Rochelle Baker
Journalist | Quadra Island |
English
About Rochelle Baker
Rochelle Baker is the Quadra and Cortes Islands reporter for Canada's National Observer, thanks to a grant from the Local Journalism Initiative of the Government of Canada. Rochelle has worked as a newspaper reporter and photographer in BC's Lower Mainland for over 10 years.
West Coast celebrates herring spawn spectacle
Humans and wildlife alike eagerly anticipate the return of the small silver forage fish that have outsized effects on the coastal ecosystem. A natural wonder that peaks in March, the herring spawn is a herald of spring, eagerly anticipated and celebrated by humans and wildlife alike.
Ottawa leaving West Coast fishing sector to flounder after salmon closures, harvesters say
People in B.C.'s fishing sector are defaulting on loans and losing homes after massive closures to the salmon fishery, and are getting zero supports from Ottawa or the province, the fish harvesters union says.
Cutting-edge lab on remote B.C. island teasing out mysteries of ocean acidification
A team of female scientists at a state-of-the-art lab on a remote B.C. island are untangling the effects of ocean acidification and other climate change impacts on shellfish and various marine organisms.
A significant climate danger is lurking in B.C.’s ocean
The twin spectres of acidification and low oxygen are flying under the radar as potentially devastating climate threats on the West Coast.
Feds float $11.8 million for Indigenous commercial fishing ventures on West Coast
The federal government is committed to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous communities and building regenerative and prosperous fisheries in B.C. with $11.8 million in funding through the Pacific Integrated Commercial Fisheries Initiative, said federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray.
MV Zim Kingston’s missing containers still sparking Vancouver Island concerns
Vancouver Island MPs are calling for improved ocean protection and spill response as more than 100 shipping containers are still unaccounted for after the MV Zim Kingston cargo spill.
Ottawa speeds up compensation to low-income seniors suffering clawbacks
Seniors can breathe a sigh of relief after going through "unnecessary ordeal," says NDP seniors critic Rachel Blaney.
Small coastal First Nation fuels economic growth with clean energy
A new micro-hydroelectric project at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort on B.C.’s isolated Central Coast will eliminate diesel fuel use at the off-grid, eco-tourist destination, removing 38 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Island Health not exempt from B.C.’s record toxic street drug death toll
A total of 327 people died from toxic street drugs in the Island Health region last year, and while the highest numbers of toxic drug overdoses occurred in urban centres, rural communities such as Port Alberni and Campbell River suffered some of the highest death rates.
B.C. shellfish growers will sink or swim with new marine debris rules
West Coast shellfish producers are going to have to absorb the costs of meeting new environmental regulations and change their farming practices as society's tolerance for marine debris plummets, says the grower's association president.