By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Offshore of Vancouver Island, in Nuu-chah-nulth waters 65 kilometers west of Hesquiat Harbour, lives a nursery of deep-sea octopuses brooding their eggs. This is one of four known octopus nurseries in the world, said DFO researcher Cherisse Du Preez. In late May Du Preez and her colleague Heidi Gartner set out to sea on a deep sea expedition, in partnership with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Council of Haida Nation, Quatsino and Pacheedaht First Nation, Ocean Networks Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The expedition was largely to explore the pending Marine Protected Area Tang.?wan-?a?x?iqak-Tsig?is, alongside additional places of interest to protect, said Du Preez. Months prior, the German scientific research organization GEOMAR and Natural Resources Canada discovered bubbles traveling 1.5 kilometers through…