Ocean Watch – Howe Sound Edition
Although it shows signs of a remarkable recovery since the last century, when Britannia Mine discharged tailings and metal-laden water into it, Howe Sound remains vulnerable to development, shipping, and fishin...
Whale Spotting: New Mariner’s Guide Aims To Reduce Vessel Impacts
Ship strikes, vessel disturbance, underwater noise, and air pollution are key threats faced by whales, dolphins and porpoises off British Columbia’s coast. In partnership with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authorit...
How “Snot” Samples Help Us Protect Whales
Humpback whale "snot" samples gathered by Vancouver Aquarium and NOAA researchers are helping to protect whales in the wild.
Humpback whales can be identified at the surface of the ocean by their bushy, two-...
Support for Our Healthy Oceans Agenda
These are tough times for our planet.
In just 10,000 years, we humans have multiplied exponentially, growing from a population of one million to more than seven billion in a geological blink of an eye. By th...
Unravelling the Mystery of Endangered Beluga Whales
By Dr. Valeria Vergara, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre research scientist
“The adults left the calf absolutely alone,” narrated Mathilde Michaud, our drone operator, onboard the research vessel the...
Will Banning The Microbead Protect Ocean Life?
Last week, the federal government followed through on a unanimous 2015 House of Commons motion to ban plastics from personal care products and plastic microbeads have been listed as a toxic substance under the ...
Earth Day: A Reminder Ocean Pollution is Everybody’s Business
Can mud samples help us protect killer whales from marine pollution? This is what an important new project developed by the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre’s Coastal Ocean Research Institute aims to ac...
DNA Never Lies
When a dead killer whale washes up on a beach in British Columbia, the first thing we try to determine — along with why it died in the first place — is who it is. Almost all killer whales that spend time in B.C...