In 2002, an orphaned killer whale, Springer (A73), brought together scientists, government officials and concerned citizens in the first orca recovery effort of its kind. Seventeen years after Springer’s rescue and release, she continues to roam freely with her northern resident pod of killer whales and has two calves of her own. Now that Springer’s […]

  The Ocean Wise seafood program works with many phenomenal partners from across the seafood industry to increase access to information on all aspects of seafood sustainability. We are very excited to share a remarkable resource that was created in partnership between the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Program and Dalhousie University in Halifax: The Seafood […]

The Ocean Wise Plastics Lab teams up with apparel firms and MetroVancouver to study the role of laundry in microplastic pollution in the ocean Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems our oceans face today. Ocean plastics come in many forms, from large single-use items such as beverage cups or shopping bags to […]

Ecosystems and Biodiversity Green algae uses sunlight as an energy source, and can sense light using photoreceptors. Two of these sensors have already been identified, and now researchers in Germany have found a third light sensor. This new sensor is inhibited by light rather than activated by light, like the other two. When the sensor, […]

The annual Pollution Probe Gala, called Living in the Plastic Age, calls attention to the crisis of plastic pollution on our planet. Pollution Probe has chosen to highlight Plastic Wise, an Ocean Wise initiative to raise awareness and share solutions to address the crisis of ocean plastic. The focus of this year’s gala is on […]

Ecosystems and Biodiversity A study conducted by the University of Georgia found plastic microfibers in the stool of wild South American fur seals. The team examined stool from 51 fur seals and found that 67 % of the samples had an abundance of microfibers. Scientists have yet to determine if microfibers have any adverse effects […]

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 […]

More than half of seafood consumed globally is farmed. In order to shed some light on the opaque sources of our seafood, I wrote an overview of popular farmed species (see Part 1). Next, let’s address a farmed and controversial species here on Canada’s west coast: salmon. How are BC’s wild salmon populations doing? You […]