The Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) at The University of British Columbia is marking its 10th Anniversary in 2026. This milestone also commemorates over 70 years of groundbreaking research, policy engagement, education, and innovation in fisheries and ocean science at UBC.
To honour this occasion, we are holding a one-day symposium to look to the future of the field, to “Reimagine the Future of Oceans and Fisheries.”
Please join us as we critically reflect on where we are, envision where we need to go, and inspire a new generation of researchers and practitioners dedicated to sustaining oceans and aquatic systems.
| Time |
Event |
| 8:00-9:00 am |
Registration |
| 9:00-9:15 |
Welcoming Remarks
 Dr. William Cheung, Professor and Director, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
|
| 9:15-10:45 |
Bold Ideas for the Future of Oceans, Freshwater, and Fisheries
This session will feature short, forward-looking presentations that challenge conventional thinking and present ambitious ideas about the future of oceans, freshwater systems, and fisheries.
- The Future of Canada’s Marine Mammals: Victim or Emblem for A Changing Ocean?
The current state of Canada’s marine mammals is generally good, with many species recovering from past exploitation. However, the growing threat of the effects of climate change will present significant challenges to their population health, particularly for polar species. We will debate whether we as scientists are merely chroniclers of this inevitable change, or whether we can use the appeal of marine mammals to serve as an inspiration for real-world solutions and changes in policy to mitigate the effects of a changing ocean environment and the potential for secondary human impacts on the animals that live there.
 Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé, Associate Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries & Department of Statistics /  Dr. David Rosen, Assistant Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
- Blue foods potential in the Canadian Arctic Ocean
Inuit have always shown exceptional resilience to change, but the current unprecedented rate of climate change threatens the sustainability of traditional food systems and livelihoods. To meet future food systems demands, this study aims to evaluate diversifying blue food potential (BFP) to lower trophic level species (e.g., kelp, crabs, scallops, some fishes) of interest to the communities of the Canadian Beaufort Sea. We use species distribution models, led by community-based Inuit Knowledge to assess the biophysical processes driving BFP species’ production, spatial trends, and future projections by 2100. We identify areas projected to face risks and opportunities of BFP, particularly in coastal waters. The model findings reveal valuable insights of future BFP to strengthen food security and increase climate resilience in the Canadian Arctic.
 Dr. Kristen Sora, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
- We’re part of the problem
Climate change and other threats to the ocean and coastal communities demand transformational change. Yet the systems in which we work and govern are designed for incremental change. In this presentation, Dr. Donner will talk about how the research and science-policy world may be part of the problem, and what we can do differently.
 Dr. Simon Donner, Professor, Department of Geography, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
- The case for ending bottom trawling where seahorses live
The world’s magical seahorses are tremendous ambassadors and catalysts for ocean conservation. Tens of millions are killed each year by non-selective fisheries, especially bottom trawls. Such unsustainable extraction has led us to ask many questions – and generate many findings – from the viewpoint of the small species in the bottom of the net. Ending destructive bottom trawl fisheries where seahorses live will benefit a great many ocean species, habitats and peoples.
 Dr. Amanda Vincent, Founding Director, Project Seahorse, and Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
- From Infinity Fish to Usefulness Value Economics (UVE)
Conventional economics often ties value primarily to scarcity, rewarding what is scarce rather than what is broadly beneficial and useful. Here Dr. Sumaila builds on the Infinity Fish concept to propose Usefulness-Value Economics (UVE) as an alternative framework. UVE argues that valuation should also account for usefulness to the largest number of people, renewability, and systemic contributions to human and planetary well-being. By shifting from scarcity-centered metrics toward usefulness, regeneration, and inclusivity, UVE offers a pathway for rethinking how economies assign value and design incentives. The framework seeks to reward activities that sustain ecosystems, strengthen social equity, and promote long-term resilience, rather than those that simply exploit scarcity and extract short-term gains.
 Dr. Rashid Sumaila, University Killam Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, & Canada Research Chair, Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics
|
| 10:45-11:15 |
Coffee Break |
| 11:15-12:30 |
PANEL: Science, Power, and Decision-Making
This session will examine the forces that shape how knowledge informs policy and management in oceans and fisheries. Topics will include the role of artificial intelligence, navigating geopolitical dynamics, Indigenous knowledge and authority, land-sea and urban-ocean linkages, and gender equity.
 MODERATOR: Dr. Nathan Bennett, Global Oceans Lead Scientist for WWF, Chair of the People and the Oceans Specialist Group for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Adjunct faculty member, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.
 Dr. Christopher Harley, Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries & UBC Zoology
 Greig Oldford, PhD student, Global Ocean Modelling Group, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and Section Head of Nearshore Ecosystems, Fisheries & Oceans Canada
 Dr. Juliano Palacios-Abrantes, Postdoctoral Fellow, Changing Oceans Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
 Dr. Andrea Reid, Assistant Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Canada Research Chair, Indigenous Fisheries Science, & Principal Investigator, Centre for Indigenous Fisheries
 Dr. Colette Wabnitz, Senior Researcher, Changing Oceans Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries & Senior Researcher, Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University
|
| 12:30-1:30 |
Lunch and Poster Session
- Establishing baselines, risks, and mechanisms of thiamine deficiency in BC Chinook Salmon (Pelagic Ecosystems Lab - Natasha Buckiewicz)
- Fatty acid analysis for ecology: applications and opportunities (Pelagic Ecosystems Lab - Natasha Buckiewicz)
- Worryingly little is known about the ecological impacts of bottom trawling (Project Seahorse - Syd Ascione)
- Knowledge gaps and research priorities in understudied Syngnathoidei fishes (Project Seahorse - Dr. Sarah Foster)
- Gill Oxygen Limitation Theory (Sea Around Us)
- Human disturbance is often associated with higher pathogen prevalence in seabirds (Statistical Ecology Research Lab - Shabnam Shadloo)
- Kelp Seaforestation to Enhance Socio-Ecological Resilience in British Columbia: Insights from
- Scientific Research and Restoration Practices (Changing Oceans Research Unit - Julia Mayer)
- How Much Are We Underestimating Global Coral Bleaching Severity? (Climate and Coastal Ecosystem Lab - Dr. Virginie Bornarel)
- Climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and vulnerability of coastal communities (Changing Ocean Research Unit - Dr. Louise Teh)
- Developing Micro-Credentials in Sustainability and Stewardship for a Sustainable Blue Economic Future (Dr. Rhea Storlund)
- Bringing Indigenous Research Methodologies to Aquatic Stewardship (Centre for Indigenous Studies - Gretchen MacNaughton)
- Weaving Together Ways of Knowing: A Lower Fraser Case Study in Decolonizing Aquatic Ecology (Centre for Indigenous Studies - Gretchen MacNaughton)
- Drivers of intertidal rocky-shore biodiversity in the Salish Sea (Coastal Marine Ecology - Kevin Ma)
- ANCHOR program (Extended Learning)
- Developing Micro-Credentials in Sustainability and Stewardship for a Sustainable Blue Economic Future (Dr. Rhea Storlund)
- IOF 10th Anniversary Book (Dr. William Cheung, Dr. David Rosen, Dr. Juliano Palacios-Abrantes)
- 25 years of the Sea Around Us (Sea Around Us)
|
| 1:30-2:45 |
Current Research in the IOF
This session will provide IOF community members the opportunity to give short, 5 minute overviews of their current research activities, and how they will shape knowledge, inform policy, and management change in the field of oceans, freshwater, and fisheries.
- From international commitments to national action for seahorses? – Dr. Sarah Foster, Senior Researcher, Project Seahorse
- Knowing Enough to Act: Applying the 5Q Approach to Conservation Planning Through a Sri Lankan Seahorse Case Study – Samara Polwatta, PhD student, Project Seahorse
- Applying a use-availability framework to evaluate multi-species concordance between eDNA detections and modelled habitat suitability – Alex Schmill, MSc student, Changing Oceans Research Unit (CORU)
- Exploring Nation-specific solution options for the Tla’amin Nation’s seafood security under changing climate conditions – Mahynour Saleh, PhD student, Changing Oceans Research Unit (CORU)
- Mapping the Risks of Deep-Sea Mining from Seabed to Society – Dr. Lubna Alam, Senior Researcher, Fisheries Economics Research Unit (FERU)
- Co-creating decision support systems for sustainable mangrove fisheries in Ghana and Tanzania – Dr. Ibrahim Issifu, Senior Researcher, Fisheries Economics Research Unit (FERU)
- Junk in the Trunk. Plastic particles in Humpback Whale Feces – Rhys Jenson, MSc student, Marine Mammal Research Unit (MMRU)
- Blue Carbon and Beyond: Do Natural Climate Solutions Work for Coastal Communities? A Case Study from Colombia, Zana Moody, PhD student, Climate and Coastal Ecosystem Lab (Donner Lab)
- A novel mega RNA virus with an exceptionally large genome associated with mass die-offs in Pacific oysters, Dr. Xu Zhong, Senior Researcher, Marine Virology and Microbiology (Suttle Lab)
- White sturgeon in BC: from recruitment failure to restoration – Dr. Steven McAdam, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, & Adjunct faculty, UBC Institute of Oceans and Fisheries
|
| 2:45-3:15 |
Coffee Break |
| 3:15-4:30 |
PANEL – Turning Knowledge into Action: Partnerships that Deliver
This session will focus on how collaborations among researchers, governments, Indigenous communities, industry, and other partners can translate knowledge into meaningful outcomes for oceans, freshwater, and fisheries.
 MODERATOR: Dr. Fiona Beaty, Science Coordinator, Great Bear Sea MPA Network, National Geographic Explorer, & UBC Alumna
 Dr. Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak, Vice President, Conservation Programs, Ocean Wise & UBC Alumna
 Ethan Edson, Co-founder and CEO, Ocean Diagnostics
 Russ Jones, Chief, Haida Nation (retired)
 Dr. Robyn Forrest, Research Scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada & UBC Alumna
|
| 4:30-5:00 |
Closing Reflections
- Dr. William Cheung, Professor and Director, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
|
| 5:30-8:00 |
Evening reception and Alumni get-together |
