Tag Archives: Eelgrass

Nature, Rivers & Oceans

FOCI: Upcoming AGM & Need to Raise $15,000 for Core Operating Expences

The Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) needs to raise $15,000 for core operations, and is also inviting the community to their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, December 9, at 5 PM, at Manson’s Hall. 

FOCI’s Executive Director, Helen Hall, explained, “We all live on this beautiful island which has rich forests, a stunning coastline and a host of endangered species, and  I think that’s a big reason why people choose to live here -the natural beauty of the island. FOCI has a really important remit to protect and nurture that natural beauty for future generations.” 

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Rivers & Oceans

Satellites track the tiny silver fish hugely important to marine life

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A new scientific endeavour has taken to the sky using high-tech drones and satellite images to understand better the annual spring herring spawn vital to salmon and wildlife on the West Coast. 

Between February and March each year, frigid ocean waters transform to a milky tropical-looking turquoise green when male herring release milt to fertilize the countless eggs deposited by females on eelgrass, kelp and seaweed fringing coastal shores.

Unpredictable and dramatic, the small silver fishes’ spawning event is large and best monitored from great heights, said Loïc Dallaire, a researcher with the SPECTRAL Remote Sensing Laboratory at the University of Victoria. 

“It’s one of the very few animal formations that we can see from space, excluding human developments and towns,” Dallaire said. 

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Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

Tradition meets modern: Restoring wild salmon habitat

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

First Nations working to restore wild salmon and vital fish habitat on northeastern Vancouver Island will receive $3.4 million for a trio of stewardship projects in the Campbell River region. 

The restoration of salt marshes in the Campbell River estuary, a new fish trap based on traditional practices, and a hatchery are being jointly funded by the B.C. and federal governments. 

The estuary and fish trap projects, which also involve Greenways Land Trust and A-Tlegay Fisheries Society as partners, reflect the Wei Wai Kum Nation’s goal to revitalize salmon populations, said Chief Coun. Chris Roberts. 

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Environment

New funding expands Project Watershed’s vision for coastal restoration

Editor’s note: The subject of marine restoration is of importance and Cortes Currents has FM listeners in the area between Oyster Bay and Fanny Bay.

By Madeline Dunnett, The Discourse,  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Recent funding boosts will allow the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society to implement an expanded vision for the restoration of marine habitats from Oyster Bay to Fanny Bay.

Project Watershed will receive $1.5 million through the Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund. The funding will be given out over the next four years and will support the restoration and enhancement of local marine systems. The group will work to restore tidal marshes, eelgrass beds, kelp forests and critical salmon habitat.

Alongside this, Project Watershed will be receiving some funding from BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (SRIF), which is set to be announced later this week.

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Animals, Food

The Smelt Bay Goose Hunt

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On Monday, November 6, Max Thaysen and Travis Powiak posted a notice on the Tideline. They would be hunting Canada geese at Smelt Bay and Hollyhock Beach, between 12 and 3 PM, on Thursday. 

“I like eating goose for a variety of reasons, including wanting to have the most ethical and environmentally responsible diet that I possibly can,” Max explained.

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