UBC Science’s Post

Just published! Delve into "Large Changes in Canada’s Oceans and Their Impacts on Ecosystems and Fisheries," Chapter 4 of "SEA CHANGE: Charting a Sustainable Future for Oceans in Canada". Penned by our Senior Research Fellow Nidhi Nagabhatla, this chapter explores the profound effects of large-scale changes on Canada's marine environments. From shifts in physical and chemical states to their repercussions on ecosystems and fisheries, this newly unveiled research provides critical insights into the evolving landscape of our oceans. More info here: https://lnkd.in/eqtYM2mp

Valuable and informative content.

On July 9, Fisheries and Oceans Canada / Pêches et Océans Canada announced $9.3 million in funding towards four projects in BC under the Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund (AERF). One of the projects to receive funding is The Kelp Rescue Initiative, based at Bamfield Marine Science Centre and the University of Victoria. The project works with local First Nations to develop methods for culturing and out-planting giant and bull kelp in southern British Columbia. "Kelp forests are vitally important ecosystems on B.C.'s coastline. This new funding will help advance the critical science that is needed to understand how best to restore kelp forests, and to begin this important work.” — Julia Baum, Co-Lead on the Kelp Rescue Initiative and Professor at UVic. ➡️ Learn more about the new funding: https://ow.ly/ZABZ50SzSJg Video by The Kelp Rescue Initiative 

🌊 Deactivated dFADs in the Indian Ocean: Environmental impact and marine management 🐟 📖 The latest Editor's Choice from ICES Journal of Marine Science presents invaluable data from French tuna fisheries on the distribution and environmental impacts of deactivated dFADs. This study details their environmental footprint and provides a foundation for improved marine resource management. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eiGQfAYz Wencheng Lau-Medrano Daniel Gaertner Francis Marsac Loreleï Guéry David Kaplan

The ‘temperature-size rule’ describes the observed phenomena of increased juvenile growth, earlier maturation, reduced lifespan, and smaller adult size at higher temperatures. While the mechanisms underpinning the “temperature-size rule” remain debated, the implications of reduced body size on the viability of populations and productivity of fisheries are clear. https://lnkd.in/gRyZXgCP

On #WorldFisheriesDay, we’re highlighting the importance of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in fisheries—a key recommendation in @Oceana Canada’s 2024 Fishery Audit. IKS are dynamic knowledge systems that draw on deep, place-based understanding, multi-generational perspectives, and cultural practices that are essential for sustaining local ecosystems[RN1] . By pairing IKS with Western science, we can ensure long-term sustainability of fisheries, advance reconciliation, and protect marine biodiversity for future generations. Learn more: Oceana.ca/FisheryAudit2024

In 2007, Pacific Island Forum Leaders in Vava’u, Tonga, committed to managing coastal fisheries. Seventeen years later, back in Vava’u, they recognized the progress made and welcomed the five-year extension of the Pacific Framework for Action on Community-Based Fisheries Management (CBFM). However, Pacific Fisheries Ministers warned that without ongoing funding, the progress could be at risk, as coastal communities are at different stages of CBFM implementation. They called on development partners to increase sustainable and accessible funding to scale up CBFM—the Pacific way of managing coastal fisheries. Read more in the latest SPC Fisheries Newsletter. 👇🐟🐠 #cbfm #coastalfishingcommunities #coastalfisheries

Applying historical data to contemporary science & management Our Working Group on the History of Fish and Fisheries (WGHIST) evaluates long-term changes in social-ecological systems, bringing together researchers to discuss and undertake work on change in marine and fisheries systems over multidecadal to centennial timescales. WGHIST members Cordula Scherer and Poul Holm recently developed a Historical Plankton Index to overcome the lack of long-term ocean productivity proxies that could be used to understand past fisheries dynamics. This extends the historical record of temperature-driven zooplankton abundance in the North Sea over a multi-centennial time scale - back to 800 CE - to understand its influence on the historical fortunes of fisheries exemplified through the commercial Dutch herring fishery. 📖 Read the paper here: https://lnkd.in/e6v96Wn6 ➡ Find out more about WGHIST: https://lnkd.in/eKGGGN5P #WGHIST Bryony Caswell

What do a babbling brook, a breathtaking waterfall, and a captivating lake sunset have in common? Water! 🌊 To celebrate #WorldWaterDay, we’re shouting out our science partners who help us improve our knowledge of aquatic resources that provide drinking water, a source for waterpower, recreational opportunities, and sustain a diversity of aquatic ecosystems in the province. We work with many Indigenous, federal, provincial, municipal, and university partners, and non-government organizations, such as conservation authorities, across the province. Some partnership examples include: • Saugeen-Ojibway Nation: Using a two-eyed seeing approach that combines Indigenous ecological knowledge with Western science to study lake whitefish, a valuable fish species, in Lake Huron. • Great Lakes Fisheries Commission: Coordinating fisheries research and management among state, provincial, Indigenous, and federal agencies to help ensure sustainability of fisheries resources and support healthy Great Lakes ecosystems. • Universities and industry partners: Studying how mercury moves through watersheds to evaluate the effectiveness of forest management guidelines to mitigate risk. Learn more about the work we do at ontario.ca/ScienceON. #ScienceON

As the organization that manages Southern Ocean fisheries – The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources CCAMLR – prepares to hold its annual meeting in Hobart, Australia, in October, major questions need to be addressed by its 29 members. Two critical issues are on the agenda:  1️⃣ The establishment of large-scale marine protected areas 2️⃣ New directions in krill fishery management These two issues have become politically intertwined, and it appears that two countries will be particularly influential in determining the outcome — China and Norway. How will the future of the Southern Ocean’s ecosystems and fisheries be shaped by these discussions? Read the op-ed by Evan Bloom and Husebekk Anne, Senter for hav og Arktis. https://lnkd.in/dgMv9Ytt