Past events are highlighted below.
2023
Fish and Aqua Feast 2023
Fisheries and Aquaculture students 2022/2023 (pictured below) enjoyed a fantastic end of semester feast catered by Hungry Bubbas Food Truck. Funds for the event were provided by a CEWIL grant awarded to Stefanie Zaklan-Duff. Thanks to Stefanie for organizing the feast and for supporting our students.
The food was amazing, the weather was fabulous, and the company couldn't be beat! Good luck to all students writing their exams and all the best to our 2023 graduates!
2017
2017 BSc Graduates
Matthew Miller, Monica Redmond, and Alandra Marino
2016
2016 BSc Graduates
Fraser Linza, Allison Latell, Chandler Hines, Jeanine Fence, Michael Lockhart
2014
Congratulations to our 2014 scholarship and awards recipients!
$22,750 was awarded to 12 deserving students from our diploma and BSc programs. There were also a number of our students receiving external awards. Please click on the links below to find out more!
2008
On January 6 students and faculty completed the annual spawning of rainbow trout here in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. The weather was cold and foggy but the team worked diligently for 3 hours. At the end, 14 females were live spawned and a total of 25,000 eggs were fertilized. Incubation will occur in heath stacks over the next few months. Trout project students will be in charge of husbandry and also will complete an incubation experiment comparing flow-through vs. recirculation (with periodic ozone disinfections) on egg survival to the eyed stage. View more images.
Congratulations to Keith Halper, 2nd year diploma student, who was awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. Way to go! If you are interested in applying for this scholarship please visit Fisheries and Aquaculture scholarships.
VIU student helps disabled anglers. Brad Durvin's four-year dream of building a wheelchair-accessible fishing dock on Long Lake became a reality Thursday. The Vancouver Island University aquaculture studies student said he was “delighted" to have the approximately $11,000 floating dock, located in Loudon Park, finally open to the public. Click on the photo to read more...
VIU students educate others about climate change. Members of VIU's new Chemistry club, including Kate Hall, Riley Glew, Cam Newhook, Erin McCauley and Carol Bob, are teaching high school students about the science of climate change. Click on the photo to read more...
June 7, 2008: The Nanaimo Fish and Game Protective Association held their annual CNIB/MS Society Fishing Forever Day. Part of the event involves fishing for rainbow trout in the pond at the club. The trout pond is stocked by the Vancouver Island University Fisheries & Aquaculture program under the direction of Frank Dalziel and Gord Edmondson.
June 3, 2008: Dr. Harald Rosenthal, internationally renowned fisheries scientist and International Centre for Sturgeon Studies supporter, receives Honorary Doctorate from Vancouver Island University.
Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2008: Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Aquaculture!
Another 10,000 juvenile coho salmon were released into the Nanaimo River on May 12, 2008. The fish were raised at the Chase River salmon enhancement hatchery, which is a federally funded facility run by Fisheries and Aquaculture students under the guidance of Frank Dalziel. Stay tuned for a video of the fish release.
For years, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has been teaching students to grow high quality rainbow trout. What do we do with all those fish? Well, every year some are donated to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association in Errington to feed injured animals. On May 14, 2008 another shipment of fish was given to NIWRA so they can continue their wonderful work.
Check out the Fisheries and Aquaculture department videos on you tube! You can watch the home page slide show, two underwater sturgeon videos, Julie's aquaponics system and even Dave Switzer "wrestling" a sturgeon!
April 8, 2008. A big thank you to the members of the Nanaimo River Fish and Game Protective Association & Region 1 of the BC Wildlife Federation for each donating $500 to the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department cutthroat trout research project. Also a big thank you to the Cowichan Fly Fishers for your $250 donation.
Pacific Biological Station ‘great resource’ for VIU
T3: Think Trades and Technology website has been launched. This website provides individuals with valuable information regarding worthy alternatives to a university degree – alternatives that could open a door that may have otherwise remained shut. "Becoming an aquaculture technician has been identified as one of the top 10 technological career choices for the central Vancouver Island region. Read T3 interviews with Edith Billington and Anne McCarthy, Fisheries and Aquaculture diploma program graduates.
2007
Congratulations to the 2007 Student Award Winners!
On November 14th, a total of $12,700 dollars was presented to 12 Fisheries & Aquaculture students (photo below) completing either the BSc or the diploma program. Joining the fish/aqua faculty were the President of Vancouver Island University, Dr. Ralph Nilson and the Dean of Science and Technology, Dr. David Drakeford. Representatives from several organizations that contributed awards were also in attendance to present their specific awards to the students. Special thanks to Mike Henderson, PRAqua; David McCallum, BC Shellfish Growers Association; Bill Bennett, Eunice Lam awards; and Dr. Eric Ricker, William E. Ricker Memorial Scholarship.
Award winners for 2007 (left to right): Julie Vandenbor, Cameron Robinson, Brittany McNish, Mike Legge, Carol Bob, Chris Presslauer, Ron Hill, Amy Hoare, Nick Schoenfelder, and Sabrina Halvorsen. Brad Durvin (not pictured)
This event was a great opportunity to recognize both the achievements of our students, and the contributions from all donating organizations. Below are a few photos from the evening.