A Season in The Field
Salmon Coast Field Station, Simoon Sound, British Columbia. Nestled deep in the Broughton Archipelago, on the unceded territories of the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations. It is a breathtakingly beautiful landscape, and intrinsically fragile ecosystem. It is a land that smells of sea water and cedar trees. A place of stories and legend, where mountains pierce the sky and leviathans own the depths.
It is a natural wonder, and a place that has been passionately fought for by local communities and conservationists for decades. There is a battle raging between those passionate about the ecosystem, and the large scale industry which has set up shop in the Broughton. The mission of Salmon Coast Field Station is to collect unbiased scientific data on the state of the wild salmon populations, so that the information may be used to determine whether or not the atlantic salmon fish farming operations, carried out by Norwegien corporations in the archipelago, are damaging the local environment.
iRecently, it feels as if there is a global shift in perspective with relation to environmental issues, a positive change but a change that is not always welcome. I believe there are only so many photographs people can view of sea life wrapped in plastic, or of starving polar bears, before they become desensitised. Whilst those images are heartbreaking and incredibly powerful, I have chosen to focus the attention of these images on the positive efforts made by young and driven researchers, field technicians and locals. People who spend months living in a remote location, launching the boats from the dock at 6am everyday, to collect data that can help make informed decisions.
These photographs were taken over a six month period at Salmon Coast Field Station, and I hope that it can inspire anyone with an interest in the natural world and the environment to stay passionate and study the sciences. You never know where it may take you!
I would like to extend my thanks once again to everyone from Salmon Coast Field Station and most importantly to the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations for allowing the work to take place on these territories.
Read MoreIt is a natural wonder, and a place that has been passionately fought for by local communities and conservationists for decades. There is a battle raging between those passionate about the ecosystem, and the large scale industry which has set up shop in the Broughton. The mission of Salmon Coast Field Station is to collect unbiased scientific data on the state of the wild salmon populations, so that the information may be used to determine whether or not the atlantic salmon fish farming operations, carried out by Norwegien corporations in the archipelago, are damaging the local environment.
iRecently, it feels as if there is a global shift in perspective with relation to environmental issues, a positive change but a change that is not always welcome. I believe there are only so many photographs people can view of sea life wrapped in plastic, or of starving polar bears, before they become desensitised. Whilst those images are heartbreaking and incredibly powerful, I have chosen to focus the attention of these images on the positive efforts made by young and driven researchers, field technicians and locals. People who spend months living in a remote location, launching the boats from the dock at 6am everyday, to collect data that can help make informed decisions.
These photographs were taken over a six month period at Salmon Coast Field Station, and I hope that it can inspire anyone with an interest in the natural world and the environment to stay passionate and study the sciences. You never know where it may take you!
I would like to extend my thanks once again to everyone from Salmon Coast Field Station and most importantly to the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations for allowing the work to take place on these territories.
