columbia project that includes education with regulations is a winning formula for rockfish conservation.

May 14, 2020 | 1,900 words, about 9 minutes

Guadalupe Fur Seals’ Barriers to Recovery

Researchers are analyzing the causes of death for endangered Guadalupe fur seals.

May 11, 2020 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

The Vulture Watcher

One man’s spirited commitment to an underappreciated bird.

Dec 10, 2019 | 2,400 words, about 12 minutes

Sucking Gas

Killer whales take in fewer hydrocarbons following tougher restrictions on vessel distances.

Oct 4, 2019 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

A Humpback Whodunit

A necropsy carried out on a remote British Columbia beach seeks to answer how a young humpback died.

Sep 24, 2019 | 2,600 words, about 13 minutes

The Tale of Dirty, Old, Leaky Zalinski

A Second World War-era shipwreck is a haunting reminder that you can never fully clean up an oil spill.

Sep 10, 2019 | 3,200 words, about 16 minutes

The Unexpected Winners from Sea Star Wasting Disease

The devastating outbreak cleared space in the ecosystem for previously uncompetitive sea stars to flourish.

Apr 23, 2019 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

Salmon Derbies Flounder Under Stricter Chinook Regulations

Fishing derbies award prizes for the biggest fish and raise significant money for conservation. But new rules on sport fishing may put an end to the derby as we know it.

Mar 14, 2019 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Clam Digging through 3,500 Years of Indigenous History

Newly dated clam gardens show the technology is much older than previously thought.

Feb 27, 2019 | 850 words, about 4 minutes

Wiretapping Minke Whales

Hundreds of hours of intense listening reveal the secretive communications of the Pacific’s smallest baleen whale.

Feb 1, 2019 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Thar She Grows: A New Way to Tell a Gray Whale’s Age

Being able to accurately estimate an animal’s age is an important step in understanding the health of a population.

Jan 18, 2019 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

A Fur Seal Loses Its Safety Net

Geography was once on the side of Guadalupe fur seals, denizens of a remote island hunters rarely visited.

Jan 9, 2019 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Why Does Halibut Cost So Much?

There are good reasons why putting halibut on your plate can strain your wallet.

Dec 11, 2018 | 2,900 words, about 15 minutes

A Record-Breaking Dive by a Hungry Killer Whale

Killer whales go to extraordinary depths to pilfer a meal.

Nov 16, 2018 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

A New Vaccine Protects Albatross Chicks

Avian cholera is a scourge on albatross chicks, but a field trial of a new vaccine led to a dramatic increase in survival.

Nov 5, 2018 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

Freighters in Paradise

Larger ships, lengthy loading processes, and increasing traffic are contributing to traffic jams at major ports, and the effects are spilling onto the surrounding areas.

Oct 22, 2018 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

The Rats Are Dead. Long Live the Rats

A year after eradication efforts were declared a success, rats returned to two Haida Gwaii islands.

Oct 10, 2018 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

What Do Killer Whales Do at Night?

An ongoing tracking study seeks to understand what killer whales do under the cover of darkness.

Oct 3, 2018 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

For Birds, Life Is Different in a Metropolis

Along bustling salmon streams, fat male Pacific wrens rule.

Aug 24, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

See Spot Scare the Birds

Dog owners knowingly flout leash laws, even at birds’ expense.

Apr 30, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Daredevil Dolphins

Bow riding is a dangerous behavior with no clear motivation.

Apr 25, 2018 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Paddling in the Company of Killer Whales

Kayakers, relatively quiet boaters, disturb the Salish Sea’s killer whales.

Jan 24, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Behind the Blubber

Harbor seals are blamed for chinook and coho salmon declines, but ecosystems are more complicated than some suggest.

Jan 12, 2018 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Rapid Scan for Salmon Sickness

A new technique lets scientists spot disease-carrying fish, even before they’re visibly sick.

Jan 8, 2018 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

The Hunger Games: Two Killer Whales, Same Sea, Different Diets

The Salish Sea’s resident killer whales are in trouble—and garnering all the headlines—but transient killer whales traveling the same waters seem to be doing fine.

Nov 28, 2017 | 3,500 words, about 17 minutes

Bowhead Whales Like to Exfoliate, Too

In Canada’s Arctic, researchers spied whales rubbing themselves on rocks.

Nov 22, 2017 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

Drawing Meaning from Death, One Seabird at a Time

In the Pacific Northwest, the diligence of citizen scientists is shedding light on the lives, and deaths, of seabirds.

May 2, 2017 | 2,600 words, about 13 minutes

Biology Versus Bones: the Case of the Cape Flattery Fur Seal

The fishing rights of Olympic Peninsula tribes hinge on solving the identity of Cape Flattery’s fur seals.

Apr 3, 2017 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes

All You Can Eat Wings

Seabirds are the unintended victims of hungry humpback whales.

Mar 16, 2017 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

Snakes That Swim with Salmon

Snakes’ wide-ranging diet and ability to slither into all manner of habitats lead to unexpected human-wildlife interactions.

Jan 30, 2017 | 400 words, about 2 minutes

New CCGS Sir John Franklin Gets Frosty Reception

A new Canadian research ship will be named after John Franklin—but is that really a good idea?

Dec 13, 2016 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Life Aboard the Wreck of the HMCS Annapolis

Through a new biodiversity survey, the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia is setting out to show how life takes to an artificial reef.

Nov 3, 2016 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

What’s the True Scientific Value of Scientific Whaling?

A new study shows that countries that participate in lethal scientific whaling do not produce superior scientific research.

Oct 27, 2016 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

In the Salish Sea, Whale Watchers Frequently Getting Too Close

A nonprofit is tracking potential violations of whale watching regulations by commercial and private watchers.

Feb 18, 2016 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

British Columbia First Nations’ Failing Fisheries

Climate change means marine creatures are migrating—away from First Nations’ territory.

Jan 13, 2016 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

The Circle of Poo

Nutrients from whales’ poo fertilize phytoplankton, which are eaten by krill … which are eaten by whales.

Jan 5, 2016 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Strangers on the Shore

Foreign species hitchhiked across the Pacific on debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami—now researchers along the North American coast are scrambling to detect them before they take hold.

Oct 21, 2015 | 3,000 words, about 15 minutes

Humans Kill 14 Times More Adult Fish Than Wild Predators

Enter the super predator.

Aug 20, 2015 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

Eating, and Being Eaten

Scientists are tagging both predator and prey to watch the food web in action.

Jun 29, 2015 | 750 words, about 3 minutes