Ocean Sciences Centre
The Ocean Sciences Centre is a cold ocean research facility
operated in conjunction with Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Located in Logy Bay, NL, the Centre houses laboratories where
research is conducted on the North Atlantic fishery, aquaculture,
oceanography, ecology, behavior and physiology. Research is
conducted on organisms ranging from bacteria to seals.
Notices:
The Ocean Sciences Centre Marine Public Education Program is closed for the season, however visitors are welcome year-round to view the seals from our outdoor vistors platform.
For further information contact Danielle Nichols at 737-2459
Note: There are no indoor tours of the Ocean
Sciences Centre facilities.
OSC News:
Recent Awards:On behalf of the OSC, I would like to congratulate Drs. Abrahams and Gagnon on their recent funding through IRIF's Ignite R&D Program.
Dr. Abrahams has been awarded $100,000 to investigate mechanisms that affect predator-prey interactions in aquatic ecosystems, and how these predator-prey interactions are mediated by environmental parameters including dissolved oxygen, temperature, and turbidity.
Dr. Gagnon has been awarded $66,216 to support the Cold Ocean Benthic Ecology Laboratory located at the Ocean Sciences Centre. This research aims to identify biotic and abiotic interactions that regulate the structure and unction of marine ecosystems in temperate and subarctic regions.
Garth L. Fletcher
Director & Professor Emeritus
Ocean Sciences Centre
Memorial receives $6.5 million in federal funding in support of ocean research
 Memorial's Ocean Sciences Centre received more than $6.5 million in federal funding Aug. 11. |
Funding for ocean research and infrastructure at Memorial University of Newfoundland got a major boost as the federal government announced an investment of more than $6.5 million in the university’s Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC), on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Read more in "today.mun.ca".
Dr. Paul Snelgrove heads:
The NSERC Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONe)
Funded by NSERC, The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Memorial University and other government and private sector partners.
CHONe involves 65 researchers from 15 universities and multiple federal research labs across Canada. It is focused on three themes: Marine Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function, and Population Connectivity. Much of this research is focused on improved management of living marine resources and on developing tools to enhance sustainable development of the oceans by marine industries such as oil and gas as well as fishing.
See also: MUN Gazette
Article
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) announced that they will be funding two projects involving researchers at the Ocean Sciences Centre:
1.
Genome Atlantic (Halifax, NS) led Project: The Comparative
Assessment of Diploid and Polyploid Physiology and Production
Traits (C-ADAP3T) Cod Project [Co-Leads: Drs. Kurt Gamperl (OSC - Memorial
University) and Ed Trippel (DFO - St. Andrews Biological
Station); Collaborators: Drs. Matt Rise (OSC) and Tillmann Benfey
(UNB-Fredricton)].The project’s main goals are to develop genetic and molecular markers of superior egg quality, and to perform a comprehensive examination of whether triploid fish have the potential to solve the cod aquaculture industry’s challenge with early maturation. This project, will receive funding of approx. $5.8 million, with $3.0 million in support from the Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) over a four-year period. See www.genomeatlantic.ca for details.
2.
Aqua Bounty Canada Inc. (Souris, PEI) led Project: Reproductive
Confinement for the Safe Cultivation of Genetically Improved Lines
of Atlantic Salmon [Aqua Bounty research team led by Dr. John
Buchanan. Collaborators: Drs. Matt
Rise (OSC, Memorial University), Tillman Benfey (UNB -
Fredricton), Brian Glebe (DFO - St. Andrews Biological Station),
Santosh Lall (NRC-IMB), and Mike Reith (NRC-IMB)].In this project, Aqua Bounty Canada will generate technology to produce reproductively sterile Atlantic salmon. The future objective is the safe commercial launch of triploid salmon with Atlantic Canada identified as the source for associated commercial benefits, and worldwide distribution of the product. The project, with total estimated costs of $5.9million, will receive approximately $2.9 million from the Atlantic Innovation Fund over a five year period. Dr. Rise will lead the functional genomics components of the research.
Awards:
Congratulations to Dr. Dave
Schneider on being awarded the Dean of Science Distinguished
Scholar Award for 2008.
Research and development at Memorial gets a $5 million boost
Memorial University researchers have received $5,073,122 million from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador through its Industrial Research and Innovation Fund (IRIF).
Projects awarded under IRIF include:
- Dr. Paul Snelgrove of the Ocean Sciences Centre and Canada Research Chair in Boreal and Cold Ocean Systems
Dr. Snelgrove has received over $1.1 million towards two research projects.
He has received $1,002,517 towards a $9 million national oceans network. The network will be a partnership of Canadian universities and levels of government and mobilize science capacities to respond to research challenges and knowledge gaps in ocean environments. It will also address a need for scientific criteria for conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity resources.
An additional $97,988 towards a $633,313 project has been provided to Dr. Snelgrove to help investigate biodiversity loss and the deterioration of oceans.
For 10 years, Dr. Snelgrove’s research has focused on acquiring an improved understanding of marine ecosystems leading to better management practices and predictions while providing a more comprehensive perspective on the North Atlantic shelf ecosystem.
Scholarship donation
The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association recently made a donation of $2,400 in support of the Dr. Joe Brown Scholarship Fund in Aquaculture and Marine Ecology. The $2,400 was raised from the silent auction at the recent NAIA AGM, March 2008, Gander. Pictured from left, Cyr Couturier, NAIA past president; Danny Boyce, NAIA director, at-large rep; Job Halfyard, NAIA president, mussel rep; Ian Fleming, director, OSC; Jennifer Caines, NAIA director, at-large rep; Andy Walsh, NAIA director, cod rep; Miranda Pryor, NAIA executive director. Missing from photo: Nell Halse, director, salmon rep; Robert Barry, director, salmon rep; and Juan Roberts, director, mussel rep.
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