A Victoria-based marine observatory is getting $9 million from the B.C. government to help fund its research.
The Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) observatory at the University of Victoria uses sensor technologies to gather data and images from the ocean. Its observations at sites along the B.C. coast are used in fisheries management and hazard detection.
One of its research projects is NEPTUNE Canada, which uses an 800-kilometre network of cable that lies on the seabed along the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate and is used for ocean observation and experiments.
The $9 million will help the ONC leverage funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation and other government programs, according to the B.C. government.
“Investing in the Ocean Networks Canada Observatory helps to support British Columbia’s position as a world leader in science and technology,” said John Yap, minister of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology.
University of Victoria president David Turpin said, “This investment ensures that the Ocean Networks Canada Observatory, the VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada subsea networks remains a leader in global ocean research.”
To date, the B.C. government has contributed close to $48 million to
to the University of Victoria for its marine observatory projects.
One of the projects the ONC observatory is involved in is a large-scale ocean power project in the Bay of Fundy.
The ONC is part of a partnership involving industry and researchers that is installing the world’s first cabled underwater monitoring platform as part of the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy, which is developing a tidal power system.
