With more than 100 drone flights, four weeks of nearly continuous beluga whale recordings, and belugas in Sainte-Marguerite Bay nearly every day, the second season on the research tower in Quebec’s Saguenay-St Lawrence Marine Park was productive beyond our wildest dreams. It is hard to believe that another season has come and gone! This year, […]
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 […]
Plastics There are fewer microplastics in ocean surfaces than expected — what gives? Scientists are using polystyrene beads (also known as microbeads and recently banned in Canadian cosmetics) to find out. Studies show that even low-density plastics, which would normally float, clump together with biological particles in the water and sink to the seabed. Microplastics don’t […]
UBC researchers analyzed data from 1,226 Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanups between 2013 and 2016 and recently announced a major discovery: 50 per cent of the waste recovered during cleanups of Vancouver and Victoria shorelines came from cigarettes. This, despite the fact that smoking on beaches has been banned in Vancouver for eight years, and in […]
It was not a typical After Hours at the Vancouver Aquarium last Thursday. Guests dressed in their finest drag: lycra tights, rainbow sashes and ribbons, purple tutus, electric-pink wigs, fishnet stockings and more for —you guessed it — Pride Week! With high-energy drag performances from drag queen Carlotta Gurl (a first-ever for After Hours!) and shocking aquatic animal […]
Ecosystems and Biodiversity Seagrass beds play a vital role in biodiversity, acting as nurseries for 20% of the world’s fisheries, including small fish and crustaceans that become prey for larger animals. Recent research has shown that these simple flowering plants could play an important role in buffering climate change. Seagrass filters the water column of […]
Ecosystems and Biodiversity Mankind leaves its mark on the ocean in many ways: shipping, fishing, pollution, drilling and other impacts. But how much of the world’s oceans are still pristine? The answer: roughly 13%. Those untouched areas are mostly in the frigid polar seas and the remotest parts of the Pacific Ocean. Although these areas […]
It’s the end of July: a time of year when people around the world celebrate the act of reducing single-use plastic items. Taking the challenge is not only about becoming more aware of your plastic consumption; it’s about challenging a dependent mindset when it comes to disposable plastic. There’s of ways to reduce plastic waste, […]
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