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Shanna Baker

Staff

Author bio

editor Shanna Baker

Shanna Baker is a managing editor at Hakai Magazine. Her own writing and photography adventures have taken her to saltwater crocodile territory in northern Australia, remnant patches of Garry oak ecosystems around Vancouver Island, remote outposts of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the wilds of British Columbia’s central coast. Photo by David duChemin

Shanna Baker’s Contributions:

With Old Traditions and New Tech, Young Inuit Chart Their Changing Landscape

For generations, hunting, and the deep connection to the land it creates, has been a mainstay of Inuit culture. As the coastline changes—reshaping the marine landscape and jeopardizing the hunt—Inuit youth are charting ways to preserve the hunt, and their identity.

Aug 30, 2022 | 5,300 words, about 26 minutes

man with photo and kharai camels

Where Camels Take to the Sea

In Gujarat, India, a special breed of camel is not constrained by land—but cannot escape the many forces of change.

Sep 22, 2020 | 6,900 words, about 35 minutes

pro stand-up paddleboarder Seychelle

Coastal Job: Stand-up Paddleboarder

A meditative pastime for many, stand-up paddleboarding is also a lesser-known career path for elite athletes.

Apr 26, 2019 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

sting of tabu shell money

The Spiritual Shell Money of Papua New Guinea

Photographer Claudio Sieber documents how the traditional practice of using shell money continues to thrive among the Tolai people.

Mar 19, 2019 | 1,600 words, 14 photos and videos

Wendy Szaniszlo on a boat in Barkley Sound, British Columbia

Coastal Job: Sea Lion Disentanglement Expert

Wendy Szaniszlo tackles the pervasive problem of sea lion entanglement.

Nov 30, 2018 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Experimental archaeologist Richard Schweitzer playing the bukkehorn

Coastal Job: Experimental Archaeologist

Richard Schweitzer contributes to the field of archaeology by re-creating and testing artifacts in the real world.

Aug 31, 2018 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

cuban crocodiles lying on top of each other

The Future of Castro’s Crocs

As a breeding facility works to retain a pure lineage of the Cuban crocodile, out in the wild the division between species is getting murkier all the time.

Jun 19, 2018 | 3,300 words, about 17 minutes

sun shines from behind garry oak trees

Coastal Oakscapes

A story in pictures about an iconic and culturally important ecosystem in evolution.

Apr 24, 2018 | 950 words, 21 photos

Racers in a punt dodge a small piece of iceberg—known locally as a growler—along the coast of Fogo Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Race That Saved the Fogo Island Punt

A community event in this storied Atlantic Coast outport helped restore a wooden boat from relic to relevant.

Dec 20, 2017 | 1,600 words, about 8 minutes

Pollution and the Rise of the Orange Marsh Zombies

Why New England’s amphipods are turning into the scuttling undead.

Oct 23, 2017 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

The guardian watchmen program on Haida Gwaii, which helped inspire similar programs in other coastal First Nations, aligns with the Haida concept of watchmen—spiritual figures carved into poles to protect a village. The watchmen shown in this conceptual illustration are based on the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole that stands on Lyell Island, used with permission from carver Jaalen Edenshaw. Illustration by Mark Garrison

Guardians of the Coast

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but British Columbia’s coastal First Nations are joining forces to safeguard the coast.

Sep 5, 2017 | 2,000 words, about 10 minutes

Kissing Bergs and Dancing the Innu Shuffle

Reflections from a journey spanning St. John’s to Nain on Canada’s east coast.

Jul 31, 2017 | 1,000 words, 24 photos

In the ocean, even tiny pieces of plastic can host microbial life. Scientists hope to use observations on how microbial communities develop to estimate how long a microplastic fragment has been floating in the ocean. Photo by Citizen of the Planet/Alamy Stock Photo

Journey into the Plastisphere

Plastic marine debris is one of the world’s newest ecosystems, and scientists have just begun to understand how microbes are settling into their new island homes.

Mar 29, 2017 | 1,600 words, about 8 minutes

Cuttlefish Brawl

Bif! Blam! Whack! Boom! When giant Australian cuttlefish convene to mate, males usually rely on visual displays to intimidate one another—but sometimes, things can get rough.

Mar 6, 2017 | 34-panel comic

When people who rehabilitate oiled wildlife defend the impact of their work, they often refer to African penguins, which respond especially well to treatment. Photo by epa european pressphoto agency b.v./Alamy Stock Photo

Saving Birds from Oil Spills

Some sources insist that most birds affected by an oil spill will die prematurely, even if they’ve been carefully cleaned. Two experts weigh in on why the effort of treating oiled animals is still worthwhile.

Nov 8, 2016 | 3,700 words, about 18 minutes

The Secret World of Bog

Photos of a lesser-known ecosystem, from British Columbia’s outer coast.

Sep 19, 2016 | 900 words, 19 photos

Book Review: Water

A visual meditation on water’s power to sculpt the earth.

Jul 11, 2016 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

In Australia’s Northern Territory, saltwater crocodiles reign over the coastal waterways. Photo by Lui Sykes/Alamy Stock Photo

Crocodiles Rising

In the Northern Territory of Australia, policymakers and biologists managed the impossible—making the benefits of living with a booming population of deadly crocodiles outweigh the risks. But when two apex predators must share coastal resources, there’s bound to be conflict.

Apr 28, 2016 | 7,000 words, about 35 minutes

The Big (Coastal) Squeeze

Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta shoreline is at risk of getting squeezed out.

Apr 25, 2016 | 1,600 words, 19 photos

Skeleton articulator Mike DeRoos of Saltspring Island, British Columbia, says that every skeleton has a story. Five years after installation, the blue whale at Vancouver’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum is “holding up really well.” Photo by Shanna Baker

The Art of Bones

Reconstructing a blue whale skeleton is an art form—so is keeping it clean.

Mar 4, 2016 | 1,400 words, about 7 minutes

Counting the Invisible Fish

Scientists don’t need to see a fish to know it’s there.

Dec 9, 2015 | 3 min 30 sec

Book Review: Plankton

A phantasmagoria of aquatic drifters, up close.

Dec 4, 2015 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

New Wave in Art

Profiles of five artists who find creative inspiration in beach debris.

Apr 22, 2015 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes