The lives and language of whales
As scientists, the questions we ask are designed to improve our efforts to ensure good living conditions for these mammals…
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Meet Dr. Adam Warner, Raincoast’s new Conservation Genetics Scientist
Adam has joined our Cetacean Conservation Program to head up Raincoast’s new Conservation Genetics Lab. The lab is equipped with…
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Launching our 10-year, place-based conservation science initiative on the Sunshine Coast
Raincoast is building on our strong track record of conservation science and action to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife…
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Open letter regarding killer whale behaviour around boats
Although our work as Raincoasters is focused on coastal BC, many of us are members of broader scientific communities, and…
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Our new whale livestream at a Southern Resident killer whale sanctuary zone
We just launched our Raincoast Whale Livestream which will be streaming both video and underwater soundscape from a hydrophone and…
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Purchase a new Raincoast tumbler to help protect Southern Resident killer whales
We are so excited to launch our new Southern Resident tumblers. We sourced them from Miir choosing their Climate+ model…
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Meet Suzie Hall, Raincoast’s new NoiseTracker Technician
Suzie Hall has joined our Cetacean Conservation Research team to assist with our new NoiseTracker initiative. Suzie will be working…
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Join us on Pender Island to discuss culture, genes, conservation, and the future of Southern Resident killer whales
Join Raincoast scientists, Dr. Valeria Vergara, Misty MacDuffee and Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, for Below the surface: Culture, genes, conservation, and…
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The not-so-silent world: monitoring underwater noise using non invasive techniques
For a long time, the prevailing notion was that the ocean was a place devoid of any sound. The idea…
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NoiseTracker: a collaborative initiative that aims to tackle the invisible threat permeating our oceans
Do you remember playing Marco Polo as a child? For those of you who have never played before, the object…
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Marine mammals in a changing Arctic Ocean
In March 2020, a Regional Planning and Knowledge Sharing Workshop was held by POLAR at the campus of the Canadian…
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Mapping Chinook watersheds that feed into the critical habitat of Southern Resident killer whales
Southern Resident killer whales heavily depend on Chinook salmon for their survival and Chinook are heavily dependent on healthy rivers….
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Reduced genetic diversity: another challenge facing the Southern Resident killer whales?
As charismatic mega-predators, killer whales have no equal. Historically feared, respected, in some cultures revered, we now know them to…
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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 study,…
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Fly with care: avoiding disturbance when using drones to study cetaceans
Drones have been widely used in the last decade for a host of wildlife studies. They’ve been particularly helpful to…
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Whale conservation and recovery: our plans for 2023
Raincoast’s new Cetacean Conservation Research Program is premised on the conviction that solutions to the threats facing at-risk species must…
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Belugas, the Sea Canaries: Deciphering a complex communication system
Belugas, nicknamed “sea canaries”, are one of the most loquacious cetacean species, producing an impressive array of sounds for a…
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My summer with the white whales
“ Dot is back!” exclaims Jaclyn from atop our beluga observation tower. We photo-identified this female beluga during our second…
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Investigating individual distinctiveness in the calls of wild belugas
Beluga whales produce a multitude of sounds for a variety of functions. To date, calls used for group cohesion and…
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Dr. Valeria Vergara is teaching a course on whale and dolphin culture
Until recently, “culture” was considered uniquely human, based on a philosophical position that humans fundamentally differ from animals. But evidence…
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Today kicks of the Year of the Salish Sea
The Year of the Salish Sea (June 8, 2022-June 7, 2023) is an effort that aims to bring together local…
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Raising calves in beluga society
“Another calf-switching event!” Exclaims Jaclyn, her eyes fixed on the screen as she expertly maneuvers the drone above the beluga…
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Mom, can you hear me? Impacts of underwater noise on mother-calf communication in endangered beluga whales
The St Lawrence Estuary beluga population, endemic to Canada, is at the southernmost limit of its range and is reproductively…
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Meet Lance Barrett-Lennard, Senior Research Scientist and Co-Director of Raincoast’s new Cetacean Research Program
Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard is a renowned cetacean researcher who served as a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada before…
