Salmon Steward

I learned at a young age that individual and community action really can make a di¦erence. As a child, I played in and around the creek that flows through our backyard, watching water striders and other pond inhabitants for hours. I watched the fish burst from the protection of the shadows to gobble up worms I'd throw in. So when "our fish" were threatened by development, our family took action. We marked storm drains all around our area with painted yellow fish and knocked on doors to give neighbours information pamphlets. We contacted the Ministry of Environment, who surveyed all of the local waterways and by the time the South Fraser Perimeter Road construction began, our stream was marked as a "Class A" salmon stream requiring protection before, during and after construction. My childhood experiences inspired me to volunteer. In high school I took a two-week "work placement" at the Capilano Hatchery and soon after began volunteering at the Tynehead Hatchery; the enthusiasm of my young students gave me hope for the future of salmon. I also volunteered with the Vancouver Aquarium and helped assess beach-spawning habitat with Friends of Forage Fish as part of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. During this process I met Joe Kambeitz, who helped found the Foundation's Stewardship Community Bursary program. The bursary helps students who volunteer with aquatic stewardship groups to branch out and pursue environmental studies. My volunteer work helped me secure the bursary three times! The bursary covered part of the cost of courses at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, where I discovered my passion for marine science. Now I'm pursuing a master's degree in forest and conservation sciences at UBC, with support from a Government of Canada NSERC scholarship. My supervisor, Dr. Scott Hinch, is a lead researcher on studies for the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project that track migration routes and smolt survival. My thesis research looks at the e¦ect of low-level zinc contamination on juvenile Coho salmon. Juvenile salmon rely heavily on their sense of smell for protection. When they notice the scent of a predator or a chemical alarm signal released from an injured fish, they react by freezing, hiding or schooling. If their ability to smell is compromised, the salmon will be much more vulnerable to predation. What can cause this type of damage? Heavy metal contamination. It enters stream systems from road surfaces and is introduced from a variety of sources including brake pad linings, road salt and galvanized products. The problem is that current policy is based on lethal levels of contaminants. If something doesn't directly cause death, it doesn't a¦ect policy. I hope my research will change that thinking by showing that even sub-lethal levels of contaminants can have a devastating e¦ect on our salmon – and still be deadly. In addition to their bursary program and the involvement of university students in the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, about 20 per cent of the Foundation's community grants support educational outreach. The Foundation is ensuring a future for salmon by inspiring young people to care. I know that firsthand, because my mission to make a di¦erence for salmon started as a child. Along the way, I personally benefitted from the Foundation's outreach and support as a young volunteer and student, and now as a scientist. how A childhood PAssion for sAlMon begAn A lifelong Mission of stewArdshiP Anna Smith BURSARY RECIPIENT, PACIFIC SALMON FOUNDATION & MASTER'S STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Top: A budding biologist, young Anna studies the inhabitants of her backyard pond. Above: Anna shows a staghorn sculpin to a biology class in Bamfield. Who cares about salmon? tax-receiptable donations to the stewardship community bursary can be made online at psf.ca. thanks to transcanada for a generous donation to the foundation's bursary program in 2016. salmon Steward magazine 21 YEars YE YE YE YE YE YE YE YEars ars ars ars ars ars ars ars ars ars ars

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