July 12, 2007 - 6:00am
Malaspina University-College’s Deep Bay shellfish aquaculture research field station will set the pace for the future of aquaculture research facilities.
The Centre for Shellfish Research (CSR) at Malaspina’s Nanaimo campus is building an off-campus research and training field site in Deep Bay, BC. This new site will include an upland seawater tank farm, laboratory, demonstration shellfish farm and act as a combination research facility for shellfish aquaculture, marine ecology and water quality. The CSR is a research institute that was established within Malaspina University-College in 2002 that has a 12,000 sq. ft. research facility on campus.
“We want to showcase responsible development while providing leading edge research opportunities,” said Brian Kingzett, Field Station Manager for the Deep Bay site. “This facility will be unique, with the nearest similar facility on the east coast of North America.”
The new training facility is located at the southern end of Baynes Sound, the body of water between Vancouver Island and Denman Island, in the small community of Deep Bay. Baynes Sound produces almost half of all the shellfish produced in British Columbia.
“Shellfish aquaculture (which includes oysters, mussels, scallops and clam species) is important to BC because it occurs in rural coastal communities and provides local jobs,” said Kingzett. “It also provides opportunities for coastal First Nations in their traditional territories, has a wholesale value of approximately 32 million dollars and is dependant on a healthy, pristine marine environment thus providing environmental sustainability. BC only accounts for a fraction of a percentage point of global production, but with our large pristine coastline, this industry has the potential to be a significant economic driver.”
The Deep Bay facility, which is situated on seven acres of donated waterfront property, is being constructed adjacent to the most productive shellfish growing area in the province. It will also serve as a public engagement facility – somewhere to bring local school children, tourists and members of the community to provide general or targeted education programs around coastal ecology, shellfish aquaculture, coastal developments and local food options. The location also has the potential to create an excellent relationship between the public and researchers.
“The site will provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about shellfish aquaculture and marine ecology and allow the public to watch research in action and learn about coastal issues. For undergrads and graduate students, it will provide an excellent opportunity to do research in a real world environment,” said Kingzett.
While the site will focus on research opportunities and public education, every effort has been made to ensure the site is an environmentally friendly location that minimizes the effects of development.
“The property itself is in an estuarine ecosystem with high riparian (the green, vegetated areas on each side of streams and rivers) and wildlife values and archaeological significance,” said Kingzett. “We are constructing the site in a way that protects important habitats and minimizes any intrusion from development. We are also using sustainable design and energy efficiency in all our building plans. We want to show that shellfish aquaculture can be productive in a very sustainable manner, so the industry can move forward in a way that is efficient, environmentally friendly and accepted within the coastal community.”
Don Tillapaugh, the Director of the CSR sees the new field station as an exciting opportunity for Malaspina, the CSR and the shellfish aquaculture industry in BC.
“The Deep Bay expansion helps us move from shellfish research to an interdisciplinary approach to the shellfish industry,” said Tillapaugh. “The site will engage scientists at the CSR, as well as faculty at Malaspina. We’ll be working with different campus departments on various projects - with the business faculty to investigate the costs of shellfish production issues, with the international faculty to facilitate international training opportunities and with other departments as the site expands.”
The current timeline should see the Deep Bay site up and running by 2008. For more information on the Deep Bay facility, please contact Brian Kingzett at (250)740-6399 or kingzettb@viu.ca. For information on the CSR, please contact Don Tillapaugh at (250)740-6353 or tillapaud@viu.ca.
Tags: In the Community
