Farmers to fund evironmental research
The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) Marine Environmental Research Program (MERP) is now accepting proposals for 2017 for projects that will provide a better understanding of the marine environment and BC’s wild marine species, particularly wild salmon stocks.
BCSFA created the MERP in December 2014, committing $1.5-million over five years (2015-2020) to fund research through a competitive process that is managed by a third-party Science Advisory Council (SAC), which is comprised of members from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Island University, BC Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and industry experts.
To date, $470,000 has been committed to funding research for seven projects, involving over 30 researchers from 10 organizations.
Previous projects have included using acoustic tags to track the migration routes of juvenile wild salmon, investigating the potential of perch as cleaner fish, and looking for marine reservoirs of infectious agents associated with proliferative gill disease.
“It’s important for us to better understand BC’s coastal environment to ensure the longevity of both wild and farm-raised salmon,” said Dr Don Noakes, SAC Chair and Dean of Science at Vancouver Island University.
“The Marine Environmental Research Program has opened up collaborative partnerships amongst researchers that are focused on conducting objective and transparent research to learn more about our oceans.”
