A workshop on Calvert Island brought together divers from 6 First Nations to expand scientific diving skills and kelp habitat surveys. Supported by the Hakai Institute, @wwfcanada.org, @psfca.bsky.social, ECCC, and DFO, the program is building capacity for stewardship diving on BC's coast.

A new multimethod study involving Hakai Institute researchers uses samples from 6400 BCE to 1500 CE to provide the most complete picture of parasite infections in past populations to date—revealing a major shift during the Roman and Medieval periods 🔗 tinyurl.com/9shazh42

Strengthening Indigenous stewardship from the seafloor up! Last week, guardians from six coastal B.C. Nations joined a 5-day diving workshop at Calvert Island to build kelp survey + ID skills. Hosted by @hakai.org with support from WWF-Canada, @psfca.bsky.social, DFO & ECCC.

Two covers for papers published on the same day www.pnas.org/toc/pnas/122... & www.nature.com/natecolevol/.... Proud of the team, especially #MelaniePrentice & @kevinzhong2006.bsky.social with @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social, @eoas.ubc.ca, @ubcoceans.bsky.social, @hakai.org and @science.ubc.ca

Archaeological research at the Tsalwadi site on Vancouver Island reveals that people were fishing and making stone tools along the Woss River up to 14,000 years ago—offering one of the earliest records of human activity on the island's coastline. 🔗 tinyurl.com/59rzrn8y

Fieldwork on BC’s coast is giving more than technical skills to ocean scholars from the Philippines, Egypt, Kenya, and beyond. The @pogo-ocean.bsky.social program immerses the next generation in Canada's coastal ecosystems—sparking fresh passion for ocean science. 🔗 tinyurl.com/47r9zryw

Join us at the @imarest.bsky.social webinar on: "Unlocking Ocean Secrets: Marine Mammal Monitoring Through eDNA" 22 Sept 2025 - 4pm UK time Matt Lemay, from the OBON project "HI-BON" (led by @hakai.org) will be one of the speakers. More info and sign up at: www.imarest.org/events/event...

Worrying drop in #ocean #oxygen documented off #BC coast. The study, conducted by the @hakai.org measured oxygen levels in Queen Charlotte Sound to the southern tip of Haida Gwaii. | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/1139322...

Kawok—a digital health solution developed by TulaSalud—is helping to transform maternal and child health in rural Guatemala by combining smartphones, real-time data, and frontline worker outreach. Learn more 🔗 tinyurl.com/3sk75cnd

A new study involving Hakai Institute researchers finds that oysters shed more DNA when stressed by high CO2 levels—and that these genetic traces break down faster with more ocean acidification, showing the need to adjust how we track biodiversity in a changing ocean 🔗 tinyurl.com/yx55zwty

"The specter of low-oxygen ‘dead zones’ is surfacing along BCs Central Coast, threatening the region’s rich marine ecosystems and fisheries,” writes @rochelle.bsky.social in @nationalobserver.com, exploring new research by a group of scientists including Hakai oceanographers🔗 tinyurl.com/3bebmnre

A new collaborative study involving Hakai Institute researchers finds that ocean acidification and food stress are affecting the survival of juvenile chum salmon—but new tools can help detect exposure to acidification in wild salmon populations 🔗 tinyurl.com/32psmuvv

A new paper uses eDNA tools to confirm Chipewyan Prairie First Nations observations of geological changes in Cowper Lake, Alberta following a historical landslide in the 1940s 🔗 tinyurl.com/hcek4jfc

ONC’s subsea cameras spotted the critically endangered sunflower #SeaStar at Hartley Bay & Campbell River in 2024/25 🎥 New research in @nature.com identified a bacterial strain as the culprit behind the disease that decimated the species for over a decade. go.nature.com/3JmLaTF @hakai.org

Check out new science and technology stories in our second Tula Quarterly of 2025—from documenting the rich biodiversity of marine algae on the coast of Calvert Island, to exploring technology that’s improving maternal and infant health in the remote mountains of Guatemala 🔗 tinyurl.com/2vyha52a

A new paper shows worrying declines in oxygen levels in BC’s Queen Charlotte Sound. Researchers project that its deep waters will be largely hypoxic by 2050, with serious consequences for marine life and fisheries 🔗 tinyurl.com/uca57fc2

The breakthrough study revealing Vibrio pectenicida as the strain of bacterium responsible for sea star wasting disease has generated massive international media coverage, including stories by the CBC, @nytimes.com, @washingtonpost.com, @apnews.com, @theguardian.com, and more!

This was a fascinating story to write, about an exciting advance in discovering the culprit behind sea start wasting disease, as well as an intriguing look at how the scientific progress moved forward even during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. @hakai.org www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

The #seastar wasting disease begins with lesions and ultimately kills sea stars - by the billions - by “melting” their tissues, reducing them to goo. oceans.ubc.ca/2025/08/04/d... @rhizalyssa.bsky.social @hakai.org @science.ubc.ca

After a decade of carnage, we finally know what’s devastating sea stars along North America’s west coast. For the most in-depth coverage of this breakthrough finding, don't miss this piece by @craigwelch.bsky.social in @biographic.bsky.social 🔗 tinyurl.com/2bmjdjex

For @biographic.bsky.social, writer @craigwelch.bsky.social followed @hakai.org scientist @rhizalyssa.bsky.social's quest to unveil the the killer that decimated populations of sea stars off the West Coast. It took a few years but the lab's hard work paid off: www.biographic.com/unmasking-th...

Congratulations @rhizalyssa.bsky.social and @hakai.org for this valuable, groundbreaking work in coastal disease #Ecology. Clearly, we shld be checking w Alyssa for all things #Seastar. :) Check out the press … www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/e270ff4... #SeastarWasting #NorthPacific

A team of scientists led by Dr. @rhizalyssa.bsky.social, a marine ecologist at @hakai.org Institute & adjunct faculty @ubcoceans.bsky.social, conducted experiments over 4 years to find the culprit, which was “hiding in plain sight,” Dr. Gehman said. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/s... via @nytimes.com

After a four-year investigation, a breakthrough study reveals the cause of sea star wasting disease (SSWD). A strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida is the culprit behind the marine epidemic that has killed billions of sea stars since 2013. Read the study: 🔗https://tinyurl.com/4rcb3xpf

Thank you @hakai.org for hosting me for a talk this week! I had a great time presenting in a yurt, having rewarding chats about carbonate chemistry and habitat viability thresholds, picking huckleberries, and working with an insanely gorgeous view 😍

A new study reveals that the Broken Group Islands off the west coast of Vancouver Island, BC, are a bright spot for shellfish populations in the northeast Pacific Ocean—demonstrating a sustainable relationship between local First Nations and shellfish over millennia. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/5psvxjsa

Hakai Institute researchers monitor sea star populations for signs of wasting disease around Quadra Island. A recent low tide at Hyacinth Bay gave them the opportunity to explore the biodiversity tucked into the crevices—including juvenile sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides).

Thanks to @thetyee.ca for covering a new study led by UNBC professor and Hakai Institute scientist @bmenounos.bsky.social. It finds that glaciers in the western US and Canada have lost 23% of their volume since 2000—and 12% in just the past four years. 🔗 tinyurl.com/3spmfjpy

The Hakai geospatial team recently took photographer Grant Callegari over the Klinaklini Glacier—the largest glacier in western North America and a crucial watershed that's being threatened by rapid glacial melt.

Columbia Icefield September 2024 Bare ice everywhere...😰 This is the largest icefield (~200 km²) in the Rockies with famous and accessible eastern outlets (Dome, Athabasca and Saskatchewan) 1/ 📷 @hakai.org

A shout out to the @hakai.org ACO team for their work in helping us understand the magnitude of glacier mass loss in western Canada in a study published today. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

“Over the last 4yrs, glaciers lost twice as much ice compared to the previous decade... Glacial melt is just falling off a cliff" “If we’re thinking, Well, we have 50yrs before the glaciers are gone, it could actually be 30” - Prof. Brian Menounos, @hakai.org #ClimateEmergency

A study just published in Geophysical Research Letters, led by Hakai Institute scientist and UNBC professor Brian Menounos, reveals that glaciers in western Canada, the US, and Switzerland lost around 12% of their ice between 2021 and 2024. Full press release: 🔗https://tinyurl.com/439yk6vf

A recent article, originally published in Canada’s @nationalobserver.com, highlights how designating endangered sunflower sea stars under Canada's Species at Risk Act could offer a ray of hope for their survival against sea star wasting disease. 🔗 tinyurl.com/3x4kbts5

@ubcbotany.bsky.social's @drseaweed.bsky.social has spent nearly 15 years collaborating with the Hakai Institute to survey the seaweeds of Calvert Island. Patrick was recently featured on the @ologies.bsky.social podcast to guide us through the fascinating world of algae🔗https://tinyurl.com/y4mv3t3n

Thanks to Development Canada for highlighting the important work of TulaSalud, which has been helping to improve healthcare services for women and girls in remote communities in Guatemala for over 20 years. 🔗 tinyurl.com/yyfvxtr7

Read about how Christina Munck uses kelp and other seaweeds left on the shores of Calvert Island to nourish the gardens at the Hakai Institute facilities, which boast potatoes, garlic, herbs, berries, and more 🔗 tinyurl.com/6h9e2kx4

End/ Grateful to co-authors & funders who made this work possible. Many of whom aren't on BlueSky. It was a prividge to work together. @baumlab.bsky.social @dkokamoto.bsky.social @marinekathleen.bsky.social @annamet.bsky.social @scuba-timmer.bsky.social @cneufeld.bsky.social @hakai.org

New research led by @jennmchenry.bsky.social and co-authored by Hakai Institute scientists offers the first-ever national assessment of kelp’s carbon-storage potential in Canada, providing a new framework for carbon accounting in crucial habitats like kelp forests. Full paper🔗 tinyurl.com/mv695vfv

The Hakai Institute is a leader in DNA barcoding for marine life. Through bioblitzes and collaborations, Hakai Institute scientists have contributed thousands of new DNA sequences to the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD). Learn more 🔗 tinyurl.com/4ffnaece

We’re taking a brief nature break to admire this aerial photo our team recently took of the Hakai Institute’s Calvert Island Ecological Observatory. Have you been to Calvert? You can tell us in the comments!

Bushwhacking, river wading, and “secondhand fun:” Na̲nwak̲olas Council, 5 First Nations, and the Hakai Institute take us behind the scenes of the 50 Watersheds Project studying impacts of forest management and climate change on salmon habitats around northern Vancouver Island, BC🔗 tinyurl.com/msrksfab

Invited by Na̲nwak̲olas Council to film the carving of a traditional red cedar canoe, Hakai Institute videographer Grant Callegari reflects on how working with ancient canoes in his native Scotland kicked off a full-circle journey of connection. Full story🔗https://tinyurl.com/2s4e3ap9

Congrats Katrina Pyne and former Hakai Magazine editor @judeisabella.bsky.social for earning two nominations in the @canadamediaawards.bsky.social. Their powerful visual feature “Where the River Runs Pink” explores the fight against invasive pink salmon in Norway's rivers🔗 tinyurl.com/mtt38s8e

Congrats to former Hakai Magazine editor @toughcitywriter.bsky.social for being nominated in the long-form feature writing category for the @canadamediaawards.bsky.social, whose feature explores the history of First Nations communities as first responders on BC’s coast🔗https://tinyurl.com/2dp5tbar

The Hakai Institute biogenomics team just ran a mini bioblitz with ten international ocean scholars doing fieldwork on Quadra Island as part of the @pogo-ocean.bsky.social program. During the Species of the Day competition, they shared amazing photos of everything from ulvas to urchins:

The rare shallow gorgonian corals in the Gwa̲xdlala/Nala̲xdlala Marine Refuge are home to basket stars, glass sponges, and endangered sunflower sea stars. Check out what else @hakai.org scientists and Mamalilikulla First Nation Guardians have found: 🌎

Hakai Institute scientists have been working with Mamalilikulla First Nation Guardians to monitor the Gwa̲xdlala/Nala̲xdlala (Lull/Hoeya) Marine Refuge for ecosystem changes. But diving to the Hoeya Sill requires navigating challenging currents and tides. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/nhdx5z9f

Congratulations to Tula Communications’ @serenarenner.com for her Best News Coverage nomination in the Canadian Digital Publishing Awards. Her finalist Hakai Magazine feature is about the historic land-back agreement between the Haida Nation and British Columbia. Full story 🔗 tinyurl.com/mpm7ndzn

The new Tula Quarterly is live! Dive into the rich biodiversity and culture of BC's Central Coast. How do you build a cedar canoe? What is DNA barcoding? How do harmful algal blooms link to melting glaciers? And more! 🔗 tinyurl.com/9k5hk4p8