Brian Payton

Contributing Writer

Author bio

Brian Payton is the award-winning author of Shadow of the Bear, The Ice Passage, and the national bestselling novel The Wind Is Not a River. His nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and Canadian Geographic. He lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Brian Payton’s Contributions:

The Faux Fish Coming to a Restaurant Near You

Alternative fish has arrived on the market. Can it help save marine life and feed a hungry world?

Jun 23, 2020 | 3,500 words, about 18 minutes

Michelle Bigg, integrated responses planning program head for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, records data at an intertidal site on Goose Island, British Columbia

Marine Protected Areas: May or May Not Include Actual Protection

Awesome in theory, often messy in practice.

Jan 7, 2020 | 3,200 words, about 16 minutes

aerial photo of cruise ships in Ketchikan, Alaska

Leviathans in the Harbor

More and bigger cruise ships are crowding coastal destinations. When is enough, enough? Who gets to decide?

Aug 27, 2019 | 5,500 words, about 27 minutes

The Oracle of Oyster River

On Vancouver Island, a hermit-priest has spent a lifetime contemplating the natural world. At 95, he has come to believe there is a way we can save it.

Sep 11, 2018 | 2,800 words, about 14 minutes

The Trees That Sail to Sea

In one of nature’s remarkable second acts, dead trees become driftwood and embark on transformative journeys.

Feb 6, 2018 | 3,500 words, about 18 minutes

Hakai Magazine

Coastal science and societies