The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe catches coho salmon on the free-flowing Elwha River for the first time in over a century since the removal of dams, marking a historic moment for the tribe and the river's recovery.

“We spent the weekend outdoors camping on the peninsula and notices shoreline grasses has dried and shriveled.”

New fish have been spotted in a recently revitalized section of Craigflower Creek in View Royal, B.C., thanks to a development site with an environmental focus.

In 2022, a record number of Bigg’s killer whales (orcas) and humpback whales were spotted in the waters surrounding Victoria as well as south along Washington’s border.

A B.C. photographer and her dog found a Giant Pacific octopus washed up on the shore of a Vancouver Island beach.

Observations this year from Huu-ay-aht territory see that volume of herring may finally be improving, as the First Nation is reporting a growing number of wild salmon migrating through its rivers.

Volunteers from the Friends of Bowker Creek Society say uncovering caddisfly larvae in the gravel beds of the stream show the water quality has improved to a level sufficient to sustain salmon and cutthroat trout.

In 2009, the numbers dropped down to just 500 pairs of Chinook returning. Yet, as of Tuesday, more than 8,000 Chinook had returned to their Cowichan River spawning grounds. The improvement is the result of years of conservation efforts by Cowichan Tribes, who have worked to restore the river to its course before logging operations changed the river.

When Kathleen Reed descended for her usual weekly dive off the coast of Nanaimo, B.C., last Saturday she was shocked by how many dead sea cucumbers she saw. Experts and harvesters fear that sea cucumbers are being hit by an illness similar to sea star wasting disease.

The most common pod of southern resident killer whales who migrate to the Salish Sea during the summer have not been seen for than 100 days, marking a highly unusual absence from their historic summer hunting ground, according to researchers.

In early April I observed what appears to be widespread disease of Arbutus trees (Arbutus menziesii) on the island. Leaf blight is a known factor affecting Arbutus trees; but I wonder if other factors such as climate change may also be contributing to what is perceived as a general decline of the species.

An outbreak of salmonellosis among pine siskins in North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada may be linked to an increased population, migratory irruption, and the use of bird feeders during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the occurrence of hail during the winter and early spring months. This type of weather is very unusual for this area. While our current experiences with hail have been mild, an increase in frequency and severity is cause for concern.

A rare deep-sea fish was discovered on Vancouver Island this month. A pair of friends, Natalie Mueller and Andie Lafrentz, were walking along Whiffin Spit in Sooke on Sept. 19 when they spotted what they first thought was a “large piece of scrap metal.”

It was a king-of-the-salmon (Trachipterus altivelis), a deep-sea-dwelling species of ribbonfish. Its common name comes from the legends of the Makah people west of Strait of Juan de Fuca, which believe this “king” leads the salmon to their spawning grounds each year.

Ferocious fish, not native to Canada, was netted and released in Alberni Inlet

Residents near the University of Victoria are cautioned to be vigilant as authorities are responding to sightings of a bear in the area.

“In the last 36 hours, we’ve received four bear sightings in Saanich,” said Sgt. Damian Kowalewich with Saanich Police. "A lot of our residents are obviously alarmed by this and it’s a higher number of sightings than usual.”

The North Pacific Humpback whale population has increased, and sightings are becoming more common.

Himalayan blackberries (Rubus armeniacus) are out competing native shrub species and taking over open grasslands.