Quantitative fisheries scientist joins SFU to advance inclusive and collaborative fisheries management

Wilson is focused on understanding the direct and indirect drivers of risk to fish and fisheries, like overfishing and climate change, and how these risks shape how fisheries may respond to future ecosystem changes. By doing so, he aims to provide forward-thinking science advice that advances inclusive and collaborative decision-making frameworks.

“There are many dimensions to what drives risks to fisheries and fish populations. One of the important things that I work on is connecting these risk assessments not just to the animals, but also to people, because fisheries are ultimately about a connection between people and nature,” says Wilson. “Historically, these risks were considered mostly an ecological or a population dynamics problem that people tried to solve. Today, we're much more understanding that fisheries are coupled social and ecological systems – we must bring both together to find a sustainable path forward.”

While past fisheries management decisions were focused primarily on benefiting commercial or recreational fishing sectors, they often risked the collapse of fish populations close to local Indigenous communities. Wilson explains that his research works to ensure fishery decision making advances reconciliation and respects Indigenous sovereignty and rights to fish for food, cultural and ceremonial purposes.

“With the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIP) there's a real need to understand how we make management decisions with and alongside historically marginalized communities, and in Canada, this has often been Indigenous communities,” he says. “My work is about trying to figure out how to consider these values and considerations to make decisions together."

Prior to joining SFU, Wilson was the applied quantitative biologist at Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance, working for the Central Coast First Nations, which includes Heiltsuk, Kitasoo Xai’xais, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv Nations, to help advise their coastal and marine stewardship and fisheries management. He is also a member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada’s Marine Fishes Species Specialist Subcommittee, a national independent scientific advisory panel that informs risk assessments for marine fishes in Canada.

“I really enjoyed working for these First Nations and I'm excited to continue to collaborate and work alongside these communities, but from the academy,” says Wilson. "I hope to bring my real-world experience of working in and serving fisheries management and decision-making bodies into the classroom as well. Students can see that it’s not all just on a textbook or computer, but these are real approaches that are being implemented to benefit people, communities, and nature in Canada and beyond.”