Stories have the power to move, inspire and connect us. Stories about the ocean are particularly impactful because they ignite the positive benefits of storytelling and trigger a Blue Mind state – the feeling of calm, peace and well-being that comes from being near the water. Through ocean storytelling, you can improve your communications, increase connections and inspire others to action.  – It was January of 2023, and I was a newcomer to the ocean scene.  I’d just come off nearly eight years of running a creative studio that was suffering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic ..read more

January or Penamujuiku’s in Mi’kma’ki By: Bryan Martin Walking to the ice-covered sea with kids and dog in tow in January. Photo: B. Martin Oh January! Also known as Penamujuiku’s in Mi’kma’ki, the Traditional Ancestral Territory on which I call home, now known as the Maritimes. Penamujuiku’s means the month that the punamu come into the estuaries near shore to spawn under the sea ice. Punamu are more commonly known as tomicod, frost fish, or Atlantic Tomcod, and have always been an important winter food for the Mi’kmaq. They can be observed directly from the waters edge through cracks or ho ..read more

Empowering Water Protectors By: Ruby Banwait My unwavering love and respect for the ocean is my north star. It’s taken some time for me to trust that I am indeed on the right career path of ocean education and conservation. I’ve had to course correct several times during this journey as I get to know myself and I’ve learned, that’s just life. When I let the fog of uncertainty, indecision and lack of confidence cloud my view, my loving community helps illuminate my chartered course. I’m very fortunate to have loved ones that see my strengths and remind me of them.  I was flattered and deli ..read more

By: Anika Smithson After 6 years, people were able to gather once again for the 5th International Marine Protected Areas Congress. IMPAC5 brings together ocean conservation professionals – scientists, educators, policy makers, governments, Indigenous Peoples and youth from all over the world to discuss all aspects of marine conservation. This year, over 3,000 people gathered on the traditional and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations in what is now Vancouver, Canada. Given that the last event, IMPAC4, was held in L ..read more

By: Steven Lee   Hidden amongst the Tortuguero canals between the National Park of Tortuguero and the city of Limòn is the village of Barra del Parismina, Costa Rica. Located at the mouth of the Parismina river, this village is only accessible by boat or plane. Parismina is home to the grassroots, not-for-profit association ASTOP – “Association Save the Turtles of Parismina”. ASTOP is made up of locals with a concern for the future of sea turtles that nest on the beach. Due to an increase in poaching activities and environmental problems such as marine debris and fisheries bycatch, th ..read more

Hi, my name is Lucas, a 4th-year B.Sc. (Honours) student in Psychology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Throughout my degree, I have gained a passion for animal behaviour, a fascinating field of psychology that many students have not heard of. In the summer before the 3rd year of my degree, I started a summer research position with Dr. David Wilson, Department of Psychology, and Ms. Jessika Lamarre, Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Program, who exposed me to the wonders of animal cognition in seabirds. And, ever since, I have been hooked on seabird research. Lucas and the Nesting ..read more

By Draco Dunphy As I strolled through lush forest, one bright and sunny day,  I chanced upon a barachois– a pool where river meets the bay. And much to my confusion, moreover to my dismay,  The beach was covered in fishing gear, the nearest township 15 miles away. Nets and traps strewn about, and tattered on the shore.  Buoys, ropes and lobster pots, battered, broke and tore. It leads me to ask, what happened? And, how did this occur?  Well, lend your ear and listen friend, and this topic we’ll explore. A Barachois in Newfoundland. Barachois is a term used in some parts o ..read more

By: Kayla Hamelin BACKGROUND   From May 15-19, ocean enthusiasts from around Atlantic Canada and around the world gathered in Halifax / K’jipuktuk for the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) 2022 conference (link: https://www.ofi.ca/event/ocean-frontier-2022). OFI brought together leaders from a wide variety of research, industry, policy, philanthropy, and advocacy backgrounds to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the ocean today. Climate was an overarching theme, with each of the 3 days of the meeting centering on a key topic: 1) achieving net zero, 2) developing sustainable fo ..read more

By: Carter McNelly (La version française suit ci-dessous) This blog was adapted from a Parks Canada article with new contributions from Ariane Shaw, Jessica Lambert, Noémie Roy, and Veronick Gagnon. One of the nine action streams in the Canadian Ocean Literacy Strategy is to “improve government integration of water-ocean-climate literacy in policy & public engagement.” The first step to improving ocean literacy in any organization should always be focused internally. In writing this blog, I hope to take the opportunity and showcase some of the fantastic work my colleagues at Parks Canad ..read more

By: Ariane Shaw (La version française suit ci-dessous) Having grown up in the interior of Canada it wasn’t until later in my childhood that I was first exposed to the ocean. My first ocean memory entailed boogie boarding along the Eastern Seaboard, where I was graciously invited on a family road trip with a good friend and her family in their super cool 90s RV. I recall that my experience of splashing around in the ocean left me feeling calm, confident and overall content. Since that moment, my love for the ocean has grown exponentially, and has led me to surfing in Nova Scotia until my hair ..read more