Category Archives: Rivers & Oceans

Rivers & Oceans

Lack of rainfall cause for up to three weeks of delay for salmon spawning this season

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Port Alberni, BC – In early October Vancouver Island reached a drought Level 4 which impacted wildlife across the coast. After a mass salmon die off in Bella Bella, concern grew regarding drought and a delayed salmon spawning season.

Currently east Vancouver Island is at a drought level of 3, which means adverse impacts are possible, while west Vancouver Island is at a drought level of 2 with less likely impacts.

Dave Rolson, Tseshaht First Nation’s fisheries manager, said, “Timing is everything, really, when it comes to fish and when it comes to environmental conditions.” 

Continue reading Lack of rainfall cause for up to three weeks of delay for salmon spawning this season →
Animals, Rivers & Oceans

At-risk fin whales are in hot water with protection downgrade, LNG, and climate change

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Conservation groups are alarmed that the status of fin whales as a threatened species on Canada’s West Coast is about to be downgraded just as the dangers of LNG shipping and climate change are on the rise. 

The global population of the sleek, fast moving whale — dubbed the greyhound of the sea and named for the dorsal fin near its tail — was decimated by industrial whaling, which lasted until the1980s. Canada’s Pacific fin whale population was listed as threatened in May 2005 and was legally protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) the following year. 

That protection may now be weakened after the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) concluded fin whales numbers are increasing and  reclassified it as a species of special concern in 2019.

Continue reading At-risk fin whales are in hot water with protection downgrade, LNG, and climate change →
Animals, Rivers & Oceans

Dead humpback whale found near Masset marks third in less than a month

By Kaitlyn Bailey, Prince Rupert Northern View, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A dead humpback whale was spotted in Masset Inlet on Nov. 5, marking the third found in B.C.’s coastal waters in less than a month.

Continue reading Dead humpback whale found near Masset marks third in less than a month →
Parks, Rivers & Oceans

Update on the 57 boats tagged in Mansons Landing Provincial Park

The situation for 57 boats tagged on the beach in Mansons Landing Provincial Park has changed. They were origiinally to have been destroyed if not moved within 30 days. That was before Lisa Ferentinos spoke with BC Parks Supervisor Thomas Porsborg. Now the removal order only applies to ’15 boats that have been determined to be derelict.’

Continue reading Update on the 57 boats tagged in Mansons Landing Provincial Park →
Parks, Rivers & Oceans

A deeper dive into the marine protected network plan on Canada’s West Coast

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

There’s much to celebrate in the proposed plan to create a string of marine protected areas stretching Canada’s West Coast from northern Vancouver Island to Alaska, experts say. 

But the lack of information on specific protection measures for the BC Northern Shelf MPA Network means the blueprint to preserve sensitive ocean ecosystems risks becoming a string of “paper parks” — legally designated areas that don’t actually have effective conservation or stewardship measures. 

Continue reading A deeper dive into the marine protected network plan on Canada’s West Coast →