PhD Student

Ocean and Freshwater Ecosystem Indicators of Salmon Health in Heiltsuk territory

THE PROJECT
In partnership with the Heiltsuk Integrated Resources Management Department, the Wild Salmon Center, andHakai Institute, the Fisheries Management Lab at Simon Fraser University (SFU) is seeking to hire a PhD Student in quantitative fisheries ecology to work on the collaborative Ocean and Freshwater Ecosystem Indicatorproject to understand Pacific salmon ecology and population dynamics in the Central Coast.

Pacific salmon populations throughout the Central Coast, including Heiltsuk territory, have experienced significantdeclines in abundance since the 1950s. Mismanagement, overfishing, and ecosystem changes all have contributed to this collapse. As the effect of climate change is increasingly limiting salmon recovery,understanding why some salmon populations have fared worse than others is instrumental in preventing andmitigating further declines. Therefore, the Ocean and Freshwater Ecosystem Indicator project aims to answer the following objectives:

(1) Integrate existing long-term datasets on oceanographic and freshwater conditions, salmon smolt survival andsalmon adult returns to specific salmon systems in the Central Coast, BC to identify environmental andecological drivers of change in salmon productivity.

(2) Develop a framework and tool for long-term assessments of salmon health that integrates quantitative data(identified in objective 1) with local knowledge to predict smolt survival and salmon return to support Heiltsuksalmon stewardship.

This work will rely on existing spawner-abundance and harvest estimates for salmon populations returning to orpassing through Heiltsuk territory to provide both quantitative and qualitative pre-season forecasting insights.The student will work with HIRMD to compile qualitative indicators of salmon survival grounded in local knowledge and life-history insights for each species. The specific forecasting approach will be tailored to each species,depending on known relationships between freshwater and marine ecosystem conditions and the species' survival and productivity. This work will leverage years of climate-change science and turn it into practical advice to foster climate-change adaptation for salmon management. This forecasting tool will strengthen HIRMD‘s ability to detect, respond, andcoordinate emergency measures ahead of potential climate events that could pose a risk to salmon populations.

APPLICANT INFORMATION

We seek a PhD student who can implement quantitative analyses of Pacific salmon and work alongside Heiltsuk and agency science partners to assess questions of interest for the collaborative project. The successful candidate will have:

• MSc or equivalent experience in fisheries ecology;
• A track record of communicating science to community partners;
• Work effectively in a collaborative team;
• Experience running quantitative analyses on ecological data
• Some related background or interests in salmon systems or fisheries
• Awareness of inclusive research practices with Indigenous communities

Salary: funding for this position comes from a combination of HIRMD and SFU sourcing covering a guarantee of four (4) years for the PhD Candidate subject to SFU policies and is anticipated to be ~$35,000 CAD.