Inventory of Researchers- Strait of Georgia Ecosystem

Compiled by Dr. I.A. Pearsall

Table of Contents

Inventory of Researchers- Strait of Georgia Ecosystem ...... 1 Scott Akenhead ...... 6 Susan Allen ...... 8 Faron Anslow ...... 10 Terry Beacham ...... 11 Richard Beamish ...... 13 Keri Benner ...... 14 Doug Bertram ...... 15 Gary Borstad and Leslie Brown ...... 19 Sean Boyd ...... 21 Mike Bradford ...... 23 Dan Buffet ...... 25 Eddy Carmack ...... 27 Peter Chandler ...... 29 Kim Charlie ...... 30 Villy Christensen ...... 31 Ken Cooke ...... 33 Steven Cooke ...... 35 Sean Cox ...... 37 Bill Crawford ...... 38 George Cronkite ...... 39 Patrick Cummins ...... 41 Glenn Crossin ...... 42 Bob Devlin ...... 43 Michael Donaldson ...... 44 John Dower ...... 45 John E. Elliott ...... 47 Karl English ...... 49 Tony Farrell ...... 50 John Ford ...... 53 Mike Foreman ...... 55 Kyle Garver ...... 56

Jim Gower ...... 58 Ramona de Graaf ...... 59 Chris Grandin ...... 60 Sue Grant ...... 61 Rene (Irene) Gregory-Eaves ...... 63 Nicky Haigh ...... 64 Chris Harley ...... 65 Herb Herunter ...... 67 Mark Hipfner ...... 68 Scott Hinch ...... 70 Jayme Hills ...... 73 Jeremy Hume ...... 75 Kim Hyatt ...... 76 Michael Ikonomou ...... 77 Jim Irvine ...... 79 Sophia Johannessen ...... 82 Stewart Johnson ...... 83 Simon Jones ...... 85 Chris Kennedy ...... 87 Jackie King ...... 90 Mike Lapointe ...... 91 David Levy ...... 94 Robie Macdonald ...... 96 Steve MacDonald ...... 97 Erland MacIsaac ...... 99 Dave Mackas ...... 101 Steve Maclellan ...... 103 Eduardo Martins ...... 104 Diane Masson ...... 105 Asit Mazumder ...... 106 Don McQueen ...... 108 Kristi Miller-Saunders ...... 109 Jonathan Moore ...... 111 Peter Olesiuk ...... 112

Evgeny Pakhomov ...... 114 David Patterson ...... 115 Rich Pawlowicz ...... 117 Angelica Pena ...... 118 Ian Perry ...... 119 David Preikshot ...... 122 John Reynolds ...... 124 Steve Romaine ...... 128 Peter Ross ...... 130 Markus Schnorbus ...... 133 Neil Schubert ...... 134 Jake Schweigert ...... 135 Daniel Selbie ...... 136 Ken Shortreed ...... 138 Mark Shrimpton ...... 141 Terri Sutherland ...... 142 Ruston Sweeting ...... 143 Jim Thomas ...... 144 Richard Thomson ...... 145 Andrew Trites ...... 147 Marc Trudel ...... 149 Graham van Aggelen ...... 151 Diana Varela ...... 153 David Welch & Erin Rechisky ...... 155 Timber Whitehouse ...... 157 Ruth Withler ...... 158 Chris Wood ...... 159 Nikki Wright ...... 160 Section 2: Programs & Groups ...... 161 Ocean Networks Canada ...... 161 Ken Denman and Verena Tunnicliffe ...... 161 Mapping Projects: Key Contacts Rob Knight, Biologist, BC Ministry of Environment & Brad Mason, DFO...... 164 HectaresBC ...... 167

SeaChange: Key Contact Nikki Wright ...... 169 BC Shore Spawners Alliance: Key Contact Ramona de Graaf ...... 170 Georgia Strait Alliance...... 171 Other Useful Links ...... 173 Environmental Groups ...... 173 Appendix 1 Program Details ...... 175 Ewatch Program Details ...... 175 Steven Cooke Carleton- Increasing the sustainability of multi-sector Pacific salmon fisheries in coastal rivers of British Columbia by quantifying and reducing mortality of released fish...... 181 Lakes Research Program in SAFE ...... 188 PARR project details- Sea lice infection levels on juvenile salmon during early seawater residency and migration out of the Strait of Georgia...... 196 Kyle Garver IHNV Project Details- Determination of viral shedding rates, estimation of minimum infective dose, and development of a viral dispersion model for infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in Atlantic Salmon...... 199 The Harmful Algae Monitoring Program in BC: Overview July 2011 ...... 203 Introduction ...... 203 The HAMP Mandate ...... 204 The British Columbia Shore Spawners Alliance ...... 207

Scott Akenhead

Contact:

President of S4S Solutions 11810 Fairtide Road Ladysmith BC V9G 1K5

Phone: 604-837-8701 Email: [email protected]

Research area(s):

 marine ecology  sustainability program support Area of Expertise:

Scott Akenhead was trained in ecology by Larkin and Walters at UBC 1968-1975, and oceanography by Garrett and Thompson at Dalhousie 1982-1990. He has 35 years of broad experience in analysis and decision support systems (DSS) in ecology, business, and government, particularly in natural resource management and sustainable development.

He has led many science projects on watersheds, fisheries, GIS/RS, and regional planning. As a research biologist with DFO for 15 years, Scott gained extensive experience in ecological models, fisheries science and management, geomatics, statistics, and numerical analysis, and led the introduction of new technologies. He was scientist-in-charge for many high-seas research vessel cruises, and participated extensively in international fora. As a professional consultant for 20 years, Scott designed and delivered DSS for government and utility clients, typically interactive maps integrated with simulation models and collaborative web portals. He has published many peer-reviewed and technical papers on topics as diverse as building land-use consensus, GIS theory, remote sensing, oceanography, and fisheries. Scott is an experienced small-business executive, with experience in established companies and start- ups – all related to sustainability. He has been VP, CEO, Director, or Advisor for a number of local high-technology companies.

Recent work with DFO scientists at the Pacific Biological Station has included:

 Strait of Georgia Ecosystem Research Initiative DFO:

o Akenhead, S.A., J.R. Irvine, R. I. Perry, D. Preikshot, L. Li, and C. Fu. 2012 submitted. Responses of the fisheries food web within the Strait of Georgia to 150 years of management experiments. Progress in Oceanography.

o DFO. 2012. A synthesis of the outcomes from the Strait of Georgia Ecosystem Research Initiative, and development of an ecosystem approach to management. DFO CSAS Sci. Advis. Rep. 2012/nnn.

 Analysis of Chilko sockeye population dynamics

o Irvine, J.R., S.A. Akenhead, S. Grant, and C. Michielsens. 2012. Survival patterns of Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon. p 133-135 in J.R. Irvine and W.R. Crawford [eds.] State of physical, biological, and selected fishery resources of Pacific Canadian marine ecosystems in 2011. CSAS Res. Doc 2012/072. xi+152 p. http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Csas- sccs/publications/resdocs-docrech/2012/2012_072-eng.pdf

o Irvine, J.R. and S.A. Akenhead. 2013 in prep. Survival trends of Chilko Lake sockeye salmon smolts in relation to density, marine indicators, and fisheries. Coastal and Marine Fisheries.

o Irvine, J.R. and S.A. Akenhead. 2013 in prep. Freshwater growth and survival of Chilko Lake sockeye salmon smolts. Coastal and Marine Fisheries.

Scott is the President of S4S Solutions Inc. “Strategies for Sustainability” and the Director of The Ladysmith Institute “Collaborative Adaptive Management.”

Susan Allen

Contact:

Associate Professor Mesoscale Dynamics of Ocean and Atmosphere Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences University of British Columbia Office: Copp 3209

Phone: 604-822-2828 Email: [email protected]

Research area(s):

 Coastal Physical Oceanography  Topography and Atmospheric Dynamics  Biological-Physical Interactions

Area of Expertise:

Coastal Physical Oceanography

The coastal ocean is separated from the deep ocean by a steep continental slope. Due to the flow dynamics, this slope acts as a boundary to exchange between the two oceans. Exchange does occur but it much less than one would expect. Susan’s group are studying the role of submarine canyons (which indent the continental slope) on this exchange. During summer southward current regimes, the canyons on the west coast of Vancouver Island can produce about as much cross-shelf-break exchange as the direct wind-driven upwelling. We have used numerical models, laboratory models, field observations and analytic scaling analysis. Numerical models have difficulty with the combination of steep topography, stratification and vertically sheared flow. Their research is switching focus from the most common, relatively short canyons to long canyons (such as Juan de Fuca Canyon) which have a disproportionate cross-shelf flux.

Topography and Atmospheric Dynamics

Topography can also play an important role in atmospheric dynamics. In collaboration with D. Steyn, they are looking at upslope flows on sun-drenched mountains. Strong upslope winds occur and can ventilate pollutants from the valley (eg Vancouver and the North Shore mountains). Their role is laboratory modelling and analytic scaling analysis to investigate the basic dynamcis and to provide test cases for numerical models.

Biological-Physical Interaction

Susan has become convinced of the important role for physical oceanographers in piecing the puzzle of physical effects on biology in the ocean. Working in collaboration with chemists and biologists they are modelling the effect of physical factors on ecosystems and carbon transport. Published contributions include the role of advection and horizontal convergence in zooplankton exchange and aggregation around submarine canyon and detailed acoustical observations of the diel migration of zooplankton and the effect of their predators on their migration.

With respect to recent work in the Strait of Georgia, Susan and co workers have examined forecasting models for phytoplankton blooms and the role of wind in determining the timing of the spring bloom. A recent key publication is:

Collins, A.K., S.E. Allen, and R. Pawlowicz. The role of wind in determining the timing of the spring bloom in the Strait of Georgia. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 66, 1597-1616(2009). http://article.pubs.nrc- cnrc.gc.ca/RPAS/RPViewDoc?_handler_=HandleInitialGet&calyLang=eng&journal=cjfas&vol ume=66&articleFile=f09-071.pdf

Her most recent relevant publication has recently been accepted:

Allen, S.E. and M.A. Wolfe, 2012. Hindcast of the Timing of the Spring Phytoplankton Bloom in the Strait of Georgia, 1968-2010. Accepted by Prog. Oceanogr.

She is also a principal investigator in the Rivers Inlet Study (see Appendix 2).

Faron Anslow

Contact:

Climatologist Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium University House 1 PO Box 3060 Stn CSC University of Victoria Victoria, British Columbia Canada V8W 3R4

Tel.: 250.472.4476 Email: [email protected]

Research area(s):

 Modeling the mass balance and dynamic response of alpine glaciers to climate change.  Relating recent past and future glacier variability in the pacific northwest to modes of climate variability such as ENSO, PDO, and the NAM.  Using GCMs and proxy data to model the paleo response of alpine glaciers and continental ice sheets to natural climate variability on millennial time-scales.  The micrometeorology governing the latent and sensible heat flu contributions to glacier surface energy balance.  Parameterization of glacier ablation based on simple meteorological inputs.

Area of Expertise:

As a PCIC Climatologist Faron Anslow's work focuses on the assimilation of historical climate records from six provincial ministries and two private stakeholders (BCHydro and Rio Tinto/Alcan) into a homogeneous climate dataset. In summer, 2011 these data will be used to develop high-resolution, monthly climatology maps of BC in a collaborative effort with the PRISM group at Oregon State University. Together, the station archive, mapped climatology, and recent observations will be used for monitoring seasonal conditions and placing those in the context of the known climate history of British Columbia. Soon, this analysis will result in the release of quarterly climate assessments for the province such as those already released by the the adjacent institutions: Oregon Climate Service, the Alaska Climate Research Center, and the office of the Washington State Climatologist.

Faron is also interested in the effects of the Pacific Ocean on the climate of British Columbia. These effects are transmitted through such phenomena as El Niño / Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and the atmospheric teleconnections they induce. Changes in Pacific Ocean conditions have major impacts on precipitation and temperature in the province. Another research interest concerns the impacts of climate on the glaciers of British Columbia.

Terry Beacham

Contact:

Research Scientist, Molecular Genetics Department of Fisheries and Oceans Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo, B.C. V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-7149 Fax: 250-756-7053 Email: [email protected]

Research Area(s):

 Molecular and quantitative genetics of Pacific salmon  Population dynamics of Pacific salmon  Stock identification of Pacific salmon

Area of Expertise:

Since 1980, Dr. Beacham has worked at the Pacific Biological Station where he has conducted research on variation in development, growth, morphology, stock identification, biochemical genetics, quantitive genetics, molecular genetics, maturity, ecology, and population dynamics of Pacific salmon, as well as other Pacific marine fish, invertebrates, and Atlantic marine species.

His main research is associated with determination of fish population structure through the analysis of DNA variation, and then applying this variation to provide advice on practical resource management issues. In the laboratory, they have analyzed microsatellite and major histocompatability complex variation to describe population structure of salmonids. They then use the observed population structure to identify stock composition of samples taken from mixed-stock fisheries. Stock compositions are provided both during the fishing season when managers rely on the results to open and close specific fisheries, and after fisheries to reconstruct catches and abundance of specific stocks or populations. They also use the information to evaluate the genetic distinctiveness of specific populations to provide advice on enhancement strategies, as well as applications to endangered populations. The genetic information is also used to aid in definition of management units for salmonids. Previous research areas at the Pacific Biological Station have included quantitative genetic analysis of salmonid growth and disease resistance, salmonid developmental biology, salmon morphology, and the use of allozymes to characterize salmonid population structure, with associated stock identification applications. Earlier research areas centered on Atlantic groundfish biology and microtine rodent population dynamics.

Recent projects include examination of stock composition of immature sockeye salmon in the central Bering Sea, examination of population structure of pink salmon in British Columbia, comparison of microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms for stock identification of Chinook salmon in British Columbia, and population structure and stock identification of coho salmon in British Columbia.

Richard Beamish

Contact:

Dr. Richard Beamish Scientist Emeritus Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-7029 Fax: 250-756-7053 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sci/pbs/beamish_e.htm

Field(s) of Research:

 Marine survival of juvenile salmon  Climate effects

Area of Expertise:

Dick Beamish, together with key staff, Chrys Neville, Ruston Sweeting and others has been carrying out juvenile salmon surveys in the Strait of Georgia and Gulf Islands as part of a long term study of early marine life. Sampling is carried out in July, September and sometimes November. Work is carried out to examine marine survival, diet, residence patterns etc of the different salmon species.

Through collaboration with Kristi Miller and others, they are carrying out DNA analysis to improve understanding of the changes in the juvenile Chinook and sockeye salmon populations in the Strait of Georgia during their early marine life. This has provided information on important changes in the stock structure of both species between July and September.

In the past two years their analyses have indicated that Harrison River sockeye salmon appear in the Strait in July and are the dominant sockeye stock in the Strait of Georgia in September. This is important information as the Harrison River stock had increased marine survival in recent years whereas the marine survival of other (lake-type) Fraser River sockeye salmon stocks declined. To understand the mechanisms that may be regulating the marine survival of sockeye salmon in general, and this stock in particular, they are examining the marine distribution patterns to determine if there are specific rearing areas within the strait for various stocks or if the distribution between years varies.

Keri Benner

Contact :

Program Head Fraser Sockeye stock assessment/ resource management for B.C. Interior DFO

E-mail: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Freshwater Ecology

Area of Expertise:

Keri Benner heads the Fraser Stock Assessment program for B.C. Interior, which collects escapement and wild smolt (Cultus and Chilko) data.

There are three traditional methods used in the salmon stock assessment in this area. The first method is a visual count, either from the land, a tower, boat or by helicopter, the second method is the use of enumeration fences and the third is mark and recapture. New technologies used include sonar (DIDSON- Dual Frequency Identification Sonar) and the Remote Operated Vehicle, which transmits real time video to a computer on the surface. The ROV surveys conducted in Chilko and Quesnel Lakes in 2004 and 2005 confirmed deep water sockeye spawning to depths of 45 metres. They also use telemetric monitoring which assists in explaining the disparity often associated between in season estimates and terminal area counts.

The high precision techniques such as enumeration fences, DIDSON or mark-recapture studies are used for stocks with expected escapements of 75,000+ (the actual technique is based on local characteristics), and visual surveys are used for stocks with expected escapements of less than 75,000.

In 2011, their sampling plan included:

 Mark-Recapture Studies: Mark-recapture studies are planned for Upper Pitt River (Early Summer), Adams River and Harrison River (Late Run populations).  Enumeration Fences: Fences are planned for Scotch Creek (Early Summer Run), Stellako River (Summer Run); Cultus Lake and Birkenhead River (Late Run).  DIDSON projects: DIDSON projects are planned for the Chilko River and Lake aggregate and Horsefly River (Summer Run populations).  Visual Surveys: Cyclic visual surveys by foot, boat or helicopter are planned for most remaining Fraser sockeye populations.

Doug Bertram

Contact:

Marine Bird Conservation Biologist Environment Canada, Science & Technology Branch, Wildlife Science Division c/o Institute of Ocean Sciences 9860 West Saanich Road P.O. Box 6000 Sidney, BC V8L 4B2

Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Conservation biology  Seabird ecology and evolution

Area of Expertise:

Doug’s research interests include life history ecology and evolution, and conservation biology. From 1996-2001, he directed the seabird program for the Centre for Wildlife Ecology (CWE) at Simon Fraser University and focused on the populations on Triangle Island, the largest seabird colony in Western Canada. Coupling the recent and historical seabird data from Triangle Island to build a time series spanning 3 decades facilitated the examination of the consequences of ocean climate variation for reproduction and survival of several colonial marine bird populations. A major grant from the Nestucca Oil Spill Trust Fund allowed formation of a partnership between the Centre for Wildlife Ecology, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). The DFO scientists established a ship sampling “cross shelf’ transect in the region of Triangle Island in 1998 which is ongoing (http://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/osap/default_e.htm).

His current research involves population ecology of the Marbled Murrelet and focuses on estimating population trends and determining their causes. Unlike most seabirds which nest on colonies, the Marbled Murrelet nests solitarily at very low densities in coast old growth forests, up to 50 km from the ocean. He is currently Marine Bird Conservation Biologist for Canadian Wildlife Service in the Pacific Region and Chair of Canadian Marbled Murrelet Recovery Team

Selected Publications

Blight, L.K., D.F. Bertram, T.D. Williams and L. Cowen. 2010. Interannual variation in egg neglect and incubation routine of the rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) during the 1998/1999 El Nino/La Nina event. Marine Ornithol. 38: 11-15.

Mather, M., T. Chatwin, J. Cragg, L. Sinclair and D.F. Bertram. 2010. Marbled Murrelet Nesting Habitat Suitability Model for the British Columbia Coast. BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management 11: 91–102

Bertram, D.F., N.E. Philips, and R.R. Strathmann. 2009. Evolutionary and experimental change in egg volume, heterochrony of larval body and juvenile rudiment, and evolutionary reversibility in pluteus form. Evol. and Devel. 11: 728-739

Bertram, D.F., A. Harfenist and A. Hedd. 2009. Seabird nestling diets reflect latitudinal temperature-dependent variation in availability of key zooplankton prey populations. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 393:199–210.

Gaston, A.J., D.F. Bertram, A.W. Boyne, J.W. Chardine, G. Davoren, A.W. Diamond, A. Hedd, W.A. Montevecchi, J.M. Hipfner, M.J.F. Lemon, M.L. Mallory, J.F. Rail, G.J. Robertson. 2009. Changes in Canadian seabird populations and ecology since 1970 in relation to changes in oceanography and food webs. Environ. Rev.17: 267-286.

Gutowsky, S., Janssen, M.H., Arcese, P., Kyser, K.T., Ethier, D., Wunder, M., Bertram, D.F., McFarlane-Tranquilla, L., Lougheed. C., and D.R. Norris. Concurrent declines in nestling diet quality and reproductive success of a threatened seabird over 150 years. Endang Species Res Preprint doi: 10.3354/esr00225

Hamel, N., Burger A., Charleton K., Davidson, P., Lee, S., Bertram, D.F., and J.K. Parrish. 2009. Bycatch and Beached Birds: Assessing mortality impacts in coastal net fisheries with marine bird strandings. Marine Ornithol. 37: 41-60.

Hatch, S.F. (Ed.), Bertram, D.F., Bower, J., and P. D. OHara. (Guest Eds.) 2009. The Salish Sea Ecosystem: Status and Impacts of Changes on Marine Birds. Marine Ornithol. 37: 1-76.

Janssen, M.H., Arcese, P., Kyser, T. K., Bertram, D.F. McFarlane-Tranquilla, L. Williams, T.D., and D.R. Norris. 2009. Pre-breeding diet, condition, and timing of breeding in a threatened seabird, the Marbled Murrelet, Brachyramphus marmoratus Marine Ornithol. 37: 33-40.

Sydeman, W.J., K.L. Mills, J.A. Santora, S.A. Thompson, D.F. Bertram, K.H. Morgan, M.A. Hipfner, B.K. Wells, S.G. Wolf. 2009. Seabirds and climate in the California Current a synthesis of change. CalCOFI Report 50: 1-23

Boyd, W.S., L. McFarlane Tranquilla, J.L. Ryder, S.G. Shisko and D.F. Bertram. 2008. Variation in marine distributions of Cassin's Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) breeding at Triangle Island, British Columbia. Auk 125:155-168.

Thayer, J.A., D.F. Bertram, S.A. Hatch, M.J. Hipfner, L.Slater, W.J. Sydeman and Y. Watanuki. 2008. Forage fish of the Pacific Rim as revealed by diet of a piscivorous seabird: synchrony and relationships with sea surface temperature. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 65:1610–1622

Norris, D.R., P. Arcese, D. Preikshot, D.F. Bertram and T.K. Kyser. 2007. Diet reconstruction and historic population dynamics in a threatened seabird. J.Appl. Ecol. 44:875-884.

Gjerdrum, C., G.M. Yanega and D.F. Bertram. 2006. Bill harnesses on nestling Tufted Puffins influence adult provisioning behaviour. J. Field Ornithol. 77:329-334.

Hedd, A., Bertram, D.F. Ryder, J.L., Jones, I.L. 2006. Effects of inter-decadal climate variability on marine trophic interactions: rhinoceros auklets and their fish prey. Marine Ecology Progress Series 309:263-278.

Bertram, D.F. A. Harfenist, and B.D. Smith. 2005. Ocean climate and El Niño impacts on survival of Cassin’s Aukets from upwelling and downwelling domains of British Columbia. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 62:2841-2853.

Gjerdrum, C., A.M.J. Vallée, C.C. St. Clair, D.F. Bertram, J.L. Ryder, and G.W. Blackburn. 2003. Tufted puffin reproduction reveals ocean climate variability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 100: 9377-9382.

Bertram, D.F., A. Harfenist, G. Davoren, T. Golumbia, and J. Brown. 2002. Short visits reveal consistent patterns of interyear and intercolony variation in seabird nestling diet and performance. Canadian Journal of Zoology 80: 2190-2199.

Hedd, A., J.L. Ryder, L. L. Cowen, and D.F. Bertram. 2002. Inter-annual variation in the diet, provisioning and growth of Cassin’s Auklet at Triangle Island, British Columbia: responses to variation in ocean climate. Marine Ecology Progress Series 229: 221-232.

Bertram, D.F., Mackas, D.L. and, McKinnell, S.M. 2001. The seasonal cycle revisited: interannual variation and ecosystem consequences. In Pacific climate variability and marine ecosystem impacts from the tropics to the Arctic. Edited by S.M. McKinnell, Brodeur, R.D., Hanawa, K. Hollowed, Q.B. Polovina, J.J. and C.-I. Zhang. Progress in Oceanography 49: 283- 307.

Vanderkist, B.A., T.D. Williams, D.F. Bertram, L. Lougheed, and J. L. Ryder. 2000. Indirect, physiological assessment of reproductive state and breeding chronology in free-living birds: an example in the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). Functional Ecology 14: 758-765.

Drever, M.C., K.A. Hobson, L.K. Blight, and D.F. Bertram. 2000. Predation on seabird eggs by Keen’s Mice (Peromyscus keeni): using stable isotopes to decipher the diet of a terrestrial omnivore on a remote offshore island. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78: 2010-2018 .

Bertram, D.F., I.L. Jones, E. Cooch, H. Knechtel, and F. Cooke. 2000. Survival rates of Cassin's and Rhinoceros Auklets at Triangle Island, British Columbia. Condor 102: 155-162.

Gary Borstad and Leslie Brown

Contact:

Gary A. Borstad, PhD Vice President ASL Environmental Sciences Inc #1 - 6703 Rajpur Place Victoria, British Columbia Canada V8M 1Z5

Phone: 250-656-0177x135 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Remote Sensing Technology  Ocean Climate  Physical Oceanography

Area of Expertise:

ASL Environmental Sciences Inc., located in Victoria, British Columbia, is a full service environmental consulting company with a strong marine science focus. Our Remote Sensing division, led by Dr. Gary Borstad, has been involved in the development and marine applications of remote sensing technology since the late 1970s. This group now has a strong international reputation in optical, hyperspectral, thermal and high resolution remote sensing across a broad range of applications. We are actively involved in advanced remote sensing training.

In addition to remote sensing, ASL provides a full range of physical oceanographic consulting services, from project design and planning, through instrument and equipment deployment and recovery, to data analysis and scientific interpretation. The company also manufactures a line of underwater acoustic instruments and provides custom instrument design and manufacturing, including a number of real-time, autonomous systems connected by cable or radio telemetry links to shore. ASL engineering staff develops both the hardware and software for these systems. The company maintains a strong internal research and development program, supporting continuing innovation and improvement in its products and services.

Recent and ongoing research

They have compiled at ASL a number of satellite image time series that have been used in retrospective analyses of salmon success at various life history stages, including:

 chlorophyll from SeaWiFS and MODIS (global coverage, 1997-2010)  SST from AVHRR Pathfinder (global, 1985-2009)  winds from the NOAA Blended Seawinds scatterometer dataset (global, 1987-2010)  NDVI British Columbia from AVHRR (BC coverage, 1985-2006)

They have developed two analytical tools designed to explore the relationships between these satellite-based environmental parameters and salmon survival, called RASTAR and Image Regression. RASTAR is a screening tool that calculates statistical correlations between biological time series (such as sockeye survival) and metrics based on the satellite time series, including phenology and monthly, seasonal and annual statistics, averaged over regions of interest such as the Strait of Georgia or Queen Charlotte Sound (for chlorophyll and SST), or individual watersheds (for NDVI). Image Regression calculates pixel-by-pixel correlations between the biological and satellite-based time series to yield maps of statistical correlations.

These tools have been used in collaboration with DFO and Environment Canada scientists for studies of numerous species, including freshwater and marine survival of Chilko sockeye, seabird success at Triangle Island, Fraser sockeye return migration timing, herring production in the Strait of Georgia, and survival and production of several British Columbia stocks of pink, coho, sockeye and chinook salmon.

In addition to these analytical studies, ASL is or has been involved in a number of other activities of relevance to Fraser River sockeye research:

 a GeoPortal (http://www.aslenv.com/Borstad/geodata.html), with on-line tools for satellite image visualization and time series extraction,  mapping of oceanographic fronts from satellite chlorophyll and SST, and relationships to biological trends and distributions,  in situ physical oceanographic measurements (currents, waves, tides, etc) on the Fraser River and other locations along the British Columbia coast, for numerous projects dating back to about 1980,  modeling of circulation and sediment transport in the Strait of Georgia and the North Coast,  sale or lease of moored, upward-looking acoustic sensors for the detection and enumeration of fish and zooplankton.

Sean Boyd

Contact:

Research Scientist Environment Canada Migratory Bird Ecology 5421 Robertson Road Delta, British Columbia V4K 3Y3

Website: Pacific Wildlife Research Centre (Delta, BC)

Field(s) of Research:

 Wildlife ecology

Area of Expertise:

Sean’s areas of interest include:

 Interactions between sea ducks and Arctic geese and their habitats  Migration strategies of sea ducks and Arctic geese  Ecology and management of sea duck and Arctic goose populations  Capture and marking protocols and satellite telemetry for sea ducks  At-sea foraging distributions of seabirds on the British Columbia coast

Sean is a member of the Sea Duck Joint Venture Continental Technical Committee (North American Waterfowl Management Plan) Member, as well as Environment Canada's National Committee on Waterfowl and National Committee on Waterbirds.

Selected publications:

Boyd, W.S., L. McFarlane Tranquilla, J.L. Ryder, S.G. Shisko, and D.F. Bertram. In press. Variation in marine distributions of Cassin’s Auklets Ptychoramphus aleuticus breeding at Triangle Island, British Columbia. Auk: Jan 2008.

Lewis, T.L., D. Esler, and W.S. Boyd. 2007. Effects of predation by sea ducks on clam abundance in soft-bottom intertidal habitats. Marine Ecology Progress Series 329:131-144. [DOIi: 10.3354/meps329131]

Kirk, M., D. Esler, and W.S. Boyd. 2007. Morphology and density of mussels on natural and aquaculture structure habitats: implications for sea duck predators. Marine Ecology Progress Series 346:179-187. [DOI: 10.3354/meps07046]

Iverson, S.A., W.S. Boyd, D. Esler, D.M. Mulcahy, and T.D. Bowman. 2006. Comparison of the effects and performance of four radio transmitter types for use with scoters. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34: 656-663.

Smith, B.D., W.S. Boyd, and M.R. Evans. 2005. A clutch and brood survival model that discriminates random and correlated mortality. Ecological Applications 15(1): 281-293.

Ganter, B., W.S. Boyd, V. Baranyuk, and F. Cooke. 2005. First pairing in Snow Geese Anser caerulescens: at what age and at what time of year does it occur? Ibis 147:57-66.

Mike Bradford

Contact:

Mike Bradford, Ph.D. Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Cooperative Resource Management Institute School of Resource and Environmental Management Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6

Phone: 604-666-7912 Fax: 604-666-1995 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquaculture  Aquatic Animal Health  Aquatic Ecosystems Science

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Bradford is a research scientist at DFO and an Adjunct Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU. He is a quantitative ecologist who has worked on salmon population dynamics, including the effects of human activities on salmon-producing lakes and streams. Examples include the effects of water-flow reductions on salmon in the Nechako River, the life history of chinook salmon in the Fraser River watershed, causes of population cycles in abundance of salmon, and the productivity of coho salmon in fresh water. Dr. Bradford did a risk analysis for coho salmon that became a part of the scientific basis for the 1998 changes to the B.C. salmon fishery. Current research activities include: 1. Effects of flow regulation on stream ecosystems and salmonid fishes. 2. Conservation of threatened salmon populations. 3. Ecology of juvenile chinook salmon in the Fraser and Yukon rivers. 4. Status of endangered freshwater fish.

Dr. Bradford participated in the 1994 Fraser sockeye review, and has worked on the evaluation of lake fertilization. More recently, he has been looking at quantitative links between fish production and habitat, particularly for coho salmon. He is a member of the core group in Science dealing with coho conservation, as well as an international group working on coho risk assessment. Dr. Bradford also sits on the PSARC Salmon Sub- committee. A common theme to his most recent projects is the explicit incorporation of risk and uncertainty in resource management decision making. Most of the research has been or is in the process of being published in peer-reviewed journals.

For example:

Bodtker KM, Peterman RM, and MJ Bradford (2007) Accounting for Uncertainty in Estimates of Escapement Goals for Fraser River Sockeye Salmon based on Productivity of Nursery Lakes in British Columbia, Canada. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27:286-302.

This most recent analysis of capacity and optimal escapement for Fraser sockeye stocks used a Bayesian approach to formally track uncertainty from input data to capacity estimates and combine information from three different sources:

• Photosynthetic rate models • Spawner - Juvenile models • Spawner - Recruit models

The paper includes estimates of escapement that maximizes adult recruitment for 6 lake systems in the Fraser watershed, and for two stocks in the Stuart system (early versus late).

Dan Buffet

Contact:

Head of Conservation Programs – BC Coast Ducks Unlimited Canada Unit 511 – 13370 78th Ave Surrey, BC, V3W 0H6 Direct: 604-592-5003 General: 604-592-0987 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Restoration and conservation of estuary habitat  Acquisition of private lands

Area of Expertise:

Dan Buffett is the Head of Conservation Programs for the BC Coast Office of Ducks Unlimited Canada and is responsible for the planning and delivery of conservation programs. He works with both government and non-government agencies as well as landowners to protect and restore estuarine habitat along the BC Coast. Dan has worked with Ducks Unlimited Canada since 1993, and completed his Masters in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University in 2006

Areas of Responsibility:

 Primarily focused on securement and restoration of estuary habitat.  Acquisition of private lands  Work on a partnership committee that assists the Province in designating Crown Lands in estuaries along BC (includes SoG). Partnership includes; Nature Trust of BC, CWS, Prov of BC  Restoration of estuarine habitat at specific sites, which includes dike removal and/or channel enhancement  Work with CWS on developing species – habitat models that focus on migratory birds and coastal systems. Current projects utilize data collectected by CWS (aerial migratory bird surveys in estuaries), and Bird Studies Canada (Coastal Waterbird Surveys).  In partnership with CWS we completed a ranking of 442 estuaries along the BC Coast (2007) for the purposes of priorizing conservation activities.

 In partnership with other partners (CWS, TNT) we developed a GIS conservation database that incldes the spatial boundaries of NGO and local governments lands that can be used in conjunction with Provincial Parks and National Parks to gain a ‘full picture’ of the conservation estate (ongoing project)  Research project (2003-2006) using ground and aerial telemetry of northern pintails and American wigeon that were banded in Fraser Delta, and followed between Jan and April in the Puget Sound and Georgia Basin.  In partnership with our sister organization in Washington State (Ducks Unlimited Inc), we completed an energetic model that estimates the energy need and energy use of waterfowl in the Fraser River delta.  Initiated a sea level rise project that is looking at estimating the impact of sea level rise in the intertidal zone of estuaries (in progress). We have completed the scoping stage and evaluation of datasets. We will be gathering data (vegetation, elevation) at a few specific estuaries using the SLAMM model (forecasts impact of sea level rise on vegetation communities) and developing a broader landscape model.

Eddy Carmack

Contact:

Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6585 Fax: 250-363-6746 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Ocean Climate  Ocean circulation  Citizen science

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Eddy Carmack is a Senior Research Scientist Emeritus for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, British Columbia. His research interests include ocean circulation, mixing and water mass formation on continental shelves in the open ocean, and their relationships to climate and marine ecosystems. With a focus on high-latitude waters, he has participated in over 80 field investigations in rivers, lakes and seas spanning from the Antarctic to the Arctic; from the Yukon to Siberia. From this he has published over 175 peer-reviewed scientific articles, over 70% of which contain ‘original’ data. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the 2007 Massey medallist of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, the 2010 Tully medalist for the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, and holds the Sydney Chapman Chair at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.

In the past, with Environment Canada, he studied the consequences of economic development on the physical habitat and ecology of lakes. His current research seeks to examine the signals and causes of climate variability in high-latitude lakes and oceans and repercussions to the food web and resident fish and marine mammals. He has served as Chief Canadian scientist for co-operative studies of the subarctic North Pacific with Russia, for the 1994 Canada/US expedition to the North Pole, for recent international studies in the Northwest Passage and Canada Basin, and the ‘Canada’s Three Oceans’ project for the

International Polar Year; in retirement, he is ‘Captain’ of his 34’ troller conversion R/V Wicklow.

He has been involved in projects that have encouraged citizen scientist’s involvement, such as “The Drift Bottle Project”. Since 2000, he, together with citizen scientists, students, and other interested volunteers, has tossed over 5,000 bottles into waters surrounding North America and stretching from the Arctic to Antarctica. Contained inside are messages describing the drop time and place, and a request to contact the Drift Bottleresearch team if found. This simple and inexpensive project allows communities and students to get involved in thinking about our oceans and our environment.

He has recently proposed another Citizen Science program, whereby small fishing vessels could be set up as mini oceanographic sampling vessels, to be used in the Strait of Georgia to collect information that would be very costly to collect on larger vessels. This would be a very cost effective way to collect information in tne Strait ($12K per boat for equipment), but needs a commitment by DFO.

Peter Chandler

Contact:

Peter Chandler, M.Sc. Physical Oceanographer Institute of Ocean Sciences Fisheries and Oceans Canada Sidney, B.C.

Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Physical Oceanography

Area of Expertise:

Peter Chandler is a physical oceanographer in the Ocean Sciences Division at the Institute of Ocean Sciences. He plans and supervises DFO’s British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program with responsibility for the operation and development of the long- term monitoring of sea surface temperature and salinity at 14 stations on the west coast of Canada, six of which are in the Salish Sea. This program includes the analysis and interpretation of temperature and salinity data, the maintenance of the monitoring instruments and the coordination of lighthouse keepers who make the observations.

Since 1999, a series of 75 stations, extending from the mouth of Juan de Fuca Strait to the northern end of the Strait of Georgia, are monitored four times each year; (1) low winter discharge (December), (2) early freshet (April), (3) peak freshet (June), and (4) end of freshet period (September). My role as Chief Scientist is to coordinate the work of the 6 – 8 member science crew in the collection of the fundamental water properties data including temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll and nutrients, as well as cruise specific data such as pH, HPLC, DIC and alkalinity or biological sampling using vertical and horizontal net tows.

Kim Charlie

Contact :

Fisheries Manager Sts’ailes (Chehalis Indian Band) 4690 Salish Way Agassiz, B.C. V0M 1A1

Tel: 604-796-2116 ext. 229 Fax: 604-796-3946 Cell: 604-997-3149 Email: [email protected]

Research Area (s):

 Freshwater ecology

Area of Expertise:

The Chehalis Indian Band have been conducting a test fishery on Harrison sockeye since 2008 and have been attempting to determine the best time to fish explicitly on Harrison sockeye and not other stocks such as Birkenhead, Weaver and Big Silver for their food fisheries as well as economic fisheries.

Villy Christensen

Contact : Dr Villy Christensen Professor, UBC Fisheries Centre Nereus Program Director

Associate Director, UBC Fisheries Centre UBC Fisheries Centre, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver BC, Canada V6T 1Z4

Office phone : 604-822-5751 Email: v.christensen @fisheries.ubc.ca

Research Area (s):

 Ecosystem modelling  Large marine ecosystems

Area of Expertise:

Key research highlights are listed below:

2011: A study presented at AAAS 2011 found that the world’s predatory fish have declined by 2/3 over the last hundred years while prey fish have more than doubled

2008-: Integration of ecological and value modeling: value chain approach integration in EwE

2009: Co-author of study of fishes contribution to the marine inorganic carbon cycle (Science 2009) providing a first estimate of global fish biomass.

2006- Leading development of new EwE6, including coupling to 3D-gaming engine for visualization, design of decision-support system, single-player game, and videos

2004- Developing methodology for database-driven ecosystem model generation; applied to all the world’s large marine ecosystems (Christensen et al. 2008, 2009)

2001-3: Developed methodology for quantification of how fish biomass and exploitation pressure has changed regionally; applied to the North Atlantic, West Africa, and the South China Sea (Christensen et al., 2003, 2004, 2003)

1998: Co-author of “fishing down marine food webs” (Pauly et al. 1998)

1996: First published description of "fishing down the food web" concept (Christensen 1996)

1995: First quantification of ecosystem maturity (Christensen 1995), since then applied and elaborated further by many researchers

1995: Co-author of “primary production required to sustain global fisheries” (Pauly & Christensen 1995)

1993: Published description of how to calculate ‘primary production required for fisheries’ (Christensen & Pauly 1993)

1992: Published description of Ecopath II (Christensen & Pauly 1992). This paper was recognized by Ecological Modelling in Dec 2008 as the third-most cited paper in the journal (out of 5020).

1991: Evaluation of fisheries potential for tropical and subtropical areas globally (Christensen et al. 1991)

1990: Project leader for Ecopath development since 1990

Ken Cooke

Contact:

Head,Applied Technology Section Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada V9T 6N7

Tel: 250-756-7125 Email: [email protected] Website : http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/facilities-installations/pbs-sbp/index-eng.htm

Field(s) of Research:

 Fisheries acoustics

Area of Expertise:

Ken Cooke is a marine biologist and Head of the Applied Technology Section in Marine Ecosystems and Aquaculture Division at Fisheries and Oceans, Canada Pacific Biological Station, in Nanaimo, British Columbia. He has worked for more than 20 years in the field of fisheries acoustics and underwater video to develop methods for non-invasion observation of fishes and their environs. His work in multi-dimensional analysis of acoustic, video, and oceanographic data sets has lead to a better understanding of species-specific behaviour and interaction. Research interests are aimed at improving our ability to assess fish stock size, map habitat types, and examine ecosystem links through the development and application of acoustic and video technology.

Some relevant publications of work on salmon migrations that he carried out in the 1980s, together with Kees Groot (now retired, Gabriola Island) include:

 Groot, C., and K. Cooke 1987. Are the migrations of juvenile and adult Fraser River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in near-shore waters related? In: H.D. Smith, L. Margolis, and C.C. Wood (Ed.) Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) population biology and future management. Can. Spec. Pub. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 96: 53-60p.

 Cooke, K., C. Groot, and G. Tolson 1987. Data record of adult sockeye salmon and other fish species captured by purse seine in Queen Charlotte Strait, Johnstone Strait, and the Strait of Georgia in 1985 and 1986. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 680.

 Groot, C., K. Cooke, G. Ellis, and R. Bailey 1985. Data record of juvenile sockeye salmon and other fish species captured by purse seine and trawl in the Strait of Georgia, Johnstone Strait and Queen Charlotte Strait in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 561.

Steven Cooke

Contact:

Dr. S.J. Cooke Canada Research Chair in Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Biology Department of Biology Carleton University Nesbitt Bldg Rm 209 1125 Colonel Bay Dr. Ottawa ON K1S 5B6

Phone: 613-520-2600 Ext.2143 Cell and Office Phone: 613-867-6711 Lab Phone: 613-520-4377

E-mail:[email protected] www.carleton.ca/fecpl

Research Area (s):

 Freshwater ecology

Area of Expertise:

Cooke’s lab currently have an NSERC Strategic Grant on Pacific salmon and fisheries interactions (all sectors) in the lower Fraser called “Increasing the sustainability of multi- sector Pacific salmon fisheries in coastal rivers of British Columbia by quantifying and reducing mortality of released fish”. Co-investigators include: A.P. Farrell, Land and Food Systems, Faculty of, British Columbia, S.G. Hinch, Forest Sciences Centre, British Columbia, W.G. Willmore, Biochemistry, Institute of, Carleton, M.A. Rudd, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland.

They are working on several key objectives including:

1. To provide information to fisheries managers and fishers on mortality of freshwater migrating adult Pacific salmon associated with release after capture using different fishing gears and practices. 2. To identify and test potential strategies for improving recovery of fish released from different fishing gears in order to recommend potential best practices for minimizing delayed mortality. 3. To determine perceptions of potential threats or benefits that our results may have on the different fishing sectors – information which can be used to

refine the delivery and implementation of management actions based on our results.

Students involved include: Ph.D. student Graham Raby, M.Sc. student Vivian Nguyen, M.Sc. student Katrina Cook, M.Sc. student Sarah McConnachie. PhD student Mike Donaldson, MSc student Robinson, postdoctoral research associate Tim Clark and head technician Andrew Lotto.

Further details about this project are in Appendix 2. www.carleton.ca/fecpl/papers has a list of all his recent publications including several relevant to Georgia Basin.

Sean Cox

Contact:

Associate Professor• Director of CRMI Fisheries Science and Management School of Resource and Environmental Management Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, B.C. Canada V5A 1S6

Tel: 778-782-5778 Email:[email protected]

Research Area (s):

 Quantitative fisheries stock assessment methods  Visual survey methodology

Area of Expertise:

Sean Cox is a fisheries scientist focusing on aquatic conservation and management of human impacts on aquatic ecosystems. His research develops and applies quantitative fisheries stock assessment methods and field research to address issues in the management of commercial and recreational fisheries. Current research themes include (i) design and evaluation of management procedures for commercial groundfish, herring, and salmon fisheries, (ii) design, evaluation, and application of visual survey methods for assessment of fish, marine invertebrates, and benthic marine ecosystems; and (iii) implications of spatial population dynamics for fishery policy design.

Dr Cox is frequently sought-after as a fisheries advisor and external expert to federal and provincial fisheries management agencies in North and South America, fishing industry stakeholder groups, ENGOs, and consumer-based fishery sustainability certifiers such as the Marine Stewardship Council. He also provides training courses in fisheries stock assessment, harvest strategy evaluation, and simulation modelling.

Bill Crawford

Contact:

William (Bill) Crawford, Ph. D. Research Scientist, Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6369 Fax : 250-363-6746 Email: [email protected] Link : http ://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/osap/people/crawfordw_e.htm

Field(s) of Research:

 Physical Oceanography

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Crawford is a research scientist at IOS. He studies currents, tides and ocean mixing of waters in the Pacific Ocean. He has recently published a paper (1 March 2011), together with Gary Borstad, Mark Hipfner, Rick Thomson and Kim Hyatt, that shows how chlorophyll concentrations and winds in Queen Charlotte Sound are related to the survival of juvenile seabirds on Triangle Island (off Northern Vancouver Island), and also to sockeye from Smith Inlet. These processes might also be relevant to Fraser sockeye.

Other important links include the past State of the Ocean Reports (which he compiles and edits together with Dr. Jim Irvine):

The most recent report was published on the DFO Internet : http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Csas-sccs/publications/resdocs-docrech/2012/2012_072-eng.pdf

George Cronkite

Contact: Research Biologist Applied Technologies Pacific Biological Station Programme Head Marine and Freshwater Hydroacoustics

Email: [email protected]

Research Area(s):

 Acoustic technology

Area of Expertise:

George Cronkite, Hermann Enzenhofer, John Holmes, Juha Lilja, Teri Ridley and Keri Benner worked together to examine the use of DIDSON technology as a cost-effective replacement for the mark-recapture programs used to estimate escapement of sockeye salmon stocks in the Fraser River.

The accuracy and precision of the DIDSON-derived estimates was first measured by comparing the DIDSON counts with the DFO weir counts on the Stellako River. The key objective was to determine whether a high-frequency imaging sonar system (DIDSON) could produce accurate and precise real-time estimates of migrating adult salmon returning to the spawning grounds. The analysis of visual counts and DIDSON-based counts showed that the DIDSON data were not biased by undetected fish, and they concluded that the DIDSON escapement estimates were as accurate as counts of migrating fish through an enumeration fence.

The Horsefly River project of 2005 was the first season that lessons learned on the Stellako River were applied to a migrating adult sockeye population. An authoritative user manual for estimating salmon escapement using the DIDSON system was produced. As a result of the experimental conclusions, DIDSON enumeration sites have been established on various sockeye rivers in the BC interior to supply escapement estimates for management purposes.

Other studies on Sweltzer Creek were carried out to examine the utility of the DIDSON system to enumerate smolts. The authors concluded that the DIDSON system is not an appropriate technology for counting downstream migrating smolts in a riverine environment.

In 2008 the Qualark DIDSON enumeration site on the Fraser River downstream of Yale, BC was re-established by Hermann Enzenhofer, George Cronkite, Jim Krivanek, and John

Holmes, and has been run seasonally to 2012. This site focuses on the enumeration of sockeye and pink migrating up the Fraser River, but also enumerates large numbers of chinook and small numbers of coho and steelhead. A study comparing gross sockeye salmon escapement estimates at the Pacific Salmon Commission’s Mission enumeration site and Qualark is currently underway with the goal of improving the understanding of the two population estimates, how they relate to each other, and the ramifications for management.

In 2012, Hermann Enzenhofer, John Holmes, George Cronkite, Tim Mulligan and Anna-Maria Mueller conducted the first year of field-work on a two-year project to identify salmon species in the DIDSON images from tail-beat frequency measurements. If successful this technique could allow the reduction of lethal sampling techniques currently required to obtain species composition. This work showed promise in an experiment in Alaska by Mueller and Mulligan, but needed visual verification using underwater video and so a two season experiment was set up at Spences Bridge on the clear water Thompson River to attempt these measurements. The same site was used in 1998 for a similar experiment to ground truth split-beam sonar enumeration using video imaging.

Patrick Cummins

Contact: Research Scientist, Institute of Ocean Sciences Fisheries and Oceans Canada Sidney, B.C.

Phone: (250) 363-6553 Fax: (250) 363-6746 Email: [email protected]

Research Area(s):

 Hydrography  Physical Oceanography

Area of Expertise:

Patrick is a research scientist with the Ocean Sciences division at the Institute of Ocean Sciences. There are three general themes to his research. The first focuses on the coastal waters of British Columbia and involves studies of the estuarine flow, wind-driven circulation, and barotropic and internal tides of the region. Together with Diane Masson, he has been developing and applying numerical models to understand the intensive observations of the waters of the Georgia/Fuca basin collected over recent years. This includes analyses of the distribution of chemical concentrations within the estuary, and of the interannual variability of the system. A second major focus has been on the causes and mechanisms of long-term variability over the northeast Pacific Ocean. He has been developing relatively simple models to help interpret observations of long term change as revealed, for example, by satellite altimeter data. Of particular interest is an understanding of the influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation over the region and developing indices that may be useful to monitor local climatic changes of the upper ocean. Finally, he is also involved in process studies on the interaction of stratified flows with the bottom topography of the ocean, especially the observations of hydraulic flow over the sill in Knight Inlet British Columbia and associated phenomena. This includes the generation of internal solitary waves, a type of motion that occurs in coastal oceans across the world and is important in mixing and pumping nutrients to the surface layer.

Glenn Crossin

Contact: SERC Postdoctoral fellow Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh, UK, and Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC

Mailing address : Centre for Applied Conservation Research Forest Sciences Centre University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 CANADA

Phone: Office: +001 604 569-1584 Email: crossin@ interchange.ubc.ca

Field(s) of Research:

 Behavioural and physiological ecology of seabirds and fish  Salmon homing

Area of Expertise:

Glenn’s general interests are in behavioural and physiological ecology of vertebrates, particulatly seabirds and fish. His dissertation research focused on the physiologic and endocrine mechanisms that govern the behaviour of homing sockeye salmon. Specifically, he looked at how the interacting effects of reproductive and stress hormones in mediating the timing and success of return migrations, and with collaborators and other lab members has examined how changes in river temperatures are affecting the long-term sustainability of sockeye populations in the Fraser River.

Now an assistant professor at Dalhousie University, he is examining trade-offs and carryover effects in fish and bird populations in the Canadian arctic and in the Antarctic. He is also pursing work on white sturgeon in the Fraser River with Scott Hinch and Steven Cooke and others.

Bob Devlin

Contact:

Robert H. Devlin, Director, Centre for Aquatic Biotechnology Regulatory Research, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, West Vancouver.

Phone: (604) 666-7926 Fax: (614) 666-3497 E-mail: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Fish physiology and genetics  Aquaculture  Risk Assessment

Area of Expertise:

Bob Devlin studied Zoology and Genetics at the University of British Columbia, and received his doctoral degree in 1984 for research on sex determination and dosage compensation in Drosophila melanogaster. After postdoctoral research at Simon Fraser University and the University of Washington, he joined Fisheries and Oceans Canada to engage in molecular genetic and physiology research with salmonids at the West Vancouver Laboratory. He is an Adjunct Professor in Zoology, UBC, and current Director of DFO’s Centre for Aquatic Biotechnology Regulatory Research where he oversees research on the production and assessment of transgenic and domesticated salmonids for ecological risk assessments, physiological and genetic studies of fish sex determination, and evaluation of techniques for biological containment of aquacultured fish.

Michael Donaldson

Contact: Centre for Applied Conservation Research Forest Sciences Centre University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 CANADA

Phone : Office: 604-822-1969 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Habitat / Aquatic Environmental Science  Limnology / Freshwater ecology

Area of Expertise:

Adult Pacific salmon are targeted by recreational, commercial, and First Nations fisheries during their spawning migrations. Salmon can escape from each fishery or be released either voluntarily or due to mandate yet the physiological and survival consequences of capture and release from fisheries remain poorly understood. My Ph.D. research aimed to test the hypothesis that fisheries-related stressors displace fish from homeostasis leading to reduced survival, which in turn can be counteracted by facilitated recovery techniques. Telemetry studies revealed delayed mortality for sockeye salmon released following angling and beach seine capture. Survival was lower for sockeye salmon released from invasive gill and tangle net capture treatments relative to beach seine treatments, and this result was population-specific. Laboratory studies investigated the time required for physiological stress indices to recover following fisheries-related stressors. Biologgers showed that heart rate recovery depended on the intensity and duration of the stressor, requiring several hours. Physiological stress indicators, including the expression of genes related to cellular stress and cell maintenance indicated that the stress response and recovery was sex- and species-specific for pink and sockeye salmon. After identifying the stress response and survival following fisheries capture, a three-pronged approach was used to investigate methods for accelerating recovery and promoting survival following capture stress. While facilitated recovery showed encouraging results and had general support from anglers, improved techniques are required before this approach could be implemented in freshwater release fisheries. Together, these results highlight that even a brief fisheries- related stressor can have profound consequences for Pacific salmon, as reflected by the physiological stress response, prolonged recovery, and delayed mortality.

John Dower

Contact:

Dr. J. Dower Associate Professor Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences Building University of Victoria, Victoria BC V8W 2Y2 Canada

Office/Lab: SCB A327 Phone: 250-472-5010 Lab Phone: 250-472-5098 Email: [email protected] Lab Home Page

Research Area(s):

 Fisheries Oceanography and Plankton Ecology

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Dower's research focuses on the role of biophysical coupling in regulating the structure and productivity of planktonic marine ecosystems. Research in the lab is truly multidisciplinary and combines aspects of fisheries oceanography, population and community ecology, conservation biology, and ecophysiology. Areas of particular interest currently include: quantifying factors that regulate interannual variability in the production, growth and survival of larval fish and their zooplankton prey; the role of small-scale physical process (e.g. micro-scale turbulence) in plankton ecology; and, the ecology and oceanography of seamount ecosystems. Dr. Dower also participates in the water column processes groups within both the NEPTUNE and VENUS projects. Research in the lab is strongly field-based, but often incorporates experimental and modeling approaches as well. He was involved in the STRATOGEM (Strait of Georgia Ecosystem Modelling) project. Field programs focus primarily on the Strait of Georgia, the offshore NE Pacific, and the coastal waters of Newfoundland.

STRATOGEM was begun as an NSERC Strategic Project involving researchers from UBC, Uvic and the Institute of Ocean Sciences (DFO). This work has involved a combination of field sampling with ecosystem research to explore links between winds and the Fraser River outflow on the supply of nutrients that drives plankton production in the Strait of Georgia. Variations in plankton production are believed to be an important factor in determining variations in the production of many commercially valuable fish.

Their field sampling involved (i) using automated oceanographic instruments to sample water and plankton along the various BC Ferries routes that cross the Strait of Georgia, and (ii) conducting monthly oceanographic cruises in the Strait of Georgia from a high-speed hovercraft operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. Using the oceanographic data they collect, in conjunction with historical data collected in the Strait, they are employing a series of ecosystem models to simulate the interactions between physics and biology in the Strait. From these models they will develop a series of “rules” to help fisheries managers evaluate the oceanographic “state of the Strait” in a given year so that environmental data can be incorporated into ecosystem management plans.

Other programs that he has been involved in include:

Climate Change and Zooplankton Dynamics in the Strait of Georgia

Neocalanus plumchrus is the dominant calanoid copepod in the Northeast Pacific during spring and early summer. Like many calanoids, Neocalanus plumchrus (Neocalanus hereafter) spends much of the year at depth in 46esearch46. Adult Neocalanus spawn at depth in late January – early February and naupliar stages rise through the water column during late winter/early spring. The later developmental stages (e.g. C2’s through C5’s) occupy the surface layers of the NE Pacific and the Strait of Georgia (SoG hereafter) for about only about 100 days each summer. During this time, however, Neocalanus is a major grazer of phytoplankton stocks, and represents a critical food source for many fish species, including several species of juvenile salmon.

It has recently emerged that, relative to historical trends, the timing of the peak abundance of Neocalanus in the surface waters has shifted back by about 60 days in the NE Pacific and by about 30 days in the SoG. The underlying cause of this shift remains unclear, but it seems to be linked to recent warming of ocean temperatures, perhaps coupled to changes in the developmental timing of Neocalanus . Coincident with this shift there has been a dramatic decline in the survival of many once productive salmon stocks in the SoG. He has recently undertaken a new field program to determine whether the SoG Neocalanus population is reproducing at the same time and reproducing at the same rate as it did in the past. In the coming years we plan to extend this effort to also consider the population dynamics of other coastal zooplankton species in an attempt to determine whether the sort of changes observed in the Neoclanus population are occurring in other species, too.

John E. Elliott

Contact:

Research Scientist Environment Canada Wildlife Toxicology Research 5421 Robertson Road Delta, British Columbia V4K 3Y3 Canada

Tel : 604-940-4680 Alt Tel : 604-862-8819 Email: [email protected]

Web site: Pacific Wildlife Research Centre (Delta, BC)

Research Area(s):

 Wildlife Ecotoxicology  Population ecology of seabirds

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Elliot works for Environment Canada. Key areas of interest are:

 Effects of persistent contaminants (persistent organic pollutants [POPs], heavy metals) on reproduction, survival and general health of wildlife top predators (raptors, waterbirds, seabirds and aquatic mustelids)  Impacts of agricultural chemicals, particularly anticholinesterase compounds, on birds and amphibians  Early developmental effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in birds  Patterns, spatial and temporal trends in bioaccumulation and trophodynamics of POPs and heavy metals in wildlife top predators  Population ecology of birds of prey

He is also Adjunct Professor, Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser Universit and Adjunct professor, Agro- ecology Department, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of British Columbia

Selected Publications:

Elliott, J.E. and C.A. Bishop. 2010. Cyclodienes and other organochlorine pesticides in birds. In Beyer WN, Meador J, eds, Environmental Contaminants in Wildlife -- Interpreting Tissue Concentrations. CRC Press, New York, NY, USA, pp 110-120.

Best, D.A., K.H. Elliott, W.W. Bowerman, M. Shieldcastle, S. Postupalsky, P.E.Nye, T.J. Kubiak, D.E. Tillitt and J.E. Elliott. 2010. Productivity, embryo and eggshell characteristics and

contaminants in bald eagles from the Great Lakes, U.S.A. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 21:1581-1592.

Morrissey, C.A., J.E. Elliott and S.J. Ormerod. 2010. Local to Continental Influences on Nutrient and Contaminant Sources to River Birds. Environmental Science & Technology 44:1860-1867.

Cesh L., K.H. Elliott, M. McKinney, S. Quade, F. Maisonneuve, D.K. Garcelon, C.D. Sandau, R.J. Letcher, T.D. Williams and J.E. Elliott. 2010. Polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons and Metabolites: Relation to Circulating Thyroid Hormone and Retinol in Nestling Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 29:1301-1310.

Albert C.A., P. Mineau, L.K. Wilson, S. Trudeau and J.E. Elliott. 2010. Rodenticide residues and autopsy data for three owl species from British Columbia, Canada. Archives Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 58:451-459.

Guertin, D.A., M. Ben-David, A. Harestad, K.G. Drouillard, and J.E. Elliott. 2009. Non-invasive fecal sampling links individual river otters to chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminant exposure. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 29:275-284.

Elliott, J.E., C.M. Morrissey, L.K. Wilson, P. Shaw, S. Lee and C.J. Henny. 2007. Use of satellite telemetry to track southward migration of Pacific Northwest ospreys and their exposure to contaminants on the wintering grounds. Ecological Applications 17:1223-1233.

Iwaniuk, A.N., D.T. Koperski, K.M. Cheng, J.E. Elliott, L.K. Smith, L.K. Wilson and D.R.W. Wylie. 2006. The effects of environmental exposure to DDT on the brain of a songbird: Changes in structure associated with mating and song. Behavioural Brain Research 173:1-10.

Elliott, J.E., L.K. Wilson and B. Wakeford. 2005. Polybrominated diphenyl ether trends in eggs of marine and freshwater birds from British Columbia, Canada, 1979-2002. Environmental Science and Technology 39:5584-5591.

Karl English

Contact: Past President Senior Fisheries Biologist LGL Environmental Research Associates 9768 Second Street Sidney, British Columbia, Canada V8L 3Y8

Phone: 250-656-0127 Fax: 250-655-4761

Field(s) of Research:

 Fisheries research and stock assessment  First Nations fisheries co-management  Fisheries modeling and analysis  Radio and acoustic telemetry  Hydroelectric dams and fish passage

Area of Expertise:

Karl has 29 years of professional experience working with LGL Limited on Pacific salmon fisheries. He has spent most of his career designing and implementing studies to improve the quality and quantity of information available for the management and assessment of Pacific salmon and steelhead stocks. A sample of the salmon and steelhead projects directed by Mr. English include: the 1982-85 International Salmon Tagging Studies conducted in northern BC and southeast Alaska; the Nisga'a Fisheries Program; the 1986-99 Georgia Strait Creel Survey; the 1996-2002 Yukon River Basin Salmon Harvest Study; and radio telemetry studies to assess migration behaviour and abundance on the Nass, Skeena, Fraser, Bella Coola and Columbia rivers (1992-present).

He is very familiar with the biology and management of Fraser sockeye through his work on run reconstruction analysis, Treaty negotiations and on-going studies of the migration and survival of sockeye from marine fisheries to spawning areas throughout the Fraser watershed, including studies with the LGL Mission Fishwheel Project.

Tony Farrell

Contact:

At Dept of Zoology UBC Room 123 H. R. MacMillan Building 2357 Main Mall Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z4

Office: 604-822-6602 Lab: 604-822-4910 Fax: 604-822-6394

At CAER: Room 221 4160 Marine Drive West Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7V 1N6

Office: 604-666-6647 Dry Lab: 604-666-6665 Wet Lab: 604-666-5708 Fax: 604-666-3497

Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Comparative Physiology

Area of Expertise:

Tony Farrell is a Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Fish Physiology, Culture and Conservation and a Professor with a joint appointment in the Zoology Department and the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC. His area of expertise is in integrative and comparative animal physiology as it relates to environmental extremes. He has worked on salmon migratory passage, exercise, handling stress and recovery, sustainable aquaculture and aquatic toxicology. He has particular expertise in salmon cardiorespiratory dynamics, oxygen supply to the heart, blood flow regulation, temperature tolerance and hypoxia tolerance.

Spawning migration of Pacific salmon and climate change

Elevated river temperatures during physically demanding spawning migrations have been repeatedly associated with adult mortality in Fraser River sockeye. In collaboration with Dr. Scott Hinch, Dr. Kristi Miller and Dr. Steve Cooke, we have been looking at numerous aspects of the factors that are related to adult and, more recently, juvenile migration success. A central hypothesis is that a failed cardiac function triggers the cardiorespiratory collapse that is now well characterized at supra-optimal river temperatures that are being experienced in recent years. Included in the completed and ongoing projects are:

- Characterization of Fry aerobic scope curves for 8 Fraser River sockeye salmon populations, with each optimum temperature matching the temperature of historic river migration within 10oC. - Associations between important cardiac metrics and migration effort/density among 8 populations of Fraser River sockeye salmon. - A clear demonstration that sockeye salmon swimming at supraoptimal temperature (as per the Fry curve) can still fully saturate their blood with oxygen. - A clear demonstration that sockeye salmon cannot increase heart rate when swimming maximally above their optimum temperature. - A clear demonstration for juvenile coho salmon that maximum heart rate can be used as a surrogate measure for optimum temperature. This is a far more rapid, and field friendly method of estimating optimum temperature compared with the traditional Fry curve for aerobic scope. - On-going studies to determine if maximum heart rate can be used as a surrogate measure to provide a more biologically meaningful measure of optimal and upper temperature tolerance (than CTmax) for fishes in general. - Comprehensive cardiorespiratory measurements related to oxygen delivery as a function of temperature for 3 populations of Fraser River sockeye salmon. - Evidence for extra cardiac assist from adrenaline in Chilko sockeye (the Fraser River population with possibly the most arduous migration). This work is on-going.

Sea lice on juvenile pink salmon

In collaboration with Dr. Colin Brauner, we have explored the physiological impacts of parasitic sea lice on juvenile pink salmon just after they enter sea water at 0.3 g body mass. Our studies has focused understanding the basic physiology of pink salmon as they enter seawater, artificially infecting fish in a controlled manner and testing subsequent performance for the next month, and studying physiological performance on fish captured with existing lice infections. Included in the completed projects, which are all published, are:

- In experimental infection experiments, 1 sea louse did not kill a 0.3 g pink salmon, but maximum swimming performance and ionic regulation were impacted. - Even 0.3 g pink salmon are good at ridding themselves of infective stages of sea lice, something observed repeatedly previously, but never accounted for until very recently when sea lice impacts on pink salmon populations were modeled.

- Once pink salmon reach about 0.5-0.7 g in body mass, the negative impact of 1 louse per fish is lost. Similarly, for 1 g pink salmon capture from the wild, swimming performance and ionic regulation were similar for fish with 1 louse and none. - Abrading skin on a 3 g pink salmon to an area 10X that caused by a typical louse infection had no significant effect on seawater. - Studies on the seawater preparedness of pink salmon show that they possess an innate smolt-window that peaks around the time of yolk absorption, which only partially triggers the necessary gill ion-regulatory enzymes. Seawater entry complete this process, perhaps explaining some of the early lifestage sensitivity to sea lice.

John Ford

Contact:

Pacific Biological Station Fisheries and Oceans Canada 3190 Hammond Bay Road Nanaimo, BC Canada V9T 6N7

Tel: 250-729-8375 Fax: 250-756-7053 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Cetacean ecology & behaviour

Area of Expertise:

Dr. John Ford joined Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2001 as the head of the Cetacean Research Program at the Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, BC. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Zoology and the Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia.

Dr. Ford has been involved in field studies on cetaceans in western Canadian waters since 1977. His areas of research include the life history, ecology, behaviour and acoustic communication of cetaceans, especially killer whales. In recent years, his research has focused on the conservation status of cetaceans listed under Canada's Species-at-Risk Act and has involved population abundance estimation and development of acoustic tools for determining seasonal abundance of cetaceans in remote offshore waters.

Killer whales are a high profile, iconic species in the waters of the Strait of Georgia. The three ecotypes found in the area have distinct diets based on fixed behavioural traditions that are highly resistant to change. Resident killer whales are salmonid specialists, with a strong preference for Chinook salmon and, secondarily, chum salmon. Offshore killer whales are a poorly known population of at least 300 whales found primarily in outer coast waters and appear to be fish feeders and may specialize on sharks. Transient killer whales are mammal-hunting specialists that feed on pinnipeds and small cetacean species found in their coastal range. By far the most important prey species, however, is the harbour seal, which comprises over one-half of their kills. The abundance of harbour seals in the Strait of Georgia has fluctuated widely over the past century and this likely had a major impact on the abundance and distribution of transient killer whales. The occurrence and survival of

each ecotype in the Strait is thus influenced by different ecological factors, and these should be taken into consideration in conservation and management decisions to promote recovery of these species at risk.

Mike Foreman

Contact:

Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6306 Fax: 250-363-6306 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Physical Oceanography  Coastal circulation modelling and biological transport  Tidal analysis  River temperature and flow modelling  Satellite altimeter analysis  Data assimilation

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Mike Foreman is a numerical modeller at IOS who has developed finite volume circulation models for the Broughton Archipelago and Discovery Islands that have been coupled to sea lice and IHN viral dispersion models in order to study the development and transport of sea lice originating on salmon farms and disease transmission between farms.

Recent work has included an examination of trends in upwelling and downwelling winds along the British Columbia shelf and the development of a regional climate model for the British Columbia continental shelf.

Professor at:

 Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia, 1998-present

 Adjunct Professor, University of Victoria, 2006-present

Kyle Garver

Contact:

Dr. Kyle Garver Research Scientist Aquatic Animal Health Section Fisheries & Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-7340 Fax: 250-756-7053 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquaculture  Aquatic Animal Health  Biotechnology/ Genomics

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Garver leads the Virology Research Program in the Aquatic Animal Health Section. The main focus of the program is to identify and characterize viruses of finfish, to better understand viral traffic throughout watersheds, and to develop prevention and treatment methodologies. Using current molecular biology techniques, the Virology research group obtains critical information on viral epidemiology and virus-host interactions, ultimately allowing a better understanding of viral origin, distribution, and impact on fish species.

Current research projects include:

1. Development of a viral dispersion model to assess transmission potential of infected Atlantic salmon net pen aquaculture facilities.

2. Examining the susceptibility, transmission dynamics, and duration of infection with viral hemorrhagic septicaemia virus in Atlantic salmon to better understand the risks associated with the disease

3. Investigating genetic diversity of IHNV and VHSV in the waters of British Columbia to better understand viral origin, evolution and adaptation to new hosts.

4. Characterization of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus infections in its natural host (sockeye salmon) to provide insight into the maintenance of this pathogen in a population.

The work team is composed of Fisheries & Oceans Canada scientists and technicians from the Pacific Biological Station (PBS) and Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS). Key collaborators are Dr. Mike Foreman, a numerical modeller at IOS who has developed a finite volume circulation model for the Broughton Archipelago that has been coupled to sea lice model in order to study the development and transport of sea lice originating on salmon farms, and Mr. Dario Stucchi, a coastal oceanographer at IOS with over 20 years experience. Dario will be instrumental in collecting environmental parameters and field observations to extend and validate the Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) for the Discovery Island region.

The workplan and full description of this project can be found in Appendix 2.

Jim Gower

Contact:

Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6558 Fax: 250-363-6746 Email : [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Physical Oceanography

Area of Expertise:

Dr Jim Gower began research as a radio-astronomer at Cambridge University in England and started work in 1971 as the “Satellite Oceanographer” at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney at a time when the first environmental satellites were being launched. He has been a member of US, Canadian and European (NASA, CSA, ESA) space agency teams for altimeters, imaging radars and colour sensors. A long-term specialty is the colour of ocean and coastal waters, for which the European sensor MERIS provides new and interesting data.

He is presently working on satellite techniques for monitoring intense surface plankton blooms in seas and lakes, and on collecting surface plankton data from buoys, ships and underwater gliders. He is the current President of PORSEC.

His work with the Strait of Georgia ERI program has focussed on monitoring and tracking the timing and pattern of the spring bloom in the Strait. He has used MERIS and MODIS satellite imagery and in-situ recording fluorometers to monitor the pattern and timing of the Strait of Georgia spring bloom in 2001 to 2010.

The imagery shows a previously unreported bloom pattern in February and March which suggests seeding of the early spring bloom from deep, glacial inlets to the north in five of the ten years. The images give the first observations of “seeding from inlets” into the Strait of Georgia. This seeding has been suggested as a mechanism for triggering the main spring bloom in the Strait, but has not been previously observed. Their results suggest that the bloom occurs earlier in years with seeding.

Ramona de Graaf

Contact: c/o BMSC 100 Pachena Road Bamfield, BC V0R 1B0

Coastal Conservation Institute of BC and the BC Shore Spawners Project are at: [email protected]

Emerald Sea Biological is at [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Forage fish ecology  Citizen science  Coastal conservation

Area of Expertise:

Ramona is a marine biologist working at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre as a marine science educator. She also co-ordinates the Coastal Conservation Institute of BC and work as the Scientist in Charge of the Citizens' Science Project the BC Shore Spawners Alliance.

She is involved in research throughout the Province and the Strait of Georgia on the spawning habitats of Pacific sand lance, surf smelt and capelin. Details of this program can be found in Appendix 2.

Chris Grandin

Contact :

Fisheries & Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7

Phone: (250) 756-7170 Fax: (250) 756-7053 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Fish Population Science

Area of Expertise:

Chris Grandin is a biologist at the Pacific Biological Station. He has recently acquired the position of Hake stock assessment biologist. Prior to this position, he worked with the Inshore Rockfish section for 4 years. During that time, his focus was on video-based surveys and data. He had the enjoyable experience of submerging down to 300 meters into beautiful rockfish habitat on Nuytco’s Aquarius submersible and recording line-transect observations of rockfish with which density estimates could be calculated using program DISTANCE. He has applied such density estimates to habitat areas which were extracted from bathymetric multibeam maps using raster derivatives and nearest neighbour techniques developed by our team. He also had the amazing opportunity to become an ROV pilot and technician for the DFO-owned Phantom HD2+2. He has piloted for several rockfish surveys and analyzed the data afterwards, applying the same density estimation procedures he used for the Aquarius surveys.

Sue Grant

Contact:

Program Head, Sockeye & Pink Analytical Fraser River Stock Assessment Fisheries and Oceans Canada 100 Annacis Parkway, Unit 3, Delta, BC, V3M 6A2

Phone: 604-666-7270 Fax: 604-666-7112 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Freshwater Ecology

Area of Expertise:

Sue is part of the group that carries out research and monitoring activities on Chilko, Cultus and other stocks where they have fry data. She is able to determine marine and freshwater survival data for these different systems. Some of these data have been recently published e.g.

DFO, 2009. Science Advisory Report 2009/022. Pre-season run size forecasts for Fraser river sockeye and pink salmon in 2009. CSAS SAR 2009/022. 17pp

Grant, S. C. H., Michielsens, C. G. J., Porszt, E. J., and Cass, A. J. 2010. Pre-season run size forecasts for Fraser Sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) in 2010. Can.Sci.Advis.Sec.Res.Doc. 2010/042, -vi + 127.

Other sources:

Cass, A.J., Folkes, M., Parken, C.K., & Wood, C.C. 2006. Pre-season run size forecasts for Fraser River sockeye for 2006. DFO Can.Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2006/060.

DFO. 2009. Pre-season run size forecasts for Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon in 2009. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2009/022.

Dorner, B., Peterman, R.M., & Haeseker, S.L. 2008. Historical trends in productivity of 120 Pacific pink, chum, and sockeye salmon stocks reconstructed by using a Kalman filter. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 65: 1842-1866.

Haeseker, S.L., Peterman, R.M., & Zhenming, S. 2008. Retrospective evaluation of preseason forecasting models for sockeye and chum salmon. N. Am. J. Fish. Manag. 28: 12- 29.

Rene (Irene) Gregory-Eaves

Contact:

McGill University Department of Biology Stewart Biology Building 1205 Docteur Penfield, Room: W6/5 Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1

Phone: 514-398-6425 Fax: 514-398-5069 E-mail: [email protected]

Research Area(s):

 Role of salmon as vectors of nutrients and contaminants into freshwater systems  Stable Isotopes

Area of Expertise:

The life history of Pacific salmon is analogous to a marine pump. Salmon do most of their growing in a marine environment but return to freshwaters to spawn and die, thus serving as important vectors between these two ecosystems. The sight of rotting salmon carcasses on spawning grounds has led ecologists to appreciate for some time that nutrients are released by decaying salmon into freshwaters. More recently, the widespread use of stable isotopes in ecology has allowed scientists to trace and quantify the inputs of marine-derived nutrients.

Irene’s lab has used stable isotopes to demonstrate the extent to which marine-derived nutrients are accumulated in nursery lake food webs. They have also shown that contaminants are transported through this same anadromous pathway, and accumulate in aquatic components in significant quantities.

Nicky Haigh

Contact:

Harmful Algae Monitoring Program Rm 205, Building 373 Vancouver Island University 900 Fifth Street Nanaimo BC V9R 5S5 Canada

Phone: 250-740-6354 Cell: 250-537-7176 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Harmful marine algae

Area of Expertise:

Nicky Haigh is Program Manager of the Harmful Algae Monitoring Program in B.C. Full details of this program are provided in Appendix 2. This program was begun at the Pacific Biological Station in 1999 and is now located at Vancouver Island University.

In the twelve years of the program from 1999 - 2010, there were between three and nine finfish aquaculture companies participating, with from 11 to 28 sampling sites around Vancouver Island. The original mandate of HAMP was basically threefold: analysis of weekly samples to back up farm sampling; establishing sampling protocols to give an industry-wide standard; and the education of farm staff in phytoplankton identification and sampling.

Weekly samples are collected from the HAMP sites and analysed for the presence of harmful phytoplankton, dominant phytoplankton species or group, and overall phytoplankton biomass level. In addition, the approximate percentage of biomass in each of five constituent groups (diatoms, dinoflagellates, raphidophytes, other flagellates, and zooplankton) is noted, and counts are done of any harmful species present and the dominant phytoplankton species. These data have been used to establish a long-term database, which is now more comprehensive than any other phytoplankton species database in BC. A series of reports are produced, with Annual Reports providing an overview of the year in phytoplankton on the west coast of Canada.

Chris Harley

Contact :

Department of Zoology University of British Columbia 6270 University Blvd. Vancouver BC V6T1Z4 Canada

Tel: 604-827-3431 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Ecology  Evolution Area of Expertise:

Dr. Harley’s lab focuses on the study of climate change impacts on rocky coasts. He is interested in how climatic factors, such as temperature, CO2, and pH, and biological relationships, such as predation and facilitation, interact to create ecological patterns in time and space. There are several ongoing projects in the lab and in the field. The broad themes described below center on the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems.

Ocean Acidification (OA) Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide from human activities are having large effects on the chemistry of the oceans. Increasing CO2 and decreasing pH are making it more costly for marine organisms to build shells. We are investigating the impacts of OA on the growth of several species, including sea urchins, sea stars, abalone (larvae and adults), barnacles, and mussels. Our goals are to understand how changes in growth will result in changes in population dynamics and community structure.

Thermal Stress and Global Warming Intertidal organisms already live very close to their thermal tolerance limits, which means that even small changes in temperature can have important impacts on intertidal communities. We are using observational and manipulative techniques in the field to determine how different species respond to stress, and how rising temperatures will change interspecific interactions such as competition, predation, facilitation, and disease.

Climate change and salinity stress The Strait of Georgia is strongly influenced by outflow from the Fraser River. Fraser River flow, and thus local salinity, change from year to year and over longer scales with warming

and shifts in precipitation. We are studying the impacts of these changes on predation by the keystone predator Pisaster, and predicting how future increases in salinity will influence mussel bed communities.

Long-term ecological change Documenting historical ecological change in response to climate forcing is challenging due to the scarcity of data. We are now using available historical datasets to examine the effects of warming, salinity change, and sea level change on zonation patterns on rocky shores. We also take advantage of organisms like turban snails that record their own growth history in the form of annual growth bands.

Herb Herunter

Contact:

Co-operative Resource Management Institute Fisheries & Oceans Canada / Pêches et Océans Canada School Resource & Environmental Management Simon Fraser University / Université Simon Fraser 8888 University Drive Burnaby, BC V5A1S6

Phone: 604-666-6500 E-mail: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Ecosystems Science  Aquatic Habitat / Aquatic Environmental Science  Limnology / Freshwater ecology

Area of Expertise:

Mr. Herunter is a fisheries biologist who has worked on both freshwater and marine habitat issues. Past research was directed towards determining whether forest practices regulations in the province of B.C. sufficiently protected fish habitat. He participated in sockeye spawning stream and small tributary stream studies in both the Stuart-Takla and Prince George fish–forestry interaction programs (http://waves-vagues.dfo- mpo.gc.ca/waves-vagues/search-recherche/display-afficher/329257 ; http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hre/ffip/index.htm).

Current research activities are focused on the impacts of coastal development on invertebrate and fish habitat. Studies include assessments of small craft harbours, investigation of various harbour substrates on invertebrate settling rate, and techniques to assess marine log handling areas.

Mark Hipfner

Contact:

Seabird Population Biologist - part time Environment Canada Wildlife Research 5421 Robertson Road Delta, British Columbia V4K 3Y3 Canada

Tel: 604-940-4676 Fax : 604-946-7022 Website: Pacific Wildlife Research Centre (Delta, BC)

Field(s) of Research:

 Ecology of marine birds

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Mark Hipfner is a research biologist at the Pacific Wildlife Research Centre studying marine birds. His key areas of interest are:

 Demography and population dynamics of seabirds in Canada’s Pacific  Effects of anthropogenic stressors on marine food webs leading to seabirds  Marine and terrestrial habitat requirements for seabirds in British Columbia, with an emphasis on populations in the Scott Islands  Effects of mortality due to fisheries bycatch on Rhinoceros Auklet populations in British Columbia

Selected publications:

Hipfner, J.M., J. Dale and K.J. McGraw. 2010. Yolk carotenoids and stable isotopes reveal links among foraging behaviour, environment, and seabird breeding success. Oecologia.

Hipfner, J.M., M.J.F. Lemon and M.S. Rodway. 2010. Introduced mammals, vegetation changes, and seabird conservation on the Scott Islands, British Columbia. Bird Conservation International.

Hipfner, J.M. 2009. Euphausiids in the diet of a North Pacific seabird: seasonal and annual variation and the role of ocean climate. Marine Ecology Progress Series 390: 277-289.

Sorenson, M.C., J.M. Hipfner, T.K. Kyser and D.R. Norris. 2009. Carry-over effects in a Pacific seabird: stable isotope evidence that pre-breeding diet quality influences reproductive success. Journal of Animal Ecology 78: 460-467.

Wolf, S.G., W.J. Sydeman, J.M. Hipfner, C.L. Abraham, B.R. Tershy and D.A. Croll. 2009. Range-wide reproductive consequences of ocean climate variability for the seabird Cassin’s Auklet. Ecology 90: 742-753.

Hipfner, J.M. 2008. Matches and mismatches? Ocean climate, prey phenology and breeding success in a zooplanktivorous seabird. Marine Ecology Progress Series 368: 295-304.

Scott Hinch

Contact:

Department of Forest Sciences & Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada

Phone (Office):604-822-9377 Phone (Lab): 604-822-1969 Fax: 604-822-9102 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Freshwater Ecology  Marine Ecology

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Hinch is a fisheries scientist at the University of British Columbia cross-appointed in the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability (College for Interdisciplinary Studies) and in the Department of Forest Sciences (Faculty of Forestry). Scott leads the Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory whose mission is to study salmonid ecology, behaviour and physiology, and to provide management systems with information needed for the conservation and sustainable use of fish resources. A focal area of research is on 70research70, physiology, behaviour and survival during juvenile and adult migrations and during spawning, and understanding intergenerational and fitness consequences of natural and anthropogenic stressors.

He collaborates extensively with colleagues studying physiology, biochemistry, and genomics and uses an interdisciplinary approach to tackle pressing issues in conservation and management of Pacific salmonids.

Work on parental spawning/incubation is carried out primarily on sockeye, but also on pink salmon. Focus is on Fraser River sockeye, Columbia River sockeye and Okanagan sockeye. Mainly experimental work- manipulations in field to examine spawning success, and lab studies examining early rearing and incubation success. Work is carried out to a great extent with Dave Patterson’s group, Okanagan First Nations (Bussanich et al.) and DFO (Kim Hyatt).

Physiology, behaviour, and migrations of Pacific salmonids

With respect to physiology, behaviour, and migrations of Pacific salmonids, their objectives are to evaluate the effects of river conditions on stock-specific migration rates, energy use, behaviour and survival of up-river migrating adult sockeye and pink salmon. This project has been ongoing since 1992 and has been a collaborative effort with Simon Fraser University, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and B.C. Hydro.

Understanding patterns of energy use is very important because adult salmon stop feeding once they enter the river and rely solely on stored energy to complete migration and spawn. Any environmental feature that contributes to high energy use (e.g. high river elevation, long migratory distance, elevated river discharge or temperature) could contribute to en route or pre-spawning mortality of salmon.

Their study approaches include the use of:

- physiological telemetry to obtain in situ information on habitat-specific energy use - underwater stereo-videography to understand behavioural aspects of energy use - body lipid/protein analyses to assess whole river energy use - bioenergetics 71research to predict whole river energy-use and en route mortality - respirometry - functional genomics

Ocean climate and salmon production

The objectives are to develop models that predict sockeye salmon ocean growth, abundance, migration pathways and prey abundance patterns in the northeast Pacific Ocean.

Their study approaches include:

- utilization of historical size-at-maturity data and bioenergetic research to examine stock- specific changes in size and growth of Fraser River sockeye salmon in relation to ocean temperature, food levels and ocean salmon abundance

- development of “NerkaSim”, a deductive, spatially explicit, individual-based model that simulates ocean migratory routes and enables an exploration of sockeye ocean bioenergetics; it also displays characteristics of the biophysical environment including surface currents, sea surface temperatures, and zooplankton biomass

His lab carries out some collaborative work with Timber Whitehouse on Chilko smolts. Other collaborations include work with Dave Welch, Mike Price, Jim Irvine etc using POST technology to assess migration patterns, tagging and tracking fish.

Hinch lab Grad students

 Michael Donaldson, PhD – Freshwater fisheries-related capture and handling stress on adult migrating Pacific salmonoids

 Jennifer (Jenn) Burt, MSc – Examining the role of parental influence in Pacific Salmon (O. nerka) offspring response to incubation thermal stress

 Alison Collins, MSc – Surgical implanted acoustic tagging effects on juvenile sockeye survival, growth, swim performance, and physiology

 Michael Donaldson, PhD – Freshwater fisheries-related capture and handling stress on adult migrating Pacific salmonoids

 Matthew(Stephen) Drenner, PhD – Exploring links between oceanography and adult Pacific salmon behaviour, physiology, and survival in coastal transition zones.

 Marika Gale, MSc – Interactive effects of temperature and acute capture-related stressors on mortality and sub-lethal physiological reponses of sockeye salmon.

 Kenneth Jeffries, PhD – The Effects of Elevated Water Temperature on Adult Pacific Salmon Gene Expression, Blood Physiology and Mortality.

 Kendra Robinson, MSc – Effects of facilitated recovery and water temperature on capture-release survival and sub-lethal responses of sockeye salmon

 Natalie Sopinka, PhD - Transgenerational effects of stress in Pacific salmon

 Charlotte Whitney, MSc – Variation in thermal tolerance during early development across many populations of sockeye salmon

Jayme Hills

Contact:

Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research 4160 Marine Drive West Vancouver, BC V7V 1N6 Canada

Phone: 604-666-6135 Fax: 604-666-3497 E-mail: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Ecosystems Science  Freshwater Ecology  Juvenile and adult Sockeye migration  Radio and acoustic biotelemetry studies

Area of Expertise:

Jayme Hills is a research technician with the Environmental Watch program (see David Patterson section for more details). She is responsible for coordinating and conducting field studies and the collection of samples from migrating Pacific salmon for physiological assessment. She also manages and performs laboratory analyses of biological tissues for research projects supported by the program.

Ms. Hills has a Bachelor or Science degree in Resource Management from the University of Northern BC. Previous work experience includes GPS based mapping of mountain pine beetle and recreation trails in the private sector, and park and protected area management planning for BC Ministry of Environment. Since joining the Environmental Watch program in 2002 she has been involved in a variety of projects including Fraser River temperature monitoring, juvenile and adult salmon migration studies and radio and acoustic biotelemetry research projects.

Recent work includes :

Clark, T.D., M.R. Donaldson, S.M. Drenner, S.G. Hinch, D.A. Patterson, J. Hills, V. Ives, J.J. Carter, S.G. Cooke, A.P. Farrell. In press. The efficacy of field techniques for obtaining and storing blood samples from fish. Journal of Fish Biology.

Donaldson, M.R., S.G. Hinch, D.A. Patterson, J. Hills, J.O. Thomas, S.J. Cooke, G.D. Raby, L.A. Thompson, D. Robichaud, K.K. English, and A.P. Farrell. 2011. The consequences of angling,

beach seining, and confinement on the physiology, post-release behaviour and survival of adult sockeye salmon during upriver migration. Fisheries Research 108(1): 133-141.

Patterson, D.A., Macdonald, J.S., Skibo, K.M., Barnes, D.P., Guthrie, I., and Hills, J. 2007. Reconstructing the summer thermal history for the lower Fraser River, 1941 to 2006, and implications for adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) spawning migration. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2724.

Jeremy Hume

Contact:

DFO Biologist- retired Previoulsy at Cultus Lake Salmon Research Laboratory, 4222 Columbia Valley Highway, Cultus Lake, BC V2R 5B6

Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquaculture  Aquatic Animal Health  Aquatic Habitat / Aquatic Environmental Science

Area of Expertise:

Jeremy Hume is recently retired as a research habitat biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, where he specialized in freshwater habitat and ecological research programs, as well as managing juvenile salmonid stock assessment programs in streams and lakes. His main area of interest is the community ecology of juvenile salmonids, particularly sockeye and kokanee. His research projects with DFO provided the biological foundation for habitat based management and enhancement plans for sockeye salmon by determining the carrying capacity of nursery lakes and investigating the factors affecting the growth and survival of juvenile sockeye and their competitor and predator species. As an independent scientist, Mr. Hume is still actively involved in studying the ecology of juvenile salmonids. He is currently involved with studies of how large changes in sockeye fry density due to cyclic dominance in Fraser River lakes interact with changes in lake productivity to affect the production and freshwater (and early marine) mortality of sockeye salmon.

Kim Hyatt

Contact:

Head, Salmon in Regional Ecosystems Program Science Branch Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Rd., Nanaimo, BC Canada, V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-7217 Cell Phone: 250-716-6172 Fax: 250-756-7217 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Freshwater Research  Ecosystems Research  Fisheries Management

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Hyatt is a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, B.C. He has worked as a teacher (Okanagan University College 1976- 1978), adjunct faculty member (several universities), environmental consultant (1978-1980) and fisheries scientist (DFO 1981-present). Dr. Hyatt’s Salmon in Regional Ecosystems Program conducts research on (1) the status of salmon populations in Canada’s Pacific Region, (2) salmon and associated food webs, (3) climate impacts on salmon, and (3) science to improve fisheries management. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific reports and papers on associated topics. Dr. Hyatt is the lead on developing a framework of ecosystem-based management objectives and indicators called for under Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy to inform sustainable management of salmon populations in the Pacific region.

Michael Ikonomou

Contact : Institute of Ocean Sciences Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6804 Fax: 250-363-6807 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Ecosystems Science  Aquatic Habitat / Aquatic Environmental Science  Physical Oceanography  Marine toxins

Research Description:

Dr. Ikonomou currently manages the Regional Dioxin Laboratory (R.D.L.) at the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The R.D.L. was set up at I.O.S. in 1990/91 and its mission was to carry out dioxin/furan analyses on west coast environmental samples of interest to the Department. It also served as an analytical QA/QC facility for the department for dioxin/furan analyses. Dr. Ikonomou expanded the analytical capabilities of the R.D.L. by developing novel, improved, and cost effective methods for measuring pollutant residues in environmental samples at trace levels. Today, the R.D.L. is a multi-purpose, multi-residue, environmental chemical analysis laboratory which is involved in measurements of persistent contaminants in tissues of marine and freshwater biota and other environmental matrices such as sediments, water, and industrial and municipal effluents. The facility provides ultratrace analyses for dioxins/furans, PCBs, pesticides, polychlorinated and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, resin acids, sterols and endocrine disrupting chemicals such as phthalates, non-ionic surfactants and certain pharmaceuticals. Metal binding proteins, marine toxins, and metabolites of non-bioaccumulative contaminants are measured as well. The facility provides analytical support to numerous departmental projects at the national level and to collaborative research Dr. Ikonomou conducts with university professors and colleagues from other government departments and international institutions. Dr. Ikonomou's research interests encompass the disciplines of mass spectrometry, environmental analytical chemistry, and environmental pollution as it relates to freshwater and marine ecosystems.

In the past few years his research has concentrated on two fronts: (1) developing efficient and accurate mass spectrometry-based analytical methodologies for the determination of environmentally significant contaminants including organohalogen compounds (conventional and new), endocrine disrupting chemicals present in industrial and municipal effluents, and investigating metal speciation by LC/ESI-MS; (2) conducting research into the sources, distribution, and fate of target environmental contaminants in the aquatic ecosystem. Among others projects, Dr. Ikonomou is a collaborating partner in four TSRI projects and he is leading two projects funded by the department's Toxic Chemical Program: a) Impact of Polybrominated and Polychlorinated Diphenyl Ethers and Polybrominated Dioxins and Furans on the Aquatic Environment; and b) Biological and Chemical Effects Monitoring of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.

He has been involved in the Strait of Georgia ERI program. The main focus was to examine unexplored major stressors, eEDCs and PPCPs. Major current sources of coastal and freshwater pollution in BC are effluents from sewage treatment plants, effluents from pulp mills and agricultural runoff all of which are major sources of estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (eEDCs). The continuously increasing urbanization of coastal areas and an aging population are expected to cause increases in the emissions of eEDCs, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from sewage treatment plant effluents into the Strait of Georgia. Their aim is to obtain an understanding of the impacts of eEDCs and PPCPs on the marine ecosystem in order to (i) assess the current state of the ecosystem in terms of environmental loadings, (ii) develop bio-indicators for continual assessment of the impacted areas and (iii) develop models that will explore the fate of these emerging contaminants.

Their study contains 2 components: a) make measurements of selected EDCs and PPCPs in abiotic media (sediments) and some biota samples (invertebrates and representative ground fish) collected near potentially impacted areas, such as the Iona GVRD municipal outfall, and at references sites; and b) assess and apply computer simulation models to investigate the fate and environmental behaviour of these emerging contaminants in the ecosystem. An assessment of the current conditions in terms of environmental levels and linkage to what these mean in terms of biological impacts will be performed.

Jim Irvine

Contact:

James R. Irvine, Ph.D. Research Scientist Fisheries and Oceans Canada Salmon and Freshwater Ecosystems Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo, British Columbia CANADA V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-7065 Fax: 250-756-7138 Cell: 250-619-8197 E-mail : [email protected]

Research Area(s):

 Freshwater and marine ecology

Area of Expertise:

Freshwater Studies:

Dr. Irvine is a research scientist at the Pacific Biological Station. Recent relevant projects include:

Work with Dr. Selbie of DFO Cultus Lake to assist Dr. Borstad of ASL Environmental Sciences in the completion of a collaborative proposal entitled “LAKEVIEW: Earth Observation of Water Quality in Lakes in British Columbia. This proposal was accepted by the Canadian Space Agency and ~$475K were provided between now and 31 October 2013.

The main objectives of the project are:

 Improvement of chlorophyll retrieval through algorithm development and improvement (MERIS data)  Mapping of lake ice and glacier extent (RADARSAT)  Measurement of lake surface temperatures (LANDSAT)  Validation of lake water surface optical property measurements through collection of in situ data  Web-based delivery of chlorophyll, temperature, icenand glacier maps through ASL GeoPortal  Linking chlorophyll and other products to sockeye salmon production

Estuary Studies:

Jim has assessed data and information on likelihood of toxic algae playing a role in salmonid mortality and developed a proposal to investigate this further through additional sampling.

Coastal Studies

 Jim continues to look at potential linkages between oceanographic condition s and salmon survival (see for e.g. Irvine et al (pg 132) in Crawford and Irvine 2010 available at:

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/CSAS/Csas/publications/resdocs- docrech/2010/2010_053_e.pdf

Studies on cumulative effects of multiple factors impacting various life history stages of salmonids:

 He is nearing completion of two papers investigating the long (>50yrs) time series of survivals for Chilko Lake sockeye salmon with Scott Akenhead.  A manuscript entitled “The influence of timing of smolt entry and smolt size on marine survival of Strait of Georgia hatchery coho salmon” ( by J. R. Irvine, M. O’Neill, L. Godbout, and J. Schnute) has been accepted for publication in Progress in Oceanography.  He contributed to a Bayesian Belief Network study on coho led by Andres Araujo (also part of SoG ERI)  He contributed to manuscript led by Pete Rand on sockeye salmon status world wide ( Rand, P.S., M. Goslin, M.R. Gross, J.R. Irvine, X. Augerot, P.A. McHugh, and V.F. Bugaev. 2012. Global assessment of extinction risk to populations of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka. PLoS ONE 7(4): e34065. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0034065 )  He contributed to manuscript led by Erin Porszt examining threat criteria for diagnosing Fraser sockeye population declines (Porszt, E.J., R.M. Peterman, N.K. Dulvy, A.B. Cooper, and J.R. Irvine. 2012. Reliability of indicators of decline in abundance. Conservation Biology. doi: 10.1111/j.1523- 1739.2012.01882.x )  He continues to co-chair Canada's working group on the state of the Pacific Ocean. The most recent report is: Irvine, J.R. and Crawford, W.R. 2012. State of the physical biological, and selected fishery resources of Pacific Canadian marine ecosystems in 2011. DFO Canadian Scientific Advisory Secretariat Research Document 2012/072.  He has published two recent reviews of salmon status in the North Pacific:

Irvine, J. R., and Fukuwaka, M. 2011. Pacific salmon abundance trends and climate change. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsq199.

Irvine, J.R., A. Tompkins, T. Saito, K. B. Seong, J. K. Kim, N. Klovach, H. Bartlett, and E. Volk. 2012. Pacific Salmon Status and Abundance Trends - 2012 Update. North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission Document 1422.

Two recent updates of Canadian research on Pacific salmon:

Irvine, J.R., M. Trudel, A. Tompkins, T. Beacham, and M. Saunders. 2012. Canadian Research in 2012 relevant to the NPAFC Salmon Science Plan for 2011-2015. NPAFC Doc. 1379.

Irvine, J.R., T. Beacham, M. Trudel, A. Tompkins, and M. Saunders. 2012. Canadian bibliography of 2010-2012 publications linked to the current NPAFC Science Plan. NPAFC Doc. 1432.

Sophia Johannessen

Contact:

Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6616 Fax: 250-363-6310 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Habitat / Aquatic Environmental Science  Ocean Climate  Chemical Oceanography

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Johannessen is a geochemical oceanographer at the DFO Institute of Ocean Sciences in SIdney, B.C. She studies climate change and carbon cycling, from photochemical processes at the top of the ocean to the burial and reworking of organic matter and other tracers at the bottom. Recent and ongoing projects include: (1) the effects of climate change on the Strait of Georgia; (2) effects of short-term variability on productivity and carbon cycling in coastal water; (3) hypoxia and acidification in the Strait of Georgia; and (4) the effect of photochemical oxidation (burning of organic matter in seawater by sunlight) on the ability of natural or artificially-induced phytoplankton blooms to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Dr. Johannessen uses marine geochemical tools, including sediment cores, sediment traps and a photochemical laboratory that simulates chemical reactions driven by sunlight at the surface of the ocean. She has worked in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean and, most recently, the Strait of Georgia.

Professor at: University of Victoria

Stewart Johnson

Contact:

Dr. Stewart C. Johnson Head, Aquatic Animal Health Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station 3190 Hammond Bay Rd, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-7077 Fax: 250-756-7053 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Health  Salmonid Disease  Genomics

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Johnson conducts research on diseases, immunology, physiology and husbandry of aquatic animals. His research activities use a multidisciplinary approach and include collaborations with both national and international researchers from a variety of universities, government institutes and industry partners.

Disease research focuses understanding the nature of the relationships between fish and pathogens such as nodavirus (Atlantic cod), Aeromonas salmonicida (Atlantic salmon), Dr. Johnson conducts research on diseases, immunology, physiology and husbandry of aquatic animals. His research activities use a multidisciplinary approach and include collaborations with both national and international researchers from a variety of universities, government institutes and industry partners.

Disease research focuses understanding the nature of the relationships between fish and pathogens such as nodavirus (Atlantic cod), Aeromonas salmonicida (Atlantic salmon), Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (sockeye salmon) and the sea louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Atlantic and Pacific salmon). He applies genomics, proteomics and traditional methods to investigate virulence mechanisms of pathogens, the establishment of carrier states, host immunosuppression and disease management techniques such as vaccination.

Ongoing research activities include:

1. Studies on host-pathogen interactions (L. salmonis, IHNV)

2. Studies on how husbandry and environmental conditions affect physiology, growth performance and disease resistance of Atlantic cod and salmon. 3. Vaccine development (L. salmonis) 4. Development of genomics resources and tools for the study of Atlantic cod (see: www.Codgene.ca) and bivalves (see: www.Mytome.ca) 5. Disease surveys of wild Pacific salmon in the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait

Details of PARR project can be found in Appendix 2.

Simon Jones

Contact :

Research Scientist Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-729-8351 Fax: 250-729-7053 Email : [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquaculture  Aquatic Animal Health  Biotechnology/ Genomics  Parasitology

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Jones heads up the parasitology program at PBS. The research programs address three main sub-programs in parasitology: biodiversity, life cycle studies and host parasite interactions. An area of significant scientific concern addressed by this program is to document the extent to which parasites are transmitted between wild and farmed salmon populations, and the consequences of this transmission.

The research is based on parasitological surveys of wild and farmed salmon populations as well as studies conducted in the state-of-the-art research aquarium at the Pacific Biological Station. The research laboratories are equipped with high quality resources for microscopy, molecular biology, histology and in vitro culture; most studies involve an integration of these technologies.

The parasite biodiversity sub-program identifies species new to science and improves knowledge on the distribution and abundance of existing species.

The life cycle studies sub-program uses controlled laboratory studies to identify factors that are important in regulating parasite transmission. Recently established laboratory models for the transmission of the salmon louse showed that species of Pacific salmon differ significanly in their susceptibility to this parasite. This research also provided the first evidence that locally abundant stickleback are highly susceptible to the salmon louse, confirming field observations.

The host-parasite interactions sub-program uses tools in genomics, immunology and histology to assess the consequences of parasite infections on salmon and to explore the role of environmental variables in understanding the outcome of infections. For example, recent studies provide molecular evidence that differences in inflammation in the skin explains why some species of salmon are more resistant to salmon lice. Also, gene expression analysis suggests that marginally sub-optimal salnity elicits a stress response in sea lice larvae.

Chris Kennedy

Contact :

Dr. Chris Kennedy Professor Aquatic Toxicology Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6

Office: 778-782-5640 Lab: 778-782-5634 Email: [email protected]

Research Area (s):

 Aquatic Toxicology

Area of Expertise:

Energetic Costs of Detoxification

Environmental challenges can invoke additional energy expenditures at the expense of growth or reproduction by increasing the costs of maintenance and subsequent reductions in surplus power. One such environmental factor, for which we know little in terms of energetic cost but which may have important energetic ramifications to organism fitness, is exposure to foreign compounds or xenobiotics. Chris’s research is investigating the specific costs of detoxification reactions and the potential physiological trade-offs between the costs of detoxification and growth or reproduction. Their research in this area will: 1) aid in an understanding of xenobiotic detoxification costs, 2) determine if detoxification costs can affect fitness through energy trade-offs, and, 3) lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the fate of xenobiotics in fish and their ecology and life history.

Environmental and life history modulators of contaminant fate and toxicity

Organisms are in open, dynamic equilibrium with their environment and the responses to one environmental factor must be rationalized with the requirements to deal with other impingements. Currently they are examining the effects of temperature and salinity on the toxicokinetics (uptake, distribution, metabolism and excretion) of the model carcinogen beno[a]pyrene in salmonids. As well, they are examining the effects of life history on toxicant sensitivity. For example, prior to or accompanying the seawater migration of some

salmonids, a process known as smoltification occurs, which consists of a spectrum of changes resulting in adaptations for a marine existence. Their research is focussed on how these developmental processes modify the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of xenobiotics in these fish, and to relate these changes to biochemical and physiological processes which occur during smoltification.

Other recent work in their laboratory suggest that toxic threshold values developed for selenium using warm-water species of fish may not be generally applicable to salmonids such as the cutthroat trout, or other cold-water species. They are currently examining the mechanisms behind Se tolerance in Cutthroat trout populations which have evolved in seleniferous habitat.

Contaminants and Stress

Organisms such as fish must be able to adapt to dynamic or changing environments, which include both natural and anthropogenic chemical stressors. The actions of stressors are two- fold; 1) they produce effects which disturb homeostasis, and 2) they elicit a set of coordinated responses which compensate for the disturbances, i.e. they are adaptive, enabling the animal to overcome the threat. This response is generally accepted as stress, which evokes in an animal an organismal (e.g. neuro-endocrine) and cellular (e.g. heat shock proteins) response. Their research in this area is focussed on examining the effects of pollutants on eliciting and negating the stress response in fish, and in quantitating the effects on the whole organism. As well, their research in this area is concentrated on understanding the impacts of the stress response (or its absence) on organism fitness and the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying the impacts on other physiological systems.

Ecologically-relevant Sublethal Toxicities.

The current use of pesticides, including those in the agriculture and aquaculture industry, are an emerging issue of concern for the environmental health of anadromous salmonids in BC. The consequences of pesticide exposures for salmon health and fitness are largely unknown. They are specifically focusing on several classes of pesticides which target the nervous system. Recent evidence from their laboratory has shown that olfactory receptor neurons are especially sensitive to compounds with these mechanisms of action, which include the organophosphate and carbamate pesticides. Their research centers on the salmon olfactory system as a sensitive indicator of sublethal neuro-physiological and behavioral toxicity. There are established relationships between olfactory function and the performance and fitness of individual salmonids. Effects on olfaction can affect many aspects of fish behaviour including predator avoidance, imprinting, homing behavior, and reproductive priming. Their approach has two key elements: 1) to determine the toxicological effects of environmentally realistic pesticide exposures on the normal function of the salmonid olfactory system, and 2) to evaluate neurological impairment in the context

of salmon fitness. These results should provide empirical data on a poorly understood and potentially critical aspect of salmon habitat quality in the waters of BC.

Jackie King

Contact:

Jacquelynne R. King Research Scientist Groundfish Stock Assessment Pacific Biological Station 3190 Hammond Bay Road Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-7176 FAX: 250-756-7053 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Groundfish stock assessment  Impacts of climatic and oceanographic variability  Marine fish population dynamics  Behavioural ecology

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Jackie King is with Fisheries and Oceans Canada as a groundfish stock assessment scientist at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Dr. King’s research in stock assessment focuses on the impacts of climatic and oceanographic variability on marine fish population dynamics and the implications for fisheries management. Dr. King also conducts research on behavioural ecology, life history strategies, statistical methodology, ageing methodology, biological reference points and stock assessment. She is currently responsible for the assessment and research of chondrichthyans, including spiny dogfish, big skate and longnose skate. Dr. King’s research in the Strait of Georgia has included diet and competition of juvenile Pacific salmon, lingcod polyandry and nest site fidelity, lingcod stock assessment, and sixgill shark tagging studies. In March 2012, Dr. King conducted a pilot synoptic bottom trawl survey in the Strait of Georgia which is planned to be conducted every 3-5 years.

Mike Lapointe

Contact:

Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Phone: Email:[email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Fisheries Management  Stock assessment

Area of Expertise:

Mike Lapointe has a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine and a Master of Science degree in Zoology (Fisheries) from the University of British Columbia. Mr. Lapointe has over 20 years experience in Salmon Assessment and Management. For the past 20 yrs, he has been a member of the Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) staff, becoming its Chief of the Fisheries Management Division in 2002. As Chief, he leads a technical team of about 15 individuals that provide in-season assessment of return timing and abundance of Fraser River sockeye and pink salmon used by the bilateral Fraser River Panel to regulate harvests under the terms of the Pacific Salmon Treaty between Canada and the United States. In addition to in-season duties, Mr. Lapointe and his staff assist the Panel in developing pre-season plans and liaise with agency staff from both countries in areas related to salmon assessment and management.

Cooke, S.J., S.G. Hinch, M.R. Donaldson, T.D. Clark, E.J. Eliason, G.T. Crossin, G.D. Raby, K.M. Jeffries, M. Lapointe, K. Miller, D.A. Patterson, and A.P. Farrell. 2012. In Press. Conservation physiology in practice: How physiological knowledge has improved our ability to sustainably manage Pacific salmon during up-river migration. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B. 00:000-000.

Martins, Eduardo G., S. G. Hinch , D. A., Patterson, M. J . Hague, S. J . Cooke, K. M . Miller, M. F. Lapointe, K. K. English a n d A. P. Farrell. 2011. Effects of river temperature and climate warming on stock-specific survival of adult migrating Fraser River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Global Change Biology 17: 99–114.

Farrell, A.P., S. G. Hinch, S. J. Cooke, D. A. Patterson, G. T. Crossin, M. Lapointe, and M. T. Mathes. 2008. Pacific Salmon in Hot Water: Applying Aerobic Scope Models and Biotelemetry to Predict the Success of Spawning Migrations. Phys. Biochem. Zool. 81(6):697–708.

Beacham, T.D., M. Lapointe, J.R. Candy, B. McIntosh, C. MacConnachie, A. Tabata, K. Kaukinen, L. Deng, K. M. Miller and R. Withler. 2004. Stock Identification of Fraser River sockeye salmon using microsatellites and major histocompatibility complex variation. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 133:1117–1137, 2004

Beacham, T.D., M. Lapointe, J.R. Candy, K.M. Miller and R.E. Withler. 2004. DNA in action: rapid application of DNA variation to sockeye salmon fisheries management. Conservation Genetics 5:411-416.

Cooke, S.J., S.G. Hinch, A.P. Farrell, M. F. Lapointe, S. R. M. Jones, J. S. Macdonald, D. A. Patterson, M.C. Healey and G. Van der Kraak. 2004 Abnormal migration timing and high en route mortality of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River, British Columbia. Fisheries 29:22-33.

Lapointe, M., S.J. Cooke, S.G. Hinch, A.P. Farrell, S. Jones, S. Macdonald, D. Patterson, M.C. Healey and G. Van Der Kraak. 2004. Late-run sockeye salmon in the Fraser River, British Columbia are experiencing early upstream migration and unusually high rates of mortality – What is going on? In T.W. Droscher, and D.A. Fraser (eds). Proceeding of the 2003 Georgia Basin/Puget Sound Research Conference.

McKinnell, S.M., C.C. Wood, M. Lapointe, J.C. Woodey, K.E. Kostow, J. Nelson, and K.D. Hyatt. 1999. Reviewing the evidence that adult sockeye salmon strayed from the Fraser River and spawned in other rivers in 1997. PICES Scientific report. 10. pp. 73-75.

Peterman. R.M., B.J. Pyper, M.F. Lapointe and C.J. Walters. 1999. Patterns of covariation in length and age at maturity of British Columbia and Alaska sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) stocks. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 56:1046-1057.

Peterman. R.M., B.J. Pyper, M.F. Lapointe, and M.D. Adkison. 1998. Patterns of covariation in survival rates of British Columbia and Alaska sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) stocks. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55:2503-2517.

Peterman. R.M., B.J. Pyper, M.F. Lapointe, and M.D. Adkison. 1997. Patterns of covariation in components of recruitment among sockeye salmon stocks in British Columbia and Alaska. p. 243-247 in Emmett, R.L. and M.H. Schiewe (eds.). Estuarine and ocean survival of northeastern Pacific salmon: Proceeding of the workshop. U. S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NWFSC-29, 313 pp.

Adkison, M.D., R.M. Peterman, M.F. Lapointe, D.M. Gillis and J. Korman. 1996. Alternative models of climatic effects on sockeye salmon productivity in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and the Fraser River, British Columbia. Fish. Oceanogr. 5:137-152.

Lapointe, M.F., R.M. Peterman, and B. J. Rothschild. 1992. Variable natural mortality rates inflate variance of recruitments estimated from virtual population analysis (VPA). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 49:2020-2027.

Lapointe, M.F., and R.M. Peterman. 1991. Spurious correlations between fish recruitment and environmental factors due to errors in the natural mortality rate used in virtual population analysis (VPA). ICES J. mar. Sci. 48:219-228.

Lapointe, M. F., R. M. Peterman, and A. D. MacCall. 1989. Trends in fishing mortality rate along with errors in natural mortality rate can cause spurious time trends in fish stock abundances estimated by Virtual Population Analysis (VPA). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 46:2129-2139.

Lapointe, M. F. 1989. Numerical and functional responses of British Columbia trawlers. M.Sc. thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, 319p.

Walters, C. J. and M. F. Lapointe. 1987. Users guide for CATANAL; microcomputer system for analysis of catch-at-age data. Chapter IV in Walters, C.J. 1987. Microcomputer catch- at-age analysis system. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Walters, C. J. and M. F. Lapointe. 1987. Users guide for GENEST; stock assessment using Schnute-Deriso delay- difference model. Chapter IV in Walters, C.J. 1987. Microcomputer stock assessment using Schnute's generalization of the Deriso delay- difference model. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Staley, M. J. and M. F. Lapointe. 1987. A new Skeena river salmon management model. International Analytic Science Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Lapointe, Michael F. 1986. The sockeye are coming. The West Coast Fisherman. 1(1):18-19. A summary of the theories about cyclic dominance in sockeye salmon for commercial fishermen.

David Levy

Contact :

Levy Research Services Ltd. 315 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver, BC Canada V7M 2G3

Tel: 604.929.2083 FAX: 604.929.2081 Email: [email protected]

Research Area (s):

 Aquatic Ecology  Fisheries Management and Assessment

Area of Expertise:

Dave is trained and experienced as an aquatic ecologist and works with First Nations, all levels of government and the private sector to develop solutions for fisheries management and assessment issues. His experience has proven that the most effective solutions result from the early initiation of environmental processes, clear elaboration of management objectives, effective communication and facilitation of mechanisms for consensus decision- making.

He has more than 30 years of experience providing independent scientific and management advice in fisheries and applied aquatic ecology, including:

 Assistance to First Nations by means of applied research studies, fisheries assessments in Traditional Territories, advising on development activities that affect aquatic resources and representation of interests during government review processes.  Preparation of environmental impact analyses related to mining developments, oil and gas developments, forestry activities and salmon enhancement.  Facilitator of intergovernmental and private sector groups.  Preparation of expert opinions related to salmon population damages from environmental impacts.  International experience in Latin America on institutional strengthening projects for environmental professionals in developing countries.

Recent projects include:

 Research Director for the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River. 2010 – 2012.

 Provided an expert opinion concerning ESA listing of Sacramento River Winter Chinook salmon for the Centre for Independent Experts (CIE). 2010.

 Independent Member of the Nechako Fisheries Conservation Program (NFCP) responsible for coordinating salmon monitoring programs undertaken by Rio Tinto Alcan, DFO and BC MOE. 2005 – continuing.

 Fisheries Analyst for Lillooet Tribal Council responsible for advising St’at’imc Chiefs Council and carrying out strategic planning for fisheries mitigation. Participated in projects related to sockeye entrainment mortality in the Seton Powerhouse, rejuvenation of the Gates Creek sockeye spawning channel, establishment of a flow regime in the Bridge River, and development of off-channel spawning and rearing habitat. 2004 – 2009.

 Fisheries Advisor to the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance which is comprised of 23 First Nations and Tribal Councils. Projects included the development of a recovery strategy for Early Stuart sockeye and evaluation of lake fertilization for conservation enhancement. 2006 – 2009.

 Consultant for MiningWatch Canada to evaluate aquatic environmental assessments for three proposed BC mining projects: Kemess North, Mt. Milligan and Prosperity. 2007 – 2009.

 Consultant for the Pembina Institute to evaluate the fisheries implications of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline on salmon populations in the Upper Fraser, Skeena and Kitimat Watersheds. Analysis was undertaken on the aquatic impacts associated with construction, operations and accidental spills. 2009.

 Consultant for the Sierra Club of Canada to evaluate the status of sockeye salmon populations in BC. Published reports included: “BC Sockeye Salmon Population Declines: probable causes and recommended response strategies” and “Nass River Salmon Fishery Report Card”. 2006.

Robie Macdonald

Contact :

Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6409 Fax: 250-363-6409 Email : [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Ecosystems Science  Ocean Climate  Physical Oceanography

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Macdonald conducts research on biogeochemical pathways in aquatic systems including the cycling of organic carbon in the ocean, the cycling of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean, and contaminant pathways in temperate and polar aquatic systems. This research is conducted by using biomarkers (e.g., lignins, alkanes, PAH, sterols), stable and radioactive isotopes (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, Δ14C, 210Pb, 137Cs) to determine sources, mechanisms of transport, mechanisms of change, and trends using historical records in sediments. As an approach to synthesis, budgets have been established for a number of substances (freshwater, organic carbon and contaminants) in the Arctic Ocean and the Strait of Georgia by estimating the carrying capacity of various transporting mechanisms from water to air to biota like Pacific salmon and migratory birds. Dr. Macdonald has been a leading player in several international Arctic assessments that have focused on contaminants, climate change and the organic carbon cycle. Aspects of the research are published in numerous co-authored journal articles, book chapters and reports, and one co-edited book on the organic carbon cycle in the Arctic Ocean.

Steve MacDonald

Contact:

Research Scientist, DFO Head Environment and Aquaculture Research Section, DFO Centre for Aquaculture and Ecological Research, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Adjunct Professor, REM and Faculty of Forestry, UBC

Phone: 604-666-7910 Fax: 604-666-1995 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Habitat / Aquatic Environmental Science  Limnology / Freshwater ecology

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Macdonald is the head of the Freshwater Ecosystems Section in the Science Branch of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. He has been a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in the Freshwater Ecosystems Section, since 1982. He is an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia and the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University.

His section investigates a wide variety of freshwater habitat-related issues associated within the fields of forestry, placer mining, industrial pollution, agriculture, and water reservoir withdrawal. Section staff members have skills in ecology, limnology, ethology, stock assessment, biological modeling, and biometrics. Dr. Macdonald and his staff provide scientific advice to stock assessment and habitat management staff within and outside of Fisheries and Oceans. Advice is provided in the form of legal affidavits, ministerial briefing documents, applied research proposals, extension activities, and resource management referrals.

Dr. Macdonald’s primary research interests are trophic ecology and habitat science. His current research involves the investigation of ecosystem processes in watersheds subjected to forest harvesting in the interior of British Columbia. In particular, he is interested in the influence of land-based activities on water temperature and the application of this information to protecting and managing all freshwater life stages of salmonids. He has designed and managed several multi-disciplinary research projects, the latest being the

Stuart-Takla Fish/Forestry Interaction Project which involves representatives from universities, federal and provincial government agencies, the forest industry, and First Nations. These studies have been carried out in collaboration with Erland McIsaac, David Patterson and Herb Herunter plus various students. Most of the research was directed at understanding the effects of suspended sediments on egg fertilization success, temperature and oxygen conditions in sockeye redds, egg incubation and alevin movements, bedload dynamics and gravel quality, and the fate of salmon carcasses in spawning streams.

Erland MacIsaac

Contact:

Head, Fish-Forestry Research Program Co-operative Resource Management Institute Fisheries & Oceans Canada / Pêches et Océans Canada School Resource & Environmental Management Simon Fraser University / Université Simon Fraser 8888 University Drive Burnaby, BC V5A1S6

Phone: 604-666-7917 Fax: 604-666-1995 Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Professor at:

 Simon Fraser University

Centre(s) of Expertise:

 Centre for Aquatic Habitat Research (CAHR)

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Ecosystems Science  Aquatic Habitat / Aquatic Environmental Science  Limnology / Freshwater ecology

Area of Expertise:

Erland is a Research Biologist with the Freshwater Ecosystems Section of the Salmon Assessment & Freshwater Ecosystems Division at Simon Fraser University. He is the head of the Fish-Forestry Program, and an Adjunct Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management, SFU. Mr. MacIsaac has worked extensively on marine productivity in coastal B.C. waters, as well as habitat productivity and food-web dynamics in salmon-rearing freshwaters throughout B.C. His current research focuses on the interactions between forestry activities and fish habitat in the interior watersheds of B.C.

Since 1978, his aquatic habitat research has included various coastal marine, limnological and stream ecology studies:

• Biological oceanography of Georgia Strait and Barkley Sound • Whole-lake fertilization of sockeye salmon nursery lakes • Development of salmon habitat indicators

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• Impacts of freshwater lake-cage aquaculture • Impacts of logging & land-use activities on salmonid stream ecology • Paleolimnology of sockeye nursery lakes • Effects of salmon carcasses on habitat productivity

He collaborates closely with University and Provincial Government researchers and engages students from the Biology Department and School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU to work on practical problems of salmon habitat and productivity. He also manages the low-level nutrient analytical lab at the Cultus Lake Salmon Research Lab, providing unique freshwater chemistry analyses for DFO freshwater habitat research.

Erland has been involved with a number of sockeye spawning ground studies done at the multi-partnered Stuart-Takla fish-forestry research project http://waves-vagues.dfo- mpo.gc.ca/waves-vagues/search-recherche/display-afficher/329257. These studies have been carried out in collaboration with Herb Herunter, David Patterson and Steve MacDonald plus various students. Most of the research was directed at understanding the effects of suspended sediments on egg fertilization success, temperature and oxygen conditions in sockeye redds, egg incubation and alevin movements, bedload dynamics and gravel quality, and the fate of salmon carcasses in spawning streams.

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Dave Mackas

Contact:

Research Scientist, Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6442 Fax: 250-363-6690 Email : [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Aquatic Ecosystems Science  Biological Oceanography

Area of Expertise:

Dave studies the ecology of zooplankton and phytoplankton. Some examples of the kinds of questions they are answering:

 What kinds of plankton are most important in ocean waters off British Columbia,  Where and when they are normally most abundant (spatial and seasonal patterns),  Extent and cause of variations from these average patterns,  Availability and value as food to harvested fish species and resulting effects on fishery yield,  Sensitivity of productive regions and time periods to environmental change. The OSD zooplankton group, (Mackas, Yelland, Galbraith and Kelly Young on temp) monitor zooplankton from west coast Vancouver Island, Line P, and (only recently) the Strait of Georgia. Results are updated annually in the FOWG State of the ocean Report, edited currently by Crawford and Irvine.

They have been carrying out a Strait of Georgia zooplankton data recovery/consolidation project since 2008. Zooplankton have been sampled in the Strait of Georgia for over 40 years through a variety of different programs and personnel. This project has been carried out to consolidate recoverable zooplankton data into a secure and single digital data archive and to perform quality control, document meta-data characteristics and classify the

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intercomparable samples into statistical categories based on season (month of sampling), depth, horizontal location and taxonomic resolution.

The following effort was made in two major steps: calculate climatologies (monthly geometric averages across years of available monthly data within a region) for the above spatial classifications and taxa; calculate “anomaly time series” that quantify log-scale deviations of the data from their respective climatologies. Both approaches suggest a large change in the Strait of Georgia zooplankton community before and after 1998-2000. This change involves both decreases in total biomass of copepods and other crustaceans, and changes in species composition within the major taxonomic categories such that the decade from 2000-2009 may have provided a “lean cuisine” diet for plantivorous predators. Plankton samples were collected by the Strait of Georgia program on numerous occasions between 1990 and 2010. The biggest recent contributor has been Marc Trudel from both the outer coast and Strait of Georgia. Additional big contributors to these data are Jake Schweigert’s group, plus Uvic and UBC.

The collections are from a variety of projects, time, and areas and were collected from different vessels and with different crew. In general, samples were collected from 50m and 200m+. There were 13 stations in the Strait of Georgia that were sampled from bi-weekly to occasionally depending on location and year. Only a portion of the collected samples have been analyzed and the data from this have been collated into an Access database. Analysis of these data is ongoing.

When this is completed the database will be transferred to IOS to be included in the DFO plankton database. A second and valuable source of information is in samples that were collected but have not been analyzed. These samples were collected throughout the Strait of Georgia, at 50m and 200m+ and across multiple years.

Once fully incorporated, there will be a set of data that can be used to test the hypothesis that there has been a major change in the relative abundance of Neocalanus plumchrus from the early 1970s to the late 1990s.

Two papers have been recently submitted to the Progress in Oceanography special issue on the Strait of Georgia - Li et al.’s analysis of the 0-50m samples collected around the margin of the Strait, and Mackas et al.‘s analysis of the deep mid-strait samples.

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Steve Maclellan

Contact:

Cultus Lake Salmon Research Laboratory, 4222 Columbia Valley Highway, Cultus Lake, BC V2R 5B6

Phone: 604-824-4703 Fax: 604-858-3757 Email : [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Limnology / Freshwater ecology  Hydroacoustics

Area of Expertise:

Mr. MacLellan is currently with the Fraser Lakes Unit of the Freshwater Ecosystems Section where he is working as a research technician. He is responsible for planning and conducting hydroacoustic and trawl net surveys of sockeye rearing lakes for the purpose of estimating sockeye fry densities, populations, and distribution. He is also responsible for processing fish samples, data analysis, and database development and maintenance. In addition, Mr. MacLellan acts as computer/network support for this unit. Mr. MacLellan is originally from the Maritimes and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Science of Forestry, with a major in wildlife management, at the University of New Brunswick. He has also completed a Diploma in Data Processing at Fraser Valley College. He has been employed with the Department’s Science Branch at Cultus Lake Laboratory since 1987. Previous to that Mr. MacLellan worked as a Forestry Technician for the Ministry of Forests, and as a Fisheries Technician for the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission. He has field and laboratory experience in a variety of fisheries research activities including limnology, hydroacoustics, fish sampling, zooplankton, and data analysis. He is familiar with the various instruments used in these activities including echosounders, oscilloscopes, computers, balances, microscopes, analysis software, fish capture gear, boats, data loggers, and zooplankton nets. In summary, Mr. MacLellan has vocational and educational backgrounds in fisheries, forestry, and data processing.

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Eduardo Martins

Contact:

Centre for Applied Conservation Research Forest Sciences Centre University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada

Phone: 604-822-1969 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Climate change and fish migration  Modeling

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Eduardo Martins is a post-doctoral fellow in UBC’s Department of Forest Sciences. He was senior author of a report on the effects of river temperature and climate warming on stock-specific survival of adult migrating Fraser River sockeye salmon. He recently attended the International Symposium on Climate Change Effects on Fish and Fisheries in Sendai, Japan where he delivered a paper on effects of river temperature and climate warming on Fraser sockeye.

The goals of his research are to develop and parameterize models to evaluate the relationship between thermal experience of sockeye salmon and their fate during the spawning migration. These models will be used to simulate future survival of Fraser River sockeye salmon under an expected climate change scenario. He also aims to compare mortality estimates obtained from field data to that obtained in lab studies that simulate migration under different temperatures.

Recent work includes:

Martins EG, Hinch SG, Patterson DA, Hague MJ, Cooke SJ, Miller KM, Lapointe MF, English KK, Farrell AP. 2011. Effects of river temperature and climate warming on stock-specific survival of adult migrating Fraser River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Glob. Change Biol. 17(1): 99-114

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Diane Masson

Contact :

Ocean Sciences Division Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C., Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6521 Fax: 250-363-6746 E-mail : [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Physical Oceanography  Coastal oceanography  Ocean surface waves

Area of Expertise:

Diane is a research scientist with the Ocean Sciences division at the Institute of Ocean Sciences and has recently been involved with the Strait of Georgia Ecosystem Research Initiative http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/oceans/detroit-Georgia-strait/index- eng.htm. As part of this project, Diane was involved in developing an application of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) for the Strait of Georgia. This model is the ocean dynamics component of an end-to-end modeling system. The model is forced by freshwater inflow from major rivers, tidal forcing and seasonal climatology at open boundaries, as well as wind stress and heat flux at the ocean surface. The model is being developed to reproduce realistic circulation features and water properties (temperature and salinity) for the Straits of Georgia and Juan Fuca over a typical seasonal cycle as well as to capture year to year variability. Because the model output is used to force a lower trophic model, simulating a realistic near surface stratification is a primary concern. As such, one needs to force the model with a realistic wind stress and new wind stress field were prepared using hourly data for 30 local wind observation stations. The measured wind stress vectors were interpolated onto the model grid using a thin plate radial basis function. Using the improved hourly wind stress, a yearly simulation was successfully completed for 2007.

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Asit Mazumder

Contact:

Dr Azit Mazumder Professor University of Victoria V Victoria BC V8W 2Y2 Canada

Office: CUNN 028a Phone: 250-472-4789 Lab: CUNN 020 Phone: 250-721-6150 Email: [email protected] Lab Home Page

Research Area(s):

 Ecosystem and Watershed Ecology of Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems  Nutrient foodwebs of Pacific salmon

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Mazumder’s research interest is to understand and model nutrient-foodweb dynamics of freshwater and marine ecosystems, and associated patterns of water quality, fisheries productivity, fate and transport of nutrients, energy and contaminants along aquatic foodwebs, and aquatic diversity. During the last decade, his research team has been approaching these fundamental ecological concepts and theories using ecosystem-level projects in coastal and interior BC, Alaska, northern Quebec and Ontario. Some of these projects are: nutrient limitation of aquatic productivity in coastal and interior lakes, delineation of aquatic foodweb structure and sources of energy along aquatic foodwebs using stable isotope geochemistry, linkages among foodweb structure, energy transfer efficiency and Hg accumulation in plankton and fish, ecosystem level impacts of fish farm on contaminants in traditional seafoods of aboriginal people, fish farm impacts on sea lice infection of juvenile Pacific salmon, nutrient-foodweb ecology of sockeye salmon ecosystems in Alaska and BC, foodweb dynamics and trophic interactions among juvenile Pacific salmon in the Bering Sea Ecosystem, resource partitioning between brook trout and juvenile Atlantic salmon in northern Québec streams, and the impact of selective sport fishing on foodweb structure, resource allocation and Hg accumulation in lake trout of selected Ontario lakes.

One of his current major research programs is on the nutrient-foodweb of juvenile salmon in freshwater and marine ecosystems. His current projects include nutrient-foodweb ecology of sockeye lake systems in BC and Alaska, and continental-scale nutrient-foodweb

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and resource ecology of juvenile Pacific salmon along the coastal ecosystems of Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to northern Alaska.

During the last two/three decades, the productivity of Pacific salmon has been declining from southern British Columbia to central California, with the disappearance of several stocks, which might be linked to large-scale changes in ocean conditions and associated variability in temperature, nutrients, quantity and quality of zooplankton, forage fish and predator assemblages. Understanding and modeling the feeding, foodweb and resource ecology of juvenile salmon on a continental scale have never been done because it needs coordination of ocean cruises conducted by Canadian and US federal departments, significant funding for cruises, integration of inter-disciplinary expertise, and human resources. To achieve this scale of comparative modeling, it is critical to establish collaborative agreements among all the federal fisheries centers in Canada and USA along the west coast to follow standardized protocols for sample collection and processing. His current focus is to understand and model the continental-scale variability in: 1) nitrogen and carbon dynamics using N and C isotope signatures of zooplankton, and foodweb dynamics and trophic interactions of juvenile salmon; 2) feeding ecology of juvenile salmon from gut content analyses; and 3) juvenile salmon growth using scales and otoliths and its link to food quality and food web structure.

Partners for this project include NSERC, DFO (PBS), NOAA (Alaska, Oregon/Washington and Santa Cruz).

Another major research focus is on the dynamics and mobilization of organochlorine compounds and mercury in the foodwebs freshwater and marine ecosystems. Current projects include the impacts of selective sport fishing on foodweb dynamics and Hg accumulation in lake trout in Ontario lakes, patterns of Hg accumulation in sport fishes of coastal BC lakes, patterns of metal accumulation in ocean rockfish, and on the impacts of fish farm wastes on contaminants in traditional seafoods of aboriginal communities.

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Don McQueen

Contact: 125 Pirates Lane, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 6R1, Canada

Tel: 250 754 0639 Fax: 250 754 0679 E-mail: [email protected]

Research Area(s):

 Freshwater Ecology  Enhancement of juvenile sockeye; lake fertilization studies

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Donald McQueen is an Emeritus Research Professor of Biology, York University and Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University. He grew up in West Vancouver, spending his formative years in small boats on the Sunshine Coast. After completing his PhD at UBC, Dr. McQueen joined the Faculty of York University, where he and his graduate students authored over 100 scientific papers on lake eutrophication, mercury contamination, aquatic food web structure, coastal lake fertilization and enhancement of juvenile sockeye. He and his partner returned to BC when he retired in 1991 and now live on Protection Island. Dr. McQueen continues to work with the Namgis First Nation, Okanagan Nation Alliance and DFO on a number of scientific issues regarding sockeye salmon and nursery lakes.

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Kristi Miller-Saunders

Contact: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station 3190 Hammond Bay Rd, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-7155 Fax: 250-756-7053 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Biotechnology/ Genomics  Fish Population Science

Area of Expertise:

Kristi has overseen a diverse molecular genetics research program within DFO for 20 years. The overarching goal of her program is the development and application of molecular genetic tools that can be applied towards sustainable fisheries management and aquaculture development of aquatic species.

Much of Dr. Miller's program has focused on adaptive genetic and phenotypic variation. Her lab has conducted extensive genetic research on major histocompatibility complex (MHC). These genes play a critical role in pathogen recognition in acquired immunity and are under strong selection pressure to maintain diversity; populations with low levels of diversity at MHC may carry a greater risk of extirpation when exposed to novel infectious diseases. Her research on MHC revealed species-wide patterns of diversity of MHC in sockeye and coho salmon, information that has been incorporated into the genetic stock ID program, and has identified susceptibility alleles for specific pathogens.

In 2004, Dr. Miller initiated the formation of a new functional genomics program within the Molecular Genetics Laboratory, expanding the research on adaptive evolution to include the molecular control of phenotypic adaptation. Microarrays, a technology which uses the activity of the genes to conduct genome-wide physiological assessments, are the mainstay of this research program. Microarray studies have included species-specific salmonid host response to the IHN virus, aimed at elucidating effective host responses for targeted vaccine research, elucidation of the genomic signature associated with a jaundice syndrome in Chinook salmon, to determine whether the disease etiology is more likely viral or toxicant induced, and salmon migration physiology, to identify physiological profiles associated poor

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performance of wild salmon populations. The latter studies on migration physiology in return migrating adults and out-migrating smolts have revealed a suite of genomic signatures in co-migrating salmon showing strong differential regulation of immune-related pathways, some of which are likely induced by a response to infectious disease agents. These findings led Miller's group to actively pursue further research on the role of infectious disease in wild fish.

Current research that is relevant to Salish Sea includes:

 Microarray research to discover physiological stressors that may undermine performance of smolts in the early marine environment. Contrasts between years of good and poor ocean conditions, stocks with declining, maintaining, and increasing levels of productivity, and hatchery and wild stocks are of particular interest in this program.

 Molecular analysis of harmful algal bloom species potentially affecting performance of wild smolts in the early marine environment.

 Strategic salmon health initiative led by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and funded by Genome BC that seeks to discover the pathogens and potential diseases that may undermine the productivity and performance of BC salmon. This is a transboundary program involving researchers in Canada and the US.

 Ocean acidification impacts on the condition and performance of aquatic species in the Salish Sea, with special emphasis on shellfish aquaculture. Again, this is a transboundary project involving shellfish companies in the US and Canada.

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Jonathan Moore

Contact:

Assistant Professor Liber Ero Chair Simon Fraser University Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6 Canada

Phone: 778-782-9246 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Conservation and ecology of aquatic systems

Area of Expertise:

Dr. Moore’s interests lie in the dynamics of aquatic ecosystems--how do systems function, and how human activities impact that function. He works primarily in stream and lake systems. Although his focus is generally on food webs, he draws from multiple perspectives, applying theories and approaches from evolutionary, ecosystem, food-web, and community ecology viewpoints. Active areas of research include:

 Invasive species. Dr. Moore and his research group are interested in documenting invasive species and the impacts those invasive species have on native food webs and ecosystems. He has worked on New Zealand mudsnails, invasive crayfish, and snakehead.  Salmon population dynamics and resilience. Dr. Moore is interested in the stability and resilience of salmonids populations, asking questions such as: How does life-history diversity contribute to stability of salmonid populations? What are the interactions between resident and anadromous varieties of species that can both migrate or stay in fresh waters?  Biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems. Dr. Moore is interested in quantifying how freshwater biodiversity is altered by both invasion and extinction, and how these community changes alter ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. In addition to large data synthesis projects, Dr. Moore also has on-going projects examining patterns of freshwater fish communities in urban streams in the greater Vancouver, B.C. area.  Stable isotopes and mixing models. Stable isotopes are an increasingly important tool in scientists tool box. Dr. Moore and collaborators are actively working on quantitative tools for stable isotope analysis and their applications. For example, Dr. Moore and colleagues is using isotopes and mixing models to quantify cryptic migrations of coastal fish.

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Peter Olesiuk

Contact:

Pacific Biological Station Fisheries and Oceans Canada 3190 Hammond Bay Road Nanaimo, BC Canada V9T 6N7

Fax: 250-756-7053 Email: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Seals and Sea lion ecology & behaviour

Area of Expertise:

Peter Olesiuk, a Research Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is Head of Seal and Sea Lion Research Programs in Pacific Region. Peter’s recent work in the Strait of Georgia is to examine the interaction between Harbour seals and Pacific hake and herring populations. This work involves telemetry to examine behavioural data, collection of information on prey of seals, and development of bioenergetics models.

Together with Jake Schweigert, Peter has been working with the Strait of Georgia ERI program. The two main objectives of their study were to synthesize and model information on the abundance, population dynamics, bioenergetics and diet of harbour seals in the Strait of Georgia and to update abundance and activity levels with telemetry. The behavioural data will be used to update bioenergetics models and survey correction factors both of which had been developed in the 1990s when the seal population was still increasing. Preliminary analysis of data from recent instrument deployments indicate that seals are now making more extensive movements and spending more time foraging than they were in the 1990s. They also continued to explore the interactions between seals and their prey.

Based on harbour seal population trends and bioenergetics models, it is estimated that seals in the Strait of Georgia currently consume about 8,100 tonnes of prey annually, compared with about 500 tonnes in 1970. Based on the proportion of herring in the diet and herring stock assessment models, its estimated that seals consumed 1.3% to 19.3% of the herring spawning biomass annually. Predation levels increased during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s as seal populations grew, but predation levels also fluctuated due to changes in herring abundance levels. There appears to be an inverse relation between herring survival rates and seal predation levels, especially for older age-classes of herring. This suggests that

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seals have a greater impact on older age-classes, presumably because they are targeting larger fish. Selective predation on larger fish may also be contributing to an observed decline in the mean weight at age of herring over time. Based on the proportion of hake in the diet and the hake biomass surveys, it is estimated that seals consumed 3% to 31% of the hake biomass annually. Predation levels appear to have increased sharply over this period due to the rapid growth of seal populations as well as a slight decline in hake biomass. There has also been a decline in the size-at-age of hake over time similar to that observed in herring, again suggesting that seals might be selectively targeting larger hake. Hake less than 40cm feed primarily on euphausids, whereas hake larger than 40cm include fish in their diet. As a result of the decline in size of Strait of Georgia hake, there has also been a shift in their diet from fish to euphasids. The reduced predation of hake on juvenile hake and herring appears to have resulted in improved recruitment levels to these stocks, which to some degree offsets the increased predation on larger hake and herring by seals. These interactions are being modelled to assess the extent to which seals have displaced hake as the main fish predator in the Strait of Georgia, and the consequences of reduced predation on smaller fish by hake and increased predation on larger fish by seals.

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Evgeny Pakhomov

Contact:

Associate Professor Biological & Fisheries Oceanography UBC Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, 6339 Stores Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4.

Phone: 604-827-5564 E-mail: [email protected]

Field(s) of Research:

 Feeding ecophysiology of aquatic invertebrates and fishes  Antarctic ecology  Antarctic krill biology  Tunicate biology  Fishery ecology  Stable isotope ecology

Area of Expertise:

Evgeny is a biological oceanographer with a broad range of interests covering topics from species ecology, at the level from zooplankton to fish, to ecosystem structure as well as physical-biological and biochemical coupling. Most of his research has been done in the Southern Ocean. Recently, he has developed interests in stable isotope ecology, in particular in techniques that use compound specific measurements to reconstruct trophic pathways in pelagic ecosystems. During the past several years, he has also been involved in research studying variability and responses of marine ecosystems to climate change using stable isotopes, large-scale and retrospective analyses. His secondary research interests concentrate on projects studying the land-sea interface, particularly how land use and population density in catchments affect the stable isotope ecology of riverine, estuarine and coastal ecosystems.

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David Patterson

Contact:

Research Biologist Freshwater Ecosystems Section Fisheries & Oceans Canada Co-operative Resource Management Institute c/o REM, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6 Canada

Phone: 604-666-5671 Fax: 604-666-1995 E-mail: [email protected]

Centre(s) of Expertise:

 Centre for Aquatic Habitat Research (CAHR)

Other Useful Links

Burrard Inlet Estuary Management Program: http://www.bieapfremp.org/main_bieap.html

Fraser River Estuary Management Program: http://www.bieapfremp.org/main_fremp.html

Marine Ecosystem Observatories in the coastal waters of British Columbia: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sci/ecobuoys/default.htm

Environmental Groups 1. David Suzuki Foundation.

Contact:

Jeffery Young David Suzuki Foundation Phone: 604-732-4228 Cell: 604-764-6142 (cell) Email: [email protected]

Jeffery Young is an aquatic Biologist at David Suzuki Foundation. Has been involved in studies of migration of adult sockeye salmon, conservation units etc.

2. The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform

This group is focused on the effect of aquaculture on wild salmon.

3. The Fraser Riverkeeper Society

This group focuses on water quality and fish habitat of the Fraser River; it patrols by boat, responds to citizen complaints of pollution, and seeks enforcement of environmental laws.

4.The Georgia Strait Alliance

The GSA is a charity dedicated to protecting and restoring the marine environment, and promoting the sustainability of the Strait and its adjoining waters.

Contact:

Christianne Wilhelmson Executive Director

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#201 -195 Commercial St., Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G5 Phone: 250-753-3459 Fax: 250-753-2567 email:[email protected] [email protected] http://www.georgiastrait.org

5. The Raincoast Conservation Foundation

The Raincoast Conservation Foundation seeks to investigate and understand coastal species and ecological pressures, and its flagship project is the Wild Salmon Program.

6.The Watershed Watch Salmon Society

This group works to protect and restore B.C.’s wild salmon through scientific expertise, strategic alliances, and community outreach.

Contact:

Dr. Craig Orr

Craig Orr, Ph.D. Watershed Watch Salmon Society 1037 Madore Avenue, Coquitlam, BC V3K 3B7 Phone: 604-936-9474 Cell: 604-809-2799 Email: [email protected] www.watershed-watch.org

Aaron Hill

Aaron Hill, Ecologist, Watershed Watch Salmon Society [email protected] (250) 818-0054

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Appendix 1 Program Details

Ewatch Program Details David Patterson

Objective 1: Monitoring, analysis, and forecasting of Fraser River environmental conditions

Environmental Monitoring Programs

The EWatch program has been responsible for near-continuous monitoring of fresh water temperatures along key sockeye salmon migration routes since the early 1990’s. This temperature network consists of a combination of real-time and non real-time logger stations distributed from the lower Fraser River as far north as Stuart River. Since 2006 the program has partnered with Environment Canada Water Survey Canada (WSC) to provide real-time access to an expanded network of water temperature, and flow, stations throughout the basin. We currently collect water temperature from approximately 15 DFO stations and 10 WSC stations (see Fig. 1) on an annual basis with additional stations added as required for specific projects. Thermistor chains have also been installed in some of the major lake systems to provide temperature-depth profiling. Some of this temperature data is currently publically available and published in DFO technical and data report series (Lauzier et al. 1995; Barnes and Walthers 1997; Brown et al. 1998; Barnes and Magnusson 2000; Patterson et al. 2007; Hague et al. 2008; Macdonald et al. 2007).

In addition to stationary data loggers, the EWatch program has also collected data on fresh water thermal profiles for individual migrating adult salmon. Temperature loggers are attached to radio transmitters and then collected from fish recovered in river fisheries or on the spawning grounds. These data provide accurate information on actual temperature experiences and can be used to construct biologically realistic migration models (Donaldson et al. 2009). Furthermore, comparison of observed temperature profiles and those reconstructed from the stationary loggers validates the use of historic logger data to model thermal fresh water experiences.

We have also engaged in significant data recovery efforts over the previous two years in order to convert historic temperature records collected by the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission (IPSFC; now the Pacific Salmon Commission, PSC) to electronic files. We are currently vetting both the historic and current temperature time series into through a standardised quality assurance procedure and working with multi-regional DFO partners to develop a permanent, nationally accessible repository for fresh water temperature data (Thompson et al. 2010).

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The monitoring of fresh water temperature data is essential to understand the impact of river environment, both current and future, on salmon survival. As such, water temperature data collected by the EWatch program is in high demand from academics, environmental consultants and other government agencies. This information has been used in the development of DFO environmental (Foreman et al. 2001; Morrison et al. 2002; Morrison 2005; Morrison and Foreman 2005; Patterson and Hague 2007) and management (Hague and Patterson 2007; Hague and Patterson 2008; Cummings 2009; Macdonald et al. in press) forecasting models [see Objective 3]. These data have also been used as predictor variables in multiple studies of migratory success [see references below].

Environmental Forecasting

The EWatch program currently generates forecasts of Fraser River environmental conditions on three different time-scales:

(1) short-term (~days)

(2) medium-term (~months)

(3) long-term (~years)

Both short-term (Morrison 2005; Morrison and Foreman 2005; Ch. 2 in Hague and Patterson 2008) and medium-term (Patterson 2005; Patterson and Hague 2007) environmental models are used to forecast average lower-river temperature and flow conditions experienced by major Fraser River sockeye salmon management groups. This information is then incorporated into in-season and pre-season management adjustment (MA) models, respectively, which are run by the Pacific Salmon Commission [see Objective 3]. These forecasts can be used to guide pre-season fishery planning given the expected environmental conditions in the river and their potential impact on returning adult salmon. Short-term (10-day) environmental forecasts are typically generated in-season using physical models (Morrison 2005; Morrison and Foreman 2005); although statistical models have also been considered in some years (Ch. 2 in Hague and Patterson 2008). Medium- term forecasts are based on regression relationships between meteorological, hydrological and river environmental variables and are usually generated 2-3 months prior to the first sockeye salmon returning to the Fraser River (Patterson 2005; Patterson and Hague 2007).

The EWatch program has also been involved with, indirectly, generation of long-term forecasts of Fraser Basin temperature and flow conditions (Morrison et al. 2002; Ferrari et al. 2007; Hague and Patterson 2009). Global-scale meteorological forecasts generated from global climate models are downscaled and used to simulate possible changes to fresh water migration conditions and impacts on salmon migratory success under future warming scenarios (Hague and Patterson 2009).

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Objective 2: Research on migration biology of Pacific salmon

Publication Overview

The research on migration biology of Pacific salmon is broad in nature but EWatch program research has been centred on examining the biological impact of different freshwater environmental conditions on migratory and reproductive success. Major advancements in the knowledge of migration biology of sockeye salmon have occurred in recent years. The level of detail involved in these studies is beyond the scope of the current overview, but the following publications highlight the involvement of the EWatch program in several areas relating to migration biology:

 Quantifying in-river mortality: Cooke et al. 2005; Cooke et al. 2006a; Patterson et al. 2007a; Hague and Patterson 2008; Macdonald et al. in press

 Migration behaviour: Cooke et al. 2004; Cooke et al. 2006b; Magnoni et al. 2006; Wagner et al. 2006; Crossin et al. 2007; Cooke et al. 2008a,b; Hanson et al. 2008; Pon et al. 2009b, Donaldson et al. in press

 Migration physiology: Patterson et al. 2004b; Shrimpton et al. 2005; Miller et al. 2007; Cooke et al. 2008b; Crossin et al. 2009a; Miller et al. 2009; Clarke et al. in press

 Flow impacts: Macdonald et al. 2007; Hasler et al. 2009; Pon et al. 2009a

 Thermal ecology: Young et al. 2006; Patterson et al. 2007b; Farrell et al. 2008; Donaldson et al. 2009; Mathes et al. 2010

 Temperature and disease progression: Wagner et al. 2005; Crossin et al. 2008; Bradford et al. in press

 Sub-lethal fishing impacts: Cooke et al. 2009

 Climate impacts on migration success: Morrison et al. 2002; Rand et al. 2006; Hague and Patterson 2009

 Reproductive development and success: Patterson et al. 2004a; Patterson 2005; Crossin et al. 2009a,b

 Intergenerational effects; parental condition and offspring fitness: Patterson et al. 2004a; Patterson and Hague 2008; Nadeau et al. 2009; Tierney et al. 2009

In partial response to previous sockeye salmon reviews, two main areas of research for the EWatch program have included: (1) temperature impacts on salmon migration success, and (2) Late-run migration behaviour. More specific information on each of these topics is provided below.

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Temperature impacts on salmon during spawning migration

It has been well recognised that sockeye salmon in the Fraser River are vulnerable to high river temperatures during their once-in-a lifetime upstream adult migration (Macdonald et al. 2000; Crossin et al. 2008; Farrell et al. 2008). The impact of high temperatures on salmon is a combination of the absolute temperature to which the fish are exposed and the duration of exposure itself. Extreme high temperatures for short periods can lead to thermal shock and mortality (e.g. Servizi and Jensen 1977) while continued exposure to high temperatures over extended periods can elicit a variety of stress responses leading to chronic sub-lethal impacts such as disease progression, changes in migration behaviour, decreased swim performance and altered reproductive success (see Macdonald et al. in press). The singular and/or cumulative effects of these temperature mediated impacts have been related to migration mortality for Fraser sockeye salmon. Moreover, thermal sensitivity appears to be a population specific trait and is likely a function of adaptation to ambient temperatures (Farrell et al. 2008). For more detailed examples please see the references in the list below flagged as “temperature impacts” (T).

Research into Late-run migration behaviour

Since 1995, the aggregate of sockeye salmon spawning populations known collectively as Late-run management group, has been entering the Fraser River approximately 2-6 weeks earlier by shortening their traditional holding phase in the Strait of Georgia. However, there has been no change in timing of arrival at the Strait of Georgia or in the time of peak spawn. As a result, Late-run sockeye salmon now exhibit holding behaviour in warm freshwater environments near their spawning grounds instead of holding in the cooler waters of the Strait. This shift has resulted in Late-run fish being exposed to higher river temperatures for a longer duration in fresh water than prior to 1995. Associated with this shift towards early river entry has been a dramatic increase in both en route and pre-spawn mortality (See Cooke et al. 2004).

The causes for the change in river entry behaviour and its consequences have been extensively studied over the past nine years through a combination of radio tagging, acoustic tagging, field biological sampling, and controlled laboratory experiments (see reference list below). However, while there has been general agreement on some of the key mechanisms underlying the high mortality prior to spawning, there has not been consensus on the fundamental causes behind the shift in the behaviour (see Hinch and Gardner 2009 review). The mechanisms linking Late-run in-river mortality to their change in migratory behaviour are consistent with known impacts of continued exposure to high temperatures and the interaction with disease progression in fresh water. For more detailed examples please see selected publication list below flagged as Late run research (LR).

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Objective 3: Quantitative modeling of salmon migration behaviour and success

Management Adjustment Models

In years of extreme temperature and flow, large discrepancies between sockeye salmon spawning escapements estimated in the lower Fraser River (at Mission) and spawning escapements measured on the spawning grounds have been associated with increased in- river mortality. Forecasts of escapement discrepancies are used to adjust the total allowable catch of Fraser River sockeye salmon to account for the anticipated mortality during spawning migration. These harvest, or management, adjustments (MAs) are applied to the total allowable catch to increase the probability of achieving escapement targets on the spawning grounds. Since 2002, the EWatch program has used observed and forecasted in- river environmental conditions to produce pre-season and in-season forecasts of management adjustments. Extensive research has been conducted by the EWatch program, in collaboration with graduate students and faculty at Simon Fraser University, and scientists at the Pacific Salmon Commission, to develop the most accurate MA models possible (Hague and Patterson 2007; Hague and Patterson 2008; Cummings 2009; Macdonald et al. in press). Iterative model selection protocols have been created that easily allow scientists to re-assess a wide variety of model structures, performance measures and predictor variables. Some examples of analyses conducted to date include:

(a) statistical validation of environmental variables in MA models

(b) incorporation of uncertainties in environmental forecasts

(d) daily vs. monthly resolution environmental predictor variables

(e) model fitting exercises (e.g. comparing predicted vs. observed values from multiple MA models)

(f) model validation (i.e. forecasting power)

Through these analyses we have confirmed the value of using environmental variables to forecast MAs and have highlighted the need for different model structures pre-, in-, and post-season and for different sockeye salmon management groups. We continue to collaborate with the Pacific Salmon Commission on an annual basis to identify the most appropriate suite of forecasting models and to investigate new approaches for including known uncertainties in the data and model predictions.

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Climate Change and Migratory Success

Warming temperature conditions have already been documented in the Fraser River (Patterson et al. 2007a), and have been associated with increased frequency of high in-river losses of sockeye salmon (Macdonald et al. in press). Increasing temperature trends, in combination with shifting hydrological regimes, are expected to continue under climate change scenarios for the Fraser Basin (Morrison et al. 2002; Ferrari et al. 2007). As such, a recent focus of the EWatch program has been to combine downscaled climate scenarios for the Fraser River with models that predict absolute or relative indices of migratory success (Hague and Patterson 2009). Modelling approaches have included the development of physiological constraint relationships (i.e. defining critical thermal thresholds related to the physiological limits of the fish) and temperature-survival curves derived from radio tagging data (Hague and Patterson 2009). Both studies suggest that responses to climate change will likely vary on a population level as a function of fish behaviour (e.g. river entry timing), physiology, and historic levels of exposure (Farrell et al. 2008).

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Steven Cooke Carleton- Increasing the sustainability of multi-sector Pacific salmon fisheries in coastal rivers of British Columbia by quantifying and reducing mortality of released fish.

Background

Abundant and sustainable Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) stocks are important economically, ecologically, culturally and politically to Canada. The six species of Pacific salmon (i.e, coho, Chinook, sockeye, pink, chum and steelhead) represent some of Canada’s last remaining large fisheries on wild fish. New federal fisheries policy and management strategies have shifted large amounts of salmon harvesting from marine to coastal river locations where First Nations, recreational, and commercial fisheries all occur. Despite the use of different gear (e.g. gillnets, beach seines, angling), all sectors involved in freshwater Pacific salmon fisheries will capture non-targeted or non-desirable fish. Being able to release these fish and ensure their survivability is paramount to achieve harvest allocations, stock conservation, and the sustainability of these fisheries. The NSERC SG is focused on the multi-sector multi-species fishery in the lower Fraser River. Our first objective (Objective 1) was to provide information to fisheries managers and fishers on mortality of freshwater migrating adult Pacific salmon associated with release after capture (hence forth termed ‘delayed mortality’) using different fishing gears and practices. Our second objective (Objective 2) is to identify and test potential strategies for improving recovery of fish released from different fishing gears in order to recommend potential best practices for minimizing delayed mortality. We will evaluate different recovery gear and determine if simple reflex-impairment metrics can be predictive of recovery and delayed mortality potential. To achieve these objectives we propose field studies and controlled experiments to quantify mortality rates, sublethal consequences (behaviour, physiology, and injury) and recovery potential with different methods of fish capture, handling, and recovery. Our third objective (Objective 3) is to determine perceptions of potential threats or benefits that our results may have on the different fishing sectors – information which can be used to refine the delivery and implementation of management actions based on our results. The current management process does not have and therefore cannot use scientifically defensible estimates for post-release mortality for different species caught in the multi-sector fisheries. This situation has created acrimonious relationships among the users groups with each group being suspicious of the incidental harm or mortality being inflicted by the other fishing groups. Collectively, the proposed research will provide information to management agencies to reduce uncertainty in current management approaches and provide fishers with increased fishing opportunities and associated harvest. Although the work will be restricted to the lower Fraser River, the findings will apply to other coastal river fisheries for Pacific salmon across BC and indeed throughout the Pacific northwest.

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Overall Status

We have made significant progress in addressing all three objectives (see below for details). In some cases we have revised specific projects as a result of input from our partners or as a result of biological variation in run sizes or management actions (e.g., closed or opened fisheries). Feed back from the referees on the grant encouraged us to explore the fitness correlates of stress and injury where possible. As such, in year 1 we developed several additional projects that were intended to examine the direct fitness consequences of different stressors and injury on salmon as they approached spawning grounds. That work has already revealed that by the time Pacific salmon approach spawning grounds (e.g., arrival or immediately pre-arrival) they are very hardy, despite their ongoing senescence, likely a consequence of low water temperatures, resistance to injury (i.e., scales have fused), and having an immense drive to spawn at all costs – these fish are semelparous so have only opportunity in their life to reproduce. We are continuing to pursue this question of fitness impacts and, based on suggestions of our DFO partners, the influence of capture location (e.g., river entry or partway through the migration) on survival. We have also been responsive to various research opportunities that have arisen during the study period. For example, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and DFO have funded a hooking mortality study on sockeye salmon which is directly relevant to our project. We have been able to add a telemetry component to that study, thus providing a reliable measure of long-term post release mortality. The reason that we have been able to be responsive to these opportunities is largely as a result of the close collaborations that we have with our partner (DFO Resource Management Branch) and other stakeholder groups and organizations in the Fraser Valley (e.g., Pacific Salmon Foundation, Pacific Salmon Commission, DFO Science Branch, Chehalis First Nations).

Objective 1 – To provide information to fisheries managers and fishers on mortality of freshwater migrating adult Pacific salmon associated with release after capture using different fishing gears and practices.

Progress:We have made good progross in examining post-release survival (as well as sublethal metrics such as behaviour and physiology) on endangered interior coho in the mainstem Fraser, summer-run and late-run sockeye in the mainstem Fraser, late run Weaver sockeye in the Harrison River, and Weaver sockeye, pink and chum salmon upon arrival at Weaver Creek spawning channel. In the lab we have also generated thermal- specific mortality estimates for summer and late-run sockeye salmon and coho salmon.

Study 1 – Examination of sockeye salmon post-angling mortality: This study examined the physiological condition, post-release behaviour and survival of adult migrating sockeye salmon in the Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada in collaboration with DFO and J.O. Thomas and Associates (an environmental consulting company). Fish were captured by either beach seine or angling and released immediately, or were captured by angling and released following a 24-h recovery period in a net pen. Before release, all salmon were

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biopsied or tagged with radio telemetry transmitters. Capture by either angling or beach seine with immediate release resulted in > 95 % survival 24 h after release, whereas net pen recovery after angling resulted in ~ 80 % survival. This differential in survival was similarly expressed in the percentage of released fish reaching natal sub-watersheds, with 52.2 % and 36.3 % of fish immediately released by beach seine and angling reaching natal sub- watersheds, respectively, compared with 2.9 % of fish released after angling and net pen recovery. Blood plasma stress indices reflected the 10-fold difference in survival, with a ~4- fold higher plasma cortisol, a ~ 2-fold higher plasma glucose and significantly depressed plasma ions and osmolality relative to fish sampled upon capture. Plasma lactate did not differ among groups. Collectively, these results suggest that a 24 h recovery in net pen following angling failed to promote post-release survival experienced with immediate release after angling or beach seining.

Study 2 – Validation of reflex measures for predicting mortality of coho incidentally captured in the First Nations pink salmon beach seine fishery: In the Fraser River of British Columbia, fishers incidentally capture the interior Fraser River coho salmon when targeting other Pacific salmon species. Due to conservation concerns, regulations require that coho are released under the assumption that they will survive to spawn although this assumption has never been tested. We used radio telemetry with fixed-station radio receivers to monitor migration success of 50 interior Fraser coho salmon following incidental capture in an First Nations beach seine fishery in the lower Fraser River. A reflex assessment technique (RAMP – Reflex Action Mortality Predictors) was used to measure the condition of fish at release and to predict migration success following capture. Biopsy of an additional 43 coho profiled physiological condition at time of release. Twelve percent of tagged coho died within 96 h of release, with a further 14% dying before reaching the spawning area: a mortality rate of 26% for radio-tagged individuals. Increased time entangled in fishing gear was associated with immediate mortality but not delayed mortality. Individuals with greater reflex impairment, higher RAMP scores, at release experienced significantly higher rates of migration failure. Reflex impairment was also significantly correlated with fishery handling time. Plasma variables showed that captured coho had experienced physiological stress characteristic of exhaustive exercise and hypoxia, with significantly elevated cortisol and lactate values for fish entangled longer in fishing gear. This study provides fisheries managers with a direct estimate of discard mortality for interior coho salmon caught in fresh water. Moreover, this is the first validation of RAMP in a wild setting, which based on our findings, has the potential to be used by fishers to make adjustments in fishing behaviour in real time to improve condition and reduce mortality and by managers as a means of identifying problems that deserve management attention. RAMP is an easy, rapid and inexpensive approach to predicting mortality and measuring vitality, and performed better than physiological tools which cannot easily be used by stakeholders.

Project 3 – Fate of coho incidentally captured in experimental aboriginal sockeye salmon beach seine fishery: Building on the results from Project 2 we examined the first ever First

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Nations economic opportunity beach seine fishery for sockeye salmon which arose as a consequence of the massive run in 2010. We gastrically implanted individually-coded radio telemetry tags in 53 coho salmon captured as bycatch. For each individual, we also collected adipose fin DNA samples for stock identification to be coupled with migration data. Additionally, for each fish we recorded the amount of time it was handled by the fishery, and the density of fish, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen in the beached seine. We exposed each fish to RAMP assessment (see Project 2) to measure vitality and help in predicting post-release mortality. These reflex assessments constituted a continued validation of the method, which turned out to indeed successfully predict post-release mortality for radio-tagged coho salmon in 2009. Additional analyses are ongoing.

Project 4 – Influence of water temperature and facilitated recovery on capture-release survival of sockeye salmon: This study integrates the effects of different water temperatures with a catch and release event, and explores how recovery may be aided throug ram-ventilation of exercised fish. We employed a lab-based experimental approach focused on (i) physiological, (ii) behavioural, and (iii) survival responses. One hundred and twenty-eight fish were obtained by beach seine from the Fraser River and transported to stock tanks at the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Cultus Lake Salmon Research Laboratory. We compared two temperature treatments; a warm temperature (21°C) and a cool temperature (16°C). Two-thirds of all fish were subjected to three minutes of manual chasing and one minute of air exposure to simulate the exercise and stress associated with a capture event. Half of these fish were subjected to facilitated recovery in which the fish was orientated into a high flow water source for a maximum of one minute. Thirty minutes after the simulated fisheries encounter began, all fish, including the one-third unhandled control fish, were blood sampled to examine physiological blood parameters. We also made observatoins of ventilation rates and equilibrium loss. Following experimentation, fish were maintained in their respective temperature treatments for up to 4 weeks to examine survival rates.

Project 5 – Quantifying gear-specific fishing effects on sockeye salmon: The objective of this study was to assess physiological condition, migration behavior, and survival of adult up- river migrating sockeye salmon following an experimental stressor. We used a field experimental approach with four treatments: (1) rapid beach seine (removal from beach seine < 3 min); (2) prolonged beach seine (removal from beach seine 10-15 min; (3) tangle net simulation (3 min net entanglement and 1 min air exposure); and (4) gill net simulation (3 min net entanglement and 1 min air exposure). The treatments induced severe physiological disturbances for fish exposed to the gill net and tangle net simulations, including increases in plasma cortisol, lactate, glucose, osmolality and ions (Na+ and Cl-) relative to the rapid beach seine group, which emerged as the least stressful treatment. Tracking individuals using a comprehensive 20 receiver acoustic telemetry array and manual tracking revealed striking differences in migration behaviour, where individuals exposed to the most stressful treatment, the gill net simulation, moved away from the release site

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almost 3 fold faster than those exposed to the least stressful treatment, rapid beach seine. Immediate mortality reflected physiological condition, where neither the rapid nor prolonged beach seine treatments resulted in immediate mortality, but the tangle net and gill net simulations caused 6.7 % and 6.9 % immediate mortality, respectively. These results show that even short durations of entanglement in gill or tangle nets can result in profound physiological disturbances, behavioural changes, and mortality.

Next Step for Objective 3: In winter 2010 we will focus on completing physiological assays. In collaboration with our partner, we will identify which species/stocks are priority targets for generating mortality estimates in 2011 (will also depend on fish abundance).

Objective 2 – To identify and test potential strategies for improving recovery of fish released from different fishing gears in order to recommend potential best practices for minimizing delayed mortality.

Progress:To date we have made good progress and tested a variety of tools for facilitating recovery of Pacific salmon. We have also examined factors that influence physiological disturbance and recovery including sex, life-history phase (i.e., jack vs adult), water temperature, and species. This work combines the need to understand basic biological phenomena in order to better guide management decisions. We have also worked towards the development of novel tools including reflex impairment and oxidative stress markers to document stress and recovery. We initially focused recovery efforts on use of ‘fish bags’ but in 2010 we have also begun experimentation with ‘recovery boxes’ that have been shown to be highly effective in marine waters. Given that many of the coho that are captured in beach seine fisheries appear to be lethargic upon capture, this research may be particularly valuable for facilitating recovery of endangered interior coho (which will be a focus for year 3). :

Study 1 – Obtaining baseline information on the timecourse recovery from exercise stress and air exposure in five species of adult Pacific salmon: While much research has been done to assess the response of animals to a stressor, it has been much more difficult to characterize the recovery of individuals to a stressor, particularly for wild animals at multiple levels of biological organization. Adult pink, sockeye, chum, Chinook, and coho salmon were collected as they approached spawning grounds and were exposed to a 3 min exhaustive exercise treatment followed by 1 min air exposure, to simulate a capture event. Blood (caudal venipuncture) and tissues were collected at times 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 24h following the treatment. Relative to controls, a general trend was apparent where treatment fish showed elevated plasma cortisol and lactate immediately following the stressor which at 0.5 and 1 h, respectively. Plasma ions and osmolality generally increased following the stressor followed by a gradual depression. Reproductive hormones were depressed for the first 4 h following the treatment. While interesting sex and species- specific differences were observed, all plasma parameters had returned to control values by 24 h following the treatment. Data are pending for a subset of tissues from sockeye and

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pink salmon that were used for a QPCR analysis of biomarkers related to exercise stress and recovery. A subsequent dorsal aorta cannulation study was conducted on adult sockeye salmon to determine the recovery profiles of serially sampled individuals at 16 and 19 °C. Together, these studies represent the first attempt to characterize sex and species-specific recovery and will serve as the basis for identifying where future research efforts should be focused.

Project 2 – Do recovery bags facilitate recovery and increase survival in exhausted Pacific salmon: In 2009 we exposed adult migrating pink salmon to an experimental stressor designed to simulate a capture event by rod-and-reel in the laboratory. Following treatment, fish were placed in one of three recovery bag types: a vinyl, cylindrically shaped fish bag with either a i) fine mesh or ii) coarse mesh ends, or iii) an unstructured mesh sack. Fish were then held under high or low water flow for a period of 15, 30, or 60 min, biopsied and tested for reflex impairment. Physiological variables differed by flow (plasma glucose, sodium, potassium, and osmolality) and time interval (plasma lactate, chloride, and osmolality), and the flow * time interval interaction. Bag type (fine mesh, coarse mesh, or mesh sack) did not differ significantly between groups but interactions between sample interval and bag type and flow and bag type were observed. Overall, the 15 min high flow recovery emerged as the most effective treatment, regardless of bag type. Based on that information, we then conducted a field study in 2010 where we used mesh-ended flow- through hypolon bags that were anchored to the river bed and positioned to allow maximum river flow through each bag to evaluate recovery of angled sockeye salmon. Fish were placed in the recovery bag facing up-river such that flow was directed through the bags and over the fish’s mouth and gills. Four treatments were established: angling and immediate release (n= 32), angling and recovery bag for 15 min then release (n= 33), angling and 1 min air exposure then release (n= 33), angling and 1 min air exposure (n= 33) and recovery for 30 min then release. Sockeye salmon were also captured by beach seine in the same location and immediately released (n= 42). Prior to release, each fish was fitted with a gastric radio-telemetry tag, a DNA biopsy was collected, a length measurement was made, and a rapid reflex impairment test was administered. Individuals were subsequently released to continue their migrations and tracked throughout the lower Fraser River mainstem and into terminal spawning areas. Early telemetry results did not reveal relationships between treatments and the likelihood of reaching tributaries up-river of the Thompson River confluence. Though final telemetry results are still pending, these early results suggest that the recovery bags may provide no benefit to promoting survival when compared to immediately releasing fish. However, all fish in this study were in good condition at the time of release. Fish in very poor condition may still benefit from the recovery bag treatment, as has been shown in previous studies for adult Pacific salmonids caught using commercial fisheries gear in the marine environment.

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Next Step for Objective 2: This winter we are working on physiological assays and telemetry analysis. In 2011, based on findings from 2010, we will attempt further field validation of recovery gears.

Objective 3 – To determine perceptions of potential threats or benefits that our results may have on the different fishing sectors – information which can be used to refine the delivery and implementation of management actions based on our results.

Progress: To date we have made good progress in gaining an understanding of fisher attitudes, beliefs and behaviour towards management and conservation of Pacific salmon, and to understand the barriers that prevent them from adopting certain capture and release conservation strategies. Responsible fishing and the success of management initiatives relies on the adoption and compliance by resource users.

Project 1 - Understanding attitudes, beliefs and behaviour of fishers towards management and conservation of Pacific salmon. In summer 2010, we interviewed 311 recreational anglers on the fishing bars of the lower Fraser River. Angler typologies will be determined using a latent cluster analysis, which will allow us to predict conservation behaviour of the resulting angler subgroups by applying the Value-belief-norm theory. Four versions of the interviews were administered and aimed to: 1) determine the perspectives and attitudes of recreational anglers towards current recreational fisheries management; 2) angler threat perception with regards to the salmon population (N=311) and their beliefs about salmon post-release survival (N=64); 3) angler awareness and behaviour with regards to responsible fishing (N=86), and; 4) their attitudes towards- and willingness to adopt conservation strategies (i.e. education programmes, N= 65 and revival bags, N= 62) that could improve responsible fishing and post-release survival of salmon. We used semi-structured interviews comprised of closed- and open-ended questions as an exploratory method with the aim to generate new knowledge that will help narrow the gap between the fishing community and management, to help predict fisher response to new management strategies and understand the conflicts that exist in the lower Fraser River fisheries.

Next Step for Objective 3: In 2011 we will focus survery efforts on aboriginal fishers and communities.

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Lakes Research Program in SAFE Daniel Selbie, DFO

1. Research – Past and Present

The overall direction of the Lakes Research Program (LRP) has been to investigate the factors limiting the productivity and structure of sockeye salmon nursery lake ecosystems and to determine the status of sockeye salmon conservation units (CU’s). Almost all sockeye salmon (B.C.’s most economically valuable salmon species) spend 1-2 years in lakes before migrating to the ocean. Since the freshwater period is a critical life history stage with innately high mortality rates, freshwater conditions are critically important to overall production and stock dynamics.

The LRP conducts ecosystem-level lake studies that provide the necessary information for lake stewardship and for the conservation, management, and restoration of sockeye salmon. The work is needed to address Wild Salmon Policy objectives (Strategy 1, monitor and assess status of CU’s; Strategy 2, assessment of habitat status) in relation to lake-rearing sockeye stocks. In many cases our work represents the only habitat and population assessments done on the smaller sockeye CU’s, particularly poorly understood CU’s on the North and Central coasts. To date, our group has conducted detailed surveys on almost all sockeye stocks and nursery lakes in the Fraser and Skeena river systems and more cursory surveys on many lakes of the North and Central coasts.

The principal objectives of the LRP are to determine the trophic status, productive capacities, and limiting factors for sockeye salmon rearing in Canadian nursery lakes, as well as collect structural and functional ecosystem information, and juvenile sockeye abundance, distribution and size data for these systems. As an example, LRP work enables the determination of whether a sockeye stock is at or below productive capacity given current nutrient/climate regimes. The data generated from LRP ecological surveys and experiments are often used in a predictive model we have developed (The Photosynthetic Rate (PR) Model), that provides managers with estimates of the sockeye escapements needed to maximize adult returns to each nursery lake. This “PR model” is based on the relationships we have established between photosynthetic rates and smolt production across a diversity of nursery systems. The LRP also investigates the ecological mechanisms underlying sockeye salmon production in nursery systems. For instance, if stock size for a particular system is sub-optimal, relative to PR model predictions, our approach enables us to determine the limiting factors and, if appropriate, which restoration/enhancement technique would be most effective to ensure continued stock persistence. The results of our studies are now being used to determine stock status and benchmarks for sockeye escapements under the Wild Salmon Policy. LRP data are also commonly used in the investigation and remediation of habitat-related issues across a wide range of fish species through directed research, the PSARC (CSAP) process, and advice given to habitat managers.

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Since the inception of the Lakes Research Program, this research has resulted in well over 50 primary, secondary, and CSAP publications.

2. Personnel – Past, Present and Future

The current Lakes Research Program was formed in 1986 with the amalgamation of DFO's Lake Enrichment Program and the Pacific Salmon Commission's Biology Unit. The diverse skills the two groups brought to the new lakes group allowed, for the first time, ecosystem level studies to be effectively carried out on B.C. lakes. Originally, the group had 14 staff which included 8 FTEs (1 scientist, 4 biologists, 3 technicians), 2 term technicians, and 4 full- time contractors. All employees were based at the West Vancouver and Cultus Lake labs. By 2011, the core group has decreased substantially and now consists of 5 indeterminate staff (2 biologists (not including 1 retiring biologist (spring 2012) overlapping with his replacement) and 3 technicians (1 retiring with replacement necessary)). Additional term or casual employees are hired as program needs and funding dictate. All these positions are located at the Cultus Lake Laboratory. Essential chemical analyses are supplied from within the section by the chemistry lab at Cultus Lake, which is operated by an additional indeterminate senior chemistry technician. The chemistry lab services both the Lakes Research and Fish-Forestry programs, as well as other external clients. All revenues for analyses are generated by external contracts, providing some, but not complete security for maintenance of analyses for DFO Science Branch programs.

3. Research Budgets and Allocation

Research priorities in 2010-2011 focus mainly the Fraser River drainage. Funding for general program support and for the Fraser River system studies has historically come from Division A-base, while the North coast work has been funded since 2001 through North Coast Stock Assessment and northern Pacific Salmon Treaty funds (Table 1 and Figure 1).

Table 1: Lakes Research Program funding and sources from 1996 to 2010

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Figure 1: Total Lakes Research Program budget for the period 1996-2010 showing Canada-

US funding, A-base and non-A-base contributions

i) Lakes Program fixed costs

Core A-base funding (“Fraser Lakes”) supports a variety of basic operating and maintenance expenses for the LRP. These include, but are not restricted to the maintenance of and repair of boats, trailers, and trucks; maintenance and upgrades to essential sampling and analytical gear (e.g. limnology, hydroacoustics and trawling); annual maintenance agreements (i.e. scintillation counter) and software licensing fees (e.g. SAS and Echoview); operation and maintenance of communications and safety equipment(e.g. cellular and satellite phones, EPIRBS); laboratory and analysis costs; the cost of attending meetings, workshops, and conferences; and some field work costs. In addition to the projects outlined below, this budget typically funds fall acoustic and trawl surveys of Shuswap and Quesnel lakes in order to continue the long term data sets for use in Fraser sockeye preseason forecasts and juvenile stock recruit models. ii) Current Lakes Program Funding

Funding for LRP research has been declining for the past ~ 7 years, due to reductions in A- base and the cancellation or restriction of external funding sources. LRP A-base funding increased in 2007, due to early WSP demands (study of smaller Fraser CU’s), however, available funding is now considerably lower than in previous years, and continues to decline despite considerable expansion of external demands on the LRP.

In 2010-2011 we are receiving funding from only one of our two major sources:

1) A-Base - Our core funding comes from funds initially established for the conservation and management of sockeye salmon under the terms of the 1985 Pacific Salmon Treaty. Funding under this envelope has declined from $271K/yr in the early 1990's to $76.6K in recent years (Table 1, Figure 1).

2) Pacific Salmon Treaty - Productive capacity studies of North Coast sockeye rearing lakes. Since 2001 funding has decreased from a peak of $145K/yr. In 2009, funding was

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temporarily decreased to $56K and major components of thwork (limnology, productive capacity) were put on hold. In 2010, North Coast funding to the LRP ceased (Table 1, Figure 1).

Other major external funding has been acquired in the past, including the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund (HCTF) for a Quesnel Lake sockeye/kokanee/rainbow interaction study in collaboration with MOE (currently dormant but may be reinstated inthe future), various First Nations, PSC Southern Endowment Fund, and SARA (CultusLake sockeye). See Table 1 for specific details. Current external funding is largely sought through partnerships with non-governmental and stewardship organizations (e.Fraser Basin Council, Cultus Lake Aquatic Stewardship Strategy (CLASS)).

4. 2010-2011 Research Activities

The Lakes Research Program is currently engaged in two major projects within the FraserRiver drainage and is continuing the North Coast project (report writing only as funding habeen in a 2 year hiatus):

i) Long-term monitoring and targeted model ecosystem studies on lower Fraser sockeye salmon nursery lakes

The contrasting ecosystem attributes and stressor regimes of Cultus and Chilliwack lakes,along with their close proximity to the Cultus Lake laboratory, present a unique opportunityconduct cost-effective long-term ecological research, with the goal of better understandingthe ecological mechanisms underlying freshwater sockeye salmon production and survivaland the impacts and interactions with short-term (e.g. exotic species introductions, eutrophication) and long-term (e.g. climate change) stressors. We are currently developinplan to continue long-term monitoring of these sites, with the intent of building in targeted ecosystem-based studies and experiments, incorporating partnerships with universities angraduate student thesis involvement.

Cultus Lake sockeye are a CU of major concern due to current stock status (listed as endangered by COSEWIC) and habitat degradation related to increased lake and watershed development and use. Deleterious changes in salmon rearing conditions (e.g. declining oxygen concentrations, increasing invasive macrophyte biomass, warming water temperatures) are occurring, and need to be monitored and studied on a long-term basis, particularly if interactions with other stressors (e.g. climate change) are to be detected andunderstood.

A LRP-led project involving other federal (including DFO’s Fish-Forestry Program), provincial, and municipal partners is beginning in 2011 that will study nutrient loading and sources to Cultus Lake, a critical stressor identified to be responsible for declining water quality. The project will form the basis of two Master’s students through SFU (1. surface hydrological modeling; 2. subsurface hydrological modeling).

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Chilliwack Lake has the potential to be one of the major sockeye producers in the lower Fraser system and escapements in dominant brood years have been rapidly increasing in recent years. Given their short migration route, Chilliwack Lake sockeye do not have the migration difficulties faced by more northerly stocks in the Fraser River. In 2009, progeny from the highest escapement on record (68,000 fish) were in the lake and in comparison to subsequent lower escapements provide an opportunity to assess the ability of the lake’s plankton community to sustain these higher fish densities. Also, as Chilliwack Lake has few anthropogenic impacts, it makes an ideal reference system for the stressors experienced by Cultus Lake, and a relatively pristine ecosystem for experiment and study. ii) Rearing capacity updates for large Fraser lakes/CU’s - Chilko Lake

Like many other Fraser River lakes, no data on the freshwater conditions of Chilko Lake have been collected since 1995. In recent years, both total abundance and the production of Chilko Lake smolts (smolts/female) have dramatically increased. In each of two recent years, smolt numbers have been >73 million, almost double the highest record observed in the past (40 million). While a number of potential mechanisms may be responsible for these trends, changes of this magnitude indicate potentially major changes in the underlying rearing environment, which may be related to climate warming. The LRP is engaged in a full limnological study of Chilko Lake (2009-2011) to investigate lake changes, and to update lake productivity and aquatic ecosystem information. iii) North Coast Area lake surveys

We have been conducting limnological and stock status surveys on North Coast Area sockeye lakes (North and Central coasts, Nass and Skeena river systems) for a number of years. These studies have been in support of the North Coast Area’s sockeye management plans under the Wild Salmon Policy. In 2009-2010, work in this region was significantly scaled back due to restrictions at the funding source. In 2010, all new North Coast research was halted due to a lack of funding. Results to date are already partly reported in 2 recent technical reports and are forming the basis of a CSAP report on Nass CU’s as well as another technical report.

Most analyses conducted in the North Coast area by the LRP comprise the first ecological and fisheries assessments for these systems. The North Coast area possesses the largest number of unstudied sockeye CU’s (i.e. lacking benchmark and basic ecosystem data) and has the greatest diversity of nursery habitats in BC.

5. Long-Term Research and Future Directions i) Data gaps – Fraser system lakes

There are currently insufficient data to determine the rearing conditions and productive capacities of a number of important Fraser system sockeye nursery lakes. Consequently,

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with respect to Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy, the critical benchmark positions (green, amber, or red zone) for these systems remain unknown. Over the past few years we have begun to address these data gaps by carrying out limnological and fisheries studies on Kamloops, Little Shuswap, and Mabel lakes. Additional Fraser system lakes where data are insufficient to document rearing capacity and WSP benchmarks, include: Adams, McKinley, Nahatlatch, Pitt, and Taseko lakes. Over the next several years the LRP intends to focus a portion of our research and monitoring efforts on these systems. ii) Data gaps – North and Central coasts lakes

Recognizing the dearth of knowledge on the structure and functioning of nursery lake ecosystems and the stock status of the great number of north and central coast lakes that contribute to overall Canadian sockeye salmon production, continued LRP research into these systems is warranted. The study of NC and CC sockeye stocks is directly in alignment with Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy, and the LRP intends to maintain collaborative research with stock assessment (Prince Rupert) to assess these stocks and their nursery habitat once funding returns. iii) Updates on rearing capacity of larger Fraser lakes/CU’s

There are several important Fraser system lakes where no data on freshwater conditions have been collected for at 13 years or more. Since the mid 1990’s, there have been considerable changes in both the stressors and sockeye salmon production in a number of these systems, warranting an updated assessment of ecosystem structure and lake productivity.

Shuswap Lake was last sampled in 1993. In the intervening years, there has been a large increase in residential development around the lake and its watershed. The effects of such changes on the lake and sockeye production remain unknown. The record escapements to the Shuswap system in 2010 have stimulated significant interest in the capacity of the lake to support the anticipated large juvenile populations. As one of the major sockeye stocks in B.C., updating limnological and fisheries surveys of Shuswap Lake is a priority.

Chilko Lake – Continuance of the LRP’s investigation of nursery lake ecosystem conditions in Chilko Lake is warranted to establish the apparent drastic changes in lake productive capacity that have occurred since the 1990’s (determined from studies in 2009-2010), and the mechanism(s) responsible for the recent unprecedented smolt increases. The record escapement to Chilko in 2010 could have significant influences on lake structure and functioning as well as overall stock productivity.

Fraser Lake – This system was last sampled in 1993, and the current condition of the freshwater rearing environment of this important upper Fraser summer-run stock is unknown. Fraser Lake is subjected to significant watershed disturbance, and the impacts of such stressors on ecosystem health and salmon production remain unknown.

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Other Fraser Lakes - A number of other important rearing lakes in the Fraser River drainage have not been sampled for a number of years, and should be included in a regular decadal sampling cycle to assess long term changes in their rearing environments. These include Anderson, Francoise, Harrison, Lillooet, Seton, Stuart, Takla, and Trembleur lakes. iv) Long-term Ecosystem Research - Quesnel Lake

Quesnel Lake is one of the major sockeye producers in B.C. and also supports a highly prized and economically important recreational fishery. We collected limnological data from Quesnel Lake from 1985-1988, 1990, 1994, and from 2003-2007 and zooplankton samples from 1998-2002. The highly variable and cyclic nature of Quesnel’s sockeye returns provide a unique opportunity to investigate the relationships between escapements, lake productivity, and productive capacity. Our long-term research on Quesnel Lake, provides seminal information on lake productivity and ecosystem responses to highly variable escapements and the important ecosystem connections and disconnections that impact outmigrating smolt abundance and condition. With the exception of the long-term ecological research we are initiating on Cultus and Chilliwack lakes, our Quesnel Lake work is the only long-term, holistic ecosystem study occurring in a B.C. sockeye lake, and one of the few examples of long-term ecosystem research for salmonids in the world. Quesnel Lake is also of considerable interest to the B.C. Ministry of Environment, due to the apparent decline in both abundance and size of Quesnel Lake rainbow trout and recent declines in kokanee abundance. One hypothesis we are investigating is that increased sockeye numbers have adversely affected kokanee abundance and size. Funding in the past through MOE and HCTF has provided multi-agency and multi-disciplinary studies on the lake. Future HCTF funding through collaboration with MOE is anticipated. v) Over-escapement and delayed density-dependence

Recent record escapements to several important sockeye nursery lakes in the Fraser River (Quesnel, 2001-2002; Shuswap 2010; Chilko 2010) present an unprecedented opportunity to study the effects of over-escapement on lake ecosystems, juvenile sockeye growth and survival and the effects of delayed-density dependence on salmon populations. Each of these systems present very different nursery conditions for sockeye salmon, and provide a natural experimental setup for studying the effects of bottom-up (e.g. salmon-derived nutrient stimulation of lake productivity) vs. top-down (e.g. juvenile sockeye planktivory) in relation to rich ecosystem-specific data.

Over-escapements are generally expected to negatively impact stock productivity at escapements greater than two times those that maximize returns (S). Adult escapement max by an estimated 225 to 550 % for Chilko and Shuswap lakes in 2010 has exceeded Smax(range based on both adult stock-recruit and photosynthetic rate (PR) models). Depressed sockeye production was observed in Quesnel Lake following the record escapements of 2001-2002, and only exceeded S by 150 to 220 %. Moreover, over-

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escapement can lead to delayed density-dependence, which can have substantial legacy effects on stock productivity. Given the importance of sockeye salmon production in Chilko, Shuswap, and Quesnel Lakes to overall sockeye salmon production in the Fraser River (the three lakes averaged 62% of Fraser sockeye production since 1938; max. 91% in 2002), the LRP is currently seeking funding to support limnological and juvenile fish surveys on Shuswap Lake, and continuance of limnological research on Chilko Lake in 2011 to study ecosystem and stock impacts of high sockeye salmon returns. vi) Sockeye production & nursery ecosystems in a changing climate

Climate change poses a significant challenge to understanding and predicting future trends in salmon production and nursery ecosystem dynamics. With the addition of new personnel to our program, we are enriching our research, and contributions to the Wild Salmon Policy objectives through the incorporation of predictive modeling, experimental, and paleoenvironmental research that addresses freshwater and marine sockeye salmon production and ecosystem dynamics in the context of ongoing climate change. We intend to integrate the wealth of archival data in the Lake Research Program, long-term ecological Labresearch on model systems, and targeted ecosystem studies and experiments involving university partnerships and graduate student research, to address critical climate-related uncertainties.

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PARR project details- Sea lice infection levels on juvenile salmon during early seawater residency and migration out of the Strait of Georgia. Stewart Johnson

The objectives in the original proposal were as follows:

We will investigate and characterize the development of sea lice infections on juvenile salmon primarily of Fraser River origin yearly for a period of 3 years. Levels of sea lice will be monitored from early seawater entry until the time that fish enter Queen Charlotte Sound. As there are data sets available for pink and chum salmon we will focus our efforts on sockeye, coho and chinook salmon.

The following objectives will be achieved:

1) For each salmon species we will determine when and where sea lice infections are acquired and whether patterns of infection vary among years. Sea lice will be identified to species and developmental stage. Efforts will focus on sockeye, coho and chinook salmon of Fraser River origin 2) Role/s that salmon farms play as sources of sea lice for infecting wild juvenile salmon will be examined using samples sites at various distances from salmon farming areas in the Discovery Islands. Data on lice levels on farms will be obtained from company records.

Using our PARR funding as a base we were able to develop a broader program to examine other aspects of the health of sockeye salmon. The following is a brief description of that program and some of our outputs. DFO in collaboration with Marine Harvest Canada and the Pacific Salmon Foundation developed a 3 year program to examine the distribution and health of salmon during their out-migration. This program complements other DFO programs on salmon ecology. We obtained data that will allow us to better understand: 1. the distribution and growth of juvenile salmon in the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait 2. the pathogens that are present and when juvenile salmon become infected 3. how pathogen prevalence changes over time (both within and between years) and, 4. other factors that may affect the ecological performance of juvenile salmon.

The first field season was completed with 3 cruises conducted from May through early August. For each of the cruises sampling stations were widely distributed throughout the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait (Figure 1). In the case of sockeye salmon, samples

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from Chilko Lake and the Lower Fraser River for disease screening were also collected in May. Through this collaboration we were able to increase significantly the amount of ship and staff time that we had for this project which enabled better coverage of all of the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait. The blue dots on Figure 1 indicate sampling sites that we were able to add to the program due to this collaboration.

Figure 1. Locations of juvenile salmon sampling stations within the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait.

The following types of samples were obtained during this program.

Species Stock ID Otoliths Genomics Sea Histology Microbiology Lice

Coho X X X X

Chinook X X X X

Sockeye X X X X X (river)

Sockeye X X X X X X

(marine)

Pink X

Chum X

Non- X salmonids

Project Status:

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Stock Identification: All of the sockeye that were collected were identified to stock using DNA analysis.

Health Studies: Our analysis has focused on sockeye salmon with all of the microbiology and sea lice samples completed. By cell culture we did not identify any viral pathogens present in sockeye. We have approximately 610 additional samples that we are screening for virus using Real Time PCR. Examination of sockeye salmon by histology is ongoing but will be completed before the end of the fiscal year. Coho and chinook salmon histology samples have been processed by not examined.

Sea Lice Enumeration

We have examined a total of 584 sockeye salmon for sea lice. This included all of the sockeye caught in the May and August cruises and 355 out of the 598 caught in the June cruise. Sea lice were found on sockeye throughout the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait. Analysis of the May cruise samples found that 98.0% of the 410 sea lice found on sockeye were C. clemensi. Only 8 L. salmonis were found. In June 97.6% of the 790 sea lice found on the sockeye were Caligus clemensi. There were 19 L. salmonis found on fish which were collected from sites throughout the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait. None of the fish sampled had more that 1 L. salmonis. There were no sea lice present on the few sockeye that we caught in the August survey. These fish were all from the Harrison River which enters the Strait of Georgia later than other Fraser River sockeye stocks. These fish were primarily collected in Howe Sound. We are presently completing sea lice counts on 1500 pink, chum and non-salmonids. It is most likely that non-salmonid fish are the primary source of the C. clemensi found on sockeye salmon.

We have not requested information on farmed lice levels yet.

Fiscal 2011-2012 Field Season

We plan to follow a similar sampling design and strategy with exception that we are considering modifying our sampling times to obtain higher numbers of sockeye (and other salmonids) earlier in the year. We will increase sampling during the May-July period and not sample later in the summer (July and August) when only Harrison fish are present. This decision will be discussed at a team meeting with all of the partners that we plan to have later this month.

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Kyle Garver IHNV Project Details- Determination of viral shedding rates, estimation of minimum infective dose, and development of a viral dispersion model for infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in Atlantic Salmon.

Project work team:

The work team will be composed of Fisheries & Oceans Canada scientists and technicians from the Pacific Biological Station (PBS) and Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS). Dr. Kyle Garver is a virologist within the Aquatic Animal Health section at PBS and has conducted numerous studies on IHNV investigating the pathogenicity, epidemiology, and disease ecology of these viruses in Canada and the US. Jon Richard and Laura Hawley are virology technicians that have over ten years combined experience working with IHNV. They will facilitate completion of different aspects of the project as required.

Dr. Mike Foreman is a numerical modeller at IOS who has developed a finite volume circulation model for the Broughton Archipelago that has been coupled to sea lice model in order to study the development and transport of sea lice originating on salmon farms.

Mr. Dario Stucchi is a coastal oceanographer at IOS with over 20 years experience. Dario will be instrumental in collecting environmental parameters and field observations to extend and validate the Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) for the Discovery Island region.

Project problem/rationale:

In British Columbia, IHNV is the most economically important viral pathogen of salmonids. Since the introduction of Atlantic salmon to the BC coast in the mid 1980’s. there have been two serious outbreaks of IHN in farmed Atlantic salmon: 1992-1996 and 2001-2003. During the latest epizootic, mortalities were greater than 70% in fish less than 1 kg and averaged 40-50% when fish were larger than 1 kg. Thirty-six farm sites were diagnosed with IHNV during this epizootic (Saksida 2006). The estimated economic loss resulting from both epizootics was $40 million in inventory representing $200 million in lost sales.

A central question regarding outbreaks in farmed Atlantic salmon is the role of natural waterborne transmission in the spread of virus between farms. Studies investigating spatial and temporal patterns of the IHNV outbreaks suggest that farming practices themselves contributed significantly to the spread of disease both within and between areas; however the extent to which waterborne transmission contributes to virus dispersal during and outbreak is unclear.

IHNV and other related aquatic viruses, such as viral hemorrhagic septicaemia virus, can survive for many days in saltwater at temperatures below 15oC (Pietsch et al. 1977, Barja et al. 1983, Traxler et al. unpublished). Therefore, it’s not unconceivable that viable and

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infective IHNV could be transmitted by movement of water from virus infected Atlantic salmon farms to uninfected fish either proximal or distant from the source. Circulation models can be used in developing pathogen dispersal models and in assessing transmission risks (Gustafson et al 2007, Urquhart et al 2008). Key properties required in assessing the risk of transmission of IHNV by a viral dispersal model are the relationship between the rate of viral shedding, the viral concentration in sea water and the minimum dose of virus required to induce infection in Atlantic salmon. The PBS virology laboratory has established IHNV challenge models and recently developed ultrafiltration methodologies that allow for the concentration of viruses from large volumes of water thereby facilitating the determination of the minimum infectious dose as well as viral shedding rates. Using these established methods, it is the aim of this study to provide quantitative estimates of these parameters for Atlantic salmon post-smolts under controlled experimental conditions and to begin to establish a viral dispersal model and assess transmission risk of IHNV in Atlantic salmon net pen aquaculture.

References:

Barja, J.L., Toranzo, A.E. Lemos, M.L., and Hetrick, F.M., (1983) Influence of water temperature and salinity on the survival of IPN and IHN viruses. Bull Eur Ass Fish Pathol 3 (4), 47-50.

Gustafson LL, Ellis SK, Beattie MJ, Chang BD, Dickey DA, Robinson TL, Marenghi FP, Moffett PJ, Page FH. (2007). Hydrographics and the timing of infectious salmon anemia outbreaks among Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) farms in the Quoddy region of Maine, USA and New Brunswick, Canada. Prev Vet Med. 16;78(1):35-56.

Pietsch, J.P., Amend, D.F., and Miller, C.M. (1977) Survival of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus held under various environmental conditions. J Fish Res Board Can 1360-1364.

Saksida, S.M. (2006). Infectious haematopoietic necrosis epidemic (2001 to 2003) in farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in British Columbia. Dis Aquat Org Vol 72: 213-223.

Urquhart,K., Murray, A.G., Gregory, A., O’Dea, M., Munro, L.A., Smail, D.A. Shanks, A.M. and Raynard, R.S. (2008). Estimation of infectious dose and viral shedding rates for infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., post-smolts

Objectives:

1. Determine minimum infectious dose of IHNV in Atlantic salmon 2. Determine viral shedding rates of Atlantic salmon undergoing an IHNV outbreak. 3. Develop viral dispersal model for an IHNV infected Atlantic salmon net pen aquaculture facility. 5. Extend the application of the Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) of the Broughton region to include the salmon farms in the Discovery Islands and then test and validate the physical model with field observations

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4. Develop biological model of IHNV inactivation in sea water 5. Coupled physical – biological model runs for different IHNV outbreak scenarios

Description of work:

Determination of the minimum infectious dose

Atlantic salmon pre-smolts obtained from a commercial freshwater hatchery will be transported to the Pacific Biological Station (PBS) whereby fish will be monitored for seawater readiness and subsequently acclimatized to full seawater. Atlantic salmon smolts will be subjected to an IHNV waterborne immersion challenge. Triplicate groups of 50 fish will be exposed to IHNV at concentration of 102, 103, 104, and 105 PFU/ml. During virus challenge, the water volume in the tanks will be reduced, flow will be stopped and fish will be maintained by aeration for a period of 1 hour. As a control group, duplicate tanks will be exposed to medium containing no virus. All fish will be fed and tanks will be monitored daily for mortalities. A minimum of 30% of the fish from each viral dosage group will be assayed by cell culture to determine if virus is present. Kidney tissue from individual fish will be plaque assayed on EPC cells to determine viral titers present in each fish. To further refine minimum infectious dose estimates, a subsequent challenge will be conducted as described above however viral doses will be based on infection status determined in the first challenge.

Estimating viral shedding rates

Fifty Atlantic salmon smolts will be exposed to IHNV at a dose of 104 PFU/ml by waterborne exposure for one hour. As a control group, 50 Atlantic salmon smolts will be waterborne exposed to media containing no virus. After the one hour virus challenge, 100 litres of water will be sampled from each tank and placed into sterile carboys. After collection, water flow will be resumed in the tanks. Subsequent water collection will occur daily for the first 30 days after the challenge. One hour prior to each sampling, the water flow will be stopped and fish will be maintained by aeration. Each 100 litre sample will be filtered though an 8 micron low protein binding filter followed by tangential flow filtration through a 500 kilodalton column with a transmembrane pressure of 10 psi. The sample will be concentrated to a final retentate volume of 30 ml. The concentrated sample will be tested for the presence of viable IHNV using standard virological assay methods as described above. Additionally, each sample will quantified for virus RNA using an IHNV specific reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The estimated viral shedding rate will be calculated using the following formula:

Shedding rate (PFU ml-1 h-1 kg-1) = (PFU ml-1)(concentration factor)

Remaining fish weight in tank (kg) X 1h

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The shedding rate (PFU ml-1 h-1 kg-1) estimate is the number of virus shed per millilitre of the tank volume; however, one objective of this study is to estimate the total shedding of virus from fish farms, which is determined by the total weight of fish on the farm, not their concentration. For this purpose, the figure will be multiplied by the volume of the semi- drained tank giving the shedding rate kg-1h-1.

Modeling viral dispersal

There are several parts to the modeling component in this proposal; the extension of the Broughton FVCOM application to include the Discovery Island and northern Strait of Georgia, the development of a biological model of the pathogen and the collection of field observations to validate the models. We will extend the southern boundary of the Broughton model to include the Discovery Islands and the northern end of the Strait of Georgia. A model grid will be constructed and the appropriate tidal and estuarine forcing determined for the southern boundary. Important sources of runoff to the region will be incorporated into the model and a climatology of the temperature and salinity fields will be updated to provide initial conditions for the expanded model domain. Presently, there are not many current meter and water property observations from the Discovery Island region. Observations of the long-term current velocity, water property variations and of local weather are essential for the refinement and validation of both the physical and biological models of the region. The field component of this proposal will add substantially to the data base of observations and increase our understanding of the circulation, and spatial and temporal variations of water properties (e.g. temperature and salinity) and winds in this region. We propose to deploy at least two current meter moorings in the Discovery Island region. The current meter moorings would be maintained for at least one year to resolve the major tidal constituents and the annual background current signals. The moored instruments would be serviced and re-deployed at six month intervals. During the mooring servicing cruises synoptic water sampling/CTD surveys would be conducted in the region. To monitor the wind fields and the solar/UV radiation in the region we propose to install and maintain several (~5) weather stations in the southern portion of the model domain. The biological model of the IHN pathogen will use the stored output fields from the physical model to disperse the pathogen and to simulate the inactivation of pathogen based on environmental inactivation factors such as UV exposure, temperature and salinity. Information on the viral shedding rate from infected fish will be used to set the source strength for the pathogen in the biological model. The output of the coupled physical – biological model may then be combined with information on minimum infectious dose to assess the disease transmission risk posed to salmon farms. Model predictions may be tested with field observations of viral particle concentrations. Various disease scenarios can be simulated and management strategies explored.

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The Harmful Algae Monitoring Program in BC: Overview July 2011 Nicky Haigh, Program Manager; [email protected]; (250) 740-6354

Introduction

The Harmful Algae Monitoring Program (HAMP) was started at the Pacific Biological Station (PBS) in 1999 with the encouragement and support of Terry Nielsen and Darrell Volker of Pacific Aqua Salmon Farmers, in co-operation with Dr Ian Whyte of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Nicky Haigh. After Dr Whyte’s retirement from DFO in March 2004, Nicky Haigh moved HAMP from PBS to Malaspina University-College, now Vancouver Island University, where it is based in the Centre for Shellfish Research.

HAMP site number 1999 - 2010 30

25 s e t

i 20 s

f o

r 15 e b

m 10 u n 5

0 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 9 10 YEAR

Figure 1: Number of Harmful Algae Monitoring Program sampling sites in BC from 1999 to 2010.

In most years sampling for HAMP at the farm sites started at various times in the period from February to June, and continued to the end of October or some time in November.

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Figure 2: HAMP sampling site locations in BC in 2010, and duration of sampling time since 1999 at each site.

The HAMP Mandate

The original mandate of HAMP was basically threefold: analysis of weekly samples to back up farm sampling; establishing sampling protocols to give an industry-wide standard; and the education of farm staff in phytoplankton identification and sampling.

Plankton Sampling and Reports Weekly samples are collected from the HAMP sites by farm personnel and sent by courier to HAMP for analysis. Discrete water samples are taken at depths of 1, 5, and 10 metres, and preserved with Lugol’s iodine. These are analysed for the presence of harmful phytoplankton, dominant phytoplankton species or group, and overall phytoplankton biomass level. In addition, the approximate percentage of biomass in each of five constituent groups (diatoms, dinoflagellates, raphidophytes, other flagellates, and zooplankton) is noted, and counts are done of any harmful species present and the dominant phytoplankton species. Immediately after analysis of the samples, a Plankton Sample Report is emailed to the HAMP participant company. This enables most companies to receive feedback on the weekly samples within one to four days of sampling. This data has also been used to establish a long-term database, which is now more comprehensive than any other phytoplankton species database in BC.

In addition, Bloom Reports are broadcast by email whenever reports of blooms come in to HAMP. These report the area affected, species, concentration, and apparent toxicity as promptly as possible.

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Weekly Reports are sent each Friday during the monitoring season. Text reports summarise what is happening at all the HAMP sampling sites: presence and concentrations of harmful species, and dominant species and biomass level. This information is also presented in the weekly Map Report, which shows biomass and harmful species concentrations for all the HAMP sites in a graphic map format. This co-operative sharing of information between the farm companies gives HAMP participants a better understanding of what is happening in the plankton “big picture” for each week.

Annual Reports are sent in January of the following year to each farm company taking part in HAMP. These reports give an overview of the year in phytoplankton on the west coast of Canada based on HAMP sample results and reports from farm companies; data from each company’s sampling sites are summarised, and presence of harmful species and dominant species at these sites throughout the sampling season is discussed.

Another important service provided by HAMP is the prompt analysis of samples sent in the case of an unidentified bloom organism threatening farm sites, or unusual fish behaviour or mortality. These occasional irregular samples are given first priority, and results are relayed back to the farm as quickly as possible.

Education of Farm Staff Every year a series of plankton identification workshops are held, usually before the plankton season, on farm sites or in farm offices, for the education of personnel. These workshops are approximately three hours long, and cover, among other things, how phytoplankton can be harmful to fish, what the known harmful species are, and how to identify them. Live and preserved samples are provided for microscopic viewing; this provides a visual cue for the participants who have never seen the harmful algae before, and is a reminder to those who have seen these species to become more vigilant in sampling as the plankton season approaches. Figure 3 shows the number of workshops held, and total participants in these workshops, in the twelve years of HAMP from 1999 – 2010.

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Plankton Identification Workshops HAMP 1999 - 2010 400 40 # participants 350 35

r # workshops r a a e 300 30 e y y

/ /

s s

t 250 25 p n o a h p s i 200 20 c k i r t r o

a 150 15 w p

l l a a t t 100 10 o o t t 50 5 0 0 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Figure 3: HAMP Plankton Identification Workshops and participants 1999 - 2010.

In 2010 there was a total of 314 participants attending 34 workshops held around Vancouver Island and in the Sechelt and Klemtu areas. In addition, in 2009 a test was introduced into the HAMP workshops. This was an initiative sponsored by Mainstream Canada, whose management felt it would better focus the attention of workshop participants. These tests were very successful, and feedback from the workshop participants and company management was generally very positive.

Establishment of Sampling Protocols Salmon aquaculture operations across BC are now far more homogenous in phytoplankton and environmental sampling protocols than they were prior to 1999. The education of farm personnel in HAMP workshops has given an opportunity to introduce the importance of regular sampling and sampling techniques; in addition there is more government oversight, and in-company standard operating procedures.

In addition to the HAMP workshops, the HAMP Harmful Plankton Handbook, by Nicky Haigh, is an invaluable resource for the fish-farmers. This manual, updated every year and supplied to the participants in HAMP, not only gives an in-depth look at the harmful algae species found in BC, but also has sections on classifying plankton and phytoplankton groups, phytoplankton ecology, other species of algae found in our area, and phytoplankton sampling, sample analysis, and identification.

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The British Columbia Shore Spawners Alliance

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