Islanders make great observers of the natural world and are helping create meaningful scientific inquiry into what is happening on and around the islands. This week on Folk U Radio, Helen Hall from Friends of Cortes Island and Kelly Fretwell from the Hakai Institute join host Manda Aufochs Gillespie to learn more about the roles of citizen scientists, the tools to help them succeed, and how FOCI and Hakai are helping to make meaningful use of data collected (and how they hope to do even more.) Join us live this Friday at 1 p.m. on 89.5FM or livestream from cortesradio.ca.
Continue reading Tools for Citizen Science on FolkU Radio @89.5FMCategory Archives: Rivers & Oceans
Potential elimination of open-net salmon farm sector in sight
The licenses for all 19 salmon farms in the Discovery Islands expire in June. There will only be 7 farms left in the Broughton Archipelago by 2023, at which point their tenure ends unless they can obtain First Nations approval and Department of Fisheries licences. That leaves an estimated 79 salmon farms throughout the province, and all of their licenses come up for renewal on June 30, 2022.
Continue reading Potential elimination of open-net salmon farm sector in sight
Ottawa invests $11.8 million in Indigenous commercial fishing ventures on West Coast
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ottawa is committing close to $12 million to boost sustainable Indigenous fishing enterprises on the West Coast.
Continue reading Ottawa invests $11.8 million in Indigenous commercial fishing ventures on West Coast
Boat catches fire close to Refuge Cove
At 9:08 AM on the morning of February 9th, 2022, a Squirrel Cove resident phoned the Coast Guard about a fire just north of Refuge Cove, on West Redonda Island. What she thought might be a house engulfed by fire turned out to be a 34 foot wood and fiberglass boat close to the shore.
Continue reading Boat catches fire close to Refuge Cove
B.C. shellfish growers experiencing a watershed moment
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Quadra Island oyster farmer Steve Pocock believes B.C.’s shellfish sector is facing a watershed moment.
West Coast growers have endured a tough couple of years as the COVID-19 pandemic dried up demand from restaurants and international markets, and extreme temperatures in June cooked countless beach-grown oysters and clams alive in their shells.
And now growers have another sink or swim dilemma — the need to change farming practices and tackle marine debris created by the shellfish sector, said Pocock, who is also president of the BC Shellfish Growers Association (BCSGA).
Continue reading B.C. shellfish growers experiencing a watershed moment