A great white shark has been recorded in British Columbia, indicating shifts in habitat range. A powerful storm left thousands without power. The region has also detected a bat-killing fungus.
Great white shark off Vancouver: what does Kara’s visit mean?
A unique visitor — a great white shark named Kara — was recorded in waters off the coast of British Columbia, near Vancouver. This is the first documented case of a tracked great white in the region, drawing interest from scientists and marine enthusiasts alike. The appearance of such an apex predator, which typically prefers warmer waters, raises questions about changing ocean conditions and possible future encounters.
The great white shark, named Kara, was tracked using a satellite transmitter attached to her dorsal fin. Data from the Expedition White Shark app, developed by the Marine Conservation Science Institute, showed that on March 9 the shark was south of Vancouver Island and may even have been approaching Vancouver Harbour. Institute president Michael Domeier enthusiastically noted in his Instagram post that Kara became the first great white tracked in British Columbia, joking that she might have a Canadian passport. Kara's route was fairly winding: she moved along the Oregon coast, went down to Eureka in California, then turned north again to reach Canadian waters.
Tracking uses special satellite tags attached to the dorsal fins of adult sharks. These tags are not GPS trackers; they are simple radio transmitters that activate when the shark's fin is above water for several minutes. Satellites orbiting Earth pick up the signal and estimate location based on frequency shifts, though, as Domeier notes, there can be large errors that sometimes place the shark “on land” on the map. Such data arrive episodically rather than continuously, making each detected signal valuable.
Great white sharks are apex predators, meaning they sit at the top of the food chain in their ecosystem. Their average length ranges from 3.5 to 5 meters, though some individuals can exceed 6 meters. Despite their reputation, they are rarely found in the cold waters off British Columbia. As William Chung, the Canadian Research Chair in Ocean Sustainability and Global Change at the University of British Columbia, explains, great whites prefer warmer waters because they are essentially a warm-water species. However, they have a unique physiological adaptation: their circulatory system can retain heat generated by muscle activity during swimming. This heat is distributed through the body, warming vital organs and giving them an advantage in cooler waters compared with other shark species.
Kara’s appearance may be linked to global climate change. Rising ocean temperatures expand the range of warm-water species. Chung notes this affects not only the sharks themselves but also the distribution of their prey, creating direct and indirect drivers for migration. Lately, warm-water species such as albacore tuna and sunfish have also been observed more frequently off British Columbia’s coast. Regarding potential danger to people, despite alarming statistics (for example, California has recorded 215 shark incidents of all species since 1950, at least 188 of which involved great whites), shark attacks on humans remain extremely rare globally. Kara’s visit is still an uncommon event in an atypical habitat, and great whites are so rarely encountered in this region that they are not even included in the official British Columbia shark guide published by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. So there is no reason to panic for now, but the event is an important reminder of the dynamic processes occurring in the world’s oceans and the need for continued study and protection of marine ecosystems.
Powerful storm batters southern British Columbia, leaving thousands without power
Residents of southern British Columbia faced destructive impacts from an unusual storm that brought hurricane-force winds and snowfall. Meteorologists note that such weather systems, with vast energy reserves, are infrequent but can have large-scale consequences.
Environment Canada meteorologist Terry Lang reported that an unusual low-pressure area from the Pacific brought extreme weather to the region. The system carried high energy and caused strong winds, lightning strikes and heavy snow on mountain passes, including the famous Coquihalla Highway. In her report to The Canadian Press, Lang emphasized: “We don't see them often, but there was a lot of energy associated with it.” Peak wind gusts reached incredible speeds: a record gust of 139 km/h was recorded in the town of Hope, comparable to a Category 1 hurricane. Winds reached up to 85 km/h in Abbotsford and up to 106 km/h at Point Gonzales on the south of Vancouver Island near Victoria.
The storm severely impacted infrastructure. The region’s main route, the Coquihalla Highway, was closed due to a vehicle incident and hazardous conditions. Trees downed by the storm blocked sections of the Trans-Canada Highway in the Fraser Valley. The most tangible consequence for residents was widespread power outages. According to BC Hydro, about 17,000 customers across the most populated areas — the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan, Thompson, Kootenay and Vancouver Island — were without power as of Wednesday evening. Emergency crews worked through the night to restore downed lines, and repairs continued into Thursday.
Although the main cyclone has moved into Alberta and Saskatchewan, its residual effects continue to impact British Columbia. Remaining moisture is enhancing snowfall on mountain passes, creating additional risks for travelers and complicating road crews’ work. Meteorologists cannot yet provide exact snowfall totals because precipitation is ongoing. This event highlights infrastructure vulnerability in the face of increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events that many scientists believe may be linked to climate change. Recovery work will take time, and residents of the region will remember for a long time the day when winds as fast as a sports car paralyzed life in the southern part of the province.
Bat-killing fungus reaches Vancouver
Alarming news came from British Columbia: the deadly bat fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has been detected for the first time in the densely populated Metro Vancouver region. This marks a significant expansion of the pathogen’s range, which has already devastated bat populations in North America.
The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the agent of white-nose syndrome, was first identified in British Columbia in 2022 in the Grand Forks area. Now, as Castanet reports, provincial authorities have announced traces were found in guano samples collected in the Vancouver metropolitan area. This is a worrying signal, although it’s important to note the fungus has not yet been diagnosed on bats in the province. White-nose syndrome disrupts bats’ winter hibernation. The fungus, which looks like white fuzz, affects the skin on the animals’ muzzles and wings, causing severe itching and irritation. This forces them to wake frequently during hibernation, leading to catastrophic depletion of fat reserves accumulated for winter. As a result, many animals die of starvation and exhaustion before spring arrives. First discovered in New York State in 2006, the disease has since spread to 40 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces, ravaging populations east of the Rocky Mountains. Three Canadian bat species have already been given endangered status because of this syndrome.
The spread of the fungus into a major urban region raises particular concern among conservationists. Bats are inconspicuous but vital ecosystem participants. They are natural controllers of insect populations, consuming large quantities, including many agricultural and forest pests. Their loss could have serious ecological and economic consequences, increasing reliance on chemical pesticides. It is important to emphasize that the fungus is completely harmless to humans. However, humans can inadvertently help spread it, for example on clothing or gear after visiting caves — bat hibernation sites. Authorities are urging the public to assist with monitoring. As the press release from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship states, people can support bat conservation by reporting bat roosts, finding dead bats, or unusual winter activity to the BC Community Bat Program. Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment or vaccine for white-nose syndrome for wild populations, and research is ongoing. Discovery of the fungus in Vancouver is a loud signal that the threat to biodiversity is growing and requires increased attention and coordinated action.
