Salmon Steward is the official publication of the Pacific Salmon Foundation in British Columbia, Canada
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/300930
S Click: Salish Sea Marine Survival Infographic 16 2014 psf.ca salmon Steward magazine 17 restoring salmon in the Salish Sea The Strait of Georgia Data Centre marks an integral first step in the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project BY MATT CURRIE Knowledge Beacon S upporting an estimated 3,000 species (including all seven species of Pacific salmon) across 240 kilometres of rich, diverse marine habitats, the Strait of Georgia is a focal point of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. "Many of the data holdings and documentation for the Strait of Georgia are best known by the lead researchers, many of whom are aging and retired," says Dr. Isobel Pearsall, project lead at the Strait of Georgia Data Centre. "Data from major projects is fragmented, and in many cases, the data exists on obsolete media. There has not been any comprehensive effort until now to protect this data legacy." As project leader of the Data Centre, Pearsall plays a critical role in getting to the root of the problem. Established by the Foundation in 2012 at the University of British Columbia's Fisheries Centre, the Data Centre is the debut initiative in the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. Its goal: to assemble the first truly comprehensive repository for old and new research on this vital inland sea. The core funding was provided by the Sitka Foundation. "The Sitka Foundation strives to be a catalyst in the conservation of the environment and the promotion of biodiversity," says Carolynn Beaty, development and funding coordinator for Sitka Foundation. "The Strait functions as a huge estuary system that is incredibly rich in biodiversity. Success in developing the Data Centre will help protect this critical system by ensuring awareness of past research and facilitating future study and restoration efforts." "We are providing a one-stop shop for marine ecosystem data, with open access so that people can obtain data for immediate download at no cost," Pearsall continues. "Currently, one would have to access many different websites, libraries and databases to obtain the data, which is time-consuming and difficult." Pearsall and her team expect their searchable online database will be up and running by the end of 2014. Meanwhile, they are collating the staggering amounts of data necessary to give scientists, government and others an accurate portrait of the Strait of Georgia. The project's purview encompasses everything from published scientific reports to samples of historic photographs and oral histories — gleaned from municipal, provincial, federal, international and First Nations sources. When it launches, the Data Centre will contain 10,000 unique pieces of literature. Beyond simply providing a more convenient resource, the Data Centre team is working to preserve experience and information that is in jeopardy of disappearing forever. "The Strait of Georgia has a long history of research, but a short-term memory about what has already been learned," says Dr. Andrew Trites, a Professor at the UBC Fisheries Centre. "The Data Centre will be a constant reminder of how much is currently known, as well as a beacon to guide where we should go next to ensure the health of the Strait of Georgia. It will be an incredible resource to everyone who values the Strait." Once the long hours of gathering, cataloguing and honing the raw data into a presentable form are finished, the Data Centre will be a key cog in the larger effort to understand and restore the Salish Sea. "The need to have a centralized data system has been emphasized time and time again by B.C. scientists," says Pearsall. "The Data Centre will provide a useful source of data for scientists trying to understand the past and predict the future. It will also provide the baseline data and maps needed to track progress and assist with restoration efforts." "The Data Centre is a bank of knowledge that is going to pay incredible dividends for ever and ever," Trites concludes. "The Pacific Salmon Foundation has shown incredible foresight to step in and ensure that the capital researchers have acquired from decades and decades of hard research work is going to be protected forever, and made available for everyone to use." n Doctoral student Austen Thomas collects a seal waste sample in the Strait of Georgia for dietary analysis, an example of key scientific data that will be made available via the Data Centre. Dr. Isobel Pearsall