Press releases

Managers open salmon fisheries in defiance of minister’s previously announced closures. Three months ago, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Bernadette Jordan, made the difficult but necessary decision to announce long-term closures (i.e. spanning several salmon generations) for almost 60 per cent of B.C.’s commercial salmon fisheries. The announcement reflected the dire status of British Columbia’s wild salmon. Fishery closures on…

New research has found that people and bears can share salmon without harming each other’s interests. By setting sockeye harvest limits at ~10% less than those expected to maximize harvest for people they expect to reduce bear densities by a similarly modest 10%, a trade-off that is not only operable but honours the Wuikinuxv spirit of n̓àn̓akila.

Salmon have lost access to as much as 85 per cent of their historical floodplain habitat – the biologically rich wetlands next to a river or stream that typically harbour wildlife – due to dikes and similar infrastructure, say researchers at UBC and the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

People from Gitga’at, Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk), Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk, and Kitasoo/Xai’xais territories have long been connected culturally to grizzly bears. New research from a collaboration among these First Nations and scientists from the University of Victoria and Raincoast Conservation Foundation has revealed a newly identified link in this long-established relationship.  In the landscape on the central coast of what is now known…

Vancouver, BC – Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s commitment to conservation science in coastal British Columbia takes a big step forward today, as they announce that pollution expert Dr. Peter S. Ross is joining their team.

New research suggests killing predators like wolves, grizzly bears, and cougars for trophy is a potential threat not only to these sensitive animals, but also to hunters.

Sidney BC. A new study published recently used salmon ear bones (otoliths) and genetic fingerprinting to confirm the importance of the Fraser estuary for juvenile Chinook salmon. Previous estuary researchers suspected these habitats were of high importance to young Chinook, but this study confirms that Harrison River Chinook, which migrate quickly to the estuary after emerging from the gravel, remain there for an average of six weeks.

Just a few days away from the holiday break, Raincoast Conservation Foundation is hoping to access the holiday spirit with a campaign to help protect an olive-sided flycatcher in a Douglas-fir tree. Today, the Vancouver-based Sitka Foundation pledged a $100,000 matching gift putting the fundraising goal in sight before the end of 2020. Once the group raises $195,000 (they have…

Press release: Research published today in Conservation Science and Practice indicates that 102 species at risk of extinction in the Fraser River Estuary can be saved with an investment of $381 million over 25 years. The research demonstrates that the best way to achieve this is for First Nations and other governments to collaboratively implement a conservation and sustainability plan for recovery.

In September of 2020, Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the Pender Islands Conservancy Association entered into talks, and submitted an offer to purchase the property in mid-November. They have up to 8-months to raise the $395,000 needed to purchase the property and place it under a protective covenant.

The Environmental Law Centre’s work resulted in a report synthesizing 10 regulatory recommendations for improving forest governance in the Islands Trust Area, but one overarching certainty emerged from the process: provincial law reform is necessary.

Detecting errors that overturn conclusions from previous research, a new study shows that addressing potential threats from wolves has not in fact slowed the decline of mountain caribou in British Columbia and Alberta. The freely-available open-access paper was published in the international peer-reviewed journal, Biodiversity and Conservation, by scientists from Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the Universities of Alberta, British Columbia, and Victoria.