Canada Funds International Project That Will Revolutionize Ocean Research

February 12, 2007

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OTTAWA, February 12, 2007—Canada is poised to bolster its position as a global leader in the development of better fisheries management and the understanding of climate change, thanks to a $35 million investment awarded today to Dalhousie University by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). This major award will provide infrastructure and operating funds for the creation of the $160 million Ocean Tracking Network (OTN).

Headquartered at Dalhousie University in Halifax, the OTN will unite the finest marine scientists in the world in the most comprehensive and revolutionary examination of marine life and ocean conditions ever undertaken. The project will consist of installing cutting-edge, made-in-Canada tracking technology at strategic locations in 14 ocean regions on all seven continents.

Dr. Eliot Phillipson, President and CEO of the CFI, was joined in Halifax by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, on behalf of the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry; Dr. Suzanne Fortier, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); and Dalhousie University President Dr. Tom Traves to make the landmark announcement.

“Today’s announcement is in keeping with the objectives outlined in our recent economic plan, Advantage Canada. It solidifies our government’s commitment to support research excellence and to target new investments in R&D to areas where Canada has the potential to be a world leader,” said Minister MacKay.”

“This is an outstanding initiative that will reinforce both Canada’s and Dalhousie University’s international leadership in ocean research for many years to come,” said Dr. Phillipson. “The OTN will transform ocean-based life sciences around the world.”

"Dalhousie is honoured to receive this award, and we are proud of the research team led by Ron O’Dor," said Dr. Traves. "Our institution is at the epicentre of international ocean research that will change how scientists and world leaders understand pressing global concerns such as fisheries management in the face of climate change.”

“The oceans of the world influence all life on this planet,” said Dr. Fortier. “Given that Canada has a direct interest in three oceans, I am especially pleased that NSERC is collaborating with the CFI to support world-leading researchers in the marine sciences.”

“The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) is pleased to be a partner in this innovative project, particularly given its focus on researching the legal and social issues raised by technological advances and how these are incorporated into ocean management systems at the local, national, and regional levels,” said Dr. Chad Gaffield, President of SSHRC.

The OTN will allow researchers to record the movement and behaviour of fish and other marine life— from salmon, to turtles, to whales—as well as monitor ocean characteristics, such as water depth, temperatures, and chemistry. The project will also include an important social sciences component that will shed light on the international social and legal framework of oceans. OTN data will provide invaluable new insight into marine management practices, and will determine how life-sustaining ocean conditions are changing in response to climate change. Never before has collecting oceanic data on such a grand scale been contemplated.

The CFI’s $35-million investment is provided through the International Joint Venture Project, a collaborative initiative that involved partnership with the major Canadian federal funding agencies: NSERC, SSHRC, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), and Genome Canada. It will be supplemented by additional investments of up to $10 million from NSERC and an initial grant of $327,500 from SSHRC. Funding was approved following a rigorous merit review process that was overseen by all partners in the initiative.

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