Hakai Magazine

Amorina Kingdon

Staff Researcher and Writer

Author bio

writer Amorina Kingdon

Amorina Kingdon has worked as a science writer and science media officer in Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. She ended up in Victoria when she arrived for a vacation, fell in love with the coast, and forgot to leave. She has studied biology and journalism, and enjoys reading, running, good food, and being outside.

Articles by Amorina Kingdon

bull kelp under water

Imploding Kelp

The answer to the pressing question of how low kelp can go.

Oct 12, 2018 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

whale bone game pieces

Playing Viking Chess with Whale Bones

Game pieces made of whale bone may be evidence of the emergence of industrial whaling in ancient Scandinavia.

Sep 25, 2018 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

spanish dancer nudibranch

Nudibranchs: Armed and Fabulous

These marine mollusks seem to tempt fate with their lack of shell and come-hither colors, but there’s danger in that decoration.

Sep 19, 2018 | 1,700 words, 14 photos

Female elephant seal and pup

Detecting Pregnancy by Proxy

Subtle changes in how long northern elephant seals dive show when they’re pregnant.

Jul 20, 2018 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) with parasitic copepod (Ommatokoita elongata)

Greenland Sharks Undeterred by Shark-Repelling Hooks

To the shark’s detriment, its vacuum-like feeding technique allows it to bypass the repelling effect of magnetic fishing hooks.

Jul 12, 2018 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Sea

Porpoises Flee from Noise Pollution

Toothed whales, which communicate at higher frequencies than their baleen brethren, are also disrupted by artificial noise.

May 23, 2018 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

a barramundi fish underwater

Fish on Acid Have Their Senses Confused

Acidic water affects how one fish species parses sight, smell, and sound—a potential sign of neurological disruption.

May 4, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

sand bubbler crab

The Intertidal Architects of the Coast

Some of the coastline’s most diligent designers are marine invertebrates.

Apr 26, 2018 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Melting Glaciers Do More Than Raise Sea Levels

The movement of meltwater from ice to the ocean carries some surprising cargo.

Mar 9, 2018 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

Zooplankton, Admiralty Inlet, Baffin Island, Canada

Why Scientists Should Do It in the Dark

Sample zooplankton, that is.

Mar 5, 2018 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

researchers attach a tracking device to a harbor seal

Are Scientific Tracking Tags Hurting Wild Animals?

New research shows telemetry tags may force seals to work harder and swim slower.

Jan 22, 2018 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

a depressed mud crab with parasitic barnacles

Climate Change Is Good for These Crabs’ Genitals

We always knew there would be winners and losers.

Jan 18, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

a ibuprophen pill broken open

Shellfish Can’t Say No to Drugs

Unfortunately for them. But it is teaching scientists about the consequences of pharmaceutical pollution.

Jan 5, 2018 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

Alevin coho salmon

Hatchery Fish Often Fail in the Wild. Now We Might Know Why

Epigenetics explained, with help from ’80s pop.

Dec 21, 2017 | 850 words, about 4 minutes

Researcher photographs bottlenose dolphins

Actually, Dolphins Don’t All Look the Same

Humans are more than capable of telling individual dolphins apart just by their faces.

Dec 13, 2017 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

A sea butterfly (Limacina helicina)

Changes to the Ocean’s Micro Creatures Could Have Macro Effects

The effects of climate change reverberate through the ocean’s food webs.

Nov 27, 2017 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Fish in Formation

How schools of fish use physics to swim smarter, not harder.

Nov 2, 2017 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

A Hard Shore Is a Dead Shore

How anti-erosion measures hurt fish—and living shorelines may help.

Oct 16, 2017 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

In Bangladesh, leather factories long dumped their toxic wastewater into the Buriganga River and discarded their leather scraps along its banks. Today, parts of the river are almost dead. Photo by Zuma Press, Inc./Alamy Stock Photo

Saving the Ocean One Outfit at a Time

The sea suffers for fashion. Kombucha leather and leased jeans to the rescue.

Sep 26, 2017 | 2,900 words, about 15 minutes

These Cages Save Baby Fish

On developed shorelines, oyster shell “safe houses” offer sanctuary.

Sep 19, 2017 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

The Great Salmon Escape: Is There a Better Way to Farm Fish?

We’ve just seen how open-net fish farms can go wrong. It’s time to look at the alternatives.

Sep 1, 2017 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

Dolphins Master Decapitation

In the Gulf of Mexico, dolphins have learned a deadly new trick.

Aug 17, 2017 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

Ocean Racket Makes for Rascally Wrasses

Motorboat noise spurs rise in fish-on-fish crime.

Aug 4, 2017 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

It’s not always clear why whales don’t—or can’t—avoid large ships, but studies and necropsies are helping scientists better understand why ship strikes happen and how they can be avoided. Photo by National Geographic Creative/Alamy Stock Photo

Why Don’t Whales Get Out of the Way?

Ships are huge and loud, yet they seem to take whales by surprise.

Jul 27, 2017 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

A Healthy Ocean Needs Viruses

And the more we learn about them, the weirder they get.

Jul 21, 2017 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

This replica whale bone house on Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, shows how the homes were constructed hundreds of years ago. Photo by age fotostock/Alamy Stock Photo

Not Your Average Beach House

Forget rebar or prestressed lumber—the sea provides a bounty of alternative construction materials.

Jul 6, 2017 | 850 words, about 4 minutes

Putting the Local in Marine Conservation

A new proposal for a code of conduct considers marine protection and the needs of people.

Jun 5, 2017 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Scallops, like other shellfish, are facing a multitude of threats from climate change. Photo by Josh Silberg

The Shellfish Gene

How shellfish farmers are leaning on genes to unmask the secrets of mussels, scallops, and oysters.

May 23, 2017 | 2,200 words, about 11 minutes

Life Interstitial

What does it take to live between the grains of sand?

Apr 28, 2017 | Interactive infographic

Here Be Tiny Dragons (and Other Micro Beasts)

Researchers reveal the microscopic life in between the grains of sediment.

Apr 18, 2017 | 5 min

Water that once flowed down the Slims River takes its new path south toward the Kaskawulsh River. Photo by Dan Shugar/University of Washington Tacoma

Stealing the Slims River

River piracy could become more common in a warming world.

Apr 17, 2017 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

Listen to How Loud the Sea Is

Our interactive sound map explores the busy marine soundscape, from kayaks to cruise ships.

Apr 6, 2017 | Interactive infographic

The North Pacific wrong whale is an often-overlooked cetacean. Photo by Mel Hermanville

The Wrong Whale In All The Right Ways

New research reveals how the North Pacific’s wrong whale escaped exploitation during whaling’s heyday.

Apr 1, 2017 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Some bottlenose dolphins have learned that fishing trawlers offer an abundant source of food. Photo by Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo

Rich Dolphin, Poor Dolphin, Beggar Dolphin, Thief

Human activity turns dolphins into beggars and thieves. What does that mean for their social lives?

Mar 23, 2017 | 850 words, about 4 minutes

Luxury Living for Retired Whales

The Whale Sanctuary Project wants to build an ocean home for captive killer whales.

Mar 2, 2017 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

This denizen of the deep is just one of the spectacular watercolor paintings found in Adriaen Coenen’s 16th-century Visboek (Fish Book). Photo courtesy of World Digital Library

A Renaissance Field Guide to Fantastical Fish

Dutch fisherman Adriaen Coenen’s visual masterpiece chronicled the ocean’s denizens, real and imagined.

Feb 24, 2017 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

The red swamp is an invasive species of crayfish in Pine Lake, near Seattle, Washington. Photo by Modoki Masuda/Minden Pictures

Pinch Me

In a Washington State lake, two of the most globally invasive crayfish species are duking it out. Should we step in?

Feb 17, 2017 | 1,600 words, about 8 minutes

The Origins of Ghana’s Iconic Black Star Line

The focal point of the African nation’s flag was inspired by the name of its first shipping line.

Feb 3, 2017 | 400 words, about 2 minutes

The Hunter’s Designer Shades

Yup’ik hunters wore visors decorated with beautiful charms and designs.

Jan 6, 2017 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

St. Nicholas has a little-known coastal connection: he has been the patron saint of sailors for centuries. Background photo by epa european pressphoto agency b.v./Alamy Stock Photo

Santa Claus Is Coming to Port

Before he was seasonal, he was seagoing.

Dec 22, 2016 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

Migratory shorebirds feed on the mudflats along British Columbia’s Roberts Bank, near Canada’s largest container terminal, Deltaport. A proposed expansion to Deltaport, known as Terminal 2, would double the facility’s size. The plans have triggered a contentious environmental assessment to determine whether the proposed development is likely to have “significant adverse effects” on the environment. Photo by Ron Watts

The Questionable Science of Vancouver’s Port Expansion

A flawed environmental impact assessment may have consequences for the western sandpiper.

Nov 28, 2016 | 5,500 words, about 28 minutes

The 6,000-Year-Old Village

Traditional knowledge meets Western science on the central coast of British Columbia.

Nov 22, 2016 | 7 min 30 sec

The Dark Side of Lighthouses

Mouthfuls of molten lead, wild weather, and insanity: the occupational hazards of an early lighthouse keeper.

Nov 18, 2016 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

Coral, Explained

A little bit algae, a little bit rock, and a lot animal. If you’ve ever wondered about the life of a coral, this photo essay will help.

Sep 1, 2016 | 2,000 words, 13 photos

Bottoms Up

After years on the ocean floor, these five salvaged beverages were still drinkable—for better or for worse.

Jul 15, 2016 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Captains of Industry

Five seamen who sold the world (cigarettes, rum, and spinach).

Jun 3, 2016 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Doing Science with Stories

The experiences of people who live close with the land offer a potentially valuable complement to traditional climate change data.

Apr 27, 2016 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Infographic: Get the Hell Off My Beach

Coastal access laws around the world.

Apr 15, 2016 | Infographic

The Race for Arctic Oil

Oil companies have always looked north for vast oil fields, and they won’t stop any time soon.

Feb 8, 2016 | Infographic

Et Tu, Ocean?

The role of the sea in melting the Arctic.

Feb 2, 2016 | 3 min 15 sec

Old Coast, New Coast: Halifax Harbour

One December morning, the world’s largest explosion tore through the heart of Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia. The city grieved, rebuilt, and carried on.

Nov 4, 2015 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

All Three Sides of the Story

Five geographical triangles that shaped the ocean’s history.

Oct 14, 2015 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Hazardous Waters

Five perils that you can encounter at sea, and where they’re most likely to strike.

Jul 29, 2015 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

The Captain and the Punch Bowl

Those were the days—when booze and pottery cemented social relationships.

Jun 30, 2015 | 500 words, about 2 minutes

Manjirō Nakahama: From Castaway to Samurai

The first Japanese person to live in the United States, Manjirō’s incredible journeys are seafaring legend.

Jun 29, 2015 | 600 words, about 3 minutes

The Little Post Office That Could

When Britain dubbed Herm Island too tiny to merit a post office, the islanders found a way to get that problem licked.

Jun 15, 2015 | 400 words, about 2 minutes

Navigating a Sticky Situation

People from the Marshall Islands created beautiful, unconventional charts to navigate across the sea.

Jun 5, 2015 | 300 words, a quick read

Five Islands We Are Really Sick Of

An island stay sounds dreamy, but the reality of these five quarantine islands was often a nightmare.

May 29, 2015 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Coastal Villages that Moved Away

Build a dam, Sam. Set off a bomb, Dom. Block a view, Lou. There are at least 50 ways to move your coastal village, but we’ve narrowed it down to five.

Apr 22, 2015 | 550 words, about 2 minutes

It ran on pedal-power, but Polish inventor, Stefan Drzewiecki, designed the first mass-produced submarine.

Stefan Drzewiecki, Submarine Tsar

The world’s first submarine fleet was pedal-powered and short-lived. But its design was a game changer for modern warfare.

Apr 22, 2015 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

Global Shipping and Emissions

Shipping traffic has grown rapidly in the past two decades—and so have its emissions. But what does that mean for the atmosphere?

Apr 22, 2015 | Infographic