IN THIS EMAIL:
 

- Learn more about the annual herring run that takes place around Vancouver Island and discover why it is so critical to the ecosystem 

- Read about acclaimed novelist Kim Thúy's experience arriving to Canada and her trips to the zoo in Granby, Que.  
- Listen to the Explore podcast's latest episode featuring the students of Netsilik School, Taloyoak, Nunavut

- Find your next adventure with Adventure Canada, featuring small-ship expedition cruises to the world's most beautiful and seldom visited coastlines

Documenting the herring run

Conservation photographer Kali Wexler marvels at the annual event in the coastal waters around Vancouver Island — and explains why it is so critical to the ecosystem

Photography by Kali Wexler with text by Sarah Brown 

For millennia, the annual spring herring spawn along the shores of Hornby Island has drawn seabirds and seals, porpoises, orcas and people. It’s both a spectacle and a feast: the seas turn milky turquoise as the tens of thousands of males release their milt to fertilize the females’ eggs, lapped by the waves and blanketing every square centimetre of rock and vegetation.
 

The return of the small but mighty forage fish is a true wildlife spectacle to witness, but it also raises ongoing concerns about how the herring are being managed. When the commercial roe herring fishery harvests herring during their spawn, their goal is catch the fish just prior to the females releasing their eggs. The scale of the fishery concerns conservationists because herring return year after year to spawn, so harvesting mature fish prevents them from spawning to create the next generation and also means they are not alive to spawn the next year. 

Our Country: Kim Thúy

The acclaimed novelist on experiencing both kindness and lots of trips to the zoo in Granby, Que.
 

Granby was where I first arrived, and it was my first contact with Canada. I had never seen snow, and it was amazing to see the cleanliness. When you live in a refugee camp in a war zone, it’s impossible to have this kind of silence and luminosity. And that was the first shock. 

But the most important shock was when we stepped out of the bus, and there were so many people in the hotel parking lot waiting for us. Everybody was so tall. They were giants to me. I was so skinny as a 10-year-old. All the men had big beards and coats with fur all around. As Asians, we don’t express our emotions physically. But these people were just holding us — I was not even touching the floor. I still question how they could hold us in their arms when we were covered with infections from mosquito bites and had lice in our hair. But they did not hesitate.

Passing the Mic, Part 3  — The students of Netsilik School, Taloyoak, Nunavut

Inuit youth from Canada’s most northerly community share their stories using their own voices and words
 

David McGuffin (left) interviews Netsilik School, Taloyoak, student Roger Oleekatallik while his classmate Steve Alookee listens in. (Photo: Thomas Lundy/Can Geo)
 

Over the past two years, Canadian Geographic has been running “Passing the Mic,” a podcast training program in remote Nunavut communities. This week, we are pleased to showcase the third episode of this year’s series, which features stories produced by the students at the Netsilik School in Taloyoak, Nunavut.

The aim of this program is to give Inuit youth the tools to share their stories with the world in their own voices, using their words. I think you’ll agree that these stories provide a wonderful window into a unique and welcoming Inuit community. 
 

Canadian Geographic Adventures
 

Embark on an extraordinary small-ship expedition and unleash your spirit of exploration! Join Canadian Geographic ambassadors and expert guides as you explore the seldom-visited coastlines of the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Atlantic Canada, and North Atlantic Europe, and experience the world like never before. 

Be sure to use the exclusive reference code ACCANGEO when booking to claim all the Canadian Geographic Adventure offers and benefits. Terms and conditions apply. 

Get inspired!