Port Alberni residents had a chance to learn about ocean science and marine research aboard a Canadian Coast Guard ship this week.
The Canadian Coast Guard ship Vector was docked near the Maritime Discovery Centre on Thursday and Friday, as part of a PromoScience Expedition that offered students and community groups a chance to meet scientists working in the coastal marine environment. The Vector saw three school classes attend on Thursday morning, followed by hundreds of members of the public on Thursday and Friday afternoon.
“There’s definitely been interest in the community,” said Karen Geiger, science communications advisor for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Crew members from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Natural Resources Canada and scientists from Royal Roads University were also on board to demonstrate what goes on at sea.
“This is actually an operational science vessel,” explained lead scientist Peter Chandler. “We’ll come in and we’ll show you what we’re doing.”
Between April and December, the ship travels up and down the coast with a crew of 13. This year, the ship was able to dock for a week at various communities on the west coast. Vector visited Bamfield early last week, and finished its tour with open houses in Tofino and Ucluelet.
Along with offering public tours over two days, the PromoScience Expedition set up organized tours with local schools. The motivation, said Chandler, is to bring science to young Canadians and teach them what kind of opportunities exist in the marine industry.
“All the scientists on board actually do this work,” he explained. “There’s an opportunity for everybody to get involved.”
Chandler said he was especially impressed by the questions of the younger children who attended the tours. “They have a different perspective of the world,” he said.
The Vector was a little more crowded than it would be during a normal voyage, with plenty of scientific instruments on board to teach the public about oceanography and geoscience. Scientists were able to demonstrate the ways they sample water in order to get a good understanding of the ocean—measuring temperature, salinity and oxygen content. Others showed how they use mud samples to “travel back in time” and observe seismic activity. Participants also learned about the zooplankton that live below the surface of the ocean.
The tour was also a chance to learn about life aboard a Canadian Coast Guard Ship.
“Not often do coastal communities have the opportunity to come on board,” explained Geiger. “They can see where [the crew] sleeps, where they eat.”
Although the ship is “primarily used for science,” Geiger said that the Vector can also act as a search and rescue vessel if anyone on the water is in distress.
“They’re kind of the eyes and the ears on the ocean here,” said Geiger.
elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.com