Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) has upgraded its Baynes Sound ocean observatory in British Columbia (BC) to enhance monitoring of changing ocean conditions that may affect the province’s multi-million dollar shellfish industry and future food security.
The upgrades, made possible by contributions from the Climate Ready BC Seafood program (CRBS), enable monitoring from near the seafloor to the surface, advancing ocean science and supporting the B.C. Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Action Plan, a UN Ocean Decade-endorsed initiative.
Baynes Sound hosts a rich marine ecosystem and is BC’s largest shellfish aquaculture zone. Shellfish are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification, warming temperatures and hypoxia (low-oxygen conditions)—all of which can impair growth, development, and survival.
Since 2019, ONC's Baynes Sound observatory has served as a sentinel of change, collecting data on key ocean acidification parameters at depths of five, 20, and 40 metres to provide early indication of shifting ocean conditions that can inform local adaptation strategies.
ONC staff recently upgraded the observatory from a static platform to a profiling system that collects data throughout the full water column. This new design is expected to improve data quality by minimizing biofouling on sensors due to spending less time in the shallow, productive region of the water column. It will also expand the water depth coverage of key parameters, such as dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, temperature, and pH.
Shellfish sanitation regulations require growers to maintain shellfish within prescribed temperature ranges prior to harvest, making real-time water temperature monitoring throughout the water column an important operational tool.
"The BC Shellfish Growers Association supports investments that improve our understanding of the environmental conditions affecting shellfish production. Monitoring programs such as the Baynes Sound Observatory can provide valuable information to help growers adapt to changing growing conditions, but the true value of these investments will be realized when the data informs practical management decisions, strengthens industry resilience, and supports long-term seafood production in coastal communities." - Nico Prins, Executive Director, BC Shellfish Growers Association
Watch this short documentary to learn about 11 projects, including the Baynes Sound observatory upgrade, funded through the CRBS, led by the Tula Foundation and the Province of British Columbia. Collectively, these partners, collaborators, and Indigenous knowledge holders are working to advance knowledge of ocean acidification and hypoxia in the Northeast Pacific Ocean to inform mitigation and adaptation strategies to protect BC's seafood.
View real-time Baynes Sound Observatory data on ONC’s Oceans 3.0 portal, including ocean conditions that support shellfish and coastal ecosystem monitoring.
