Human disturbances, such as off-leash dogs and increased tourism, are causing a decline in shorebird populations at the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, disrupting their critical stopover habitat and reflecting broader global biodiversity challenges.
A blue-green algae bloom detected at Lower Thetis Lake’s main beach prompted a Capital Regional District health advisory on July 20, 2025, warning humans and pets to avoid the water.
A bloom of non-toxic Noctiluca algae is lining Saanich Inlet’s shoreline; safe for swimmers and shellfish consumption so far. Scientists say the bloom is not producing toxins yet, but could as the water gets warmer. “This one is a bit early!” said Galbraith.
Victoria is close to setting a record for the longest January dry streak, with only 18% of normal precipitation recorded this month.
A 23-year-old male orca named Noah made a surprising visit to Victoria's Inner Harbour on December 14, causing excitement among locals.
The Orca Conservancy said the sightings made history. Some whale watchers hope it will again raise awareness of the need to protect them.
Joe Gaydos found a bluefin tuna washed up on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the fish usually roam the more temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean.
“We spent the weekend outdoors camping on the peninsula and notices shoreline grasses has dried and shriveled.”
New fish have been spotted in a recently revitalized section of Craigflower Creek in View Royal, B.C., thanks to a development site with an environmental focus.
In 2022, a record number of Bigg’s killer whales (orcas) and humpback whales were spotted in the waters surrounding Victoria as well as south along Washington’s border.
A B.C. photographer and her dog found a Giant Pacific octopus washed up on the shore of a Vancouver Island beach.
The Lummi Nation has declared a disaster after removing 70,000 invasive European green crabs from their sea pond in November. According to Seattle-based King News, the Lummi Nation cultivates shellfish and juvenile salmon in their 750-acre sea pond. The European green crab preys on young oysters, clams, and are known to dig down into the sand, uprooting eel grass, which is habitat for juvenile salmon.
Conditions at a Canadian pump station improved over night after they officials issued an evacuation order that had Whatcom residents concerned of more flooding.
Volunteers from the Friends of Bowker Creek Society say uncovering caddisfly larvae in the gravel beds of the stream show the water quality has improved to a level sufficient to sustain salmon and cutthroat trout.
Two distinct species of orcas feed and socialize in the waters of Puget Sound: fish-eating endangered southern resident killer whales and transient, or Bigg’s, killer whales, which feed on marine mammals and are more common. They seldom mix.
We saw over 100 on a 1/2 mile stretch of beach. I am wondering if the chiton die-off is related to the stormy conditions or something else?
Entomologists confirm the report of the world's largest hornet — a worrisome invasive species that originates from East Asia and Japan — by a person in a rural area near the Canadian border.
The most common pod of southern resident killer whales who migrate to the Salish Sea during the summer have not been seen for than 100 days, marking a highly unusual absence from their historic summer hunting ground, according to researchers.
In Malahat Drive in BC, an extraordinary heat wave, combined with low tides during the middle of the day resulted in the die off of possibly billions of intertidal invertebrates along the coast of British Columbia and Washington State.
A record-shattering heat wave June 26-28 coincided with some of the year's lowest tides on Puget Sound. The combination was lethal for millions of mussels, clams, oysters, sand dollars, barnacles, sea stars, moon snails, and other tideland creatures exposed to three afternoons of intense heat.
All Topics
All Countries
Any Date
Apply