ST. ANDREWS, NB, May 1, 2019 /CNW/ - Keeping our oceans clean, safe and healthy for current and future generations is a top priority for the Government of Canada. That is why we are making significant investments, under the Oceans Protection Plan, to help protect our coasts and prevent spills from happening.
The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, along with the Member of Parliament for New Brunswick Southwest, Karen Ludwig, announced today that the Government of Canada is investing $2.4 million in scientific research and supporting approximately 25 jobs at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre.
With this investment, the Centre will study how spill response measures, such as the use of dispersant chemicals, affect fish and other aquatic species of interest. The goal of the project is to ensure the use of effective response measures, without harming ocean life in the event of a spill. This project will add to the growing body of scientific knowledge about Canada's spill response, and will ensure that first responders have the best available information while making decisions.
Funding for this project is from the Multi-Partner Research Initiative. This fund supports a variety of research projects on alternative response measures for oil spills. It is aimed at building partnerships among the leading researchers across Canada and around the world. These collaborative efforts will improve our knowledge of how oil spills behave, how best to contain them and clean them up, and how to minimize their environmental impacts.
Quotes
"Having the best available science is the key to respond effectively to marine incidents, including oil spills. Gaining a better understanding of the effects on our aquatic species will help us make the right decisions when it comes to clean-up measures and keep our oceans and our coasts clean, healthy and safe."
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
"The Government of Canada continues to invest in scientific research to help safeguard Canadian waters and coasts from oil spills and other harmful marine incidents. The work carried out in our region will help protect not only our marine ecosystems here at home, but on all three coasts."
Karen Ludwig, Member of Parliament for New Brunswick Southwest
"This investment from the Multi-Partner Research Initiative will provide a lasting legacy at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre that is aligned with our mission and values to advance collaborative marine science, develop highly qualified personnel, and contribute to the decision-making process of oil spill responders on all three coasts of Canada."
Chris Bridger, Manager of Aquatic Services, Huntsman Marine Science Centre
Quick Facts
- The $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan is the largest investment ever made by the Government of Canada to ensure our coasts are healthier, safer and better protected.
- The $45.5 million Multi-Partner Research Initiative, announced in December 2017, improves collaboration with oil response experts around the world, advance oil spill research in Canada, and minimize the environmental impacts of oil spills.
Related Products
Backgrounder
Protecting our marine and coastal areas from potential oil spills
Oceans Protection Plan
Canada's coasts are home to productive ecosystems that support the livelihoods of Indigenous and coastal communities. Under the Oceans Protection Plan, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is bringing together top researchers from across the country and around the world to increase our understanding of how oil spills behave, how best to contain them and clean them up, and how to minimize their environmental impacts.
The $45.5 million Multi-Partner Research Initiative is drawing on the knowledge and experience of oil spill experts in Canada and abroad. The initiative is supporting over 30 projects and will lead to new partnerships, improved knowledge and new technologies that will help raise awareness and mitigate the impacts of oil spills.
While most MPRI funding will go toward research initiatives in Canada such as the project at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, six international organizations also received investments for 12 projects under the Multi-Partner Research Initiative.
Projects announced so far include:
Recipient |
Name of project |
Funding amount |
Huntsman Marine Science Centre St. Andrews, New Brunswick (Dr. Benjamin de Jourdan) |
Essential aquatic toxicology data collection associated with alternative response measures |
$2,439,983 |
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Canberra, Australia (Dr. Elisabeth Fulton) |
Direct and indirect ecosystem responses to oil spills and options for interventions |
$204,101 |
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Canberra, Australia (Dr. Pascal Craw) |
Combined microbial sampler and physical sensor payload for rapid oil spill surveillance at depth |
$243,225 |
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland, USA (Dr. Joseph Katz) |
Effects of crude oil properties, dispersants and weathering on the breakup of plumes and slicks |
$760,000 |
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey, USA (Dr. Michel C. Boufadel) |
Oil droplet formation from underwater releases with and without the presence of gas at various dispersant-to-oil ratios – implications for herders and dispersant effectiveness when oil reaches the surface |
$749,800 |
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey, USA (Dr. Michel C. Boufadel) |
Capturing the behaviour of oil on the metre scale – oil convergence due to waterfronts and vertical advection |
$299,999 |
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey, USA (Dr. Lin Zhao) |
Impact of particle shape and hydrophobicity on the formation of oil particle aggregates – a combined experimental/numerical investigation leading to formation of a predictive model |
$556,025 |
SINTEF Ocean Trondheim, Norway (Per Daling) |
Artificial energy by water flushing after dispersant treatment in calm seas or iced waters |
$45,000 |
SINTEF Ocean Trondheim, Norway (Per Daling) |
Better characteristics of burned residues from field- and laboratory-generated onsite burning |
$110,000 |
SINTEF Ocean, Trondheim, Norway (Per Daling) |
Low sulphur fuels – a new generation of marine fuel oils |
$110,000 |
SINTEF Ocean Trondheim, Norway (Roman Netzer) |
Assessing effectiveness of bio-based agents for oil spill treatment in Arctic and subarctic environments |
$40,000 |
Texas A&M University College Station, Texas, USA (Dr. Scott A. Socolofsky) |
Computer modeling to forecast risks, needs and challenges for responses to offshore oil spills |
$400,000 |
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA (Dr. Collin Ward) |
Quantifying the effect of oil photochemical oxidation on the performance of chemical herders in Canadian waters |
$637,666 |
Total: |
$6,595,799 |
|
May 2019
Associated Links
- Multi-Partner Research Initiative
- News release – Canada is investing in science to protect our waters from oil spills
Stay Connected
- Follow the Fisheries and Oceans Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
- Follow the Canadian Coast Guard on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
- Subscribe to receive our news releases and more via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/rss-eng.htm.
SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maritimes Region
Jocelyn Lubczuk, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, 343-548-7863, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 613-990-7537, [email protected]
Share this article