Many fish populations have spatial structure which is not explicitly recognized in assessment or management. For example, Pacific herring are managed as five discrete stocks in BC, but there is evidence of both regional and within-stock diversity that may determine the capacity of the five large stocks to sustain themselves over time. This spatial structure […]

Sandhill cranes are a blue-listed (vulnerable) species in BC, requiring special management of their habitat. Very little is known about the coastal population of cranes or their habitat requirements in BC. The intern will work with the BC Ministry of Environment to conduct an inventory to locate Sandhill cranes and their nests on the central […]

Harlequin Ducks were marked with individually numbered tags over a 12 year period. In each year, new birds were marked and some of the older birds were resighted. Based on the pattern of when these marks are seen, important parameters such as the abundance, survival rates, and migration rates of the ducks can be estimated. […]

The David Suzuki Foundation, a science-based Canadian environmental organization, and an intern from the University of Alberta will analyze data on sea lice and Pacific salmon population dynamics using mathematical and statistical techniques. The project will have three components: (1) evaluate how well current management actions work to protect wild juvenile salmon from sea lice […]

Kintama Research Corporation is the developer of the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) acoustic tracking array, which monitors the continental shelf and major river systems in the west coast of North America. This array provides measurements on the marine movements and survival of Pacific salmon and other fish. Kintama is interested in the design of […]

Although the existence of deep-sea coral reefs has been known for centuries, it is only in the last decade that interest and understanding of these ecosystems have increased. There is a growing concern about the diversity and magnitude of anthropogenic (human) threats to these fragile habitats. Bottom trawling poses by far the largest threat. These […]

The objective of this research project is to improve the definition of extinction-risk for Pacific salmon species by determining which extinction-risk criteria best reflect the chance of quasi-extinction (extremely low abundance) for the individual conservation units (CUs), which are spatially-defined management units. Two sets of evaluation criteria will be used; those developed for Canadian biota […]

British Columbia’s coastline is home to eighteen species of cetaceans (such as whales, dolphins and porpoises) and three species of sea turtles. Nine of these species are at risk of extinction. To conserve them, it is crucial to learn more about their distribution/abundance and habitat use. The British Columbia Cetaceans Sightings Network (BCCSN) was established […]

The internship will be conducting two research projects related to historical Kwakwaka’wakw root gardens. The first experiment will measure the effect of traditional management on the productivity of one of the native roots (silverweed or potentilla anserine ssp. pacifica) grown in these gardens. The intern will test the effect of two traditional management activities, tilling […]

The primary determinant of fish population size accessible for fisheries is the survival beyond the egg and larval stages. To estimate the number of fish available for harvest therefore, modelers must be able to accurately predict the percent of fish that survive these early life stages. Many species, such as walleye, must reside in nursery […]

The project will be focusing on the safety issues and quality control of the feed in Vancouver Aquarium. By applying a survey at the very beginning, a general knowledge of the whole handling chain procedure will be generated. The survey will be carried out by means of questionnaire, field investigation and sampling and will be […]

The intern in partnership with Fisheries and Ocean Canada will apply an individual‐based model (IBM) to explore spatial variability in environmental forcing on the population dynamics of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus. The IBM will include information on life history processes of C. finmarchicus (including development time, mortality and egg production rates) as well as the […]