Erica Gies

Author bio

Erica Gies is an independent journalist who covers science and the environment from Victoria, British Columbia, and San Francisco. Her work appears in the New York Times, TakePart, Ensia, the Economist, Yale Environment 360, National Geographic, Scientific American, and other outlets.

Articles by Erica Gies

anemone and coral on the sea floor of the British Columbia coast

Is Canada Taking Shortcuts to Hit Its Marine Protection Targets?

The government is counting fisheries closures as protected spaces in order to hit a 2020 target. Many scientists argue this is not meaningful conservation.

Jul 11, 2018 | 1,300 words, about 6 minutes

Woman sorting fish at Aberdeen Fish Market, Hong Kong, China

The Consequences of China’s Booming Demand for Seafood

The country is putting restrictions on its domestic fishing fleet, but its distant water fleet has been growing to compensate.

Jun 28, 2018 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

sunset on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast

Designing Marine Protected Areas in a Changing Climate

How can vulnerable marine species be protected when climate change is a reality?

Mar 21, 2018 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

aerial shot of the sunken Natan E. Stewart tug

Oil Tanker Moratorium Act Not a Moratorium on All Oil Tankers

Despite its name, the new law would still allow many vessels to transport fuel along British Columbia’s coast.

Jan 25, 2018 | 1,100 words, about 5 minutes

a large earthquake recorded on a seismograph

New Underwater Sensors to Watch for the Big One

Canada’s west coast is getting a new earthquake early-warning system.

Dec 14, 2017 | 950 words, about 4 minutes

First Nations Test the Political Water with Fish Farm Protests

First Nations’ occupations of fish farms are rooted in a deeper conversation about Indigenous land rights.

Oct 13, 2017 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

Proposed changes to the Canadian Oceans Act and Canada Petroleum Resources Act would affect how marine protected areas are established, and the types of activities that would be permitted within them. Photo by xPacifica/Alamy Stock Photo

Proposed Amendment Could Actually Protect Marine Protected Areas

New legislation would give planned MPAs interim protection during the years-long approval process.

Aug 30, 2017 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

The proposed Laurentian Channel marine protected area was drastically cut in size following input from stakeholders. Photo by National Geographic/Getty Images

Canada’s New Marine (Less) Protected (Than It Could Have Been) Area

A string of concessions to the oil and gas and fishing industries has severely weakened the protective value of Canada’s largest planned marine protected area.

May 9, 2017 | 1,200 words, about 6 minutes

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Was Ignoring Its Own Habitat Protection Guidelines

In 2012, the federal government relaxed rules limiting the degradation of fishing habitat, claiming the requirements were overly burdensome. But research shows they weren’t enforcing the rules in the first place.

Apr 5, 2017 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

Is China’s Hands-Off Approach to Fisheries Producing More Fish?

China’s fishers indiscriminately target predators as well as prey, putting different pressures on the ecosystem.

Feb 23, 2017 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

Political Suppression of Science: Lessons from Canada

Canadian scientists are lending support to worried American peers.

Jan 23, 2017 | 750 words, about 3 minutes

A Cull to Save the Kelp

An innovative project is rehabilitating California’s kelp forests after decades of degradation at the hands of environmental decay and sea urchin predation.

May 5, 2016 | 800 words, about 4 minutes

Hakai Magazine

Coastal science and societies