Goal 14: Life Below Water
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Research
Conserving and restoring Alberta’s bull trout
As part of partnership with the Department of Fisheries, Trout Unlimited, and Alberta Environment and Parks, UCalgary researchers are collaborating on a conservation and restoration project to save the bull trout. The bull trout prefer cold waters, but, with the warming climate, they may be at risk of losing their habitat. In order to save the population, this coalition is working to determine where best to focus habitat-restoration and recovery efforts.
Researching the northern seas
UCalgary’s Arctic Institute of North America is leading an interdisciplinary study of human/marine and climate system interactions in arctic North America. Documents including the journals of coastal arctic traders, exploratory expedition members, ship’s logs, and commercial whaling and sealing records that span the past 400 years provide daily weather and marine ecosystem conditions at the local scale.
Teaching, learning and student experience
UCalgary Marine Science
UCalgary students have the opportunity to learn about marine environments through numerous Marine Science courses, offered in partnership with Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC).
Marine Science field education programs
The BMSC’s education program provides multi-day-immersion, customizable field trips for UCalgary undergraduates.
Animal food “webs” in Canada’s Arctic
Underwater hydrocarbon seeps occur naturally all over the world, releasing fluids like oil and natural gas from the deep subsurface into our oceans. Researchers studying these unique ecosystems found that hydrocarbon-degrading microbes can form the base of the food web at seeps, a role normally filled by photosynthetic organisms in other environments, and that the hydrocarbon-rich environment created by cold seeps can provide food for sea floor animals, whose sources are sometimes limited.
Campus and community impact
Campus
UCalgary is committed to conserving and sustaining our oceans by sourcing sustainable seafood that is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Our food-service provider, Aramark, achieved an MSC Chain of Custody certification in 2016, allowing it to source and serve wild-caught seafood that is sustainable and traceable to certified fisheries.
National
A UCalgary professor and a recent graduate have published an article in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ocean Law and Policy. The article describes and critically analyzes Canada’s progress on area-based marine protection in view of international principles, standards and criteria. It provides an overview of the broader jurisdictional, legislative and policy framework for area-based marine protection.
International
UCalgary’s Dr. Chris Neufeld, PhD, has been collaborating with researchers from other BMSC institutions to better understand the factors driving the decline of kelp both locally and globally. In efforts to reverse losses in giant kelp beds off Vancouver Island, he teamed up with Ocean Wise Conservation Association and Canadian Kelp Resources to implement solutions for kelp forest restoration and seaweed cultivation.