Bigg’s Killer Whale Sightings Soar in Salish Sea
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Sightings of Bigg’s killer whales have soared this year in the Salish Sea. In July alone, groups of Bigg’s whales were sighted 214 times.
Halibut Master Caught Fishing In Protected Glass Reef Fined $33,596
![A boat called Gypsy Soul](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Gypsy_Soul-Credit-.jpg)
Commercial fisherman Brent Belveal landed a $33,596 fine for illegally operating his halibut vessel Gypsy Soul in the fragile and legally protected glass sponge reef near Bella Bella. The master of the Gypsy Soul had pled guilty in BC provincial court to charges of fishing illegally inside the Hecate Strait Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reef Marine […]
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.
The Bocaccio Rockfish of BC
![A rockfish swimming](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/large.jpg)
This story stars the Bocaccio, a species once abundant in our waters but now considered endangered in BC.
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.
What are the Harms of Midwater Trawling?
![Fishermen with fishing nets](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/28170778115_fa0e9dd2a7_k-1024x768.jpg)
Midwater trawling nets can be the size of several football fields. They are designed to open wide and scoop up vast quantities of herring, hake, salmon, and other target species.
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.