Special report
B.C.’s lack of snow foretells summer drought woes
Watershed experts worried that critically low snowpacks signal more severe droughts this summer want the province to act early to deal with water shortages before they reach crisis levels.
Slow ships. One fast fix to Canada’s ocean noise problem
Canada can turn the tide and deliver its long-promised underwater noise strategy with fast and effective regulations that will cut the clamour of human activity polluting oceans and harming marine life everywhere, say conservation groups.
First Nations question the economic toll of shipping through the Salish Sea
Coastal First Nations are stressing urgency and more investment to offset the anticipated surge in oil tanker and shipping traffic in the Salish Sea once the Trans Mountain pipeline and Roberts Bank terminal expansion projects come online.
Plastic fibres are a dangerous junk food for tiny ocean creatures
Zooplankton vital for fish on B.C.’s southern coast are lining their guts with synthetic microfibres shed and flushed out to sea when we wash our clothes, causing big ripple effects for marine life.
Baby sockeye salmon are growing faster due to climate change. Is bigger better?
Climate change has tipped the scales, causing juvenile sockeye salmon in northern B.C. to grow larger over the past century.
Interest swelling in ocean carbon removal
Attention and controversy is on the rise about climate solutions that aim to scale up and speed the ocean’s natural biological or chemical processes to capture and store C02.
Salmon skyline takes wild coho conservation to new heights
Each autumn, Courtenay Fish and Game volunteers go to great lengths to capture live spawning salmon from an isolated stretch of the Trent River to raise at their new Comox Lake hatchery.
Feds must fix unfair West Coast fishing rules: House committee
Canada's East Coast regulations are geared to limit corporate control and protect coastal fishing communities while West Coast harvesters flounder under a different set of rules.
Canada’s latest course for green shipping isn’t clearly charted
Canada has launched a West Coast green shipping corridor from Prince Rupert and Vancouver ports to destinations in Asia and the Middle East, but the partners onboard, funding and the pathway to net zero on the route are murky.
Oysters: Unsung climate heroes for your holiday buffet
Sustainably farmed oysters, mussels and clams are good choices when it comes to climate-friendly seafood, pairing high nutritional value with a low carbon footprint that includes benefits to the marine ecosystem.
Was 2023 a washout year for the ocean and climate?
The ocean, the planet’s greatest ally in the fight against global warming, barely raised a ripple in the UN climate deal crafted in Dubai last week, but the tide is turning, say experts.
Tradition meets modern: Restoring wild salmon habitat
First Nations and community groups aiming to restore salt marshes in the Campbell River estuary, develop a modern fish trap based on ancient practices and rebuild a hatchery get $3.4 million in funding from the B.C. and federal governments.
Coastal First Nations get $60M boost from B.C. to protect Great Bear Sea
The funding helps 15 coastal First Nations conserve B.C.'s ‘Galapagos of the North’ and move forward with a network of marine conservation areas that spans two-thirds of Canada's West Coast.
BBC’s Planet Earth does a deep dive on West Coast whale poo
Vancouver Island whale researchers helped the world-famous nature series explore novel humpback behaviour and how these ocean giants help mitigate climate change.
West Coast toxic hot spots threaten endangered salmon and killer whales
Victoria and Prince Rupert harbours are the top toxic hot spots, with sediment research unearthing a mix of worrisome metals and chemical pollutants harmful to endangered chinook salmon and southern resident killer whales.