Hakai Magazine Audio Edition

The Trees That Sail to Sea

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

Eel of Fortune

by Karen Pinchin • Against a backdrop of competing cultural and commercial interests, Canadian regulators will soon spin the wheel on the future of the little-understood American eel.

The Noose Beneath the Waves

by Sasha Chapman • Fishing gear can pose a deadly threat to whales—and to those who try to save them.

Why Iceland Is Turning Purple

by Egill Bjarnason • Buoyed by climate change, an invasive plant is taking over the landscape of the island nation.

Twilight for the Sawfish

by Jori Lewis • In West Africa, the sawfish was once a source of cultural pride and power. What happens to traditional African cultures as it disappears?

Fish Feel Pain. Now What?

by Ferris Jabr • Terrestrial animals get humane treatment and legal protections, but until now, fish pain has largely been ignored.

Fish, Drugs, and Murder

by Alexander Villegas • For years, Costa Rica was synonymous with tourism, sustainability, and biodiversity. Now collapsing fisheries have led to turmoil.

Quick Sand, Dirty Money

Story by Kimon de Greef • Illegal sand mining in South Africa is starving beaches of sand, ruining rivers, and endangering lives.

The Hunger Games: Two Killer Whales, Same Sea, Different Diets

by Larry Pynn • The Salish Sea’s resident killer whales are in trouble—and garnering all the headlines—but transient killer whales traveling the same waters seem to be doing fine.

Death by Killer Algae

by Claudia Geib • When 343 sei whales died from a harmful algal bloom in Chilean Patagonia, they opened a window into the effect changing climate is having on marine mammals, our oceans, and us.