Greetings and welcome to the Spring 2016 edition of the OceanCanada Newsletter! In this edition you’ll find updates from across the partnership, an interview with advisory board chair Rosemary Ommer, profiles of OCP investigators, students, and post-doctoral fellows, and an interactive map of HQP developed by Evan Andrews (University of Waterloo).
Recently, I’ve been connecting with co-investigators and collaborators across the country, which has allowed me to visit partner sites and explore opportunities for project-wide integration and impact. Our upcoming conference in May at UBC will further our holistic and collaborative approach to research that benefits Canada and its coastal communities. I look forward to further engagement, within and beyond our partnership, and welcome your feedback.
Rashid Sumaila, OceanCanada Scientific Director
Highlights from across the partnership
Welcome – Dr. Simon Courtenay joins the Atlantic working group
Co-Investigator with the Atlantic Working Group, and Scientific Director of the Canadian Water Network at the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo
Editorial – Sustainability of our fisheries requires bold political leadership
Co-authored by David VanderZwaag, Co-lead Law & Policy working group. Policy Options Magazine
Workshop – Dr. Nancy Doubleday and Students at McMaster Water Forum
Sarah Newell (PhD. candidate) and Kathryn Pringle (B.A. candidate) present research at conference with Dr. Nancy Doubleday, Co-Lead Arctic working group
Workshop – Projecting the Arctic Marine Ecosystem Response to Climate Change on a Regional Scale: Developing a Canadian Arctic Ecosystem Model
Presented by Nadja Steiner co-investigator with the National Data and Integrated Scenarios working group, at the DFO-ACCASP meeting on March 3, 2016
Workshop – DFO-Gulf Region synthesis workshop on Northumberland Strait
Attended by Atlantic working group members Dr. Simon Courtenay and Nicole Stamnes. February 2016.
Research – Global Fisheries Subsidies: An Updated Estimate
Co-authored by Rashid Sumaila, OceanCanada Research Director. Marine Policy (in print).
Research – Climate Change could cut First Nation’s Fisheries in Half
Co-authored by Lauren V. Weatherdon and William Cheung, co-investigators with the OceanCanada
Pacfic working group and the Nereus Program at UBC
A Conversation with Rosemary Ommer
Chair of OceanCanada’s Advisory Board
The first in our knowledge mobilization series with OceanCanada researchers and advisors talking about the partnership and the future of Canada’s oceans.
Researcher profile: Dr. William Cheung, UBC
Dr. William Cheung is co-lead of the OceanCanada National Data and Integrated Scenario working group, Associate Professor and Director (Science) of the Nippon Foundation-UBC Nereus Program at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.
His main research areas include understanding the responses and vulnerabilities of marine ecosystems and fisheries to global change, and examining trade-offs in managing and conserving living marine resources. His works cut across multiple disciplines, from oceanography to ecology, economics and social sciences, and range from local to global scales.
Welcome to new graduate students and researchers!
A number of new students and researchers have joined the OceanCanada partnership in the last 4 months. Over the next year we endeavour to profile this outstanding community of High Quality Personnel (HQP) and the research contributions they are making to our partnership. This month, we welcome 4 new additions to the Atlantic working group!
Nicole Stamnes
Masters student in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo.
Evan Andrews
PhD student at the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo.
Graham Epstein
Postdoctoral researcher with the Environmental Change and Governance Group at the University of Waterloo.
Irene Brueckner-Irwin
Masters student in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo.
Mapping students and post-doctoral researchers
The Atlantic Working Group, led by Dr. Derek Armitage and Evan Andrews, is creating an interactive map of students and post-doctoral researchers across the OceanCanada partnership. The map provides a public platform that students and HQP can use to connect with each other for discussion and collaboration.
Ocean news from around the world
Oceans North Canada calls for Inuit input on Arctic Shipping Corridors
The 37-page report outlines several key recommendations, including the need for a new management structure to govern the areas in the corridors initiative. The organization (a program of The Pew Charitable Trusts) wants to see the creation of a commission co-chaired by the Coast Guard and Inuit beneficiaries.
Conservation in the Age of Climate Change: Why Scientists Are Banking on Drones for Tracking Coastal Climate Research
“UAVs are really at the forefront of improving climate models” by helping scientists better understand the energy transfers between the surface and atmosphere, DeBoer says… “There is inherent uncertainty in doing this sort of [climate modeling] work… and that feeds into how policymakers and industry can use these projections in a meaningful way” to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Nasa examine’s El Nino’s impact on ocean’s food source
El Nino years can have a big impact on phytoplankton in the ocean, and NASA scientists are studying the relationship between the two…These impacts, which researchers can visualize with satellite data, can ripple up the food chain to fisheries and the livelihoods of fishermen.