BSCN – Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Vancouver, BC
During my third Co-op term with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, I was granted the opportunity to partake in data collection for the Oceans Protection Plan. In September, I boarded a Coast Guard Vessel where the chief scientist I work with demonstrated how to perform a successful collection of seabed sediment through grab sampling. The samples were then brought back to the lab for analysis, and a second set of samples was collected to be sieved. These were sieved with the purposes of separating the macrofauna from each of the different stations and by doing so, being able to learn more about the different characteristics of these stations. Another promising project I have been working on has been dock camera-work surveys. I have been given the opportunity to visit docks all over Burrard Inlet, Fraser Delta, and Indian Arm. During these visits, the dock structure is thoroughly surveyed and any fauna and flora living on or near the dock are documented, providing a scientific basis of the current state of these systems. This Co-op term has allowed me to develop numerous skills I can carry forward in my future career, as well as enabled me to improve my existing skills. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has shown me my true passion for the field of conservation sciences, and how great of a difference scientific research can make in the protection of ecosystems.
