Depredation - hot topic, cool videos

Depredation, or the removal of fish from fishing gear by various marine creatures, is a growing problem in a world where there are ever-fewer fish. Whales and other large marine animals often have to expend a fair bit of energy to find food, so being the clever beings they are, they often learn to look for it in places where it is most concentrated and easy to find: in fishing gear. Of course, while this can benefit the whale in the short run, it can also lead to injury and entanglement.

Anyway, now that you've heard the spiel, here are some videos that various people have taken of the phenomenon. The first video was taken by Conservation International near Papau, and features a whale shark taking batfish from a net with the aid of the same filter feeding technique it would normally use to catch fish

Entangled humpback finds its final resting place, with a little help

You may recall hearing about a young Humpback that washed ashore near White Rock, BC, on June 12th. This unfortunate whale was entangled in some sort of fishing line (though not of a type immediately recognizable to any experts) which resulted in starvation and eventually death. The whale attracted a good deal of media attention at the time, as well as a great deal of interest from people in the area. If you have not already read the excellent piece by the Marine Detective on the whale's sad yet beautiful story, I highly recommend it.

However, the whale's story didn't end there. It was loaded onto a barge and towed up through Georgia and Johnstone Straits to Bauza Cove, just around the corner from Beaver Cove on northern Vancouver Island. The reason for this location is the Whale Interpretive Centre in nearby Telegraph Cove where the whale's skeleton will eventually be put on display and used for public education.

Before that could happen though, several thousand pounds of flesh and entrails had to be removed.

Last week I had the opportunity, along with many others, to take part in the first step of this process which involved "flensing" or removing the outer layer of blubber from the whale. As you can see from the pictures below, this was no mean feat since the entire exterior of the thirty-foot long whale was covered in a three-inch layer of the stuff.

It's the economy, stupid

Today's blog post comes from Karen Wristen, Executive Director of Living Oceans Society.

The demands of this job keep me too much in Vancouver...but today, I will celebrate Oceans Day with the community of Sointula (“Harmony”) on Malcolm Island.  Maybe today, the orcas will finally let me see them again.

This is the picture I wish I'd taken...

After over eighteen years on BC's coast, much of it spent in boats and float planes visiting places where whales are usually to be found, I have logged but a single orca sighting.  That one, though, was spectacular:  you can only imagine how wide my eyes were when I saw the first fin rising directly behind our sailboat, off Robson Bight in Johnstone Strait. And my delight when, seconds later, I discovered we were in the midst of a passing pod and the air was filled with the sound of them blowing. The single, wobbly fin photo I managed to snap is a poor tribute to the moment but it doesn't matter:  I'm sure I'll never forget it.

I've been trying for over an hour now to write something full of the kind of hope and joy and wonder that an encounter with an orca can engender.  Something really positive about the future of the oceans (herring return to Squamish!), the critical role oceans play in maintaining the health of the planet ('every second breath you take', etc.) or maybe about the mystery of the depths and the wonders yet to be discovered.  But something keeps stalling me mid-paragraph: a voice in the back of my head, saying, "It's the economy, stupid."

Aye, Matey - Are your favourite childhood fish sticks sustainable?

Kelly Roebuck is the Sustainable Seafood Campaign Manager at Living Oceans Society.

As a kid there are a few things we believe to be true that later along the line some way or another we find out just weren't real. Santa Clause. The tooth fairy. And for me, Captain Birds Eye.

Captain Birds Eye was an enchanting older fellow who seemed trustworthy and likable. He brought his catch of fish sticks oddly enough by sailboat (but to a 6-year old – a boat is a boat), while kids screamed with joy to be able to munch on yummy battered cod or something else that fooled children to think they weren't really eating a fish of any resemblance. The 'starry-eyed' image (or illusion) of fishing had started early.

But of course now, just like the tooth fairy, I know that Captain Birds Eye and his sailboat (ahem fishing boat) just are not real. Nor is the seemingly endless supply of fish sticks.

Lessons Learned from Pitching Ocean Conservation Solutions

Will Soltau is Sustainable Fisheries and Salmon Farming Campaign Manager for Living Oceans Society.

'Healthy Oceans, Healthy Communities'. That’s our tag line. Living Oceans Society uses it in our logo and in all our correspondence. Our vision has been that Canada's oceans are sustainably managed and thriving with abundance that supports coastal communities. Some of our work focuses on policy change. Other work we do is with those who are actually out on the ocean. We are not afraid to engage with government and industry to pitch solutions we think are based on sound science and we continuously evaluate the results of our engagement with an eye towards being more effective in the future.

Photo: Google Images

Two efforts that we have been involved in recently had very different outcomes. The first resulted in a precedent setting measures, developed between conservation groups and the B.C. groundfish trawl industry and aimed at protecting deep sea coral and sponge habitat while improving the fishery. The details are in the link above but I will say here that it took three years of collaboration to achieve those shared objectives.

Oil, Acid and Tankers: Why the campaign against Enbridge Northern Gateway is more than a pipeline – it’s a path to our future.

Sheila Muxlow is the Energy Campaign Manager at Living Oceans Society.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m going to rant about the evils of fossil fuels and the horrors of climate change and the devastation we are going to leave for future generations if we continue on with the status quo. And your right. Kind of. Because I’m going to write about another sinister related issue; something that is terrorizing the oceans right now, eroding coral reefs and disintegrating seashells. It’s real and it’s horrifying.

It’s ocean acidification.

How, you might ask, does ocean acidification connect to the fight to stop tankers from degrading the natural environment of the BC coast with noise pollution and the constant threat of an oil spill? Good question! Thanks for asking!

You see, the proposals to cover the Pacific coast with hundreds of super tankers are directly linked to the tar sands: the largest industrial project in the world. The tar sands are a relatively recent form of fossil fuel extraction that has become financially viable due to the decreasing availability of conventional oil resources. Tar sands mining rips up thousands of square kilometers of Boreal Forest every year, displacing both Indigenous and settler communities while creating tailing lakes of toxic waste. The extraction process pumps thousands of tonnes of carcinogenic chemicals into the air, not the least of which is carbon — the tar sands process is three times more carbon intensive than conventional oil extraction.

Carbon, as you might have guessed, is the major cause of ocean acidification. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the ocean has been absorbing 25% of the carbon that we pump into the atmosphere, resulting in more than 500 billion tonnes of CO2. When it’s absorbed into the ocean the carbon changes the pH levels of the water by increasing the carbonic acid. The colder waters of the polar regions allow CO2 to be absorbed more quickly, making the oceans more acidic, faster. Today the ocean is 40% more acidic than it was in pre-industrial times. Researchers have concluded that oceans haven't seen a rapid change like this in 60 million years.

Mapping in hopes of a healthy ocean

Today's post comes from guest blogger, Karin Bodtker, Living Ocean's Marine Analyst.

Tuesday – We call it “Take Action Tuesday” around here and there's no shortage of issues to speak out about these days as the federal government pushes its agenda to dismantle environmental laws and streamline major project reviews at the expense of the environment and our health. You can take action right now - send a message from our website or call your MP and let her know that you do not support the budget implementation bill, Bill C-38. There's too much at stake. Read all the reasons here.

What's really bugging me, worse than that proverbial mosquito that keeps buzzing at my ear but somehow remains out of reach, are the cuts to environmental science programs. Today, apparently, our Conservative 'leaders' don't even have it straight when it comes to what these scientists really do and what services they are actually chopping. Is this the Canada we want? One that depends upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to monitor industrial emissions? Really?

I was dumbfounded when we got word in May that all the environmental monitoring scientists were cut in our national parks and that staff and scientists at Parks Canada in the Pacific Region working on marine issues, including potential new protected areas, had been 'surplussed'. Now that's a creative euphemism. I'm a scientist; I have friends and colleagues who are now 'surplus' in the government's eyes.

There is a fine line between hope and despair. Most days I squeak in on the side of hope; I use the positive energy of the people around me to keep me on the right side of that line. Sometimes I fake it.

Natural heritage: You're richer than you think!

Today, numerous environmental groups across the country, including Living Oceans Society, are blacking out their websites to draw attention to the latest threat posed to environmental protection in Canada. Visit BlackOutSpeakOut to learn more and find out what you can do.

Have you ever had a rough patch in your life when things just seemed to be looking down. Maybe you were broke, couch surfing because you couldn't afford rent and scraping together meals from food that you would normally throw out without a second glance.

If you are fortunate enough to have made it through those times, you might also have the occasion to look back on your past decisions in light of what you now know. If you had just been able to live off of Kraft Dinner and Spam for a few more days, perhaps you wouldn't have had to cash in that GIC. If only you hadn't pawned that autographed copy of Michael Jackson's Thriller you kept in mint condition all those years just to pay that lousy Hydro bill...

Of course, those times might also have allowed you to reflect on the things that are truly important in your life: your health, of course, and your relationship with your family, friends, and the world around you. With the 'Global Recession' and much of the western world sorting through their collective pockets for loose change (Germany has more than a few less fortunate sleeping on its couch right now), perhaps it's more important to take stock of what we've got going for us rather than what we lack.

Canada's mass firing of ocean scientists brings 'silent summer'

The following is a reposting of Opinion: Canada's mass firing of ocean scientists brings 'silent summer,' (Environmental Health News) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Editor’s Note: Canada is dismantling the nation's entire ocean contaminants program as part of massive layoffs at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Among the scientists terminated are ones who have conducted landmark research about global pollutants for decades: Peter Ross, who is among the world’s leading experts on marine mammals and contaminants, Gary Stern, a mercury expert whose work focuses on the Arctic, Michel Lebeuf, who studies the highly contaminated St. Lawrence belugas and Michael Ikonomou, who researches flame retardants and other endocrine-disrupting contaminants in salmon and other ocean life. Ross told EHN that his main concern is the "wholesale axing of pollution research" that will leave Canada, and much of the world, without the scientific knowledge to protect whales, seals, fish and other marine life -- as well as the indigenous peoples who rely on them for their traditional foods. Many scientists say the purpose of the move by the Canadian government is not just cost-cutting but to eliminate environmental rules and protect the oil and gas industry. The following is an essay that Ross wrote Thursday for EHN. -- Marla Cone, Editor in Chief [EHN]

Silent Summer

By Peter Ross

Since being hired 13 years ago as a Research Scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), I have been fortunate to conduct research on such magnificent creatures as killer whales, beluga whales, harbour seals and sea otters. I have visited some of the wildest parts of coastal British Columbia, Arctic Canada and further afield. I have been humbled by the power of Mother Nature as we deployed teams to explore and better understand the lives of creatures beneath the surface of the ocean. I have marveled at the evolutionary adaptations of marine mammals to an existence at the interface of land, sea and atmosphere. And as a scientist, I have come to learn that I possess but rudimentary powers of observation when it comes to the mystery and beauty of a vast ocean. For all of this, I remain eternally grateful.

So what's the deal with biodiversity, anyway?

Do you know what day it is? Neither do I. But I do know that yesterday was World Turtle Day and Tuesday was the International Day for Biological Diversity, specifically Marine Biodiversity.

That raises the question, what do we mean when we talk about 'biodiversity'? We throw the term around an awful lot here, both in terms of protecting it and using it as the measure of the health of an ecosystem. But what does biodiversity look like? Will it strengthen my stock portfolio? And what happens if it disappears?

Demystifying “organic” farmed salmon: Is there such a thing?

Kelly Roebuck is the Sustainable Seafood Campaign Manager at Living Oceans Society.

(Graphic Credit: This Magazine)

What comes to mind when you think about organic certified food?

Perhaps you think of food that is better for us and the planet. Food that avoids synthetic pesticides. Livestock that are fed a 100% certified organic diet.

It seems intuitive that the same organic principles that exist for land-grown organic produce, livestock and dairy should also apply to farmed fish.

This is apparently not going to be the case.

Canadian ‘organic’ farmed salmon will soon be appearing on supermarket shelves and restaurant menus, due to the Canadian General Standards Board’s (CGSB) recent release of the Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard, sponsored by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

Grenville Channel oil spill highlights need to keep North Coast Tanker-Free

Sheila Muxlow is the new Energy Campaign Manager at Living Oceans Society.

I knew when I took on my job with Living Oceans Society that I would be expected to hit the ground running and within less than two weeks my assumptions have proven true. It is becoming clear that I am joining in on a long time legacy of research and advocacy to protect the Pacific coast at a time when the threats to marine ecosystems and communities are on the rise. During my first week, the Harper government gutted the environmental laws and services that protect our air, water and fisheries, and now this week there is an oil spill in the Grenville Channel from a decaying shipwreck.

Testament to their role as stewards of the coast, it was the Gitga'at Nation of Hartley Bay who raised the alarm regarding an oil spill of between two and five miles long and 200 feet wide inside the Grenville Channel. The source of the spill is thought to be the carcass of the USAT Brigadier General M.G. Zalinski U.S. Army Transport ship which sank in 1946. In 2006 the federal government promised to clean up the wreck and remove the bunker fuel, but failed to follow through on their commitments.

According to Coral: changes to Canada's Fisheries Act

Coral Coldwater here, coming to you from the bottom of Hecate Strait. It's been a few years since my brush with fame, after the Finding Coral Expedition, but I’m still here (well, most of me is anyway).

Word from the surface is that the Fisheries Act - one of Canada’s oldest pieces of legislation and one that offers some of the strongest protection for aquatic critters like me - is up for some changes. The ducks are already quacking. They seem as happy as clams at high tide but I'm not sure if they know why.

Liebster Blog Award

Every once and a while, something truly amazing happens that shakes your perception of reality to the core. No, I'm not talking about the Minister of Fisheries making plans to gut one of the strongest pieces of legislation we have for protecting marine habitat and biodiversity, although it would appear that something like that is still in the works.

Instead, I'm talking about something that changes your perception in a positive way. Something that says people (other than my sister, of course) actually read what we stay up to all hours of the evening to produce. Of course, I had my suspicions: Google statistics, links from other sites, nasty comments (and good ones too, of course). But definitive proof arrived this past weekend, when a colleague of ours honoured us with a Liebster Blog Award.



Before I go any further, I should point out that this is not an award that is not given out by a prestigious committee from a foreign country who judge the merits of every online journal in the blogosphere. Instead, it is awarded to a limited number of blogs by, well... other bloggers, to encourage them in the what they write.

Anyway, it was quite touching to receive this award, particularly considering who it came from. If you haven't yet read The Marine Detective's blog, I highly recommend you do. If you have even a passing interest in the sea and all the amazing things which live there, you will soon be hooked for life.

A confusing week of community hearings

After attending the first community hearing for Enbridge’s controversial Northern Gateway project last Saturday in Comox, I am inspired and optimistic. Local after local stood up to speak out for our coast, giving incredibly compelling, well researched and at times heartfelt presentations to the review panel. The panel seemed genuinely interested and receptive, and I thought to myself: how could they not turn this project down when it is so clearly not in the best interest of British Columbians?


2,200 protesters met the review panel in Comox, B.C. on March 31.

Then, the very next day, the panel canceled the first day and a half of hearings in Bella Bella after they were greeted at the airport by peaceful Heiltsuk First Nation protesters. Apparently the panelists feared for their safety in one of the most hospitable, accommodating communities on B.C.’s coast. Go figure. On the tail of the Heiltsuk hearing cancellations, the Nuxalk, another Central Coast First Nation, withdrew from the process citing the federal government’s failure to honourably consult – a valid concern considering the feds were recently warned about their “unreasonable” consultations with First Nations.

It will be interesting to see how the next few rounds of community hearings unfold. Thousands of Canadians – First Nations and non – have registered to voice their concerns about Northern Gateway to the panel. If their presentations are anything like those given in Comox, the panel will have a difficult time justifying the approval of this mega-project. Then again, they may not be the type of people who like to sleep at night.

One thing is for sure, and you can bet the panel will hear it over and over again: British Columbians will not be silent on this issue. It is our coast and our decision. Whether it’s through more peaceful protests, the community hearings or full-on First Nations court challenges, we will stop Northern Gateway and its tankers from plying our waters. It is, after all, in the best interest of Canada.


Katie Terhune is the Energy Campaign Manager for Living Oceans Society.

Desperate measures, desperate times?

Hijack seems a popular word lately getting thrown around in all sorts of contexts and conversations. Conservation groups were recently accused of hijacking the environmental review process by Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver. Oliver used the metaphor on the day before the Joint Review Panel was to begin hearings on the Northern Gateway Pipeline project because over four thousand people signed up to make oral statements.

When I hear the word hijack I think of armed and masked people storming an airplane and holding the crew and passengers hostage in a desperate attempt to get whatever it is they are after. Alerting people about a public process examining the environmental impacts of a major project with the potential for devastating effects on their waters, lands, lives and livelihoods and helping them sign up to exercise their legitimate democratic right and civil obligation to participate doesn't jump to mind for me.

Hijack means:

"to steal (cargo) from a truck or other vehicle after forcing it to stop."

"to rob a vehicle after forcing it to stop."

"to seize a vehicle by force or threat of force."

Overlooked Species Theatre presents: Pacific Sleeper Shark

One of the great benefits of living so near the ocean is that every once in a while, something really cool washes ashore. Such was the case last week when a resident of Malcolm island found a dead Pacific sleeper shark on her doorstep.


Well, by the time she found it, it actually looked a bit more like this:

(I must warn you that that the pictures don't get any less graphic from here on in)

I had the opportunity to take some measurements and samples for a fisheries scientist who studies sharks. Having never dissected a shark, I soon found it was unlike anything I had ever seen up close before.

It was about nine feet long, though I later found that sleepers can grow to over 14 feet. It also had incredibly thick muscles along the spine for propelling the shark forward with powerful strokes of its tail.

Unlike most groups of fish, sharks have no swim bladders and must swim continuously to keep from sinking. Their skeleton is made entirely of cartilage, which is much lighter than bone. But this is not the only advantage the shark possesses for staying afloat.

Setting the record straight on what we do around salmon farming

Opposition to net-cage salmon aquaculture in BC continues to escalate, particularly with new revelations of more positive findings for ISAv (Infectious Salmon Anemia virus). Lately, however, we've been alerted to some misunderstandings that are circulating with regard to our work to eradicate net-cages on the BC Coast. For the record, here are the facts.

We’d like to first stress that since its inception over a decade ago, Living Oceans has been committed to the total removal of all net-cage salmon farms from our oceans and a transition of the industry to closed containment. That commitment is shared by our partner organizations in CAAR (Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform) and has never wavered.


Citizens groups, fishermen, communities, activists and numerous First Nations have been protesting the proliferation of farms on the BC coast for over twenty years. But successive governments, both Federal and Provincial, have been equally committed to maintaining salmon aquaculture. It's a tough and ongoing struggle and sadly no strategies, to date, have succeeded in ensuring the removal of these farms.

Scientist publishes study, media completely miss the point!

Many of you were likely surprised to see an article in the Globe and Mail this past Sunday that cited a recent study by world-renown climate scientist, Dr. Andrew Weaver, on the impact on global warming of the Alberta tar sands vs. the world's coal reserve. Surprised that is, because the article left the impression that Dr. Weaver's work gives carte blanches to unrestricted oil development in Canada.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. In Dr Weaver's own words:

It would be a huge mistake to interpret our results as some kind of a "get out of jail free" card for the tar sands. While coal is the greatest threat to the climate globally, the tar sands remain the largest source of greenhouse gas emission growth in Canada and are the single largest reason Canada is failing to meet its international climate commitments and failing to be a climate leader. The world needs to transition away from fossil fuels if it wants to avoid dangerous human interference with the climate system. That means coal, unconventional gas, and unconventional oil all need to be addressed.

Compelling testimony at Prince Rupert Northern Gateway pipeline joint review panel

The following is the testimony of Lee Brian at the Enbridge Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel hearings in Prince Rupert on February 18, 2012.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak today.

Who am I? My name is Lee Brain, and, I am no one in particular.

I want to say that I'm not here today as a representative of any political party, business organization or special interest group. I have no agenda today but to simply offer my personal experience about how this project will impact me, and my community.

I am here today as sovereign, natural being of the planet who has been born into a certain time, and into an already established system of institutions.

As an independent observer of our collective reality, in coordination with 7 billion others, I am here regulated by my own internal self-governance process.

At the ripe age of just 26, I am old enough to have been humbled by the lessons of life, yet, not old enough to fully appreciate the whole journey it has to offer.

In Prince Rupert, I work as an After School Activities Coordinator, working with children in elementary schools. I also run a computer skills education company as a sole proprietor.

But I am truly here today representing a new generation of leaders that is emerging at this time, and speaking on behalf of a younger generation than myself that is still coming into awareness.

Canada failing its oceans, biodiversity panel finds

The following is a reposting of a CBC news article. The original article can be accessed here.

An expert panel investigating the state of Canadian marine biodiversity has accused the government of failing to protect the country's oceans, leaving marine life threatened and the nation's ocean species at risk.

An expert panel has accused Canada's government of failing to protect ocean biodiversity. (Associated Press)

The panel was commissioned by the Royal Society of Canada in 2009 to review the effects of climate change, fishing and aquaculture on the ability of Canada's oceans to sustain and restore marine populations.

Announcing the panel's findings in Vancouver on Thursday, Prof. Jeffrey Hutchings said the government had failed to meet national and international commitments to sustain marine biodiversity over many years.

"Twenty years after the collapse of the northern cod fishery, we don't have a target for a recovery. How is that possibly consistent with responsible management of our oceans?

"It doesn't stand up nationally, it doesn't stand up internationally — but that is where we are, 20 years later," he said.

At a loss for words

Sometimes I read the news and I'm at a loss for words. I simply cannot believe things like this continue to happen and we're expected to believe Enbridge when they say we have no need to worry. Things like what, you're wondering.

The Yokohama, a Liberian flagged vessel, docked in Prince Rupert after encountering hurricane force winds off the North Coast of B.C.

Things like, “29 containers fall overboard en route to Prince Rupert,” the headline of an article that reported:

The container vessel known as the Cosco Yokohama encountered dangerous weather conditions in the Gulf of Alaska last weekend while traveling from Asia to Prince Rupert.

Next thing you know, 29 containers are lost at sea. Due to weather. In winter. Off the North Coast of British Columbia. Imagine that.

So, how can anyone think shipping tankers full of TAR SANDS CRUDE along this VERY SAME ROUTE can POSSIBLY be a GOOD IDEA???

It's flabbergasting.

P.S. My colleague John suggests yelling phrases that include all capital letters. I felt it was appropriate.

Katie Terhune is the Energy Campaign Manager for Living Oceans Society.

Northern Gateway and tanker risks

Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway project is about more than just pipelines and tar sands. What sets this project apart from others, is oil tankers. Really big oil tankers.

Northern Gateway is really a tanker-pipeline megaproject. If approved, it will bring 225 crude oil tankers to Canada’s Pacific North Coast for the first time in order to ship the world’s dirtiest oil to markets in Asia. These tankers are the length of three and a half football fields and carry nearly eight times more oil than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska. Introducing them to Canada’s Pacific North Coast is not a good idea. Why you ask? Here are a few reasons:

Enbridge pipeline decision delayed a year? Whhaaat?

You heard correctly. As reported by the Vancouver Sun, a final decision on whether to approve or reject Enbridge’s controversial Northern Gateway Pipeline project has been delayed until late 2013 – almost a year later than anticipated.

Why you ask? Because of the unprecedented number of individuals who have signed up to have their voices heard during public hearings for the project.


The original time schedule saw public hearings lasting only a couple of months. Due to widespread public concern regarding Enbridge’s risky project, people came out in numbers to sign up to voice their concerns, and numbers speak.

Tankers on our Coast: Public risk vs. Private Gain

Once in a while, a video comes along that explains, in a few minutes, everything you've been trying to say for years. Two days ago such a video was released by filmmaker Ben Gulliver: Tipping Barrels – Journey into the Great Bear Rainforest. With beautiful footage by Ben Gulliver and Ian McAllister, Tipping Barrels follows surfers Arran and Reid Jackson on a trip into the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest.

[Unfortunately, the video is no longer available online]

I love this film because it beautifully illustrates everything that we stand to lose from oil development on this coast. The film's release also coincides with that of a report (PDF copy) by the Living Oceans Society, National Resource Defense Council and Pembina Institute, which outlines the considerable risk to local communities, salmon-bearing rivers and coastal ecosystems associated with transporting bitumen along the Northern Gateway Pipeline and connecting tanker route.