World Oceans Day: Dive into the issues with SFU experts

World Oceans Day, marked by the United Nations on June 8, raises global awareness of the need to use our oceans’ resources sustainably, to protect their populations and conserve their resources for future generations.

Oceans Day has been celebrated by many countries since 1992, following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. In 2008, led by Canada, the U.N. designated June 8 as World Oceans Day.

Researchers at Simon Fraser University have formed a research group, Earth to Ocean, which tackles issues in conservation and ecology of aquatic ecosystems.

The following SFU experts are available to speak on various topics related to our oceans.

AVAILABLE SFU EXPERTS

PAUL KENCH, dean, science
pkench@sfu.ca

• The physical response of coastlines to rising sea levels
• Impacts of sea level change on coastal communities

NICK DULVY, professor, biology
dulvy@sfu.ca

• Sharks; their global decline
• Fisheries sustainability 

ISABELLE COTE, professor, biology
isabelle_cote_biology@sfu.ca

• Marine invasive species
• The state of global coral reefs and seagrass meadows
• Climate change effects on coastal ecosystems

ANNE SALOMON, associate professor, environment
anne_salomon@sfu.ca | 778-866-1646

• Kelp forests and clam gardens
• Indigenous small-scale fisheries and marine spatial planning
• Climate change and ocean governance

HANNAH KOBLUK, PhD student, resource and environmental management
hmkobluk@gmail.com

• Coupled human-ocean systems – Pacific Northwest Coast
• Recently published in People and Nature on Indigenous knowledge of kelp harvesting
• Sea otter recovery

RUTH JOY, adjunct professor, environment
rjoy@sfu.ca

• Southern resident killer whales
• Salish sea and underwater noise management
• Anthropause - reduction in ocean noise due to COVID-19

JESSICA PILARCZYK, assistant professor, earth sciences
jessica_pilarczyk@sfu.ca

• Response of coastlines to climate change
• Impacts of tsunamis, storms, and sea level change to coastal locations around the world
• Project leader of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Geoscience Programme project on Forecasting Coastal Change
  

CONTACT 

MARIANNE MEADAHL, SFU Communications & Marketing 
604.209.5770 | Marianne_Meadahl@sfu.ca

Simon Fraser University
Communications & Marketing | SFU Media Experts Directory
778.782.3210

ABOUT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

As Canada’s engaged university, SFU works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today’s problems. With campuses in British Columbia’s three largest cities—Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey—SFU has eight faculties that deliver 193 undergraduate degree programs and 127 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 165,000 alumni residing in 143 countries.