Media Highlights -
July 2003 Edition

The grass is greener at BIO

IO has gone green!

The roof has a fabulous ocean view and is covered in Kentucky bluegrass, but there is not a patio set to be seen.

The Bedford Institute of Oceanography’s (BIO) new $1.5 million energy centre is a marvel of environmental science. The centre will serve the entire BIO complex which is home to over 500 employees of 5 federal departments.

Media across the Maritimes announced the opening of the state-of-the-art building which is home to a variety of uniquely green features.

The air conditioning system uses water from deep inside the Bedford Basin. Rather than the ozone-depleting chemical freon the water is cooled and circulated through a closed-loop distribution system to the other buildings naturally cooling employees during the hot summer months.

Another innovation is the energy saving use of solar lighting. Forty windows on the building take advantage of the natural light which pours in throughout the day. In response to the sunlight electrical lights will automatically shut down when they are not needed.

To see the most eye-catching feature of the building you have to look up, way up, to the roof. The smell of grass is the Kentucky bluegrass turf protecting the roof membrane from harmful ultraviolet rays which extends its life from 25 to 49 years. The grass will keep the building warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Air around the building will be cleaner as the grass will absorb rain and filter 100 kilograms of dust from the air each year.

How long before weekend chores include climbing on the roof and mowing the lawn!?

Shining a light on cod

hat if during the frigid, cold month of January you felt the warmth of April? For a few lucky cod in St. John’s, this is the case.

DFO science alongside Memorial University and Newfoundland Aquaventures Ltd. are working to improve husbandry practices for permanent broodstock or parental cod through light-schedule changes which cause fish to spawn earlier than normal. This research will go a long way toward successfully commercializing cod farming in Newfoundland.

As the St John’s Telegram reported the project began in October 2001 and by all accounts has achieved great success. DFO biologist Lynn Lush has been involved in the project since the beginning and says that "we’ve got the fish to spawn four months in advance of regular spawning season."

How did they do that? As Lush explained to the Corner Brook Western Star the biologists change the light schedules of the cod. The January light is more like it would be in April, queuing the cod to spawn in December instead of late March or early April.

The aim of the project is to see cod produce more eggs throughout the year. Results are encouraging as the cod produced more than double the amount of eggs they did last year.

The cod will also be feasting on high-tech food, and more often. Going against traditional practice, biologists are feeding the cod year round. Also, nutritional scientists in Halifax are developing a pellet diet which will increase the health of the cod. These advances have lead to stronger cod which have a lower mortality rate.

Through the experiments in food and light the biologists work towards their goal of producing the best quality of cod offspring possible.

See lice?

he thick, green forest blends into the rocky shoreline finally melting into the blue waters of the Pacific. It is here that both wild and farmed salmon call home. This is also where DFO scientists are trying to learn more about wild pink salmon stocks and their link to sea lice.

As Northern Aquaculture reported in July, since March a team of scientists lead by DFO have been investigating sea lice on wild salmon smolt in BC’s Broughton Archipelago. They hope to discover if sea lice from salmon farms were responsible for the smaller salmon run in 2002.

The scientists are concentrating on two areas of comparison: Knight Inlet which is far from fish farms, and the Broughton Archipelago where 27 farms are located.

The work is not an easy task. From Monday to Friday, sometimes for 14 hours a day, the researchers set seine nets next to beaches and offshore to collect fish for sampling. They have pulled these nets through the water over a 1000 times already, and plan to continue their work into mid-July.

A fleet of three boats venture out on the waters carefully bagging the fish for analysis at the Pacific Biological Station (PBS). By the end of May they had collected over 100,000 salmon smolt and sent 9,000 pink and chum smolts for analysis.

DFO researcher Brent Hargreaves tells Northern Aquaculture that so far the results have been inconclusive. He says it will be difficult to determine causal links between sea lice and the collapse of pink salmon stocks last year. There are many unknown factors and a lack of historical data to compare against.

Final analysis of the data will be available in the fall when DFO will host a workshop to present the results. Regardless of the outcome, the data will set the standard for research in the years to come.

Oceans Day DFO style from coast to coast

ceans Day this year was celebrated from "hilltops to oceans" across Canada by DFO staff. From the Pacific region to NL staff celebrated Oceans Day and the first annual Canadian Rivers Day with tons of fun activities and a lot of learning.

Media coverage across the country was so overwhelming that there is only time for a few honourable mentions. There is no doubt that the day was a success across all regions! Congratulations to all involved!

Pacific region celebrated by throwing-open its doors to hundreds of curious BC families. The Institute of Ocean Sciences and Pacific Geoscience Centre celebrated its 25^th anniversary with an open house which gave the public a sneak-peak as to what happens at the institute and the centre.

The Victoria Times Colonist reported that more than 5,000 people checked out the centre which studies earthquakes and related topics, and the institute that focuses on research related to fisheries and oceans. Fun was had by all as the crowd participated in interactive activities, toured a research vessel and even walked through a giant zooplankton net.

The Gulf region celebrated the day by doing some serious clean-up! The Moncton Times and Transcript reported that DFO staff and students joined together to clean-up the Shediac Bay shoreline. More than 2,000 pieces of garbage were picked-up during the beach sweep. Everything from discarded cigarette butts to entire refrigerators were dragged from the waters. The result of the hard work is a sparkling beach which everyone can enjoy safely.

Over in the Maritimes, the Halifax waterfront was the place to be seen where activities were hopping throughout the day. Kids really got in touch with marine life through the DFO touch tank. The CCG rescue cutter Sambro gave both kids and the kid in the adults a thrill when it pulled into harbour. CBH-FM reported that a larger than life six-foot lobster entertained the crowd, and everyone got a little closer to understanding Canada’s oceans.

In Newfoundland, the Office of Boating Safety focused on safety in the ocean. Throughout the day the public visited displays at the Lewisporte Marina where the importance of personal floatation devices was highlighted and goodies were on hand for the kids. Pukta, the boating safety mascot, made sure the day was a memorable event for all involved.