Research facilities
Our scientists conduct research throughout B.C., Yukon and the Western Arctic.
Pacific Science Enterprise Centre
Pacific Science Enterprise Centre
Pacific Science Enterprise Centre (PSEC) houses a suite of academic, government and other science practitioners in a collaborative environment designed to drive joint research work, incorporate traditional Indigenous knowledge, and leverage the resources of multiple partners around shared goals and needs.
Related links
Contact us
Pacific Science Enterprise Centre
4160 Marine Drive
West Vancouver BC V7V 1N6
Email: DFO.PAC-PSEC-CSEP-PAC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Institute of Ocean Sciences
Institute of Ocean Sciences
Located west of Sidney on Vancouver Island on a 70-acre site, the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) is one of Canada's largest marine institutes. An important link in Fisheries and Oceans Canada's nationwide chain of nine major scientific facilities, the institute is the centre for research on coastal waters of B.C., the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, the western Canadian Arctic and navigable fresh waters east to the Alberta border.
Related links
- Institute of Ocean Sciences
- Pacific Geoscience Centre: western Canada's centre for monitoring earthquakes (stationed at IOS)
Contact us
Institute of Ocean Sciences
9860 West Saanich Rd
PO Box 6000
Sidney BC V8L 4B2
Telephone: 250-363-6517
Pacific Biological Station
Pacific Biological Station
The Pacific Biological Station (PBS) is located on the northwest shore of Departure Bay in Nanaimo, across the bay from the Departure Bay terminal of BC Ferries.
The Pacific Biological Station is the oldest fisheries research center on the Pacific coast and forms part of a network of nine major scientific facilities operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Located in Nanaimo, British Columbia, the Station is home to scientists, technicians, support staff and ships' crews whose common interests are the coastal waters of British Columbia, the Northeast Pacific Ocean, the Western Arctic and navigable waters east to the Manitoba, Saskatchewan border.
PBS was established in 1908 and is the principal centre for fisheries research on the West Coast. There are some 22 structures on the site including a four-story office/wet lab building, specialty storage structures for hazardous chemicals and salt water pumping facilities. PBS maintains a number of workshops for research support. There is a 200-lineal-foot wharf used for loading, unloading, and berthage of research vessels, as well as a small boat dock for inshore research boats. PBS also maintains a library and meeting facilities. Aquatic facilities, primarily used by Aquaculture Science, include ambient temperature and heated salt water and fresh (municipal supply) water.
Research at PBS responds to stock assessment, aquaculture, marine environment, habitat, ocean science and fish productivity priorities. Some fisheries management activities are also conducted here.
Related links
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory: provides genetic advice relating to conservation and management of fish and shellfish (stationed at PBS)
- Fish Ageing Lab
- PBS Publications (2001-2012)
- PBS Archived publications (1990-2000)
Contact us
Pacific Biological Station
3190 Hammond Bay Rd
Nanaimo BC V9T 6N7
Telephone: 250-756-7000
Fax: 250-756-7053
Cultus Lake Salmon Research Laboratory
Cultus Lake Salmon Research Laboratory
Cultus Lake Laboratory is a Fisheries and Oceans Canada facility located in the eastern Fraser Valley near Chilliwack, British Columbia. The facility contains several laboratories, including an inorganic chemistry laboratory and a radioisotope laboratory. Also on site are artificial streams, ponds, and an experimental hatchery, all of which make use of an abundant supply of high-quality fresh water which comes from nearby Cultus Lake. Currently, there are 11 DFO employees at the site. Other DFO staff as well as graduate students and university researchers make extensive use of the site for various collaborative projects.
Contact us
Cultus Lake Salmon Research Laboratory
4222 Columbia Valley Hwy
Cultus Lake BC V2R 5B6
SAFE Division at SFU
SAFE Division at SFU
Five SAFE Division staff are based at SFU's Burnaby campus as part of the Co-operative Resource Management Institute (CRMI) in Resource and Environmental Management facilities. Research activities are primarily associated with the incubation, rearing, migration, and feeding behaviour of salmonids, and the health and carrying capacity of the habitat on which they depend. Specific research projects include effects of timber harvesting on fish habitat, water withdrawal and energy generation impacts and effects of riverine conditions on adult salmon migration. Research projects are carried out in coastal and interior B.C., as well as the Yukon.
Contact us
SAFE Division offices at Simon Fraser University
c/o School of Resource & Environment Management
Burnaby BC V5A 1S6
Fax: 604-666-1995
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