Canada Called to Answer for Lack of Enforcement on Toxic Wastewater Dumping in the Pacific
![Chemical spill behind freighter ship](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SC-letterwriter-social-shares-8-4-1024x435.png)
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), established under the U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade agreement, has raised concerns about Canada’s failure to control the discharge of millions of tonnes of contaminated wash water from fuel scrubbers.
Will BC Fisheries Move To An Owner-Operator Licencing System?
![A commercial fishing boat named "Savoy" on the water](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1000026747-1024x768.jpg)
British Columbia’s licencing and quota system for fisheries could soon be seeing much needed reforms. The BC government has announced its intentions to work with the federal government to transition the province’s individual transferable quota (ITQ) system to an owner-operator system.
Ocean Wise Cancels Alaskan Salmon’s Stamp of Approval
![a purse seiner in alaskan waters, capturing a net of salmon with a big red no symbol in front of it.](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Smithers-supports-halting-Alaskan-interception-of-wild-salmon-2-1-1024x683.png)
Seafood sustainability group Ocean Wise has removed its “recommended” status from salmon fisheries in southeast Alaska.
New BC Marine Protected Area Safeguards Unique Hydrothermal Vents and Seamounts
![Picture of a coral underwater](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/6107369772_ccb61eae41_h-1024x763.jpg)
In a landmark collaboration, First Nations along British Columbia’s coast and the Canadian government have announced the designation of the country’s largest marine protected area (MPA).
New Measures to Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales in BC
![A pod of orcas swimming in the open ocean](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image-1024x512.png)
The Government of Canada has announced new measures and increased funding to protect the endangered Southern Resident killer whales of BC’s coast.
Noise Pollution Threatens the Survival of Southern Resident Killer Whales
![An orca swimming in open water in the foreground with a large cargo vessel in the background](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Helen-Alexander-3.webp)
Scientists are increasingly concerned about the effects of increased vessel shipping, and the underwater noise pollution that comes with it, on BC’s marine species that rely on sound and echolocation to communicate, navigate, and hunt.
Feds Break 2019 Promise to End All Open-Pen BC Salmon Farms by 2025 By Extending Licenses to 2029
![An aerial view of an open-net pen fish farm owned by Mowi Canada West in BC.](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/437785349_852509580252427_7596650330071225907_n-1024x768.jpg)
A transition plan for the future of open-net salmon farming in BC appears to be coming together, though it does involve the renewal of existing fish farm licenses.
Sweden Announces Landmark Ban on Bottom Trawling
![Aboard an industrial bottom trawler with four workers on standby as the trawl net is hailed onboard, full of fish.](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GP0Z8E_Web_size_with_credit_line-e1717706435140.jpg)
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that the ban on bottom trawling will apply to country’s marine protected areas (MPAs) and all territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles).
Brave Little Hunter Not Seen for Weeks, But It’s Good News
![The orca calf known as Brave Little Hunter on the left swimming next to the body of her beached mother, Spong, in the Zeballos lagoon](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/433890397_10168172108930570_8433525451986473144_n-1024x683.jpg)
Brave Little Hunter has not been seen for several weeks. However, it could simply mean she’s on the move, searching for family
DFO at a Crossroads: The Future of Fish Farms in BC
![A single juvenile salmon covered in salmon lice](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/22181524_web1_copy_200729-NIG-sea-lice-numbers-_1.jpg)
As the end of June draws closer, marking the expiration of the remaining 66 fish farm licences across BC, communities, advocates for wild fish recovery, and the aquaculture industry are all waiting with bated breath to see what the BC government will do.