Tag Archives: DFO

Environment

The future of rare cold-water coral garden on B.C. coast is still on the line

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The fate of a rare and splendid coral garden in a remote B.C. inlet is still on the line pending a decision by the federal government to establish interim protections before the fishing season launches this spring.  

However, the First Nation and conservationists striving to protect the trove of large orange coral fans are more optimistic than they were last spring when Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) failed to put a fishing moratorium in place to protect the fragile ecosystem. 

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Rivers & Oceans

Who gets to fish for B.C. salmon in the future?

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The West Coast’s commercial salmon fleet is clearly in the midst of transformative change.  

Ottawa has shuttered approximately 60 per cent of B.C.’s commercial fisheries since 2021 and last month launched a licence buyback program to lure fish harvesters to exit the industry to protect plummeting salmon stocks. 

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Animals, Rivers & Oceans

Humpback whales are riding a crosscurrent of hope and concern

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

It was a good news, bad news year for humpback whales residing in the Salish Sea on the West Coast.

Nearly 400 humpbacks were sighted in 2022, the highest number on record, said researcher Tasli Shaw, project lead for Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea (HWSS), which identifies and catalogues marine mammals in the region. 

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Community, Education

Why the Cortes Island Academy is a program of the Cortes Foundation

“The Cortes Island Academy is working on becoming its own nonprofit, but right now it actually functions as a program of the Cortes Island Community Foundation. Part of this was because I  have had this interest in trying to figure out if we could create a high school pilot program and I work part-time as the Executive Director of the Cortes Island Community Foundation. So there was an obvious link, but it really goes back to the root of  why  we need a high school program on Cortes,” explained Manda Aufochs Gillespie.

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Forests, Health, Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

From fish to forests, how 2022 played out on Canada’s West Coast

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As the year’s climate-related gains and catastrophes wrap, Canada’s National Observer is reviewing the top five stories to make waves in B.C.’s coastal and island communities in 2022. 

First Nations, forests and fish-related news surfaced as some top issues from CNO’s Island Insider beat, and are likely to dominate headlines in the new year as well. 

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