Halloween can be a difficult time for those trying to leave less disposable plastic on the earth. At this time of the year, everything seems to be covered in single-use plastic, from bite-sized chocolate bars to throwaway dollar-store costumes. In the case of trick-or-treaters, disposable plastic pretty much has to cover any candy you give […]

Megan Strobel’s favourite animals show her roots. As a Florida girl, she grew up watching bottlenose dolphins from shore. As an undergraduate student at University of Florida, she worked on another favourite animal: manatees, Florida state’s marine mammal. “During the winter, wild manatees come into the springs for warm water. As part of the large […]

In the peak of the Antarctic summer, the icy ocean sometimes takes on pinkish-red hue. This unusual coloration is actually a layer of krill (Euphausia sp.), a tiny shrimp-like crustacean the size of your pinky. They gather in large numbers to feed on the phytoplankton blooms, which only occur during the Antarctic summer. At this […]

Ecosystems and Biodiversity The impacts of global warming will be far greater than expected, according to the latest comprehensive assessment from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC’s review of over 6,000 studies concluded that the “safe” limit of 1.5 °Celsius increase could be reached in as little as 12 years and that we are […]

Ecosystems and Biodiversity Despite a global ban on the use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 2004, the chemicals persist in the environment and have accumulated up the food chain. High levels of PCBs have been found in the blubber of killer whales. A model has shown that more than half of the 19 orca populations […]

Dr. John Nightingale, CEO and president of Ocean Wise, was awarded the prestigious Humane Hero Award by American Humane, the United States’ first national humane organization, during a ceremony on Sept. 29 at the Beverly Hilton attended by leading animal advocates and animal-loving Hollywood stars. Nightingale received the award in recognition of his leadership in […]

On Wednesday, September 26, during the annual Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference in Seattle, WA, the Vancouver Aquarium received the top industry standard  following a thorough review by AZA’s independent Accreditation Commission. The AZA accreditation program was established in 1974 and the Vancouver Aquarium was the first-ever aquarium to receive this designation in 1975. […]

Ecosystems and Biodiversity Three new species of snailfish have been discovered living 7.5 kilometres below the surface of the ocean. These snailfish have gel-like bodies that are actually together by the crushing pressures of their deep-ocean surroundings. (About 800 bars of pressure or 11, 603 pounds per square inch.)  If raised to shallower waters, they would […]