August 3, 2020 By Greg Rasmussen and Chris Corday CBC News
How sea otters are radically changing the West Coast ecosystem 50 years after their return to B.C.
To Oblivion and Back
On Knowing the Winged Whale
July 7, 2020 By Bruce Grierson Hakai Magazine
Humpbacks are some of the most watched whales in the world, and yet so much of their lives remains a mystery.
How the Blob Is Warming British Columbia’s Fjords
May 25, 2020 By Nicola Jones Hakai Magazine
For those who have braved swimming in British Columbia’s spectacular, glacier-fed fjords, “warm” is probably not a word that springs to mind. But at least four of British Columbia’s fjords are real hotspots for climate change. Since the 1950s, they’ve warmed up to six times faster than the rest of the ocean, according to new data.
Living with Sea Otters Next Door
May 20, 2020 By Brad Badelt Hakai Magazine
Stories about declining species have become all too common. But what about when an animal comes back from the brink? It’s welcome news for conservationists, of course. But the return of a species can also have unexpected consequences. Take the sea otter. By around a century ago, the maritime fur trade had nearly wiped the species out along North America’s west coast. However, with an international treaty and federal statutes banning hunting, and reintroduction programs launched in the 1960s and 1970s, sea otters have since rebounded. They’ve even re-established in some areas where they were once extirpated.
Guadalupe Fur Seals’ Barriers to Recovery
May 11, 2020 By Larry Pynn Hakai Magazine
The ongoing recovery of the endangered Guadalupe fur seal is one of the feel-good nature stories of North America. Thought to have been driven extinct in the 1800s because of hunting for its fur, a remnant population survived. The species now numbers as many as 40,000—mainly off Baja Mexico and California. But jubilation over the recovery is tempered by the fact that fur seals are washing ashore dead or dying.