A team of University of Northern British Columbia researchers has received $5 million in funding to study the impacts of climate change and human activity on salmon.
It's one of the largest competitive grants in the institution's history, UNBC states in a press release announcing the funding.
The research team will be led by Prof. Ellen Petticrew of UNBC's Department of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Jason Raine, manager of the Quesnel River Research Centre (QRRC).
“We have a strong research team, combining backgrounds in physical, chemical and biological aspects of aquatic systems. While this project and funding is focused on the Quesnel watershed, we expect the findings to be applicable to other large lake systems in the Pacific Northwest which are undergoing climate change,” Petticrew stated.
Researchers will use the funds to study the impacts of climate change, including drought, flooding and wildfires, as well as human activity on salmon habitat and ecosystems in the Quesnel watershed.
Construction of a new building with wet and dry laboraties as well as space for teaching and community outreach at the QRRC site in Likely, B.C. is included in the project. The UNBC facilities department is co-ordinating the building’s construction.
The funds came from the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF), which is co-funded by both the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia and is administered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
"This significant investment from the BCSRIF will enable UNBC researchers to delve deeper into understanding the impacts of climate change on salmon ecosystems and to develop strategies that can help preserve these species for future generations," stated UNBC president Geoff Payne. "This project exemplifies UNBC’s commitment to inspiring discovery through research and mobilizing that knowledge so it can shape policies and practices for a sustainable future."
The funding will also support improvements to hatchery infrastructure, including upgraded wells and electrical services for water supply, additional tanks for broodstock holding and improved early life stage biosecurity in the QRRC incubation room.
Hatchery improvements will allow the facility to raise Chinook salmon to help address recent population declines due to the 2019 Big Bar Slide and other natural and human-caused stressors on stocks, the press release states.
“Salmon are key species in British Columbia, both for the role they play in the ecosystem as a food source and for their cultural value,” stated Paula Wood-Adams, UNBC's vice-president research and innovation. “Funding from the BCSRIF allows UNBC researchers to continue to explore the impact of climate change on salmon populations and the infrastructure improvements will provide more opportunities for UNBC to expand experiential learning through field schools.”
The research team includes UNBC faculty and adjunct members Stephen Déry, Peter Jackson and Philip Owens, University of British Columbia researcher Bernard Laval and Fisheries and Oceans Canada research scientists Daniel Selbie and Svein Vagle.
The project, which will also include collaboration with the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, will also involve numerous post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, summer students and research associates, UNBC reports.
