N.B. fishermen test new gear in bid to stay on the water when right whales spotted

N.B. fishermen test new gear in bid to stay on the water when right whales spotted

As of Aug. 13, fishermen in New Brunswick were forced to pull their traps and stop fishing on 35 separate occasions this year after North Atlantic right whales were spotted. But a new pilot program in the southwest is trying to keep lobster and crab boats on the water. Crab fisherman Greg Beckerton and two lobster fishermen, Judson Mitchell and … Read more

N.S. swordfish harpoon fleet testing new gear, sets sights on tourism

N.S. swordfish harpoon fleet testing new gear, sets sights on tourism

For more than 20 years, Dale Richardson has walked to the end of a pulpit with a harpoon in hand to take aim at swordfish.  “It’s really an exciting fishery,” said Richardson, who lives in Shelburne County, N.S. “But due to climate change, weather conditions and so on, it’s become very difficult in the last few years … Read more

Sand from the Sahara Desert causing recent lull in the hurricane season: scientists

Sand from the Sahara Desert causing recent lull in the hurricane season: scientists

Tiny grains of sand from the Sahara Desert are to blame for the almost month-long lull in this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, scientists say. But it could soon come to an end. Every June and July, there is a peak in the amount of dust from the North African desert that is lifted high above … Read more

N.S. sanctuary could be a new home for whales in captivity. But some aren’t convinced

N.S. sanctuary could be a new home for whales in captivity. But some aren’t convinced

The Current19:01Could Nova Scotia host a retirement home for whales? A proposed whale sanctuary in Port Hilford, N.S., hopes to offer a safe haven for whales coming out of captivity. And two orcas from a marine park in France could be its first residents.  “We owe it to them. We owe them something back because … Read more

Researchers say oxygen is being produced on the ocean floor. The mining company funding them isn’t happy

Researchers say oxygen is being produced on the ocean floor. The mining company funding them isn’t happy

Oxygen is being produced on the ocean floor — seemingly by ancient lumps of metal — according to a new study. That discovery is putting the scientists behind it at odds with the Canada-based mining company that funded them. “We were the worst critics of this paper for a long time,” Andrew Sweetman of the Scottish … Read more

July 21 was the hottest day on record, European climate agency says

July 21 was the hottest day on record, European climate agency says

On Sunday, the Earth sizzled to the hottest day ever measured by humans, yet another heat record shattered in the past couple of years, according to the European climate service Copernicus on Tuesday. Preliminary data from Copernicus shows that the global average temperature Sunday was 17.09 C, beating the record set just last year on … Read more

Hottest day record broken globally — for 2nd time this week

Hottest day record broken globally — for 2nd time this week

Monday was recorded as the hottest day ever globally — beating a record set the day before — as countries around the world, from Japan to Bolivia to the United States, continue to feel the heat, according to the European climate change service. Provisional satellite data published by the Copernicus climate research program on Wednesday showed that … Read more

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket grounded after mishap in space, leaving fate of upcoming missions uncertain

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket grounded after mishap in space, leaving fate of upcoming missions uncertain

Last Thursday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from the Vandenberg Space Launch Complex in California with a payload of 20 Starlink satellites. And like the preceding 325 times before, the launch seemed to go off without a hitch: the rocket reached space and the first stage returned, landing on a drone ship in the … Read more

‘Otherworldly’ Portuguese man-of-war becoming more common on Nova Scotia’s inshore

‘Otherworldly’ Portuguese man-of-war becoming more common on Nova Scotia’s inshore

With a little help from the warming Gulf Stream, Nova Scotia beachgoers are encountering a strange creature with a balloon-like body whose sting packs a bigger punch than that of jellyfish. Last week, a Portuguese man-of-war appeared at a surfing hot spot on Lawrencetown Beach near Dartmouth, N.S. The animal, a species of siphonophore — … Read more

Coral reefs are vital lines of defence against hurricanes. But their future is in doubt

Coral reefs are vital lines of defence against hurricanes. But their future is in doubt

The hurricane season is off to a roaring start, with Beryl the earliest Category 5 storm ever to form in the Atlantic Ocean. Beryl has since been downgraded to a Category 4, yet as of Wednesday, it was still expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica. Typically, coral reefs serve as a … Read more