Coastal Perspective — What’s at Stake in British Columbia
The Great Bear Rainforest (GBR) is home to more than 2,000 runs of Pacific salmon, an important keystone species that supports a multitude of flora and fauna on this coast; Pacific herring, a key forage species; eulachon, a small oily fish sustainably harvested for thousands of years by First Nations; as well as recovering populations of fin whales, Bigg’s (formerly Transient) and Resident Killer Whales, humpback whales and sea otters. Land and sea are intertwined in this archipelago where the temperate rainforest is fed by ocean-derived nutrients and the ocean is nourished by thousands of rivers and streams. It’s a biodiversity hotspot unlike anywhere else on this planet but unfortunately it’s at risk. Industrial shipping, overharvesting of fisheries stocks, unrelenting old-growth logging, open net pen salmon farms, and climate change all threaten to destabilise this precious coastal ecosystem.
All week, Pacific Wild will be sharing stories and content to raise ocean awareness among our audience. Of particular focus, we will be highlighting Canada’s commitment to protecting 25% of marine and coastal areas by 2025 and 30% by 2030. Currently, roughly 14% of Canada’s marine and coastal areas are protected, through either federally or provincially implemented protected areas. At this time, there are only 5 federally implemented MPAs on the Pacific Coast, protecting 6.7% of the total area of Canada’s Pacific waters.
A major contributor to the 2030 commitment will be the Northern Shelf Bioregion Marine Protected Area Network which Pacific Wild is providing input towards through participation in the Central Coast Advisory committee. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, this network will be “a collection of individual marine protected areas that operates co-operatively and synergistically, at various spatial scales, and with a range of protection levels, in order to fulfil ecological aims more effectively and comprehensively than individual sites could alone.”
The Government of Canada has made numerous international and national commitments to marine conservation, including commitments to the establishment of a national network of MPAs that will comprise a number of bioregional MPA networks.
By actively understanding and advocating for marine conservation efforts, we can press the government to live up to its commitments of protecting 30% of Canada’s ocean waters by 2030.
Marine Species Spotlight
Sea Otter
Lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ Name:
sq́éəƛ́
Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris
Sea otters are the heaviest of the weasel family, but the smallest marine mammal in the world.
Illustration by Claire Watson
Habitat
Within 2 km from shore where the water is ≤40 meters deep to allow for diving & foraging. Shallow rocky reefs & kelp forests are their preferred habitat
Range
Along the Kuril & Commander Islands off the coast of Russia, the Aleutian Islands below the Bering Sea, & the coastal waters off the Alaskan Peninsula to Vancouver Island; & along the central California coast
Diet
Carnivorous foragers, eating mostly hard-shelled invertebrates (including sea urchins, a variety of bivalves such as clams & mussels, abalone, crustaceans, & marine snails)
Average Lifespan
Male: 10-15 years, Female: 15-20 years
Average Size
1.5 m long & weighs up to 23 kgs. Muscular tail, ⅓ total body length
Status
Endangered (IUCN’s Red List), Special Concern (COSEWIC)
Did you know? Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm. Instead, they rely on the densest fur coat in the animal kingdom (up to 150,000 hairs/sq cm) and may spend up to 10% of their day grooming and maintaining their fur. They also have an incredibly fast metabolism (3x as fast as a terrestrial animal) and need to consume 25–30% of their body weight every day. Due to their voracious appetite and diet, sea otters can have a major influence on the structure and function of the ecosystems they inhabit, especially kelp beds and forests, and as such are considered a “keystone species”.
Copper Rockfish
Lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ Name: əyəθiθən (rockfish)
Scientific Name: Sebastes caurinus
Rockfish are one of the longest-lived fish on Earth and can often be found near rocky ocean bottoms and kelp forests.
Illustration by Claire Watson
Habitat
Found in nearshore & offshore waters, they can be spotted living on sea floors & in rocky areas
Range
Ubiquitous along the Pacific coast, from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. Non-migratory & may occupy a very small area for their entire lives
Diet
Carnivorous, mainly feeding on crustaceans, squid, octopus & small fish including juvenile rockfish
Average Lifespan
50+ years
Average Size
40-66 cm in length, up to 4.5 kg in weight
Status
COSEWIC: Not Threatened
Did you know? Copper rockfish are known to cohabit in dens with Giant Pacific Octopus.
Lion's Mane Jellyfish
Lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ Name:
ɫəmix̌ʷsən (jellyfish)
Scientific Name: Cyanea capillata
The largest jellyfish species in the world, with hair-like tentacles, and a brownish, red or dark yellow bell.
Illustration by Claire Watson
Habitat
Ubiquitous in B.C.’s coastal & pelagic waters & are generally found within the first 20 m of surface water
Range
Alaska to Washington State in the North Pacific. This species cannot cope with warmer waters (above 20°C)
Diet
Stinging tentacles help to capture, pull in, & eat a variety of prey such as fish, zooplankton, & other jellyfish species
Average Lifespan
12 months, an extraordinary short period of time relative to their size
Average Size
Tentacles can reach 9-36 m in length. The bell is typically 20 cm across, with the largest specimen measuring 2.5 m across
Status
Not At Risk
Did you know? Despite having the capacity to grow longer than a blue whale, lion’s mane jellyfish are considered to be plankton. All jellyfish are gelatinous zooplankton, meaning they are drifting or floating organisms that can not swim against oceanic currents.
Bigg’s Killer Whale
Formerly Transient Killer Whale
Lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ Name: qəlɫaləməčən (killer whale)
Scientific Name: Orcinus orca
Killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family and can be easily recognized by their black and white coloration and large dorsal fin.
Illustration by Claire Watson
Habitat
Open ocean & near coastal waters throughout B.C.
Range
Between Southeast Alaska & California
Diet
Marine mammals including harbour seals, harbour & Dall’s porpoises, sea lions, other dolphin & whale species
Average Lifespan
Female: 50-80 years, Male: 30-60 years
Average Size
5-8 m long, weight on average 3600-5400 kgs
Status
Data Deficient (IUCN’s Red List), Threatened (COSEWIC)
Did you know? Killer whales are the apex predators of all the world’s oceans. They typically hunt as a cohesive team and cooperative prey sharing occurs within family groups.
Blue Shark
Lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ Name: k̓ʷət́ᶱənətčə (shark)
Scientific Name: Prionace glauca
Curious, open-ocean predators that live throughout the global ocean.
Illustration by Claire Watson
Habitat
Oceanic & epipelagic zones, in temperate & tropical waters from the surface to about 350 meters in depth
Range
Found offshore from all continents except for Antarctica, they range northwards as far as Norway & as far south as Chile
Diet
Active predator feeding primarily on squid & small schooling fish
Average Lifespan
20+ years
Average Size
1.7-2.2 m long
Status
Near Threatened (IUCN’s Red List), Not At Risk (COSEWIC)
Did you know? Blue Sharks are a viviparous species, meaning the young develop internally and female blue sharks give birth to live pups. Although rare, blue shark litters are known to reach sizes of more than 100 pups!
Tell Minister Lebouthillier You Support 30 by 30
Canada has joined forces with numerous other countries around the world in committing to the protection of 30% of ocean waters by 2030. Public support and engagement in this process is critical to ensure steps are taken at the federal level to achieve this milestone.
Friend of Pacific Wild — Susan Conrad’s GBR Marine Expedition
Starting on World Oceans Day, June 8, 2022, solo kayak expeditionist Susan Conrad begins her journey through the Great Bear Rainforest from Bella Bella to Prince Rupert. Susan’s journey, ‘San Juan to Sitka’, began on May 14 and will end in Sitka, Alaska on approximately August 2.
Susan is fundraising for Pacific Wild’s Marine Protected Areas campaign, and all donations received between June 8 – 22 will be matched by generous donor Ben Wells up to a total of $10,000. We invite you to join Susan as she travels through the Great Bear Rainforest visiting proposed Marine Protected Areas with live updates on a new storytelling map.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Joe Seward (Songhees Nation language program coordinator) for providing Lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ translations for the species names.
