A Guest Blog by Erich Hoyt

On the morning of May 30, off Tofino, British Columbia, an orca calf, complete with fresh fetal folds and typical orange (instead of white) patches, surfaced between two mature females of J Pod.

There is always joy at the sight and sounds, the presence of a new baby. When that baby is a several hundred pound killer whale, born to J Pod in the southern resident orca community, the event turns into big news. This is a very welcome occurrence as the southern community has lost most of their calves in recent years and their numbers have dwindled to 75 — now 76 — individuals, down from a high of more than 100 before SeaWorld and other aquariums ransacked these pods with repeated captures in the 1960s and 1970s. The captures in BC and Washington State waters ended in 1976 but the southern orca community has had compounded pressures and threats including boat traffic, noise, pollution loads and reduced numbers of their preferred food, Chinook salmon. The southern community has been given endangered status by both the U.S. and Canadian governments.

It's Shark Week and we're diving to the depths of the blue planet to take a closer look at one of nature's most fascinating and fearsome predators.

Did you know there are over 500 species of sharks living today or that this unique fish evolved around 420 million years ago?

Did you know that sharks are the apex predator in every ocean ecosystem worldwide or that over half of all shark species live in the deep ocean, below 660 feet (200 m)? 

You likely know that whale sharks are the largest known fish on earth, but did you also know that many species of sharks are endangered? This is largely due to human activity, as nearly 100 million sharks are killed annually for human consumption. 

June 8^th is World Oceans Day, a day to celebrate the wonders of the blue planet and focus on protecting and conserving our oceans for the future.

The ocean covers about 70% of the planet and is home to more than half of all life on earth. But did you know that it also provides most of the oxygen we breathe, helps filter and clean our drinking water, and regulates the climate?

Although we have only explored a small portion of the ocean — around 10% of its vast expanse — scientists have made amazing discoveries about its diversity of wildlife, its remarkable geography, and its incredible impact on our daily lives.

So to celebrate our amazing oceans, here are five great books about ocean life that everyone can enjoy.