Ocean Protection

An orca hunts salmon in east Pacific waters. The federal government has launched public consultations to inform direction on a new Blue Economy Strategy. (Photo supplied by Center for Whale Research)

British Columbians asked for input on Blue Economy

Public engagement portal will help inform government on strategy for new ocean economy

 

A derelict vessel in Ladysmith. (Black Press file photo)

Feds to pay for 80 abandoned boat assessments and removals in B.C.

Transport Canada will work with partners on Vancouver Island and central coast

 

Crews with the $3.5-million provincially funded Marine Debris Removal Initiative remove discarded and lost gear from B.C.’s central coast in the summer of 2020. (Photo supplied by the Small Ship Tour Operators Association of B.C.)

Barrels of fuel to children’s toys: B.C. shoreline cleanup nets 127 tonnes of marine debris

Government-funded project employed out-of-work marine-tour operators

 

A joint effort between local fishery officers, the Canadian Coast Guard and others resulted in the seizure of more than 300 illegal crab traps in Boundary Bay near White Rock this month. (Fisheries and Oceans Canada photo)

More than 300 illegal crab traps seized from B.C. waters near White Rock

Boundary Bay seizure a five-day operation that involved fisheries officers, Coast Guard hovercraft

A joint effort between local fishery officers, the Canadian Coast Guard and others resulted in the seizure of more than 300 illegal crab traps in Boundary Bay near White Rock this month. (Fisheries and Oceans Canada photo)
Harbour seals rest on log booms at Flavelle Mill in Port Moody. With recent announcements the mill will be getting rid of the log booms, Dr. David Rosen sees an opportunity to study how the disappearance of this highly-frequented refuge for the seals will alter their behaviour in Burrard Inlet. (Photo supplied by David Rosen)

What’s going on with marine mammals in Vancouver waterways?

UBC researcher asks why they’re returning, and what role we’re playing

Harbour seals rest on log booms at Flavelle Mill in Port Moody. With recent announcements the mill will be getting rid of the log booms, Dr. David Rosen sees an opportunity to study how the disappearance of this highly-frequented refuge for the seals will alter their behaviour in Burrard Inlet. (Photo supplied by David Rosen)
Port Alberni’s deepsea port was a busy place on July 14, 2020, with recreational boaters vying for attention with a logging ship, fishing vessels large and small, tugboats and more. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

QUINN’S QUIPS: ‘Port’ Alberni lives up to its deepsea name

Port Alberni’s harbour is an engaging place to stop and watch the action on the water…

Port Alberni’s deepsea port was a busy place on July 14, 2020, with recreational boaters vying for attention with a logging ship, fishing vessels large and small, tugboats and more. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)
Crew members with the Western Canadian Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) deploy a containment boom from one of their workboats during a fuel spill drill in Alberni Harbour on Oct. 15, 2020. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

Port Alberni WCMRC team learns the spill drill

Spill response members simulates fuel spill for practice in Alberni Harbour

Crew members with the Western Canadian Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) deploy a containment boom from one of their workboats during a fuel spill drill in Alberni Harbour on Oct. 15, 2020. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)
Washed up plastics on log fields. (Simon Ager / Maple Leaf Adventures photo)

Inside the ongoing mission to scrub clean B.C.’s wild beaches

Six-week coastal expedition going to run out of time before it runs out of garbage

Washed up plastics on log fields. (Simon Ager / Maple Leaf Adventures photo)
Tourism operators pivot from guiding to beach cleaning

Tourism operators pivot from guiding to beach cleaning

Corona killed their tours, but created a great opportunity to do a shoreline clean

Tourism operators pivot from guiding to beach cleaning
Volunteers made a “Plastic Goddess” from some of the debris at last year’s beach clean-up of Baynes Sound and Denman Island. File photo by Gerry Ambury

DFO defends ‘ghost gear’ clean-up grants around Vancouver Island

Association of Denman Island Marine Stewards want more enforcement in region

Volunteers made a “Plastic Goddess” from some of the debris at last year’s beach clean-up of Baynes Sound and Denman Island. File photo by Gerry Ambury
A diver inspects one of B.C.’s glass sponge reefs. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-BC is calling on the federal government to extend refuge protections for six newly discovered reefs. Dale Sanders photo

B.C. group renews call for protection of newly discovered glass sponge reefs

DFO says public consultation will play heavy role in future protection measures

A diver inspects one of B.C.’s glass sponge reefs. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-BC is calling on the federal government to extend refuge protections for six newly discovered reefs. Dale Sanders photo
Mowi Canada West’s Sheep Pass salmon farm was the company’s final B.C. production site to receive certification from the Aquaculture Steward Council. (Photo supplied by Mowi Canada West)

Conservation group challenges sustainable-certification claims of B.C. salmon farmer

Mowi West Canada refutes accusations it was ‘misleading’ public

Mowi Canada West’s Sheep Pass salmon farm was the company’s final B.C. production site to receive certification from the Aquaculture Steward Council. (Photo supplied by Mowi Canada West)
Mowi Canada West’s Sheep Pass salmon farm was the company’s final B.C. production site to receive certification from the Aquaculture Steward Council. (Photo supplied by Mowi Canada West)

Conservation group challenges sustainable-certification claims of B.C. salmon farmer

Mowi West Canada refutes accusations it was ‘misleading’ public

Mowi Canada West’s Sheep Pass salmon farm was the company’s final B.C. production site to receive certification from the Aquaculture Steward Council. (Photo supplied by Mowi Canada West)
A Lewis’s moonsnail collar, housing thousands of eggs, found on a Vancouver Island beach. (Photo by Jackie Hildering)

Moonsnails’ collar-shaped egg casings intrigue Vancouver Island beachcombers

As pictures of moonsnail collars go viral, the Marine Detective, steps in to educate people

A Lewis’s moonsnail collar, housing thousands of eggs, found on a Vancouver Island beach. (Photo by Jackie Hildering)
Western Canada Marine Response Corporation staff members Conlan Magel, left, Michael Lowry, and Jamie Ferguson pose with a model Coastal Response Vessel at a March 12 community open house held at the Ucluelet Aquarium. A new Port Alberni-Ucluelet Response Base will soon serve as the primary response centre for spills of the West Coast. (Nora O’Malley photo)

Oil spill response base on track for Ucluelet, Port Alberni

Western Canada Marine Response Corporation host community open house events.

Western Canada Marine Response Corporation staff members Conlan Magel, left, Michael Lowry, and Jamie Ferguson pose with a model Coastal Response Vessel at a March 12 community open house held at the Ucluelet Aquarium. A new Port Alberni-Ucluelet Response Base will soon serve as the primary response centre for spills of the West Coast. (Nora O’Malley photo)
Learn more about Port Alberni’s spill response base at an open house Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at the Best Western Barclay Hotel. (SCREEN SHOT)

West coast marine spill response bases back online for Port Alberni, Ucluelet

Open house planned for March 10 in Port Alberni to go over plans for primary response centre: WCMRC

Learn more about Port Alberni’s spill response base at an open house Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at the Best Western Barclay Hotel. (SCREEN SHOT)