Rare swordfish at Haida Gwaii highlights UBC research on changing oceans
A nearly two‑metre swordfish washed up on Haida Gwaii, an unusual sighting in British Columbia. The 8 Oct 2026 piece links the event to changing ocean conditions and summarizes a global analysis spanning three decades (1,246 species, 254 regions) that found two consecutive extreme warm years raise the chance of extremely low fish catch by 40%.
Republished by the University of British Columbia on 8 October 2026, the article describes the rare discovery of a nearly two‑metre swordfish at Haida Gwaii and presents long‑term research on species redistribution and productivity under ocean warming and extreme events (including El Niño). The global study reviews 30 years of data across 1,246 species and 254 regions, and reports that two consecutive extreme temperature years increase the likelihood of extremely low catches by 40%. Authors recommend improved monitoring, flexible fisheries management and habitat protection. William W. L. Cheung discloses funding from NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR.
Read the original story · Université de la Colombie-Britannique ↗