Pacific Salmon Science Symposium
Join us this December for a series of online sessions sharing knowledge and outcomes from PSSI and BCSRIF investments into salmon research and conservation. The symposium will feature over 40 presentations from biologists and researchers organized into eight themed sessions. Scroll down for further details and registration links for the sessions.
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- π PSSI (Pacific Salmon Science Initiative)
- π± BCSRIF (BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund)
π December 02, 2025
πΉ Watch the recording (timestamps below)
Salmon In A Changing Climate
Improving our understanding of the long-term implications of climate change for Pacific Salmon and their ecosystems.
Time: 10AM-12PM
Location: Online Webinar and Pacific Science Enterprise Centre (PSEC), West Vancouver
Chair: Patrick Thompson
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- Introduction | Cory Lagasse
- 00:06:30 - π Changing coastal productivity: Using sediment cores, water properties and archived plankton data to identify changes at the bottom of the food web in BCβs coastal waters | Sophia Johannessen | DFO
- 00:14:10 - π Adaptive genetic variation and climate change resilience in Canadian Pacific salmon | Tim Healy | DFO
- 00:23:40 - π± Evaluating climate change scenarios for the Quesnel Watershed to determine flood, fire and temperature risks posed to Upper Fraser salmon stocks | Ellen Petticrew | University of Northern British Columbia, Department of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences and UNBCβs Quesnel River Research Centre
- 00:54:20 - π± Supporting Climate-Resilient Salmon Ecosystems: from Modelling to Monitoring | Marc Porter, Kathleen Belton, Stephanie Peacock | Salmon Watersheds Program, Pacific Salmon Foundation
- 01:07:10 - π Insights into the effects of marine and freshwater variables on salmon population dynamics: A hierarchical lifecycle approach | Jan Finke | DFO
- 01:23:00 - π± Development of High-resolution Climate Change Freshwater Hazard Data for BC | Markus Schnorbus | Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium
- 01:32:00 - π€ Panel Q and A | Salmon In A Changing Climate
Freshwater Stressors
Mechanistic, physiological, and quantitative studies for evaluating stressors to freshwater habitats of Pacific salmon, including cumulative stressors.
Time: 1PM-3PM
Location: Online Webinar and Pacific Science Enterprise Centre (PSEC), West Vancouver
Chair: David Patterson
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- Introduction | Chantelle Caron
- 00:31:08 - π Habitat use and predation on juvenile Chinook Salmon in the Canadian Okanagan River and Lake system | Tommy Pontbriand | DFO
- 01:48:15 - π± First Nations led salmon habitat and population monitoring, research and cumulative effects assessment in the Lower Fraser River and Boundary Bay | Dave Scott | Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association
- 02:03:00 - π Mechanistic modelling to link hydrology to juvenile salmon habitat quality and productivity | Sean Naman | DFO
- 02:21:30 - π± Developing a cumulative effects modelling framework for the recovery of aquatic salmonid populations | Jordan Rosenfeld | University of British Columbia (Vancouver), Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
- 02:40:00 - π Improved understanding of cumulative impacts on salmon survival across freshwater life-stages; tools and approaches for mechanistic assessments | David Patterson, Douglas Braun | DFO
- 02:57:30 - π Development of geospatial tools for large-scale freshwater salmon habitat assessment by the Freshwater Spatial Ecology Program | Keegan Paterson | DFO
- 03:17:05 - π± Cumulative effects of forest harvest on Pacific salmon productivity in coastal British Columbia | Maria Kuruvilla | University of Victoria
- 03:41:30 - π€ Panel Q and A | Freshwater Stressors
π December 04, 2025
πΉ Watch the recording (timestamps below)
Follow The Fish
A review of the Follow the Fish Program, including methods and approaches for life cycle assessment of WCVI Chinook and ecosystem-scale research programs.
Time: 9:30AM-12PM
Location: Online Webinar and Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS), Sidney
Chair: Isobel Pearsall
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- Introduction | Wilf Luedke, Nicholas Brown
- 00:23:30 - π Development and application of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to determine estuary entry size of juvenile salmonids and track habitat usage | Nicole LaForge, Micah Quindazzi | DFO
- 00:41:00 - π Characterizing juvenile Chinook salmon distribution, diet and health on the West Coast of Vancouver Island | Jessy Bokvist | DFO
- 01:04:15 - π Innovative Ecosystem Based Approaches to identify cumulative stressors: Salmon Fit-Chips and eDNA | Arthur Bass, Christoph Deeg | DFO
- 01:42:00 - π± Identifying factors that influence early marine survival of WCVI Chinook salmon | Mack Bartlett | Uvic
- 01:55:30 - π Identifying good practices for considering Indigenous Knowledge in Rebuilding Plan targets and stock assessment reference points | Jared Dick | Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council
Marine Stressors
Research on stressors in nearshore marine ecosystems and their effects on salmon survival.
Time: 1PM-4PM
Location: Online Webinar and Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS), Sidney
Chair: Cameron Freshwater
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- 02:22:15 - π± An overview of the Bottlenecks to Survival program with a focus on marine monitoring, tagging, and biological sampling | Sam James, Jamieson Atkinson | Pacific Salmon Foundation
- 02:37:30 - π Improving baseline knowledge of environmental conditions in Vancouver Islands fjords through observations and modelling, with a focus on hypoxia dynamics, climate change, and the potential implications for Pacific salmon | Laura Bianucci, Marilena Geng | DFO
- 02:53:45 - π Barkley Sound and Clayoquot Sound Krill Monitoring | Akash Sastri, Kelly Young | DFO
- 03:08:15 - π Monitoring and predicting the exposure of Pacific salmon to harmful algal biotoxins | Andrew Ross | DFO
- 03:28:15 - π Characterizing and monitoring priority contaminants of concern in WCVI juvenile salmon | Lisa Loseto | DFO
- 03:41:30 - π Investigation of the impacts of singular and coinciding acute climate stressors on the nutritional quality of the pteropod Limacina helicina, a juvenile Pacific salmon dietary species | Chris Pearce | DFO
- 04:03:45 - π Convergent tracks: a tagging study to quantify salmon predation by sea lions | Cameron Freshwater | DFO
- 04:28:00 - π€ Panel Q and A | Marine Stressors
π December 09, 2025
πΉ Watch the recording (timestamps below)
Fisheries Monitoring And Harvest Methods
Projects piloting new methods for selective salmon harvest and informing fisheries management decisions through improved monitoring.
Time: 10AM-12PM
Location: Online Webinar Only
Chair: Nicholas Brown
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- Introduction | Mike Hawkshaw
- 00:07:34 - π± Empowering Indigenous community fisheries with deep learning - computer vision for adaptive management of terminal salmon fisheries | Will Atlas | Pacific Salmon Foundation
- 00:27:06 - π± FRIM β Short term mortality holding and respirometry studies | Owen Bird | Sport Fishing Institute of BC
- 00:44:15 - π Quantifying Yukon Chinook migration mortality and its implications for fisheries management and rebuilding under the Fish Stock Provisions of the Fisheries Act | Brendan Connors, Adam OβDell | DFO
- 00:47:16 - π Enhanced Monitoring of Chinook Salmon Mark Selective Fishery (MSF) | Phil Lemp, Erin Rechisky | DFO
- 01:01:06 - π± Mortality of released Pacific Salmon in the marine recreational fishery: new science and recommendations | Steve Johnston | Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, UBC
- 01:31:21 - π± First Nations-led catch monitoring to inform sustainable mixed-stock fisheries management on the Central Coast | Megan Adams | Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance
- 01:47:42 - π€ Panel Q and A | Fisheries Monitoring And Harvest Methods
Data And Modelling To Support Decision Making
Databases, analytic tools, and modelling projects that provide information to support decision-making for salmon conservation and management
Time: 1PM-3PM
Location: Online Webinar Only
Chair: Carrie Holt
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- Introduction | Mike Hawkshaw
- 01:04:15 - π Same Salmon, Shared Semantics. The DFO Salmon Ontology for Data Integration and Decision Support | Brett Johnson | DFO
- 02:28:04 - π± The Bottlenecks to Survival Project: An open-source framework for end-to-end biological data management | Sam James, Brahm White-Gluz | Pacific Salmon Foundation
- 02:45:31 - π± Democratizing Salmon Data through the Expansion of the Pacific Salmon Explorer | Leah Honka and Eric Hertz | Pacific Salmon Foundation
- 03:00:49 - π A decision-support tool that considers harvest, hatchery, and habitat management levers to support implementation of the Fisheries Act for Pacific salmon | Carrie Holt | DFO
- 03:17:45 - π± Prioritizing barriers for restoring Pacific Salmon habitat connectivity | Nick Mazany-Wright | Canadian Wildlife Federation
- 03:31:41 - π Improved decision making for salmon by understanding the threats of freshwater Aquatic Invasive Species both now and in the future | Thomas Therriault | DFO
- 03:48:26 - π€ Panel Q and A | Data And Modelling To Support Decision Making
π December 11, 2025
πΉ Watch the recording (timestamps below)
Hatchery Fitness And Genetics
Research on the genetic and fitness consequences of hatchery enhancment, and the interactions between hatchery and wild salmon.
Time: 10AM-12PM
Location: Online Webinar Only
Chair: Tim Healy
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- Introduction | Adam Silverstein, Alison Krimmer
- 00:14:10 - π Fitness effects of hatchery enhancement and relative reproductive success | Tim Healy | DFO
- 00:31:08 - π Epigenetic variation and inheritance in hatchery- and natural-origin Chinook and Coho salmon | Tim Healy, Kyle Wellband | DFO
- 00:31:08 - π Epigenetic variation and inheritance in hatchery- and natural-origin Chinook and Coho salmon | Tim Healy, Kyle Wellband | DFO
- 00:47:16 - π Ten years of hatchery broodstock genotyping and parentage-based tagging | Eric Rondeau | DFO
- 01:04:15 - π Increasing genetic resolution in southern BC chum enabled by whole genome data | Anna Tigano | DFO
- 01:19:46 - π Rapid broodstock screening for improved genetic management of Pacific Salmon | Kyle Wellband | DFO
- 01:35:31 - π± Causes and consequences of vateritic otoliths in hatchery-reared Coho salmon | Leigh Gaffney | University of Victoria, Department of Biology
- 01:59:01 - π€ Panel Q and A | Hatchery Fitness And Genetics
Fish Health
Tools and research to support monitoring and managing the health of cultured salmon.
Time: 1PM-3PM
Location: Online Webinar Only
Chair: Christoph Deeg
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- Introduction | Adam Silverstein, Alison Krimmer
- 02:32:35 - π± Investigation into molecular tools and how they could be applied in hatchery management | Samantha James | Pacific Salmon Foundation
- 02:49:34 - π Evaluating the usability of stress hormones in scales as biomarkers of chronic stress in Chinook Salmon smolts | Reid Williams | DFO
- 03:06:43 - π Improvement, Expansion and Modernization of Salmonid Health Diagnostic Services For Optimizing Salmonid Hatchery Health Management. | Amy Long | DFO
- 03:23:45 - π Developing a proactive, modernized, holistic approach to ensure optimal health and condition of Hatchery Production | Karia Kaukinen | DFO
- 03:37:32 - π Optimization of feeds used in the hatchery production of Pacific Salmon. | Erika Eliason | DFO
- 03:53:42 - π± The application of nanopore technology for the rapid detection and characterization of pathogenic organisms in enhancement hatcheries | Ahmed Siah | BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences Society
- 04:10:20 - π€ Panel Q and A | Fish Health