Latest posts in Healthy Oceans
Pacific Underwater: Salmon in February
David Suzuki Foundation Biologist Jeffery Young talks about what's happening with Pacific salmon this month.
There's a lot of action out in the Pacific Ocean this week. Millions of salmon are on their way to the coastal waters of British Columbia, back from an annual journey that has taken them thousands of kilometers out into the north and western Pacific. Evolution has led them to spawn in the relative stability of a fresh water environment (cool, clean and well oxygenated freshwater is perfect for incubating their eggs) but to then move to the ocean to take advantage of the abundant food available in the marine environment.
Continue reading »Royal Society calls mayday for Canada's oceans
Send your letter now (Credit: Sookie via Wikimedia Commons).
On February 2nd, ten prominent marine research scientists affiliated with the Royal Society of Canada released a comprehensive report about the state of our oceans.
They don't like what they see, and spoke out with bold recommendations for Canada to up our game to protect our ocean environments. Dr. Jeff Hutchings from Dalhousie University chaired the panel of scientists who investigated trends in ocean conditions and assessed three major stressors in our oceans including fisheries, climate change and aquaculture. They also looked at how well Canada is living up to its international commitments compared to other countries. We're not a star performer.
Continue reading »We are the oceans
Within his lifetime, David Suzuki has witnessed enormous changes to our waters and many of his favourite fishing spots have disappeared.
Whether we eat fish or not, we are directly affected by the state of the oceans. Yet, we continue to overfish our waters and spew toxins and garbage into our rivers, lakes and oceans with little thought to the impact on the planet and our health.
In this interview with David Suzuki, he chronicles his life-long connection with fish—from his first childhood memory of fishing with his father to the salmon derbies of Vancouver's past. Within his lifetime, David has witnessed enormous changes to our waters and many of his favourite fishing spots have disappeared. He once fished for sturgeon on B.C.'s Fraser River and halibut, flounder and salmon off of Vancouver's shores—an abundance that he took for granted and which seems unimaginable to younger generations.
Watch David's call to action and visit our seafood page to find tools and resources to help ensure that we have healthy oceans (and healthy humans) for generations to come.
Remembering Canada's Forgotten Ocean
From the book Beneath Cold Seas: the Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, © 2011, text and photography by David Hall. 1
"From Sea to Sea to Sea." It's an oft-quoted expression, usually spoken with beaming pride for Canada's triple oceanic borders: Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific. But how often do we really think about what was actually happening under the waves off Canada's West Coast?
This blog is dedicated to bringing Canada's Forgotten Ocean—the Pacific— back into our national consciousness. Join us as we chronicle the incredibly rich underwater ecology of Canada's Pacific North Coast week by week through science, stories, history and images.
If you live on the coast, or know about the ecology of the Pacific Ocean, we welcome contributions and comments. So please write to us at pacific@davidsuzuki.org or comment on this blog to help chronicle and celebrate a year in the life of the Pacific Ocean.
Continue reading »The best laid plans of cruise ship captains and pipeline builders
Captain Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, wasn't the first person to run a ship aground. And he won't be the last either.
"I think the assurance we can provide is that we will use the most up-to-date of technologies and the best practices anywhere in the world to minimize the likelihood of any kind of an incident." — Enbridge CEO Patrick Daniel
The cruise ship Costa Concordia used "the most up-to-date of technologies and the best practices anywhere in the world." These "best practices" probably didn't include the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, deciding to wave hello to a friend on shore. We humans are an unpredictable bunch.
Continue reading »
