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Jul 26, 2023 · According to new research, the three species of forage fishes, which feed whales, salmon, seabirds, and many other animals, were quickly decimated by destructive fishing practices, industrial activity, and pollution.
- Lauren Kaljur
- On This Page
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Canada’s Pacific Ocean Environment
- Pacific Marine Ecosystems Under Stress
- The Pacific Ocean Food Web
- Pacific Marine Fish, Shellfish and Fisheries
- Marine Mammals of The Pacific
- Pacific Ocean: Observation and Conservation
Canada’s Oceans Now: Pacific Ecosystems, 2021 describes the current status and trends in Canada’s Pacific marine ecosystems up to the end of 2020. This report is based on key findings detailed in the Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 3377 and 3434, State of the physical, biological and selected fishery resources of Pacific...
The ocean on Canada’s west coast is often pictured as an endless expanse of blue seas with fog-clouded inlets off rocky shores. Killer whales arc across the sea’s swells alongside breaching humpback whales. 9,000-year-old glass sponge reefs live hundreds of metres below the surface. Pacific salmon start their lives in rivers and streams, mature in ...
What shapes Canada’s Pacific coast?
Canada’s Pacific coast extends over a straight-line distance of less than 1,000 km, however, if all the inlets and headlands are included, the coastline of B.C. is over 25,000 km.
What moves Pacific Ocean waters?
The prevailing westerly winds and currents from the North Pacific move ocean water toward the coast where the continental shelf and coastal islands influence its movement. Water movement becomes even more dynamic when it is forced into inland seas and mixes with the outflow of fresh water from the major river systems along the Pacific coast.
Ocean warming
Canada’s Pacific Ocean waters show a long-term trend of ocean warming. Daily sea surface temperatures along the coast of British Columbia over the past 80 years show coastal waters have warmed about 0.7°C. While this increase in temperature may seem small, the persistent change can have a significant effect on the ocean ecosystem as warmer water is associated with lower concentrations of nutrients and dissolved oxygen. Warm conditions can stress species that depend on colder water, such as sa...
Climate change causes a variety of impacts
Increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are causing global temperatures to increase. Canada’s Pacific Ocean is absorbing some of the heat and carbon dioxide from this global warming. As a result of these atmospheric changes, surface waters are warmer and more acidic, oxygen levels are dropping, and marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more extreme. Researchers are currently working to assess how these trends affect ecosystems in the northeast Pacific. Some of the fo...
Human activities affect communities of species
In addition to the effects of climate change, other human activities also affect species. Recreational fishing and commercial harvesting affect the number and distribution of the species they target, as well as species that depend on the target species. The growing size and number of Pacific ports leads to habitat destruction or displacement. Commercial shipping creates a threat of introducing and spreading invasive species in Pacific habitats. Shipping is considered the largest single source...
Ocean mixing and circulation affect sea life by influencing the nutrients that phytoplankton can use. Phytoplankton form the base of marine food webs and, like land plants, they take up dissolved nutrients in their environment. They use the energy available from sunlight to convert simple nutrients to sugars, fats, and proteins. The dissolved nutri...
The Pacific Ocean is home to a variety of fish and shellfish species that are part of a complex ecological community. As both prey and predators, they form key links in the ecosystem. In addition to supporting commercial and recreational fisheries, they support First Nations fisheries and are culturally important to First Nations. They include, for...
Marine mammals such as whales, sea lions, and sea otters were greatly reduced by historical hunting and whaling. Harvesting restrictions and other management measures have led some species to recover and recolonize their former habitats. As a result of these strong recovery trends, marine mammals are once again becoming important components of thei...
In Canada’s Pacific Ocean, many organizations monitor marine ecosystems, including government agencies, First Nations, universities, non-governmental organizations, and citizen scientists. This broad coalition influences how and why marine scientists carry out their work. Technical advances have improved the ways they acquire, analyze, and share oc...
People also ask
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The oceans’ ecosystems are quickly becoming contaminated from the impact of single-use plastic debris, which significantly harms marine life (Gall & Thompson, 2015). Entanglement and ingestion are the primary negative implications on marine life, which often result in death.
Single-use plastic and marine debris is one of the most universal pollution problems plaguing the world’s oceans as it has serious negative impacts on wildlife, sea life and human health. Most studies have focused on improved waste management or more recycling as primary
Jul 9, 2021 · The West Vancouver Island Basin, which roughly stretches from Cape Scott to Jordan River, is currently under Drought Level 3. Under these conditions, local adverse impacts to water users, fish or ecosystems are possible.
Jul 19, 2022 · July 19, 2022 – In partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada, a recent pilot study led by Ocean Diagnostics Inc. (ODI) reveals that 81% of microplastic pollution on southern Vancouver Island beaches, particularly near marinas, is polystyrene.
Wild tides surge through the straits of Vancouver Island, yet marine life there grows up strong and beautiful. What makes abundant life possible in such a harsh environment?
