World Oceans Day: sea sustainability, noise and the kelp solution—SFU experts available

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.

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

AVAILABLE SFU EXPERTS

ANDRÉS CISNEROS-MONTEMAYOR, assistant professor, School of Resource & Environmental Management    
a_cisneros@sfu.ca                     
Expertise: Ocean and coastal social-ecological systems, ocean equity in sustainable development strategies, including the first global estimates of the economic value of marine ecotourism, capacity to establish an equitable and sustainable Blue Economy

KIERAN COX, NSERC and Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellow, SFU’s Earth to Ocean group, biological sciences (currently at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre on Vancouver Island)   
kierancx@gmail.com Twitter @KieranCx
Expertise: Ocean noise pollution and its impact on marine life; how protecting kelp forests can mitigate the impacts of ocean noise pollution; recording fish sounds to improve our understanding of ocean soundscapes (see more below on Cox’s research and his inclusion in a world-wide acoustic monitoring project on June 8) 

ANNE SALOMON, associate professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management (currently conducting research in Bella Bella, BC)
anne_salomon@sfu.ca
Expertise: Kelp forests and clam gardens; Indigenous small-scale fisheries and marine spatial planning; climate change and ocean governance 

The ocean’s calamity of sound—and the kelp solution

As marine traffic causes the ocean to become an increasingly sound-filled place, sea creatures already sensitive to noise pollution are increasingly being impacted. SFU researcher Kieran Coxtheorizes kelp forests may provide a vital refuge—though, unfortunately, these ecosystems are in decline. Dr. Cox can elaborate on his kelp-related field work currently underway at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, the government of Canada’s ongoing efforts to conserve ocean soundscapes and the significance of the sounds produced by marine species. He is a co-creator of FishSounds, an online site that contains information on more than 1,000 sound-producing fishes—used, much like human sound, to exchange information, and captured using a hydrophone. He’s also participating in World Passive Acoustic Monitoring Day (on June 8) by deploying hydrophones across Barkley Sound, BC, to record the sounds of ecological important ecosystems. Kieran’s recordings will contribute to a global research effort that hopes to improve our understanding of ocean soundscapes. 

CONTACT 

MELISSA SHAW, SFU  Communications & Marketing 
236.880.3297 | melissa_shaw@sfu.ca

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

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