Wade VanderWright

Opinion: It's time to fast-track actions to defend B.C.'s lands, waters, fish and wildlife B.C. recently passed Bills 14 and 15. As a scientist who studies the health of western Canada’s ecosystems, my alarm bells are going off

Published an op-ed the other day--fast-tracking actions to protect lands, waters, fish, and wildlife.

BC and Canadian policies are rushing natural resource extraction forward--there is a parallel need to fast-track safeguards of lands and waters.
vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e...

@fao.org released their 2025 report on the status of marine fisheries resources (openknowledge.fao.org/items/ac6d51...).
In talking to the media about the report at #UNOC FAO stated that ~57% of sharks stocks are sustainably fished (t.co/fVFnZkY4vQ).
This fact is WRONG
1/

Professional fishers’ knowledge informs distribution and interaction dynamics of Sawfish and River Sharks in coastal fishing grounds of the Northern Territory, Australia - Maritime Studies Through their time at sea professional fishers possess and obtain invaluable knowledge and insights into the behaviour, distribution, and abundance of both target and non-target species. Their observa...

New #sharkscience led by Vinay Udyawer
Professional fishers’ knowledge informs distribution and interaction dynamics of Sawfish and River Sharks in coastal fishing grounds...

Amazing insights from fisher interviews about their changing interactions through time
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

‘Gut punch’: top shark expert quits Queensland advisory panel after LNP expands cull program Exclusive: Colin Simpfendorfer’s resignation comes as other members of working group members say state government went against their advice against expanding lethal controls

Colin Simpfendorfer’s resignation from working group comes as conservationists lash expansion of lethal program they say ‘does nothing to improve beach safety’
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

I've waited a decade to finally have the chance to work with this ghost #shark 👻🦈 legend. While we were geeking away on this giant beast, we also got word that the first and only Ghost Sharks of the World book finally has a released date. Coming to you January 2026!

The carbon tax in Canada, explained | The Narwhal Canada’s carbon tax is on thin ice. We explain the consumer vs. industrial price and what Poilievre, Carney are saying amid the federal election

The rise and fall of the carbon tax, explained by @thenarwhal.ca
thenarwhal.ca/video-carbon...

Just 8 of 422 species at risk of extinction are doing better: study | The Narwhal A new study found a crucial first step to recover endangered species, is to stop the harm

From peregrine falcons to humpback whales, a new study finds a crucial first step to recover an endangered species is to stop known harms.
via @ainsliecruickshank.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/endangered-s...

Welcome to the Salmon Watersheds Lab! We are a group of fishy folks doing aquatic ecology research @ Simon Fraser University! 📚🤓🐟 Led by our fearless fish leader, Dr. Jonathan Moore. Follow along for lab updates, opportunities, and some good ol’ fish content! #salmon #AquaticEcology

Just 8 of 422 species at risk of extinction are doing better: study | The Narwhal A new study found a crucial first step to recover endangered species, is to stop the harm

A handful of Canada’s at-risk species have made a comeback. Here’s what they can teach us | @thenarwhal.ca
thenarwhal.ca/endangered-s...

#SARA #COSEWIC #Conservation

A reminder that there is a starter pack for the CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY COMMUNITY. Today we welcomed cons phys gurus @trishschulte.bsky.social @physiologyfish.bsky.social & @craigefranklin.bsky.social. Ping me if you work in this space and want to be added! go.bsky.app/RRAUWkk

New summary of 2 massive recent publications documenting the status and trends of sharks, rays, and chimaeras 🧪🦈🌎 @mongabay.bsky.social
news.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-...

🚨New postdoc positions available: we are looking for 2 postdoctoral researchers to join a large, collaborative effort to document, describe, and investigate the biodiversity of tiny, cryptobenthic fishes in the Indo-Pacific 🤏🐠🧪. More details: fishandfunctions.com/join%F0%9F%9...

Please repost 🦑🧪

🦈🌎🦞🧪https://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2024/12/new-study-finds-overfishing-has-halved-shark-and-ray-populations.html

Dive into the exciting work of the Earth to Ocean Research Group! Follow our brilliant students, research assistants, lab managers, postdocs, and faculty as they explore, discover, and make waves in science. 🌊✨

go.bsky.app/153jnvd

Nouvelle étude #GlobalSharkTrends publiée dans @ScienceMagazine révèle que la #surpêche a réduit de 50% les populations de requins et de raies en 50 ans, causant une érosion des fonctions écologiques et un risque d'extinction élevé.
Article : bit.ly/GlobalSharkT...
🧵1/21

New research from E2O's Dulvy Lab was published in Science yesterday. Check out the thread below!
#GlobalSharkTrends
#MarineScience
#SharksAndRays

ICYMI yesterday: Please read and share!

My research uses publicly available data to assess how well marine protected areas cover shark and ray species ranges. I focus on identifying gaps in protection & prioritizing areas to protect species most at risk of extinction.
Let’s connect on sharks, spatial conservation, and the future of MPAs!✨

We urge the adoption of the Shark & Ray Red List Index to track progress on ocean conservation goals, like the Global Biodiversity Framework Target 5 & SDG 14.4. Accountability is key for preserving marine life!
🧵20/20
#GlobalGoals #UNGA #SDG
#SustainableDevelopmentGoals #SDG
Please like & repost

Bright spots with some science-based fisheries management measure benefiting sharks & rays:
1. USA & Canada
2. NE Atlantic
3. S. Africa
4. Australia & New Zealand
#OceanOptimism
@nancyknowlton.bsky.social
@joshuacinner.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
🧵15/20

Researchers highlight troubling dark spots where shark & ray biodiversity is plummeting.
1. Japan–Taiwan
2. Indonesia to New Guinea
3. India & Bay of Bengal
4. Western Indian Ocean
5. SW Atlantic
6. Galapagos & SE Pacific
7. Gulf of California
🧵14/20

Estuary Stingray feeding over soft sediment in Brisbane harbour, in new study that shows they are mobilising tonnes of sediment each year as they feed. By Molly Grew / Vincent Raoult

The current extinction risk trajectory is driving disproportionate (22%) loss of ecological functional diversity of sharks and rays.
www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
#GlobalSharkTrends
bit.ly/GlobalSharkTrends
🧵13/20

Sankey plot of Red List Status over time over Requiem sharks in black and white photo by Hannes Klostermann Ocean Image Bank

New global analysis, experts calculate aquatic RLI for 1,199 sharks, rays & chimaeras from 1970 to 2020.
👉 over 1/3 qualify as Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable
👉 Red List Index has worsened by 19% since 1970
#GlobalSharkTrends
bit.ly/GlobalSharkTrends
🧵6/20

A Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus) off Puget Sound, United States. Photo by Greg Amptman.

Overfishing has halved populations of chondrichthyan fishes – sharks, rays, & chimaeras – since 1970. Target fisheries & incidental capture (bycatch) has resulted in over 1/3 threatened with extinction.
#GlobalSharkTrends
🧵4/20
#EndOverfishing
#SustainableDevelopmentGoals

A whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) lit from above in a shoal of small fishes; IUCN Endangered © Emilie Ledwidge_Ocean Image Bank (2).jpg

New #GlobalSharkTrends analysis funded by @SharkRayFund serves as a #wakeupcall for urgent action to turn the tide for these extraordinary animals:
bit.ly/GlobalSharkTrends
🧵2/20
#EndOverfishing
#SustainableDevelopmentGoals

Scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) IUCN Critically Endangered © Masayuki Agawa_Ocean Image Bank

New #GlobalSharkTrends study published in @science.org reveals #overfishing has more than halved shark & ray populations over the past 50-years causing widespread erosion of ecological function and exceptionally high extinction risk
👉Full article bit.ly/GlobalSharkTrends
🧵1/20

The beast is out!
@iucnshark.bsky.social has released a major new report: "The global status of sharks, rays, and chimaeras".
2100+ pages of information from over 350 authors from around the world.
Available for free download: portals.iucn.org/library/node...
#sharkscience

The IUCN SSC SSG was established to respond to growing awareness and concern of the severe impact of fisheries on shark, ray, and chimaera populations globally. The SSG is recognized as the leading authority on the status of these species, using science to support actions for conservation.

Was my great pleasure to spend two weeks here at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity measuring #metabolic #morpholgy traits of rays w/ @earth2ocean.bsky.social @sfuscience.bsky.social grads. Here is
@jaymatsushiba.bsky.social to
give you a sense of the size of the collection...

🌊👋 Hi Everyone! thought I would take a second to introduce myself! I'm Amanda Arnold, a PhD student with @nickdulvy.bsky.social in the @earth2ocean.bsky.social research group at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.