Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

High seas fishing ban could boost global catches, equality

High seas fishing ban could boost global catches, equality

Closing the high seas to commercial fishing could distribute fisheries income more equitably among the world’s maritime nations.

Feb 12, 2015

Countries with poor marine safety records linked to oil spill vessels

Countries with poor marine safety records linked to oil spill vessels

More than half of ships involved in the 100 largest oil spills of the past three decades were registered in states with poor marine safety records.

Nov 3, 2014

Fish moving poleward at rate of 26 kilometres per decade

Fish moving poleward at rate of 26 kilometres per decade

Large numbers of fish will disappear from the tropics by 2050, finds a new UBC study that examined the impact of climate change on fish stocks.

Oct 10, 2014

Missing targets

Missing targets

UBC prof says we aren’t meeting our goals of protecting biodiversity.

Oct 2, 2014

UBC receives $3.5M for research into Canada’s oceans, new projects

UBC receives $3.5M for research into Canada’s oceans, new projects

UBC researchers have received $3.5 million from the SSHRC for new projects related to oceans, language revitalization, community development and more.

Aug 27, 2014

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation grants $2.6 million to improve data on world fisheries

UBC’s Sea Around Us project has received $2.6 million (U.S.) from The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

Aug 20, 2014

Rashid Sumaila

Report supports shutdown of all high seas fisheries

Fish and aquatic life living in the high seas are more valuable as a carbon sink than as food and should be better protected, according to research from the University of British Columbia.

Jun 5, 2014

Humpback recovery

Humpback recovery

UBC professor explains why the humpback whale lost its ‘threatened species’ status.

Apr 23, 2014

25 years after Exxon Valdez: Raising the flag for tanker safety

25 years after Exxon Valdez: Raising the flag for tanker safety

Flag use behaviour is one area where stronger controls could lower the risk of an oil spill like the Exxon Valdez, say researchers at UBC’s Fisheries Centre.

Mar 21, 2014

EU fishing fleets reap profits while taxpayers foot the bill

EU fishing fleets reap profits while taxpayers foot the bill

The European Union’s taxpayers are paving the way for fishing fleets to reel in valuable catch in developing countries while fishing companies pocket the profits, according to University of British Columbia researchers.

Nov 27, 2013

Google Earth images to estimate the number of fishing weirs along the Persian Gulf coast.

Google Earth reveals untold fish catches

Large fish traps in the Persian Gulf could be catching up to six times more fish than what’s being officially reported, according to the first investigation of fish catches from space.

Nov 26, 2013

Don’t hold the anchovies: Study shows Peruvian fish worth more as food than as feed

Don’t hold the anchovies: Study shows Peruvian fish worth more as food than as feed

The true potential of Peruvian anchovy lies not in fishmeal but as food for people and as part of the ocean food web, according to Canadian and Peruvian researchers.

Nov 13, 2013

Sharks worth more in the ocean than on the menu

Sharks are worth more in the ocean than in a bowl of soup, according to researchers from the University of British Columbia.

May 30, 2013

Sharks worth more in the ocean than on the menu

Sharks worth more in the ocean than on the menu

New study shows that shark ecotourism currently generates more than US$314 million annually worldwide and is expected to more than double in the next 20 years.

May 30, 2013

Single spill could wipe out economic gains from Northern Gateway

UBC researchers estimate losses of $300-million, cleanup costs of up to $9.6-billion.

Dec 11, 2012

How to make global fisheries worth five times more: UBC research

Rebuilding global fisheries would make them five times more valuable while improving ecology, according to a new University of British Columbia study, published today in the online journal PLoS ONE.

Jul 13, 2012

Law that regulates shark fishery is too liberal: UBC study

Shark fins are worth more than other parts of the shark and are often removed from the body, which gets thrown back into the sea. To curtail this wasteful practice, many countries allow the fins to be landed detached from shark bodies, as long as their weight does not exceed five per cent of the total shark catch. New University of British Columbia research shows that this kind of legislation is too liberal.

Mar 2, 2012

Taking the Earth’s pulse: UBC scientists unveil a new economic and environmental index

A growing world population, mixed with the threat of climate change and mounting financial problems, has prompted University of British Columbia researchers to measure the overall ‘health’ of 150 countries around the world.

Feb 20, 2012

Conservation risk highest off coasts of Canada, Mexico, Peru and New Zealand: UBC research

University of British Columbia researchers have identified conservation “hot spots” around the world where the temptation to profit from overfishing outweighs the appetite for conservation.

Feb 20, 2012