RSC College induction ceremony, Nov. 2024. (l to r) Dr. William Cheung, Dr. Andrea Reid, Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé
Deniz Coskuner (MSc OCF) wins Best ECOP poster at PICES 2024
Congratulations to Deniz Coskuner (MSc OCF), who won the Best ECOP poster for her poster “Temporal dynamics of nearshore zooplankton communities in the Strait of Georgia: Implications for ecosystem health” from the Technical Committee on Data Exchange at PICES 2024.
Tags: awards, British Columbia, honours, IOF students, Pelagic Ecosystems Lab, Strait of Georgia, zooplankton
Haunting the seas: the legacy of ghost gear pollution in marine environments
This spooky season we spoke with M.A. (Anthropology) candidate Oriana Smy who told us about her eerie “ghost gear” collaboration with the Ocean Pollution Research Unit (OPRU) at the Institute of Oceans and Fisheries.
Ocean-based sources of marine debris retrieved during the Clean Coast, Clean Waters initiative (2020). Photo credit: Oriana Smy
Ghost gear and marine debris retrieved during the Clean Coast, Clean Waters initiative (2021). Photo credit: Oriana Smy
Can you give us an idea of how much ghost gear is out there?
Oriana: It’s hard to know definitively how much ghost gear is out there because there is a lot of missing data. Some “legacy” gear has been floating around the ocean for decades, whereas much of it sinks or washes ashore. Nearly 10 million tons of plastic is estimated to enter the ocean annually. Of that, approximately 640,000 tons are made up of ghost gear.
What are some of your concerns about how ghost gear “haunts” our oceans?
Oriana: After it becomes disconnected from its originally intended use, ghost gear can catch non-targeted species – such as fish, whales or other marine mammals – through by-catch or entanglement, which impacts biodiversity and contributes to species decline. Small-scale artisanal fishers in Mexico (and other areas as well) are faced with the problem of environmental degradation when nets or ropes dredge sensitive seafloor habitats, which negatively impact fishing grounds and can contribute to shoreline erosion. Human health complications can lso arise because much of the ghost gear is composed of plastics, which can break down into microplastics through exposure to the elements.
“Seal entangled in fishing net” by NOAA Marine Debris Program is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Tell us more about the research you’ve conducted to better understand and address the haunting impacts of ghost gear?
Oriana: This past summer, I conducted my field research in Baja California Sur, Mexico, incorporating qualitative, quantitative, and multimodal methods in my research approach. I collected quantitative data through surveys and shoreline cleanups to identify the types and quantities of marine plastics in this region to compare against regional datasets of the Northeast Pacific. I also interviewed small-scale artisanal fishers and members of the informal waste sector to better understand local priorities and perspectives surrounding this global problem of both ocean-based and land-based sources of marine plastic pollution.
Compressed plastics diverted from the landfill and marine environment in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Photo credit: Oriana Smy
Why did you focus on ghost gear, specifically on the Pacific coast and the Gulf of California?
Oriana: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Kuroshio and California current systems all play significant roles in the transboundary retention and distribution of debris in the Northeast Pacific. As for the Gulf of California in Mexico, there is more of a domestic origin, primarily through commercial vessels from Sinaloa and Sonora, as well as local small-scale fishing activities, particularly related to the illegal totoaba fishery.
Is there anything being done to ‘bust’ ghost gear?
“Entangled Sperm Whale” by lauren.packard is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Ghost gear retrieved during the Clean Coast, Clean Waters initiative (2020). Photo credit: Oriana Smy
And if you come across ghost gear be sure to report it to the local authorities in your region.
Tags: ghost gear, IOF students, microplastics, OPRU, plastic, pollution, Shoreline cleanup
Drawing maps of Greater Caribbean manatee habitats in South America; a huge step forward in conservation and rehabilitation
Maceió, a West Indian manatee at a rescue centre in Brazil prior to being released back into the wild.
Photo: ChicoRasta
For the first time, 23 experts from 6 countries across South America, from Brazil to Colombia, gathered to collaborate on strategies to enhance manatee protection across the continent. Specifically, they worked to refine manatee habitat maps, which will help identify critical areas that require immediate protection.
Workshop participants reviewing the accuracy of habitat maps for West Indian manatees in South America. Photo: A.W. Trites.
For the first time, 23 experts from Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil gathered to collaborate on strategies to enhance manatee protection across the continent.
“It was truly remarkable to have such a diverse group of manatee experts from across South America gathered in one room—and to see the critical need for them to speak with a unified voice if they are to save manatees in their home countries,” said Dr. Andrew Trites, Director of the MMRU. “West Indian manatees don’t belong to a single country. They live in Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil—regions where 5 national languages are spoken and environmental protection varies significantly. They are a shared responsibility of all South America. All of the countries that are home to manatees must unite to ensure their survival.”
Drawing from the invaluable insights shared at the workshop, Dr. Meirelles will continue to update manatee habitat maps with the new information shared at the workshop, ensuring that the maps remain accurate and actionable for conservation work. The ultimate goal is the ability to share these publicly. The multinational team of manatee experts will also continue to collaborate in the coming months through online meetings, with the goal of creating a comprehensive priority map for manatee conservation management in South America.
Alva and Maceió, two rescued West Indian manatees cared for at Aquasis’rescue center in Brazil.
Photo: Amanda Vasconcelos/Acervo Aquasis.
“The willingness shown this week to collaborate and share data and knowledge gives me hope that, by uniting our efforts and speaking with one voice, we will ultimately save manatees across their entire range,” said Meirelles.
Tags: Alliance for Manatees, Andrew Trites, Carol Meirelles, conservation, IOF Research Associates, manatees, MMRU, Research, South America, workshop
Partnering with Indigenous communities to improve research outcomes
The Salish Sea watershed with Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound emphasized in red. Map credit: Willem van Riet
While marine systems provide us with invaluable economic, social, and cultural values, anthropogenic issues like pollution, unsustainable resource extraction, and climate change intensify the pressures these ecosystems face and threaten biodiversity. Urbanized marine areas epitomize this trade-off; for example, Atl’ka7tsem (Howe Sound), in Squamish Nation’s ancestral territory, provides numerous values with far-reaching benefits to communities but is also one of the most heavily impacted water bodies in British Columbia.
Scientists have searched for solutions that prioritize a balance between protecting marine systems and the needs of surrounding communities. Social data from communities play a critical role in successfully meeting long-term conservation goals but are often misinterpreted by typical marine conservation planning methods. To ensure long-term conservation objectives are met in Atl’ka7tsem, a recent study was co-developed between Squamish Nation and researchers from The University of British Columbia to survey community members about the different values the ocean provides them throughout the region.
“Using a co-created approach to interviews built a foundation of trust across researchers and community members,” says researcher Fiona Beaty, who conducted community interviews alongside youth from Squamish Nation. Trust was essential in encouraging the community to discuss their relationships with spaces in Atl’ka7tsem and to use research findings during decision-making.
Community presentation of research findings to Skwxwú7mesh Nation members. Photo credit: Fiona Beaty
Community values can inform marine conservation decisions
Northeast Atl’ka7tsem from Stawamus Chief. Photo credit: Megan Duchesne
Beaty’s team highlighted the value of establishing a large, publicly accessible Marine Protected Area or an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, specifically near Ramillies Channel, where many ecological and cultural values were identified. This conservation area would serve as a tool for specifying the boundaries of where large-scale economic activities, which may negatively interact with these identified values, can occur. Establishing a conservation area which supports human activities that positively interact with ecological and cultural values would foster social buy-in, protecting biodiversity outcomes and Indigenous cultural values. “It is critical that people see ourselves as part of the ecosystem,” says Beaty, “embracing human relationships to places and building toward more respectful, reciprocal, and regenerative ways of being, rather than separating people from nature, is essential to protecting threatened and degraded places.”
Skwxwú7mesh Nation members, Jonathan, Charlene, and Randall Williams, welcome slhawt’/herring back to their territory. Photo credit: Kieran Brownie
Decolonizing marine research
Instead of relying on typical marine conservation planning methods, Beaty’s team weaved together oral, written, visual, and spatial knowledge to prioritize community values. Long-term protection of these values for future generations must be considered during the planning process. Indigenous youth played a central role in designing and implementing their study and communicating results to the community, which Beaty’s team hoped would empower young community members and encourage intergenerational knowledge sharing. Despite the impact of settler and industrial activities on Atl’ka7tsem over time, community members have noticed some recovery in ecosystem health and marine life. A member of Squamish Nation reflected on the value of the recovery in strengthening cultural connections to the ocean: “The fish and sea life are overcoming a lot of barriers and obstacles now, I think our people are doing the same thing… Once that all starts healing, things start coming back to our people. So, whether it’s in the ocean, whether it’s with us as human beings, I think we’re moving in that direction. I feel like the spirit of it all is returning.”
Centering community values in marine planning was published in Marine Policy
Tags: British Columbia, climate change, community, conservation, ecology, Indigenous conservation, Indigenous culture, Indigenous fisheries, Indigenous history, Indigenous Knowledge, IOF students, Research, Skwxwú7mesh Nation, Squamish
Dr. Pinsky with award
(l to r): Dr. Andrew Trites, UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries; Dr. Mark MacLachlan, Dean of Science pro tem, UBC;
Dr. Malin Pinsky; 2024 Peter A Larkin Award laureate, with award; and Gillian Larkin, representative of the Larkin family.