CKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The lagoon at Mansons Landing is yet another location on Cortes, which experienced alarming rates of marine creature die-off in the wake of the recent heat wave — the sand dollar population being hit the hardest, with losses as high as 85 per cent.
Continue reading Mansons Lagoon not spared in Marine life die-offThere was a boat stranded in the sand, at Smelt Bay, on Saturday. The Woody Point’s anchor lay not too far distant, a testament to its owner’s original intention. The ocean was perhaps another hundred feet distant.
CKTZ News came to take pictures for another story. Thousands of mussels died on the exposed rocks at the southern side of the beach. They were presumably casualties of the heatwave that ravaged shellfish populations throughout the West Coast almost two weeks ago.
Continue reading Stranded in the heat, sand, and rocksCKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
In the midst of a heat wave that may have left as many as a billion dead marine creatures along the West Coast, there appears to have been an abnormally high number of shellfish deaths reported at a number of Cortes Island locations.
Daily temperature highs of between 35°C and 40°C were recorded, at the Cortes Island School, during the last five days of June.
Continue reading Abnormally high number of Shellfish deaths on Cortes IslandCKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Close to a billion marine creatures may have perished in BC’s recent heat wave.
“We had some of the hottest weather we’ve ever had and it happened to be on days with very low, low tides and that combination was pretty lethal for a lot of things,” explained Dr Chris Harley, a marine biologist at the University of British Columbia.
He said the one billion death estimate was obtained through calculations of mussel populations.
Continue reading A billion marine creatures may have perished in the heatNational Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The ecological devastation of B.C.’s recent heat wave is just starting to be understood after record temperatures paired with low tides wreaked havoc along the West Coast.
More than one billion marine intertidal animals may have perished along the shores of the Salish Sea during the record temperatures at the end of June, said University of British Columbia researcher Chris Harley.
Continue reading A billion tidal creatures likely baked to death
