Reference number : GC-2017-Q1-00413, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Juanes, Francis (University of Victoria), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : British Columbia|Colombie-Britannique, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for Universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : Intertidal invertebrates, especially meiofauna (animals retained on a 45 µm sieve but pass through a 1 mm_x000D_
sieve), can be powerful tools to monitor and study marine systems. Changes to meiofauna communities can_x000D_
potentially alert us of disturbances before human-use species like bivalves (clams, mussels, etc.) and salmon_x000D_
are impacted. Unfortunately we can only use these communities in this way when intertidal community_x000D_
dynamics are holistically understood. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the optimal methods to_x000D_
assess intertidal invertebrates along the Pacific Coast of Canada. This deficiency is especially prominent along_x000D_
the north coast of BC. Given the recently approved Pacific Northwest LNG terminal to be built on Lelu Island,_x000D_
near the mouth of the Skeena River, the Kitsumkalum Development Corporation (Kitsumkalum First Nation) is_x000D_
concerned that the increased supertanker traffic associated with this LNG terminal will increase the risk of_x000D_
minor and catastrophic fuel/LNG spills in their traditional territory. Even minor spills near productive bivalve_x000D_
beaches would have devastating impacts upon the marine ecosystem, bivalve fisheries, and decrease food_x000D_
security for coastal and First Nations communities. A greater understanding of meiofauna along the north coast_x000D_
of BC will allow for more detailed monitoring, and detection of minor spills early enough to allow for_x000D_
remediation or alteration of human activities. This study will address this knowledge gap by assessing the_x000D_
optimal taxonomic resolution and sieve size needed to effectively utilize intertidal meiofauna to detect_x000D_
disturbances. These findings will improve our ability to study and monitor intertidal habitats along both the_x000D_
Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada; helping protect coastal ecosystems and commercial bivalve fisheries, as_x000D_
well as enhancing food security for coastal and First Nation communities., program purpose french : Intertidal invertebrates, especially meiofauna (animals retained on a 45 µm sieve but pass through a 1 mm_x000D_
sieve), can be powerful tools to monitor and study marine systems. Changes to meiofauna communities can_x000D_
potentially alert us of disturbances before human-use species like bivalves (clams, mussels, etc.) and salmon_x000D_
are impacted. Unfortunately we can only use these communities in this way when intertidal community_x000D_
dynamics are holistically understood. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the optimal methods to_x000D_
assess intertidal invertebrates along the Pacific Coast of Canada. This deficiency is especially prominent along_x000D_
the north coast of BC. Given the recently approved Pacific Northwest LNG terminal to be built on Lelu Island,_x000D_
near the mouth of the Skeena River, the Kitsumkalum Development Corporation (Kitsumkalum First Nation) is_x000D_
concerned that the increased supertanker traffic associated with this LNG terminal will increase the risk of_x000D_
minor and catastrophic fuel/LNG spills in their traditional territory. Even minor spills near productive bivalve_x000D_
beaches would have devastating impacts upon the marine ecosystem, bivalve fisheries, and decrease food_x000D_
security for coastal and First Nations communities. A greater understanding of meiofauna along the north coast_x000D_
of BC will allow for more detailed monitoring, and detection of minor spills early enough to allow for_x000D_
remediation or alteration of human activities. This study will address this knowledge gap by assessing the_x000D_
optimal taxonomic resolution and sieve size needed to effectively utilize intertidal meiofauna to detect_x000D_
disturbances. These findings will improve our ability to study and monitor intertidal habitats along both the_x000D_
Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada; helping protect coastal ecosystems and commercial bivalve fisheries, as_x000D_
well as enhancing food security for coastal and First Nation communities., agreement title english : Optimization of ecosystem monitoring methods along the north coast of British Columbia,_x000D_
Canada, agreement title french : Optimization of ecosystem monitoring methods along the north coast of British Columbia,_x000D_
Canada, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2017-04-25, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2018-2019), additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier. (2017-2018 à 2018-2019), owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada