Govt. funds B.C. companies to fight plastic pollution
“Currently, options for collection and recycling of marine gear have been very limited, often leading to the long-term yard storage or landfill disposal of these plastic items,” – Chloe Dubois, Chief Executive Officer, Ocean Legacy Technologies Ltd. By SeaWestNews Two…
Five new B.C. programs to enhance salmon habitat
“We’re taking steps to promote long-term and sustainable salmon runs in B.C.” – Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture By SeaWestNews Five new Vancouver-based projects will get $2.7 million in government funding to restore and enhance salmon habitat to support…
Salmon – who is catching what where
A look by the numbers of last year’s record global Pacific salmon catch By SeaWestNews 651 million – Commercial fishermen caught 651 million Pacific salmon in 2018 – one of the largest catches recorded for an even year, according to…
A shark fin coup for Canada
Modernised Fisheries Act bans shark finning and the import and export of fins that are not attached to the shark By SeaWestNews Canada has modernised its Fisheries Act to ban the practice of shark finning and the import and export…
B.C. is a hotbed of innovation in aquaculture
“There is really nothing more important than the environment when it comes to fish farming,” – expert panel discussion at the BC Seafood Expo By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews British Columbia is a hotbed of innovation in aquaculture, providing new technologies to…
Canada must stop exporting its plastic problem
Leading ocean conservancy and environmental groups are calling on Ottawa to take immediate regulatory action to address plastic wastes and pollution. By SeaWestNews As Philippines and Malaysia demand Canada take back boatloads of contaminated plastics shipped to their countries, leading…
Alaska hatchery pink salmon imperil wild stocks
“Growth and survival in North American salmon stocks have been shown to be negatively affected by hatchery-produced pink salmon.” – peer-reviewed study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution “Canadian wild salmon have a long run to Alaska pastures and have…
A world’s first for Mowi Canada West salmon farms in B.C.
Three salmon farms, audited against 500 separate aspects of their performance, get the gold standard in environmental certification. By SeaWestNews Mowi Canada West has become the world’s first aquaculture company to successfully achieve certification under the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)…
Eco-coalition hails new measures to save the whales
New measures will address threats of vessel noise, pollution, and a shortage of chinook salmon, that the remaining 75 southern resident killer whales are facing. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews A coalition of six conservation groups is hailing the efforts by the…
Sweeping closures in British Columbia for 2019 fishing season
New measures will be economically devastating for coastal communities and sports fishing industry By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Declaring it is time for bold action, the government today announced sweeping fishery closures across British Columbia to reverse the drastic decline of the…
Urban hangouts for salmon in the city
Urban Salmon Project was a three-year effort to document where B.C.’s iconic species hang out in the Metro Vancouver area. By SeaWestNews Drawn by a passion for salmon, international biologist, photographer and storyteller Fernando Lessa has documented where B.C.’s iconic…
Scientists set sail to unlock salmon secrets
“We are all anxious to see and learn about the findings, so that we can better tackle the problems together,” John Paul Fraser, executive director of the B.C. Salmon Farmers. By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews Berthed at Vancouver’s Ballantyne Pier under wintry…
Leadership by example to combat plastic pollution
More than 2,400 Fisheries and Oceans and Coast Guard employees pledge to reduce their consumption of single-use plastics By SeaWestNews More than 2,400 Fisheries and Oceans and Coast Guard employees have pledged to reduce their consumption of single-use plastics in…
Salmon farmers carbon footprint
British Columbia’s salmon farming industry has a low carbon footprint, raises responsibly sourced food, and is committed to saving wild salmon for future generations. Commentary By John Paul Fraser Long ago, the late famed ocean conservationist Jacques Cousteau called on…
170,000 Canadians urge MPs to tackle plastic pollution
Motion-151, which would create a national strategy to combat plastic pollution is expected to be voted on by MPs in Ottawa this week. By SeaWestNews Over 170,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for a national strategy to tackle plastic…
Feds announce a special fund for wild Pacific salmon
BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund will focus on salmon habitat protection and restoration By Fabian Dawson SeaWestNews Ottawa will contribute more than $100 million over the next six years for a British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund, Jonathan…
Canadian plastic challenge aims to clean up our oceans
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is looking for Made in Canada innovations from small businesses that will protect our marine environment and wildlife Do you have an idea that can help clean up our oceans? If you do, the Government of…
Aquaculture a key theme at Blue Economy summit
Over 4,000 participants expected at Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Kenya that is co-hosted by Canada and Japan By Fabian Dawson SeaWestNews Over 4,000 participants from around the world will come together in Kenya next month for the Sustainable Blue…
Scientists go fishing for salmon answers
B.C. salmon farmers among the first to step up and sponsor a $1.2-million Gulf of Alaska science expedition. By Fabian Dawson and Samantha McLeod SeaWestNews Every winter, much of the world’s salmon congregates in the Gulf of Alaska. It is…
Salmon sleuths on the hunt for “likely suspects”
The International Year of the Salmon aims to bring people together to share and develop knowledge more effectively, raise awareness and take action The International Year of the Salmon (IYS), which launches in Vancouver tomorrow, will involve an exhaustive hunt…
Salmon Farming Industry in BC: farmed and prosperous
10 facts you need to know about British Columbia’s salmon farming industry A Small Footprint B.C. salmon farms contribute over $1.5 billion annually into B.C.’s economy and only occupy 0.05% of the entire B.C. coast. All Atlantic salmon farms in…
A time to cull seals and sea lies
If this is a time to cull seals to protect our whales, it is also a time to cull the science-deficit activist campaigns that threaten the lifeblood of our coastal communities Earlier this year Georgia Murray of the Nimmo Bay…
How much fish do we eat? By the numbers
The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission says global seafood consumption has more than doubled in the past 50 years, putting stress on the sustainability of fishing. Some numbers from the first global seafood consumption footprint published by The…
Sea Shepherd “unethical” for exploiting death of baby Orca
Pacific Salmon Foundation shoots down Sea Shepherd’s claim while taking aim at critics of a study it supports. By Fabian Dawson SeaWestNews The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) has fired a broadside at the American eco-militant group, Sea Shepherd, calling it…
“Shocking” glass sponge reef video not that shocking, says expert
Glass sponge reef video being peddled by anti-fish farm lobby is a natural occurrence says expert (PICTURE: The top is a screen grab from a video of dead glass sponge reefs purportedly close to a salmon farm in the Broughton…
Rethink your plastic use this Earth Day
Sunday, April 22nd 2018 will mark forty-eight years since the inception of the first Earth Day and I am especially troubled by the lack of progress we have made in curbing the waste and pollution being dumped into our oceans….
A common vision to protect wild salmon
B.C. government releases advisory council report on salmon aquaculture By Fabian Dawson SeaWestNews A B.C. government panel’s report on aquaculture underscores the need for salmon farm practices to better align with a common vision on the importance of sustaining wild…
Crime Stoppers and BC Salmon Farmers launch unique environmental tip line in B.C.
BC Salmon Farmers first group to step up to the plate as Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers initiates unique partnership to fight poaching and pollution By Fabian DawsonSeaWestNews.com The proliferation of environmental crimes locally and globally has prompted Crime Stoppers to…
Wild salmon facing toxic punch from stormwater runoff
Stormwater runoff of urban roadways pose toxic danger to wild salmon Washington State University researchers have found that salmon face a double whammy when they swim in the stormwater runoff of urban roadways, WSU News reports. First, as scientists learned…
A net loss for Canada
The catch of non-target fish and ocean wildlife, or “bycatch,” results in unnecessary waste and harm to sea life says Oceana Canada A report released from Oceana Canada — Collateral damage: How to reduce bycatch in Canada’s commercial fisheries —…