Projects
Dr. Barnes has eight active projects underway in the Ecological Interactions Research Program (EIRP).
- Shellfish Culture and Particulate Matter Production and Cycling
This study is designed to determine the fate of the particulate material produced by deep-water, suspended Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas ) farms in BC. The study will provide a practical management tool for BC shellfish growers and regulatory agencies … more.
- Carrying Capacity Study of Gorge Harbour
The determination of the shellfish carrying capacity of marine sites may be the single most important question regarding shellfish aquaculture and has become a major focus of scientific studies regarding coastal zone management … more.
- Low-cost optical moorings for continuous assessment of food depletion
The supply dynamics of naturally-occurring food (suspended particles, or seston) has been identified as a key factor in the determination of the shellfish carrying capacity of a farm site. To facilitate the assessment of supply dynamics, this project is developing an integrated system - involving cost-effective bio-optical instruments - to continuously assess food concentration and depletion in shellfish aquaculture sites … more.
- Population genetics of three species of blue mussel.
Pure-type mussels and their hybrids may differ in ecologically important traits (e.g. growth, predation rates, population size)... more.
- Cadmium levels in Pacific oysters and health implications for First Nations
Information for this project is unavailable at the current time… more.
- Salmon aquaculture and productivity in the marine ecosystem
Mussel/oyster rafts will be deployed adjacent to salmon aquaculture sites. The direct influence of aquaculture activities on the productivity of organisms in the system (i.e., the proportion of tissue mass from aquaculture feed) will be evaluated using stable isotope analysis... more.
- Performance-based standards and habitat mapping/modeling in the regulation of aquaculture
In this project, oceangraphic measurements, modeling and GIS analysis will be blended to produce a new paradigm for aquaculture-environment interactions. This comprehensive study will determine how local impacts can be extrapolated to system scale, and will also determine the most appropriate performance measures for aquaculture... more.
- Use of deposition models to test hypothetical scenarios related to measured biological/chemical indicators of depositional environments associated with finfish farms, with tests of applicability to deep-water shellfish aquaculture.
Dr. Barnes supports a number of graduate student projects and post doctoral fellows... more.
Continuation of “Research Projects” from above
- Lab-based studies to determine both filtration rates and fecal production rates of the Pacific oysters
- A comprehensive field program to determine seasonal fluctuations in both particulates and key environmental variables. The field program includes:
- collection of benthic and water column data including both biological and chemical variables
- hydrographic surveys
The EIRP is also conducting biodiversity research at the oyster farm study sites. The remarkable diversity and abundance of organisms identified at the study sites reveals that deep-water shellfish farms provide an excellent habitat for both marine invertebrates and fish. On-going research is investigating the potential link between biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Funding Support: BC Aquaculture Research & Development Committee
- ...The EIRP has carried out in situ filtration experiments on cultured species of oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) and two species of mussel ( Mytilus galloprovincialis and M. edulis ) in Gorge Harbour , Cortes Island , BC . These experiments were designed to determine fecal production rate per bivalve throughout a 24h period. Experiments included assessment of water quality and food (phytoplankton) availability at different locations on the test culture rafts for the duration of the experiments.
Water column and benthic sampling have also been conducted at the west and east ends of Gorge Harbour . Field and lab analytical data collected included:
Project Collaborator: BC Ministry of Agriculture & Land (Courtenay)
- water column temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, chorophyll a, turbidity, particle size and density, plus plankton community composition, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen
- sediment temperature, porosity, grain size, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen, %large wood fibre, %organic content and %carbonate content
- ...The design of the new cost effective instrumentation - as well as many of the ideas for the larger project - are the work of Dalhousie graduate student Diego Ibarra. In the context of husbandry and management of shellfish farms, the system is intended to be suitable for routine, continuous and sustained use by farmers as a monitoring tool to aid in the decision-making process to maximize production. The system will assist in the assessment of shellfish performance and 'health'. When used in combination with carrying capacity models, it could be used as a tool for the early warning of growth impairment and environmental impact.
In the context of shellfish research, the generated data can be easily transferred electronically to research institutions where the added value of analysing data from multiple farms may translate into a better understanding of environmental variability and, ultimately, in recommendations to increase profitability of the shellfish industry. In a legislative context, the data products may be suitable for monitoring compliance – thereby leading to an innovative regulation process of the shellfish industry.
Co-investigator: Dr. John Cullen (Project Head), Dept of Oceanography
Dalhousie University
For more information on this project, click here: http://www.aquanet.ca/English/research/ei22.php
To view graduate student Diego Ibarra's award winning poster on this project, click here:
(See Ibarra's poster under EIRP publications) - Cont'd
The primary objectives of this research are:Co-investigators: Dr. Dan Heath ( University of Windsor ) and Ellen Kenchington (DFO).
- to test hybrid versus pure-type mussels for differences in ecologically important traits (e.g. growth, predation rates, population size)
- to determine the geographic and temporal stability of hybridization in east and west coast mussel populations
- to use population genetic methods to determine the effect of hybridization on gene flow, genetic diversity & differentiation, and effective population sizes in selected east and west coast populations.
Collaborator: Dr. Laurie Chan ( McGill University )
As the fish food used will have a different isotopic signature (C, N and S) from that of the background environment, it will be possible to determine the proportional representation of the different food sources in the system and dispersion of feed from farms.
Collaborators: Dr. Chris McKindsey (Project Head) and Dr. Philippe Archambault (Environmental Sciences Division, F&O); Dr. Shawn Robinson (Applied Aquaculture Section, Biological Station, St. Andrews) with support from seven industry partners.
This project will also measure how natural variability influences the selection of performance criteria and their application at an ecosystem level, and will define the role of GIS and geostatistics in rectifying this difference in scale. Models that are appropriate for predicting far-field impacts and that quantify model spatial resolution necessary for detecting the effects of aquaculture will be selected. Indices that can accommodate spatial variation by exploring the potential for GIS modeling to integrate local and far-field scales into measures of ecosystem health will be developed and this approach will be compared to traditional biodiversity-based measures.
Collaborators: Jon Grant (Project Head) (Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University ), Peter Cranford (Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Bedford Institute of Oceanography) and Rosaline Canessa (Department of Geography, University of Victoria .
Collaborator: Ecostat Research Ltd (Dr. B. Burd)