The Salish Sea supports over 3,000 species of marine life including all seven species of Pacific salmon. The Salish Sea Marine Survival Program is an international program developed by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and shared in Puget Sound through Long Live the Kings organization. This project will, for the first time, simultaneously study all biological and environmental factors affecting the annual production of Pacific salmon in the Salish Sea. The project is built on years of past research and will use these new studies to test hypotheses of how the marine ecosystems in our near-shore waters function. Ultimately, this research is intended to rebuild salmon production, provide for more sustainable fisheries, and provide social, cultural, and economic benefits to our local communities. The SSMSP is a $20 Million project (US and Canada) designed over five years and commenced in 2014.
BIO:
Dr. Brian Riddell is the President and CEO of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, an independent, non-governmental organization dedicated to creating a sustainable future for wild Pacific salmon and their habitat. Riddell is an internationally recognized fisheries scientist who has extensive experience in fisheries management and environmental policy development.
Among numerous professional distinctions, Riddell serves as a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s Expert Panel on Ocean Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity. He is also an appointed Canadian Commissioner to the Pacific Salmon Commission, the body formed by the governments of Canada and the United States to implement the Pacific Salmon Treaty. His fields of research focus on salmon population biology and genetics, international fisheries management, and formulation of science-based policy for conservation and utilization of salmon.
Prior to joining the Pacific Salmon Foundation in February 2009, Riddell worked for 30 years in various scientific research and management positions with the Government of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Riddell was the scientific lead in the creation of Canada’s Policy for Conservation of Wild Pacific Salmon, for which he received the Government of Canada’s Public Service Distinction Award in 2005; and earlier he contributed to the development of the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the 1985 bi-lateral agreement between Canada and the United States governing management, research and enhancement of Pacific salmon.
Riddell earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from the University of Guelph in 1974. He completed his doctoral studies in salmon biology and genetics at McGill University in 1979.
Residents of Nanaimo, B.C., Brian and his wife Lorna have three grown children. Lorna is a secondary school teacher while putting up with Brian’s work and travel for almost 40 years.