Christopher Pearce

Address
Research Scientist
Pacific Biological Station
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Nanaimo, BC
Canada V9T 6N7

Phone: 250-756-3352

Email: Chris.Pearce@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Research area(s):

  • Aquaculture
  • Invertebrates
  • Pollutants

Area of Expertise:

Christopher Pearce is a Research Scientist at the DFO’s Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo. His research interests include:

  • aquaculture of marine invertebrates including abalone, clams, cockles, oysters, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins;
  • integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA);
  • invasive tunicates;
  • ecosystem and aquaculture interactions;
  • ecology of sea urchins and abalone; and
  • settlement and metamorphosis of benthic marine invertebrate larvae with special emphasis on biochemical/physical mechanisms of metamorphic induction.

Christopher’s research projects include:

  • factors driving summer mortality in Pacific oysters;
  • microplastics in shellfish and their environment;
  • crayfish weed remediation and aquaculture; and
  • sea urchin aquaculture.

In a current (2019) 3-year project, Chris is monitoring environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, various ocean acidification variables, phytoplankton, and zooplankton), oyster reproductive state, bacterial load, and oyster survival at multiple intertidal and deep-water oyster farming sites weekly (May – September) within Baynes Sound and will statistically evaluate the importance of each of these factors in driving oyster mortality events. Project link: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/rp-pr/acrdp-pcrda/projects-projets/17-1-P-05-eng.html

Select Presentation(s) / Publication(s):

Dudas, Sarah; Covernton, Garth; Miller, Matthew R.; Pearce, Chris; Gurney-Smith, Helen; Dower, John, “Does habitat influence bivalve microplastic concentration?” (2018). Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference.404. https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2018ssec/allsessions/404/

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