Noise Pollution from Vessels Affect Resident Orcas’ Ability to Hunt, Study Finds
The Salish Sea is far too noisy for its resident orcas to hunt efficiently and effectively, according to new research by the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Scotland Launches Consultation on Banning Trawlers in Marine Protected Areas
Scotland has launched talks on restricting or banning trawlers in 20 Marine Protected Areas off its coast, joining a growing list of countries that are working to protect their seabed from bottom trawling. If the Scottish ban proceeds it would boost protections in its existing MPA network. Scotland says its MPAs now protect 37% of […]
New Ocean Noise Strategy to Help Manage Coastal Noise Pollution
The federal government has announced the first draft of Canada’s Ocean Noise Strategy, which will help manage noise pollution on our coast.
Two humpbacks tangled in fishing gear rescued
Rescuers found and freed humpback whales Raza and Mogul, tethered together in fishing gear, after a kayaker reported their plight.
Film Company Fined for Drone Over Orcas
Filming orcas “beach rubbing” on Vancouver Island just cost a BC film company a $25,000 fine, plus another fine for the drone operator.
Bigg’s Killer Whale Sightings Soar in Salish Sea
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
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
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
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?
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.