A Field trip with Peter McCully

On Friday Oct 27th, students in the Ecology class of the Royal Roads Business and Sustainability program were introduced to the wonders of salmon by Peter McCully. Their field trip started along Goldstream river, where Peter explained about the role salmon play in nutrient cycling. Moving down to the estuary, the students heard about the ecosystem services provided by the estuary and the pressures of human activity on these delicate and vital habitats. Next, the group went to the hatchery to learn more about the salmon rearing process and reasons for salmon enhancement. Luckily that morning, some juveniles were being marked as ‘hatchery fish’ and the students were able to view the adipose fin clipping process as well.
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The students in this group are at the beginning of a program aimed directly at developing business people of the future that have an environmentally-responsible ethic. Having an opportunity to be with Peter and experience the salmon return has made a huge (and hopefully lasting) impression on them. They are starting to see just how important it is to work with nature rather than against it. Clearly, all the students gained a far deeper understanding of how salmon are connected to our ecosystem and the variety of pressures they experience both natural and man-made. We all very much appreciated Peter sharing his time and experience with the class.

Blog Article By: Alison Moran