For the safety of the whales: keeping ship traffic under control in Canada’s Arctic Ocean

We have all seen those signs about the need to reduce speed in school safety zones: flashing speed indicators, road bumps, lawn signs etc. These measures aren’t deployed around schools randomly. We know these are critical areas where we need to control traffic to keep children safe, so why can’t we do the same for marine life?

Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS) researchers are proposing a similar approach for whales in Canada’s Arctic Ocean to prevent collisions with marine life. They have used data collected on whale and ship movements to identify the highest potential conflict areas in this fast-changing ocean environment. Using satellite data automatically generated by many ships moving through the Arctic (Automatic Identification System – AIS) and both telemetry data from tagged bowhead whales and aerial survey data, they have zeroed in on five areas with the highest risk for collisions for bowhead whales: Cumberland Sound, Isabella Bay, Gulf of Boothia, Tuktoyaktuk, and Utqiagvik, Alaska.

The death of an unhoused Innu man inspired an innovative and compassionate street outreach during the nightly curfew in 2021

Raphaël André, whose death by cold in a chemical toilet on the eighth night of curfew galvanized legal action to exempt unhoused people from the curfew, was from the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John, near the border between Quebec and Labrador. Matimekush-Lac John is close to the town of Schefferville, more than 1,100 kilometres northeast of Montreal, but disconnected from the highway system and accessible only by air or train.

Born to a father who maintained Innu hunting traditions, André was proud of his ancestry but struggled with addiction to alcohol, which had fueled a hard life of disturbing experiences. He had been off and on the street for a while. Well-liked in the Milton-Parc community and close to his family, André lived for his relationship with his nieces and nephews. He was at his best during the years he lived in Sept-Îles, looking after his niece’s children so she could go to school. Everyone who knew him speaks of his kindness.

His cousin Pamela Vollant-Chemaganish told Le Devoir that André was tired of living on the margins of society. “He dreamed of finding a wife, a job, and a stable life,” she said. “I smile and I have trouble saying that, because he said it so often.”

Students Tyler Agligoetok and Sinclair Lyall from the Canadian Geographic Podcast Worksop discuss favourite hunting memories and time spent on the tundra of Victoria Island

In this second episode of Explore from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, we’re passing the mic to two of our star students from our Canadian Geographic Podcast Workshop at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. Tyler Agligoetok and Sinclair Lyall were among local Inuit youth who took part in five days of podcast training and community open houses. In this conversation, Sinclair interviews Tyler about his favourite memories of a recent goose hunt out on the tundra of Victoria Island. They discuss other favourite hunting memories and why Tyler loves feeling that connection to the land. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

(home to puffins), Kyuquot Sound (including sea otters and the village of Kyuquot), lush inlets and sandy beaches, as well as a cruise around the northernmost tip (Cape Sutil) and on the protected eastern coast. Wildlife commonly spotted on this voyage includes otters, black bears, whales, sea lions, and seabirds.

This trip is for those who love to adventure beyond the norm. It explores a mostly un-roaded area. You’ll walk in the rainforest, beachcomb on the sand, boat into wild creeks that empty into the sea, and cruise around the Brooks Peninsula, which juts out almost to the offshore continental shelf. Seven miles off Brooks, the coastal world changes to the oceanic one, and on a fair day we might cruise to the shelf, where the ocean turns from green to blue, and wildlife goes to feed in the upwelling (albatross, puffins, fulmars, dolphins).

Check out these other upcoming trips:

- Highlights of Bolivia with George Kourounis
- Annapurna Sanctuary Photography Trek with Javier Frutos
- Costa Rica Birding with Eagle-Eye Tours