Science Friction: The Incredible Story of Atlantic Salmon in BC

Dr. John Volpe, Assistant Professor of Invasion and Fisheries Biology, University of Alberta

March 21, 2002

Cultured Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is the largest legal agricultural export crop produced in British Columbia. Free swimming Atlantic salmon have been identified in 78 BC rivers, three of which are documented as supporting wild reared juveniles. During this presentation Dr. Volpe will outline the development of the aquaculture industry in BC, why Atlantic salmon is the product of choice, demonstrate the likelihood that Atlantic salmon are far more widespread than generally appreciated and share some of the more startling results from the six years he studied feral Atlantic salmon on Vancouver Island. He will also provide an explanation for the failure of historical Atlantic salmon introductions to British Columbia and demonstrate how conditions now favour Atlantic salmon colonization.  Dr. Volpe will conclude by reviewing the current state of knowledge regarding the array of issues facing the aquaculture industry which viewed together, have led some to propose salmon farms represent time bombs set amidst B.C. coastal communities.

Dr. John Volpe is an Assistant Professor of Invasion and Fisheries Biology at the University of Alberta.  His current research interests include:  the role of exotic brook trout in structuring Rocky Mountain aquatic river systems; implementation of adaptive management strategies in fisheries management; the hapless pursuit of a realistic definition of "Biodiversity" and how it relates to the enigmatic "Ecological Integrity"; and the influence of the aquaculture industry on the biology of coastal BC including Atlantic salmon escapees, farm effluents and sea lice.  John Volpe was born and raised in Toronto.  He received his BSc. (Honours) and MSc. at the University of Guelph.  His MSc. research with Dr. Moira Ferguson included studying the population genetics and evolutionary history of polymorphic Arctic charr in Iceland. John completed his PhD. at the University of Victoria in 2001 and his research explored the invasion ecology of aquaculture escaped Atlantic salmon.