latest news//
Stay up to date on BC’s coast.
![Fishermen in yellow overalls fixing a net in a sunny harbor](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fishermen_Netting_Hands_AdobeExpress-1-300x200.png)
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.
![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-2-1-300x200.png)
Ocean Wise Cancels Alaskan Salmon’s Stamp of Approval
Seafood sustainability group Ocean Wise has removed its “recommended” status from salmon fisheries in southeast Alaska.
![Picture of a coral underwater](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/6107369772_ccb61eae41_h-300x224.jpg)
New BC Marine Protected Area Safeguards Unique Hydrothermal Vents and Seamounts
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).
![A pod of orcas swimming in the open ocean](https://strongcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image-300x150.png)
New Measures to Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales in BC
The Government of Canada has announced new measures and increased funding to protect the endangered Southern Resident killer whales of BC’s coast.
![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-3-300x200.webp)
Noise Pollution Threatens the Survival of Southern Resident Killer Whales
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.
![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-300x225.jpg)
Feds Break 2019 Promise to End All Open-Pen BC Salmon Farms by 2025 By Extending Licenses to 2029
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.