A History of Pacific Biological Station

Historic Photos of PBS

The Pacific Biological Station was established in 1908. The first development on the site was completed under the direction of the Rev. George W. Taylor, the Station’s curator, and consisted of a two-story laboratory building and a small adjacent building containing a kitchen and the caretaker’s quarters. A wharf was completed in 1912. During the early years, the station provided the research facilities and support to numerous university and "volunteer" researchers.

In the mid-1920’s, the Biological Board of Canada (later to be known as the Fisheries Research Board of Canada) became directly involved in fisheries research. Investigations began into practical fisheries problems. Year-round permanent scientific staff were hired and the Board’s facilities were improved. Dr. W.A. Clemens was appointed Director of the Pacific Biological Station in 1924. A small chemistry laboratory was completed the same year. A bungalow for the director and a cottage for the caretaker were erected in 1925. In 1929, a three-story frame Residence was opened to provide living quarters for visiting scientists and some of the junior scientific staff.
 
The end of World War II brought about major changes to the Pacific Biological Station. Staff and research programs had grown steadily and rapidly in response to strong demands for answers to domestic and international fisheries problems. The Residence was converted to offices and laboratories for the use of the new Pacific Oceanographic Group. The original laboratory building was demolished in 1948 to make way for the construction of a new structure, the Clemens Building, which opened in 1950. A new workshop was built near the wharf in 1950 and expanded in 1955 with the addition of a third story.The next major changes at the Pacific Biological Station began in the 1960’s. Much of the early development was concentrated in the Upper Campus area across Stephenson Point Road. In 1962, the first of the large buildings was built, a Net Loft, joining several small storage sheds which had been erected during the 1950’s. The Technical Services Building, completed in 1966, provided space for the Carpentry and Electronics shops. Then attention shifted to the main part of the site. The process began with extension of the foreshore area, continued with the construction of a new wharf, pumphouse, and the Marine Repair building, and cumulated with an extension to the main laboratory. The opening of this extension, the Taylor Building, in 1970, ushered in a new era as the independent Fisheries Research Board of Canada became the Fisheries Research arm of Environment Canada. In 1978 the Station became part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Regrettably, the Caretaker’s Cottage and the Director’s House were demolished in 1973 and 1976, respectively.

Most subsequent developments at the Pacific Biological Station have involved relatively minor construction projects. New warehouses were built in 1972 and 1977. In 1984, a cluster of temporary buildings adjacent to the Taylor Building were replaced by the J.R. Brett Fish Culture Building. In 1985, the Technical Services Building was upgraded and extended. Renamed the A.J. Whitmore Building, it houses the South Coast Division headquarters of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Operations Branch. During the 1990’s, special buildings for the storage of chemicals and biological samples were constructed.
Some Pacific Biological Station research programs include:

Salmon culture investigations - ongoing since 1926
Stock identification investigations - ongoing since 1926
Herring investigations - ongoing since 1929
Shellfish investigations - ongoing since 1930
Groundfish investigations - ongoing since 1942
Fish health investigations - ongoing since 1960