What’s new | Raincoast Conservation Foundation

Research: Publication reform to safeguard wildlife from researcher harm

Published on 2019 04 17 | by Raincoast | in Scientific Literature

A wolf rests on the beach in the Great Bear Rainforest, with a chart from Figure 1 overlaid.

Scientists from Raincoast Conservation Foundation, University of Victoria, Alpha Wildlife Research & Management, and University of Saskatchewan reviewed more than 200 peer-reviewed academic journals that commonly publish wildlife research, evaluating the presence and comprehensiveness of ‘Animal Care’ requirements of authors. The study, “Publication reform to safeguard wildlife from researcher harm,” published as an open access article…

Oceans Awards win – Raincoast’s Dr. Chris Darimont honoured with Murray A. Newman Conservation Award

Published on 2019 04 03 | by Raincoast | in Raincoast Blog

Chris Darimont speaks at Ocean Awards at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Darimont was recognized for the significance of his work as well as a career that already includes important and leading contributions, in coastal science and conservation…

Creating transformative experiences for students on the Salish Sea

Published on 2019 03 29 | by Maureen Vo, Education and Development Coordinator | in Notes from the Field

Students aboard Achiever, cluster around the bow on the Salish Sea.

These experiences are transformative and what we strive to create for young people with the Salish Sea Emerging Stewards program. The program brings students on multi-day journeys aboard Achiever to learn about coastal environments and conservation challenges…

NEB recommends Trans Mountain proceed despite “significant adverse effects” to Southern Residents

Published on 2019 03 20 | by Chris Genovali, Misty MacDuffee & Paul Paquet | in For the coast

The National Energy Board (NEB) has recommended that the Trans Mountain expansion project should proceed despite the “significant adverse effects” of oil tankers on the critically endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales. Although we disagree with the NEB’s conclusion, their review of the project effects on killer whales is forthright and portrays the severity of the current situation…

Diversity of salmon species a necessary metric to understanding how bears feed

Published on 2019 03 19 | by Christina Service, Raincoast Applied Conservation Lab | in For the coast

A black bear on the left is standing on large mossy rocks. There is a stream with a small water fall the right, and a salmon is jumping out of the water in the direction of the bear. The bear has its left paw extended. It looks like a sunny day, although the sky is not in the photo.

Salmon biomass is a measure of the total kilograms of spawning salmon. Many who are in the role of implementing conservation strategies and policies think that when it comes to bears, or terrestrial wildlife, more salmon biomass simply means more eating. However, our recent research published…

Panel: the future of killer whale recovery

Published on 2019 03 12 | by Raincoast | in Events

Killer Whales in the foreground and text: Victoria April 18 Panel

Through the support of Stream of Consciousness, you can join us on April 18th, either in person or by streaming the event free online. Hosted by CBC’s Bob McDonald, the evening will feature a panel of experts who will be open to questions from the live audience and viewers online.

The National Energy Board and killer whales, on As It Happens

Published on 2019 03 11 | by Raincoast | in Interviews

Killer whales spyhop with a tanker in the background and population viability maps in the foreground.

In this interview, Misty outlines that while oil spills remain a clear risk, the effects of increased vessel traffic, i.e. noise and disturbance, are a certainty.

Breaking new estuary ground on the Steveston Jetty

Published on 2019 02 27 | by David Scott, Raincoast Lower Fraser Salmon Program Coordinator | in Notes from the Field

Steveston Jetty on a grey day, with overset diagrams showing some of the work we're doing.

When we began our research in the Fraser estuary in 2016, the presence of multiple barriers, including the Steveston Jetty, became a significant concern. With the announcement of the Coastal Restoration Fund in 2017, an opportunity to begin addressing these barriers appeared…

No mitigation measures can protect Southern Resident killer whales from the noise of Trans Mountain’s tanker traffic

Published on 2019 02 22 | by Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director | in Conservation update

J16 spy hops: Southern Resident killer whale.

While we disagree with the NEB’s conclusion, we acknowledge that their review of the effects on killer whales accurately portrays the complexity and severity of the situation.