Oceans cover seventy per cent of the surface of our planet and are essential to all life on earth. They regulate our climate, supply our oxygen, and support millions of organisms that make up the complex marine food web—from planktonic creatures to blue whales to humans. We need our oceans for food and for health.

Join the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre and OceanCanada for a series of engaging talks exploring the history and future of Canada’s fisheries followed by Q & A and a “Meet and Mingle.”  Four Tuesday evenings will feature new topics and experts:

• Feb 28: History of Aboriginal, recreational and commercial fisheries on the NW Coast and implications for the future.
• Apr 11: Current issues and future projections for local, Aboriginal, recreational and commercial fisheries.
• Sep 12: How climate change and pollution are affecting our oceans.
• Nov 7: Making sustainable choices.

Complimentary admission and refreshments for these events are generously being provided by OceanCanada.

RSVP required.  Space is limited.

Speakers for September 12th

Moderator, Eric Solomon, Director, Arctic Connections Program, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre

Eric Solomon has worked for many years in the field of science and environmental education and communication with museums, science centres and public aquariums in the US and Canada. He is dedicated to improving communication of complex science and environmental issues to the public, and creating greater public awareness of, and engagement in, important issues facing Canada’s north.

Dr. Brian Riddell, President and CEO, Pacific Salmon Foundation

Dr. Riddell is a fisheries scientist experienced with Pacific salmon, their fisheries, and related policy. Brian worked for 30 years with the DFO. He was a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s Expert Panel on Ocean Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity, and is a Commissioner to the Pacific Salmon Commission. As the scientific lead in the creation of Canada’s Policy for Conservation of Wild Pacific Salmon, he received Canada’s 2005 Public Service Distinction Award. He also contributed to the development of the 1985 Canada-US Pacific Salmon Treaty. His publications focus on salmon and genetics, international fisheries management, and science-based policy for salmon conservation and utilization. Brian also created the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project beginning in 2013  (www.marinesurvivalproject.com).

Sm’hayetsk Teresa Ryan, PhD (Gitlan, Tsm’syen), Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow, Faculty of Forestry, Forest and Conservation Sciences, UBC

Dr. Ryan’s research builds upon the ancestral connections of Aboriginal people, salmon, and forests at the terrestrial–aquatic interface and species inter-dependencies in complex adaptive systems. She is a scientist on the Pacific Salmon Commission Joint Chinook Technical Committee; a member of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observations Technical Working Group, and Circle of Experts Assembly of First Nations Advisory Committee on Climate Action and the Environment; and Sr. Policy Advisor to the Native Brotherhood of British Columbia. She has served as Vice Chair, BC Pacific Salmon Forum; Director, BC Aquatic Foods Resources Society; and participated in Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat committees.

Dr. Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak, Seafood Specialist, Ocean Wise Seafood Program, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre

Dr. Al-Abdulrazzak was formerly an Ocean Policy Analyst at the United Nations and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the UBC Fisheries Centre, where she also did her PhD. Her research aims to document and understand the long-term impacts of fisheries on marine ecosystems in order to implement effective marine policy. She focuses on issues related to overfishing, applied use of historical baselines, and the global impact of ghost fishing.

Dr. Juan José Alava, Research Scientist, Ocean Pollution Research Program, Coastal Ocean Research Institute, Vancouver Aquarium; Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, UBC; and Adjunct Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management, SFU.

As a marine eco-toxicologist and conservation biologist, Dr. Alava’s research interests include environmental toxicology and marine ecotoxicology, food web-bioaccumulation modelling of pollutants, marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, fisheries science and management, climate change, environmental impact and risk assessments, conservation biology, tropical biodiversity, and parasitology. He is a collaborating scientist of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands and the current Science Director of the Ecuadorian Foundation for the Study of Marine Mammals.