Report: Strait of Georgia ecosystem research initiative
A paper published in the August 2013 issue of Progress in Oceanography provides a summary and overview of the Strait of Georgia Ecosystem Research Initiative, an effort by Fisheries and Oceans Canada "to facilitate integrated research on the Strait of Georgia ecosystem."
This paper is a synthesis of projects funded by the Strait of Georgia Ecosystem Research Initiative, which was established by the Canadian government in 2008 and concluded in 2012. The various projects provide a foundation for understanding drivers of change and supporting healthy resources through ecosystem-based management. Key processes in the Strait including nutrient enrichment from various sources, phytoplankton blooms, and food web dynamics, and stressors such as fishing and coastal habitat modification can impact the ecosystem. Researchers found that accumulated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) will persist in marine mammals for years, but regulatory actions have recently led to stable or declining loads of these contaminants. Other studies revealed decadal variability in zooplankton biomass and spring bloom timing.
The authors write that ecosystem management for the Strait of Georgia requires an understanding of the features that create resilience in marine ecosystems and baselines and thresholds for various ecosystem indicators. Several ecosystem assessment and modeling tools, which could be used in the future to predict responses to environmental stressors, were developed as a result of the research initiative.
The paper abstract is available online, with full text for subscribers:
