Stay up to date with news and events in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.
Upcoming Events (2025)
DFO's (43rd) Fish Aging Workshop for all Fish and Aqua students
- Where? Pacific Biological Station
- When? Friday Feb. 14; this is an all-day event.
Award and Scholarship Donor Appreciation Event
- Where? Golden Eagle Sablefish
- When? April 2025. More information to come.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Student Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2025
Where? TBA
When? April 2025. More information to come.
Do you need field gear?
Good news! You can now borrow outdoor field gear from the VIU Gear Closet in the VIU Library!
- Bring your VIU card to the Library Service Desk to check out gear for up to 7 days. Before you return borrowed gear, clean it thoroughly. Return clean gear to the Library Service Desk during open hours.
Recent Highlights
Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Fish and Aqua Scholarship and Award recipients!
Thank you to everyone that attended the Fisheries and Aquaculture Awards & Scholarship Dinner, which was held on campus at the newly opened Shq'apthut (An Indigenous Gathering Place) building on November 6. Food was provided by Quality Foods. A total of $27,000 was awarded to students this year!
Visit the Awards and Scholarship page for more info (link below)!
| Awards and Scholarships | Value | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dr. Brian Riddell Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) Fisheries Award | $2000 | Juno Thummerer |
| 2. Nanaimo Marine Pavilion Scholarship | $500 | Owen Worobec |
| 3. NPA Board Centre for Indigenous Fisheries (CIF) Fisheries & Aquaculture Award for Aboriginal Students | $1000 | Olivia Ballard |
| 4. NPA Board CIF Fisheries & Aquaculture Scholarship | $1000 | Terilyn Ewen-Holdom |
| 5. Island Scallops Fisheries & Aquaculture Scholarship | $1000 | Isabel Vilchis Valdez |
| 6. Island Scallops Fisheries & Aquaculture Scholarship | $1000 | Emily Lohn |
| 7. Fan Seafoods Ltd. Geoduck Endowment Scholarship | $500 | Ty Heroux |
| 8. Eunice Lam Award | $1500 | Dani Weber |
| 9. Eunice Lam Award | $1500 | Jonah Mueller |
| 10. Underwater Harvesters Association Research Society Award | $1000 | Nicole Darlington |
| 11. BC Shellfish Industry Award | $1000 | Jaimie Pollard |
| 12. Fanny Bay Salmonid Enhancement Society Award | $1000 | Thomas Champaigne |
| 13. Nicholas Plecas Aquaculture Award | $1500 | Jaimie Pollard |
| 14. Tom Orr Memorial Award - Sponsored by Pacific Prawns Fisherman's Association (PPFA) | $1000 | Konrad Breier |
| 15. Cermaq Canada Award | $1500 | Tyler Welsh |
| 16. Dr. Daniel M. Ware Memorial Award | $1000 | Emily Palmer |
| 17. Dr. Don Noakes Memorial Award | $1000 | Reid Muise |
| 18. Sandy Miller PSF Fisheries Award | $1000 | Tristan Dieleman |
| 19. MOWI Canada West Scholarship | $1500 | Olivia Ballard |
| 20. Frank Bernard Award in Fisheries | $2000 | Tristan Dieleman |
| 21. Frank Bernard Award in Fisheries | $2000 | Chris Girvan |
| 22. William E. Ricker Memorial Scholarship | $2000 | Marcel DuPlessis |
Fish and Aqua in the News!
The past year has been a busy one for Fish and Aqua. Read about the exciting research and student achievement stories below.
- Enhancing Food Sovereignty with Indigenous Communities: VIU and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency collaborate on marine food safety. (July 2024)
Breeding Oysters to Combat Ocean Acidification: Dr. Tim Green collaborates with Department of Fisheries and Oceans (July 2024)
Pacific Salmon Foundation Scholarship winners from VIU Fisheries & Aquaculture! (April 2024)
Why is BC developing new strains of Shellfish?: Dr. Tim Green joins the Future of Work Series on Global News BC. (March 2024)
Creating the World's Best Oyster (the challenges of shellfish farming in BC): Dr. Timothy Green speaks about his work at Deep Bay Marine Field Station.
Growing Knowledge in VIU's Aquaponics Greenhouse. (June 2023)
VIU partners with brewery to raise awareness of climate change research. (May 2023)
Detecting and Managing Bacterial Infections in Salmon - Dr. Spencer Russell is working to understand and manage bacterial infections in salmon with the help of NSERC and Mitacs grants. (March 2023)
