A Kwantlen Polytechnic University researcher has won the 2024 medal from the Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI) for her work on how environmental stressors impact fish.

Dr. Erika Eliason is an associate dean in the KPU Faculty of Science. Her studies have focused in particular on how Pacific salmon populations have been impacted by climate change.

乌鸦传媒淢y work has shown that populations of salmon differ in their thermal tolerance, which has important management implications,乌鸦传媒� Eliason said in a statement after the award was announced. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e also shown that Pacific salmon may be dying en route to their spawning grounds because of heart failure.乌鸦传媒�

She explained that most aquatic animals can乌鸦传媒檛 regulate their own body temperature. If water temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius, then the fish乌鸦传媒檚 temperature rises by the same amount.

乌鸦传媒淔ish can only thrive within a specific range of temperatures, so heat waves 乌鸦传媒� or cold snaps 乌鸦传媒� can create huge problems for fish, even leading to death,乌鸦传媒� Eliason said.

The FSBI noted that Eliason乌鸦传媒檚 research has been used by policy-makers, including Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Pacific Salmon Commission, which used her paper on migrating salmon to help in the management of B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 sockeye fishery.

乌鸦传媒淓rika乌鸦传媒檚 contribution to fish biology is voluminous and broad, underscoring her exceptional productivity and dedication to the field of fish biology as well as the influence her work has had across the community,乌鸦传媒� said Dr. Holly Shiels, FSBI honorary president and Professor of Integrative Physiology at the University of Manchester.

乌鸦传媒淔ish are incredibly important for our economy, recreation, culture and ecosystems,乌鸦传媒� she noted. 乌鸦传媒淲hen I decided to go to grad school, I was excited to bring together my curiosity about how the world works with my love of fish and nature.乌鸦传媒�

Growing up fishing and being outdoors, Eliason was drawn into studying biology.

She joined KPU in 2023, after having worked as an Associate Professor of Ecological and Evolutionary physiology at the University of California Santa Barbara, where her research program resulted in more than 90 scientific publications. She worked to train researchers at the undergraduate, masters, and doctorate levels.

The award will be presented this summer at the FSBI乌鸦传媒檚 annual symposium in Bilbao, Spain.

乌鸦传媒淚t is such an honour to win this award,乌鸦传媒� said Eliason. 乌鸦传媒淭ruly exceptional fish biologists and fisheries scientists have received this award in the past, and I am humbled and honoured to be included in their group.乌鸦传媒�

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