Salmon Steward

RUDY NORTH: GIVING BACK Former investment manager Rudy North has a simple philosophy when it comes to helping the environment. "I'm all for people leaving portions of their estate – it's a great way to give back," he says. "But I also strongly believe in donating money when you're alive, because there's no end of projects out there that need funding immediately." That's why North donated to the Pacific Salmon Foundation's Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, and why he currently provides a $50,000 matching fund for all donations collected in the Foundation's Year-End Appeal. North's motivation dates back to his student days in the early 1960s, when he considered a career as a fisheries biologist. While tagging fish for a summer project in San Diego, he was struck "by the level of frustration among young professional biologists in the area of fisheries management. These people with degrees would work on two-year projects and then have to chase new projects to further their careers. Then, as now, there simply wasn't enough funding to properly undertake all the projects out there or the people working on them – and I never forgot that." Ross Beaty is volunteer chair of the Foundation's Development Committee and founder of environmental granting organization the Sitka Foundation. He says: "Many people care about the environment. But when it comes time to donate, few people know that the environment gets less than one per cent of all giving. So I commend Rudy for being a big donor to environmental projects and encouraging others to give too. Many species are under assault from human activity – including Pacific salmon. Donations to the Pacific Salmon Foundation are urgently needed to preserve and protect these iconic fish, and Rudy's giving is an example to us all." 6 FALL/WINTER 2017 PSF.CA MAJOR DONATIONS HAVE ALREADY FUNDED 80% OF THE SALISH SEA MARINE SURVIVAL PROJECT'S $10-MILLION BUDGET. BUT THE PACIFIC SALMON FOUNDATION NEEDS TO RAISE $450,000 PER YEAR TO KEEP THE PROJECT GOING AT FULL SPEED. ALL TAX-RECEIPTABLE DONATIONS MADE BY DECEMBER 31, 2017, WILL BE MATCHED BY A $50,000 CHALLENGE FUND DONATED BY RUDY NORTH. Kelp grown on ropes anchored to the sea floor. Sea surface temperature as captured via satellite. The tiny new V4 tag has enabled research into one-year-old smolts. CUTTING-EDGE TECH Technology has played a big part in the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. Long-term monitoring of the biological productivity (birth and growth of fish, fish food and other marine species) of waters within the Salish Sea will be enabled through use and testing of remote sensing (satellite) systems. This year, UBC's Institute of Oceans and Fisheries initiated the building of a full-scale computer model of the Salish Sea and its ecosystems – a crucial step for enhancing our understanding of the Salish Sea and testing limits to the production of Pacific salmon. Partners: UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries; University of Victoria; Ocean Networks Canada; Strait of Georgia Data Centre. BIGGER NOT ALWAYS BETTER Tiny new tags enabled the tracking of much smaller one-year-old Sockeye smolts travelling from Chilko Lake through the Fraser (in addition to the two-year-olds that have traditionally been studied). It's a key development, considering that about 95 per cent of young fish migrating out of Chilko Lake are in this age class. Result: the little guys won this showdown! Scientists hypothesize that bigger fish experience lower survival rates because they are easier to see and more rewarding for predators. Partners: University of British Columbia; Kintama Research; Ocean Tracking Network Canada (Dalhousie University) KELP AND CLIMATE CHANGE Some areas of California have lost up to 93 per cent of kelp habitat due to warming waters. Several partners with the Project have been studying this critical refuge for young salmon. Volunteers with Hornby Island Diving, Nile Creek Enhancement Society and Project Watershed had a successful year restoring kelp near Maude Reef by growing kelp on ropes anchored to the sea bed. At SFU, the research team led by Dr. Sherryl Bisgrove and Braeden Schiltroth is studying the impacts of climate change on kelp, and types of kelp that could be more resilient to climate change. One key finding revealed that temperatures over 17.5 C are highly detrimental to kelp. Partners: Project Watershed; Nile Creek Enhancement Society; Hornby Island Diving; Simon Fraser University

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