Salmon Steward

4 Winter 2015 psf.ca Ryan and Nicole use the CTD instrument, the main workhorse for taking measurements of ocean properties. Ryan and Nicole during a citizen sampling run. Meet Our Citizen Scientists Billy adds red dye to preserve a water sample to test later in a lab. Above: Billy pours water from the CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) instrument, which collects and stores electronic measurements of water properties. Billy uses the "Citizen Fishers" app to stream data to Ocean Network Canada's database. STEVESTON BILLY MCMILLAN Part-time fishing guide, Bon Chovy Fishing Charters Full-time manager, WestCoast Traders Coffee Company Billy McMillan became involved with the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project through Bon Chovy Fishing Charters. The company is a supporter of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, often donating trips to fundraising dinners. "I think this project is a great way to have the general public help out and be involved," says Billy. "There are a lot of people on the West Coast who have a great deal of knowledge about the ocean and it's great that the Pacific Salmon Foundation is using them as a resource." Born and raised in Vancouver, Billy spent a lot of his childhood on the Pacific Ocean. He became a guide at a lodge in Haida Gwaii in his early 20s and still operates charters out of Vancouver for Bon Chovy Fishing Charters. The ocean is where he likes to spend his time, whether it be fishing or exploring. "Salmon are important to me partly because they help me earn a living," Billy explains. "But they also bring me a lot of happiness when I am able to get out and catch them myself or help someone else do the same thing. They are a huge part of our history on the coast and I am happy to help people see and understand that." QUALICUM RYAN FREDERICKSON Fisheries student, Vancouver Island University NICOLE FREDERICKSON Environmental technologist, EDI Environmental Dynamics Husband and wife team Ryan and Nicole Frederickson became involved when Nicole heard about the project from her instructor at Vancouver Island University, John Morgan. John, who chairs the department of resource management at the university, volunteers at several of the Pacic Salmon Foundation's community dinners. "I was in my nal year of the program and overheard John Morgan mention it during one of my sheries management classes. I immediately went home and checked it out online," says Nicole. "I visited psf.ca and watched the video presentation that Brian Riddell had given which discussed the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. That video, combined with my passion for sheries management and the marine environment, compelled me to get involved. I didn't care what I did, I just knew that I wanted to be a part of it." The Fredericksons' attraction to the program also stemmed from their life-long interest in salmon and shing. Ryan's father was a shing guide as well as a commercial sherman. Both Ryan and Nicole have shed on all coasts of Vancouver Island. Even the effects of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident in 2007 haven't stopped him. "I lost the use of my legs in that accident, but luckily I never lost my love for the outdoors," Ryan says. "That has been the one thing since the accident that has kept me grounded." He adds: "I hope we can gain a greater understanding for the salmon living in the Salish Sea, and we can help to keep the resource a viable one for our family, friends and anyone else who shares a passion for or makes a living from the sea . . . As well, we want to be able to tell our children one day that we were a part of a project that bettered them and the world we live in."

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