Salmon Steward

salmon Steward magazine 3 Everywhere at Once With a "mosquito eet" of retrotted shing vessels, citizen scientists are taking salmon research into uncharted waters I n the Salish Sea, changes in food availability for salmon from year to year are thought to largely affect Pacific salmon productivity. Traditional methods of monitoring the factors that affect food availability use research vessels employed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Pacific Biological Station. However, trips with the research vessels only happen at specific times of year, providing only snapshots of what is happening in the marine environment. Because coastal oceans are highly dynamic, there is a need for constant monitoring and very specific data showing changes in time and space that illustrate dynamics of the environment that are simultaneously occurring in different places. Since early this year, the Citizen Science Program has been using a cost-effective model of engaging volunteers, allowing data collection to occur more frequently and on a broader scale. It effectively allows us to be "everywhere at once." The Citizen Science Program is a partnership between the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Ocean Networks Canada. The brainchild of Dr. Eddy Carmack – a retired scientist from the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada – it involves volunteers using a "mosquito fleet" of their own fishing vessels to do oceanographic surveys in nine overlapping areas – Campbell River, Baynes Sound, Qualicum, Cowichan Bay, Victoria, Lund, Powell River, Sechelt and Steveston. In one day, these citizen scientists collect data from more than 100 sites throughout the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca. A single large research vessel could never complete this task and would be two to three times the cost per day. That information is then transmitted using the "Community Fishers" smartphone app and uploaded to an oceanographic data management system at the University of Victoria, where it is made freely available to anyone. The results of all this research could be key to the future of Pacific salmon. u John Sinclair (L) holds vials used to capture water samples while Ed Oldfield (R) records information during a citizen sampling trip. John operates the territory out of Lund, but frequently helps Ed on the Powell River route.

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