By Mick Sweetman, CHLY 101.7 FM Nanaimo, through an LJI grant from Canada-info.ca
“Go Scotty!” shouted a voice from the shore of Pipers Lagoon in Nanaimo as Scott Rees finished a 30 km swim across the Georgia Strait on Sunday.
Though he could hear the cheers, Scott Rees couldn’t see who was yelling, as he had just completed the 11-hour open water marathon swim while completely blind.
Continue reading Blind man swims across the Georgia Strait to Nanaimo
The Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) have not found any European Green Crabs in Manson’s lagoon, and so far there’ve been no sightings north of Nanaimo.
“We haven’t found any, that’s really good news, but we’ve been very pleased to partner with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). Hopefully, if we ever find them, we’ll be able to trap them out and stop them from harming the valuable habitat here,” explained Helen Hall, Executive Director of FOCI.
Continue reading No European Green Crabs in the Discovery Islands, yet
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Editor’s note: In addition to being marine tourist destinations close to a principal British Columbian shipping lane, Cortes, Quadra and Read Islands are visited by both the northern and southern pods of Killer Whales
University of British Columbia engineers are working to help clear up the acoustic smog that hinders endangered orcas’ ability to gather information vital to their survival.
Chronic underwater noise from shipping can drown out sounds marine mammals — such as the southern resident killer whales — use and rely on to communicate with each other, navigate, avoid danger or locate their prey.
Continue reading West Coast engineers aim to clear up acoustic smog impacting endangered killer whales
“The best overview of the FOCI’s Marine Stewardship Initiative (MSI), the absolute best overview in a nutshell, is an Arthur C Clarke’s quote. It’s the mantra of the MSI. Arthur C. Clarke wrote ‘How inappropriate to call this Planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.’ That is, in a nutshell, the Marine Stewardship Initiative,” explained Sabina Leader Mense, Program coordinator.
Continue reading FOCI’s Marine Stewardship Initiativeqathet Living, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
For decades, the Salish Sea’s herring nearly disappeared, starving local salmon, whales and other species. The run miraculously came back in 2014.
Since then, Ottawa has allowed commercial boats to harvest 20 per cent of the herring run – in spite of lobbying by First Nations and environmental groups.
Continue reading Herring cut not enough, says west coast First Nation
