I am a Salmon Watershed Scientist with the Wild Salmon Center. My work is focused on connecting communities and resource managers with scientific tools that bridge the gap between research and fisheries conservation, to support the long-term resilience of salmon social-ecological systems. 

 

Over the last 9 years I have been blessed to work on the Central Coast of British Columbia with the Heiltsuk Nation, Hakai Institute, and Simon Fraser University building community-based scientific initiatives that support Heiltsuk leadership of salmon management and recovery. More recently, I have worked with the four Central Coast Nations - Heiltsuk, Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk and Kitasoo/Xai'xais - the Pacific Salmon Foundation, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to develop a Framework for First Nations-led monitoring of Salmon on the Central Coast. 

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I am passionate about wild salmon, the places they live, and the ecological and human communities they sustain. My work merges scientific tools in population ecology and fisheries with traditional and local knowledge to monitor populations and understand the effects of climate change on social and ecological systems. Through collaborations with First Nations communities, government, and stakeholders my goal is to provide tools and insight that empower and engage society in the stewardship of salmon. 

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Salmon and people in the Pacific Northwest have a unique and longstanding relationship. Given this relationship, we share a collective responsibility to support the long-term health of the ecosystems and ways of life that wild salmon sustain. Through my work I hope to uplift the people, places, and ecological linkages that support healthy coastal communities, to ensure that salmon can continue to be at the foundation of healthy ecosystems, fisheries, and cultures for future generations.