Filmmaker and outdoorsperson Quinn Barabash recently made headlines when he found a nearly two-metre-long swordfish carcass on the remote shores of Haida Gwaii in northern British Columbia.

Swordfish are large-bodied, highly migratory fish typically found in temperate and warmer tropical waters far south of Haida Gwaii. They are thought to have only been documented in B.C. twice before, so it’s a rare find. Long-term ocean warming alongside the developing El Niño may be making B.C.’s waters more attractive to these warm-water species.

While this sighting is unusual and exciting, it also serves as a reminder that our oceans are rapidly changing and we need to adapt to these changes.

This isn’t the first time a warm water species has appeared along B.C.’s coast. During the 2014-16 marine heatwave known as “the Blob,” ocean sunfish, Humboldt squid and triggerfish were all sighted off B.C. More recently, tropical barracuda and even a great white shark have been spotted.

Marine species can move to new locations as they follow favourable ocean conditions. During extreme events like marine heatwaves, these shifts can........

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