Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

How seaweed has been misleading scientists about reef health

New UBC research found that seaweed have been misleading scientists about coral reef health, and scientists need new ways to determine whether human activity is harming a particular reef.

May 4, 2023

Clouds could delay the impact of climate change on reefs – but not for long

Clouds seem to offer some protection from excess heat to coral reefs – but most will still face frequent bleaching by 2080, according to new research.

Feb 8, 2023

Seafood farming’s growth rate has already peaked, and now it’s in decline

Dr. Rashid Sumaila and Dr. Muhammed Oyinlola discuss why we can’t rely on just farmed seafood for our fishy needs.

Nov 14, 2022

Global fish stocks can’t rebuild if nothing done to halt climate change and overfishing, new study suggests

Global fish stocks will not be able to recover to sustainable levels without strong actions to mitigate climate change, a new study has projected.

Sep 1, 2022

B.C. ocean’s worth of almost $5 billion to GDP likely an underestimate

British Columbia’s ocean contributed almost $5 billion to provincial gross domestic product in 2015, a sum that is likely an underestimate, a new UBC study has found.

Aug 9, 2022

A southern resident killer whale. Credit: NOAA, Ocean Wise. Note: Single use only.

Southern resident killer whales not getting enough to eat since 2018

The endangered southern resident killer whale population isn’t getting enough to eat, and hasn’t been since 2018, a new UBC study has determined.

Jun 27, 2022

This scientist is taking an international jellyfish tour to explore mucus and medusae

From some of the largest jellyfish in the world in Japan to the tiny venomous Irukandji in Australia, UBC doctoral student Jessica Schaub is about to set off on an international tour of jellyfish.

Jun 27, 2022

Photo by Sebastian Pena Lambarri on Unsplash

UBC experts on World Oceans Day

UBC experts are available to comment on various topics on June 8, World Oceans Day.

Jun 6, 2022

Scientists urge WTO to ban subsidies that promote overfishing

Scientists are calling on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to ban subsidies that can cause overfishing at its meeting next week.

Jun 6, 2022

Hotel Vancouver dinner menu, 1888. Credit: City of Vancouver Archives, AM1519-: PAM 1888-17

Expect to see more squid and less sockeye salmon on “climate changed” menus

Vancouver seafood lovers may see more Humboldt squid but less sockeye salmon on restaurant menus in the near future due to climate change.

Apr 21, 2022

Nearly half of countries’ shared fish stocks are on the move due to climate change, prompting dispute concerns

Climate change will force 45 per cent of the fish stocks that cross through two or more exclusive economic zones to shift significantly from their historical habitats and migration paths by 2100, a challenge that may lead to international conflict, according to a new UBC study.

Jan 18, 2022

Farmed seafood supply at risk if we don’t act on climate change

The supply of farmed seafood such as salmon and mussels are projected to drop 16 per cent globally by 2090 if no action is taken to mitigate climate change, according to a new UBC study.

Dec 13, 2021

A major two-year heatwave may have temporarily dampened the Pacific’s ability to sequester carbon, according to research from the University of British Columbia and University of Southern Denmark. Credit: Jody Wright

Heatwaves like ‘the Blob’ could decrease role of ocean as carbon sink

Researchers have found the two-year heatwave known as ‘the Blob’ may have temporarily dampened the Pacific’s ‘biological pump,’ which shuttles carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea where it can be stored for millennia.

Oct 28, 2021

A southern resident killer whale feeding with J-pod members near Vancouver on Chinook salmon returning to the Fraser River. Credit: A.W. Trites/University of British Columbia

No apparent shortage of prey for southern resident killer whales in Canadian waters during summer

A popular belief that there are fewer Chinook salmon during the summer in Canadian waters for southern resident killer whales, compared to an abundance of fish for northern resident killer whales, has been debunked by a study led by scientists at the University of British Columbia.

Oct 12, 2021

Marine heatwaves could wipe out an extra six per cent of a country’s fish catches, costing millions their jobs

Extremely hot years will wipe out hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish available for catch in a country’s waters in this century, on top of projected decreases to fish stocks from long-term climate change, a new UBC study predicts.

Oct 1, 2021

Coral reefs are 50% less able to provide food, jobs, and climate protection than in 1950s, putting millions at risk

The capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services relied on by millions of people worldwide has declined by half since the 1950s, according to a new University of British Columbia-led study.

Sep 17, 2021

An aerial photo of narwhals swimming in Archer Fjord in Canada's Arctic. Credit: Katie Florko and Cody Carlyle

How to spot the elusive narwhal

UBC researchers were surprised when the infrared video camera they brought aboard their plane captured narwhals swimming off the coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut.

Aug 12, 2021

PhD candidate Sara Cannon conducting surveys in Abaiang. Photo: Dr. Simon Donner

‘Sticky questions’ raised by study on coral reefs

A new UBC study on the impact of climate change on coral reefs is raising sticky questions about conservation. It found coral in more polluted and high traffic water handled extreme heat events better than a more remote, untouched reef.

Aug 11, 2021

Surprising insights into the migration pattern of world’s farthest-migrating species

The Arctic tern—which has the world record for the longest annual migration—uses just a few select routes, a key finding that could help efforts to conserve the species, according to a new University of British Columbia study.

Aug 5, 2021

Blue herons at Cowichan Bay. Credit: Robert Stenseth

Blue herons identified as a significant juvenile salmon predator

Pacific great blue herons could be scooping up as many as three percent of all juvenile salmon and as many as six percent in some years with low water flow, according to a new University of British Columbia study.

Mar 8, 2021