Applications of OA Science
British Columbia Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Action Plan
The Canadian Province of British Columbia (B.C.) understands that preparing for climate change strengthens our capacity to anticipate and respond to sudden events, while helping us respond to changes that happen more slowly, like loss of habitat and rising sea levels. By planning ahead and acting early to adapt, B.C. aims to be ready for the challenges and new possibilities the changing climate may bring.
B.C.’s Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy highlights the overall direction and actions the Province is taking to help ensure Canadians prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change. In alignment with this strategy, the British Columbia Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia (OAH) Action Plan was developed alongside the Scientific Risk Assessment, which identified ocean acidification as a significant climate change risk. The OAH Action Plan identifies five goals, 15 objectives and 62 actions to address ocean acidification and complement the B.C. Coastal Marine Strategy.
It is now apparent that OAH and ocean warming threaten the health of marine ecosystems impacting all marine species and the well-being of coastal communities, industries, and First Nations. While the OAH Action Plan addresses these issues through a fisheries and aquaculture lens, its scope is intended to reach beyond these sectors by considering B.C. coastal marine ecosystems, communities, industries, and economy.
As a reference document to guide B.C. Government in addressing OAH, the BC OAH Action Plan has been successful in leveraging funding for action: the Climate Ready BC Seafood Program is a $2.0M funding envelope to fund research to address actions identified in the plan and support the resilience of B.C.’s coastal food security.
Development and implementation actions to reduce B.C.'s vulnerability to OAH is an iterative process. To be successful, this process requires a whole of society approach that aligns with and is supported by government policy and First Nations cultural values, as well as international OAH initiatives.
Logistics
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The BC OAH Action Plan was initiated by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Development of the BC OAH Action was overseen by an Advisory Committee that consisted of:
Dr. Myron Roth, Co-Chair [BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food]
Dr. Wiley Evans, Co-Chair [Hakai Institute]
Christina Burridge [BC Seafood Alliance]
Dr. William Cheung [University of British Columbia]
Dr. James Christian [Fisheries and Oceans Canada]
Angela Danyluk [City of Vancouver]
Dr. Richard Dewey (Ocean Networks Canada]
Dr. Iria Gimenez [Hakai Institute]
Dr. Helen Gurney-Smith [Fisheries and Oceans Canada]
Dr. Margot Hessing-Lewis [Hakai Institute]
James Larson [United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union]
Dr. Rebecca Martone [Tula Foundation]
Alex Munroe [Taylor Shellfish Canada]
Marguerite Parker [Aboriginal Aquaculture Association]
Linda Sams [Cermaq Canada]
Anette Thingsted [BC Ministry of Lands, Water and Resource Stewardship]
Jessie Turner [International Ocean Acidification Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification]
Jennifer Walkus [Wuikinuxv First Nation]
Jaasaljuus Yakgujanaas [Council of the Haida Nation]
The Advisory committee was informed by 172 unique individuals representing 88 unique institutions/organizations who attended 4 workshops.
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Development of the OAH Action Plan began in 2021 and was released with the Scientific Assessment in August of 2023.
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The development of the Scientific Assessment consisted of synthesis of existing data: laboratory manipulation experiments, chemical and biological data from open ocean and intertidal areas, community-led projects and citizen science, climate-ocean adaptation, instrumentation/sensor technology assessment and evaluation, and biological impact assessment. In the development of the OAH Action Plan, a series of 4 community workshops were conducted to assess risk perception and community priorities.
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Objectives
Through collaboration with expert and community input, the Province of British Columbia established the state of knowledge of OAH in B.C.'s coastal waters, and developed and initiated adaptation and mitigation actions to reduce local vulnerability to OAH.
Five Goals were identified in the Action Plan: 1)Build & Strengthen Collaborations Related to OAH Science and Engagement; 2) Increase Awareness and Understanding of OAH; 3) Advance Scientific Understanding of OAH; 4) Evalute Interactions Between Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Approaches and OAH; 5) Enhance Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience to OAH.
The British Columbia OAH Action Plan aims to address the impacts of changing ocean conditions due to ocean acidification and hypoxia and their interaction with other marine stressors. While the plan addresses these issues through a fisheries and aquaculture lens, its scope is intended to reach beyond these sectors to become the first step in the development of a living document that considers B.C. coastal marine ecosystems, communities, industry and economy. In addition, it is set to address key actions identified in the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030.
Challenges
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The authors of the B.C. OAH Action Plan had already drafted a large amount of material by the time a desktop publisher was retained. Feedback from the publisher made apparent the need to restructure the document and redefine engagement goals. The subsequent layout determined the flow of information and resulted in the development of two separate documents: the Scientific Report and the Action Plan, which serves as a high level summary report. The Advisory Committee has since agreed that it would have been more cost effective and efficient to involve the publisher from the very beginning of the project.
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The initial Advisory Committee comprised representation from the Indigenous Climate Adaptation Working Group. However, local First Nations leadership in the seafood sector were strapped for capacity during the development of the OAH Action Plan due to increasing demand for engagement from Federal and Provincial co-development mandates. A natural disaster that occurred during the community engagement phase of development further hindered efforts to increase First Nations representation on the Advisory Committee. Since the OAH Action Plan was published, the First Nations Fisheries Council has engaged with projects in the Climate Ready BC Seafood program and continues to contribute significantly to community outreach efforts like the B.C. OAH Action Forum.
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With or without a specific federal mandate to develop a government strategy, a common issue that action plans face is a lack of funding for the implementation phase. Ministries are often left to triage the easiest or most affordable actions in order to sustain momentum while advocating for funding for full implementation. After the Climate Ready BC Seafood funding period ends, the B.C. Provincial government must determine which Ministry will be responsible for further implementation of the OAH Action Plan, and how to fund it.