What Counts as “Arctic?”
I’m in a village called Salluit, in a region of northern Quebec called Nunavik, on the edge of the Hudson Strait. It’s -24 C. There’s snow on the ground. The ocean is frozen. I’m just south of the Arctic Circle...
Protecting the Arctic “Doughnut Hole” from Commercial Fishing
It’s not every day that we have reason to celebrate good news about the ocean, but this week, we do. A new international fishing agreement protecting the Arctic high seas is a game-changer for marine life and t...
Changing Climate and Culture
“We call it ‘nuna,’” says Mia Otokiak, gesturing to the ground covered in inch-high willow and moss. Nuna means “land” in Inuinnaqtun, and yet it means so much more in Inuit communities across Canada’s North. T...
Diving Arctic Waters
This past August, four Ocean Wise divers motored to a remote Arctic islet to conduct a BioBlitz survey. A BioBlitz is a snapshot of Canada’s biodiversity, recorded by scientists and citizen scientists, to mark ...
Arctic Field Notes: Narwhal Study
With only a short window of time to gather data, multiple teams from Ocean Wise spent their summer in the Arctic for ongoing research. Studies included the distribution of microplastics in Arctic waters; taggin...
Arctic Summer
Summer is the coolest season for a contingent of Ocean Wise scientists spending weeks in Canada’s Arctic, gathering data about fragile ecosystems and little-known species in this rapidly changing region.
Wit...
A Win for Wild Places
Big news for Canada’s Arctic! Tallurutiup Imanga, or Lancaster Sound, is located in the rugged northeastern region of Nunavut and is recognized internationally as one of the most significant ecological areas in...
Arctic Inspiration Prize Allows Ikaarvik to Expand
In 2013, we were honoured to become a Laureate of the Arctic Inspiration Prize for a program called Ikaarvik: Barriers to Bridges. The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre leads Ikaarvik, a program that wor...