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.