Application of the FVCOM hydrodynamic model to support aquaculture on the West Coast of Vancouver Island

Description

The West Coast of Vancouver Island is complex oceanographically, geographically, biologically and meteorologically. It also supports a vibrant fish farming industry. An unstructured grid, finite-volume, primitive equation Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) that is well suited for simulating the circulation and ecosystem dynamics for regions characterized by irregular complex coastlines, islands, inlets, creeks, and inter-tidal zones has been developed and validated under previous ACRDP projects (15-P-03, 17-P-06). This validated FVCOM model provides three-dimensional fields of temperature, salinity and currents for typical conditions in the spring and early summer. It is proposed to apply the model, by refining the environmental forcing, to more specific scenarios of aquaculture interest.

Applying the FVCOM model to a variety of situations will develop a portfolio of results that will aid in both the general understanding of water circulation in the region as well as an understanding of how the hydrodynamics impact particular aquaculture scenarios. This project aims to refine the FVCOM model to better represent the open boundary conditions, the atmospheric forcing, the fresh water forcing due to river flows, and the effects of wetting and drying of shallow areas; and to apply the improved model results to particle tracking models and compare the modelled behaviour of virtual particles with observed conditions (e.g. drifter data, sea lice abundance, fish health events).

Program name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Years

Two years: 2019-2021

Principal investigator

Peter Chandler, ocean scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Pacific Region
Email: Peter.Chandler@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Team members

Mike Foreman, Emeritus Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Pacific Region
Glenn Cooper, Aquatic Science Technician, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Pacific Region
Wendy Callendar, Physical Oceanographer, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Pacific Region
Maxin Krassovski, Ocean Modelling and Prediction Group, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Pacific Region

Collaborators

Tim Hewison, Fish Health and Research and Development Manager, Grieg Seafood
Kathleen Frisch, Fish Health Director and Veterinarian, Cermaq Canada