Living Oceans Society
Encyclopedia
Living Oceans Society is a Canadian environmental organization that focuses exclusively on marine conservation
issues. It is based in Sointula
, British Columbia
, with a satellite office in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. Living Oceans Society's vision is: Canada's oceans are sustainably managed and thriving with abundant sea life that supports coastal communities.
Living Oceans Society was founded by Jennifer Lash in 1998 with the goal of establishing a West Coast network of marine protected areas.
, sustainable seafood
, ocean ecosystems, tankers and the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area
(PNCIMA).
s (MPAs) in the region known as the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area
(PNCIMA). Living Oceans Society is actively involved in the PNCIMA planning process, a government-established process wherein local stakeholders work to better manage the area's resources and ensure a healthy ocean and healthy communities on British Columbia's North and Central Coast. To support this work, Living Oceans Society has researched and analyzed socioeconomics of coastal communities, current management practices for MPAs, and fishing bycatch
, and has gathered data in deep sea ecosystems.
requires a reduction in carbon dioxide
emissions. Ecosystems can better adapt and survive acidification if natural resilience is preserved. Therefore, Living Oceans Society is pushing the Canadian government for effective climate policy, marine protected areas and sustainable fishing practices. They also strive to increase awareness through an information campaign and a partnership with the Climate Action Network
Canada.
, a program that helps consumers and businesses make choices that support sustainable seafood
. Living Oceans Society partners with industry leaders who are pioneering sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices, and connects these partners with consumers that are demanding their products. SeaChoice works closely with the Monterey Bay Aquarium
’s Seafood Watch
program to ensure that all sustainability assessments are accurate and grounded in science. Living Oceans Society also pushes the Canadian government to address issues such as bycatch
, deep sea fisheries impacts and salmon farming.
s that work to promote a transition from open net-cage salmon aquaculture
to closed-containment salmon
aquaculture in British Columbia
. CAAR works with the government and industry on sea lice monitoring, and researches the viability of closed containment aquaculture systems. It also works with grocery retailers and restaurants to inform them about the issues related to open net-cage salmon aquaculture, and the alternatives. CAAR is also a participant in the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogues.
: habitat
, biodiversity
, food web
s, and water quality
. This includes participating in efforts to improve the science
and management for important kinds of habitats, such as deep-sea corals
and glass sponge reefs
. In 1999, the Society collaborated on the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF
) Fish Survey. In 2009, the Society conducted the Finding Coral Expedition. This expedition brought together a group of international scientists and Living Oceans Society staff to study Canada’s Pacific cold water corals and document threats to their well being.
project, designed to bring crude oil from the tar sands
to a marine terminal in Kitimat, B.C., where it could then be transported via supertanker to markets in Asia and the United States. An independent poll conducted in May, 2010 found that 80 percent of British Columbians disagreed with the proposed project. Living Oceans Society is participating in the federal government's environmental assessment of the project.
Marine conservation
Marine conservation, also known as marine resources conservation, is the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas. Marine conservation focuses on limiting human-caused damage to marine ecosystems, and on restoring damaged marine ecosystems...
issues. It is based in Sointula
Sointula
Sointula may refer to:* Sointula, British Columbia, a community in the Canadian province of British Columbia,* Sointula, a novel by Bill Gaston....
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, with a satellite office in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Living Oceans Society's vision is: Canada's oceans are sustainably managed and thriving with abundant sea life that supports coastal communities.
Living Oceans Society was founded by Jennifer Lash in 1998 with the goal of establishing a West Coast network of marine protected areas.
Initiatives
Living Oceans Society focuses its work on six initiatives: salmon farming, ocean acidificationOcean acidification
Ocean acidification is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH and increase in acidity of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere....
, sustainable seafood
Sustainable seafood
Sustainable seafood is seafood from either fished or farmed sources that can maintain or increase production in the future without jeopardizing the ecosystems from which it was acquired...
, ocean ecosystems, tankers and the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area
Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area
The Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area is one of five Large Ocean Management Areas , areas of high ecological, social and economic importance, that have been identified by Fisheries and Oceans Canada as priority regions for marine planning as part of Canada’s Oceans Action Plan.PNCIMA...
(PNCIMA).
PNCIMA
Living Oceans Society is working to establish ecosystem based management (EBM), including a network of Marine Protected AreaMarine Protected Area
Marine Protected Areas, like any protected area, are regions in which human activity has been placed under some restrictions in the interest of conserving the natural environment, it's surrounding waters and the occupant ecosystems, and any cultural or historical resources that may require...
s (MPAs) in the region known as the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area
Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area
The Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area is one of five Large Ocean Management Areas , areas of high ecological, social and economic importance, that have been identified by Fisheries and Oceans Canada as priority regions for marine planning as part of Canada’s Oceans Action Plan.PNCIMA...
(PNCIMA). Living Oceans Society is actively involved in the PNCIMA planning process, a government-established process wherein local stakeholders work to better manage the area's resources and ensure a healthy ocean and healthy communities on British Columbia's North and Central Coast. To support this work, Living Oceans Society has researched and analyzed socioeconomics of coastal communities, current management practices for MPAs, and fishing bycatch
Bycatch
The term “bycatch” is usually used for fish caught unintentionally in a fishery while intending to catch other fish. It may however also indicate untargeted catch in other forms of animal harvesting or collecting...
, and has gathered data in deep sea ecosystems.
Ocean Acidification
Stopping ocean acidificationOcean acidification
Ocean acidification is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH and increase in acidity of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere....
requires a reduction in carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
emissions. Ecosystems can better adapt and survive acidification if natural resilience is preserved. Therefore, Living Oceans Society is pushing the Canadian government for effective climate policy, marine protected areas and sustainable fishing practices. They also strive to increase awareness through an information campaign and a partnership with the Climate Action Network
Climate Action Network
Climate Action Network is an umbrella group of environmental non-governmental organisations active on the issue of climate change...
Canada.
Sustainable Seafood
Living Oceans Society is a founding member of SeaChoiceSeaChoice
SeaChoice is a program of Sustainable Seafood Canada that produces sustainable seafood advisory lists. The program is designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources. It is best known for publishing consumer guides for responsible seafood...
, a program that helps consumers and businesses make choices that support sustainable seafood
Sustainable seafood
Sustainable seafood is seafood from either fished or farmed sources that can maintain or increase production in the future without jeopardizing the ecosystems from which it was acquired...
. Living Oceans Society partners with industry leaders who are pioneering sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices, and connects these partners with consumers that are demanding their products. SeaChoice works closely with the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is located on the former site of a sardine cannery on Cannery Row of the Pacific Ocean shoreline in Monterey, California. It has an annual attendance of 1.8 million visitors. It holds thousands of plants and animals, representing 623 separate named species on display...
’s Seafood Watch
Seafood Watch
Seafood Watch is one of the best known sustainable seafood advisory lists, and has influenced similar programs around the world. It is a program designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources...
program to ensure that all sustainability assessments are accurate and grounded in science. Living Oceans Society also pushes the Canadian government to address issues such as bycatch
Bycatch
The term “bycatch” is usually used for fish caught unintentionally in a fishery while intending to catch other fish. It may however also indicate untargeted catch in other forms of animal harvesting or collecting...
, deep sea fisheries impacts and salmon farming.
Salmon Farming
Living Oceans Society co-ordinates the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR), a coalition of five leading Canadian environmental organizationEnvironmental organization
An environmental organization is an organization that seeks to protect, analyze or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation or lobby for these goals....
s that work to promote a transition from open net-cage salmon aquaculture
Aquaculture of salmon
Salmon, along with carp, are the two most important fish groups in aquaculture. In 2007, the aquaculture of salmon and salmon trout was worth US$10.7 billion. The most commonly farmed salmon is the Atlantic salmon. Other commonly farmed fish groups include tilapia, catfish, sea bass, bream and...
to closed-containment salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
aquaculture in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. CAAR works with the government and industry on sea lice monitoring, and researches the viability of closed containment aquaculture systems. It also works with grocery retailers and restaurants to inform them about the issues related to open net-cage salmon aquaculture, and the alternatives. CAAR is also a participant in the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogues.
Ocean Ecosystems
Living Oceans Society strives to protect the four basic building blocks of ocean ecosystemsMarine ecosystem
Marine ecosystems are among the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. They include oceans, salt marsh and intertidal ecology, estuaries and lagoons, mangroves and coral reefs, the deep sea and the sea floor. They can be contrasted with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine...
: habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
, biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, food web
Food web
A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
s, and water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
. This includes participating in efforts to improve the science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and management for important kinds of habitats, such as deep-sea corals
Deep water coral
The habitat of deep water corals, also known as cold water corals, extends to deeper, darker parts of the oceans than tropical corals, ranging from near the surface to the abyss, beyond where water temperatures may be as cold as 4°C...
and glass sponge reefs
Sponge reef
Sponge reefs serve an important ecological function as habitat, breeding and nursery areas for fish and invertebrates. The reefs are currently threatened by the fishery, offshore oil and gas industries[3,4]...
. In 1999, the Society collaborated on the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
) Fish Survey. In 2009, the Society conducted the Finding Coral Expedition. This expedition brought together a group of international scientists and Living Oceans Society staff to study Canada’s Pacific cold water corals and document threats to their well being.
Tankers
Living Oceans Society is participating in the movement to prevent oil tankers from using the North and Central Coast of British Columbia as a transportation route and is calling for a permanent legislated tanker ban in this region. This initiative is currently focused on the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway PipelinesEnbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines
The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines Project is a proposal to construct two pipelines running from Bruderheim, Alberta, to Kitimat, British Columbia. The eastbound pipeline would import natural gas condensate and the westbound pipeline would export crude oil...
project, designed to bring crude oil from the tar sands
Tar sands
Bituminous sands, colloquially known as oil sands or tar sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. The sands contain naturally occurring mixtures of sand, clay, water, and a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum technically referred to as bitumen...
to a marine terminal in Kitimat, B.C., where it could then be transported via supertanker to markets in Asia and the United States. An independent poll conducted in May, 2010 found that 80 percent of British Columbians disagreed with the proposed project. Living Oceans Society is participating in the federal government's environmental assessment of the project.