With over 20 years of experience in juvenile salmon monitoring, Salmon Coast crew and alumni are uniquely qualified to educate and train the next generation of sea louse monitors.
Expanding the Network of Sea Louse Monitoring
Our goal is to create a community of sea louse monitoring along the coast, and bring together committed groups and individuals to further communication and collaboration within this space.
Having more extensive data on sea lice numbers throughout the waters of British Columbia would be invaluable to obtaining a clearer picture of stressors to salmon health across regions. These data can inform policy decisions, provide key information to First Nation partners, and enable further research.
In May of 2022, Salmon Coast held the first annual Sea Lice Capacity Building Workshop. With support from the Sitka Foundation and Sea to Cedar, Salmon Coast hosted 20 participants for a week at Cedar Coast Field Station. Attendees were trained in all aspects of running a successful sea louse monitoring program, including beach seining, obtaining permits, fish welfare, and sea lice and salmon identification skills.
Participants came from all over Vancouver Island and beyond. In addition to learning key skills for beginning their own monitoring programs, the week was also a great opportunity for participants to meet like-minded people and discuss issues related to conservation and beyond.
Having more extensive data on sea lice numbers throughout the waters of British Columbia would be invaluable to obtaining a clearer picture of salmon health in the region. This data can inform policy decisions, provide key information to First Nation partners, and enable further research.
In 2023, Salmon Coast trainers have conducted full-scale workshops with the Pacheedaht Nation and the Huu-Ay-Aht Nation on the west coast of Vancouver Island near Bamfield, as well as provided opportunistic sea lice ID practice to members of local Nations, including the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis, ‘Namgis, Mamalilikulla, and Gwawaenuk.
Our experts visited the communities for two-day training sessions, where crew members were given information on the life cycle and characteristics of sea lice before heading out on the water to catch salmon and learn to hone their identification skills.
The information collected by these groups, who plan to add sea lice ID to their existing research programs, will help to provide valuable data about sea lice levels along the Vancouver Island coast.
We plan to repeat our Sea Lice Capacity Building Workshops in future years to expand our reach and the capacity for monitoring in other regions. If you or your organization are interested in receiving training, please reach out.
Find out more about our work by checking out our regular reports and related publications
Check out our sea lice reports for each year, which provide detailed information on the year’s monitoring findings.
View our complete list of publications for many more articles based on sea lice research conducted at Salmon Coast.