The ConsortiumThe University of Alaska, University of British Columbia, University of Washington and Oregon State University make up the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium.
Formed in 1993, the Consortium's mission is to conduct research on the relationships between fisheries and marine mammals in the North Pacific Ocean and Eastern Bering Sea. With annual funding of $300,000 provided by the Pacific Marine Science Foundation — whose goal is to help sustain the fishery through support of the Consortium's research — experts in physiology, ecology, marine mammalogy, fisheries and oceanography developed a long term research project to be carried out over five years. Administration of the Consortium, and research conducted at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre for the project, is headed by staff at the Marine Mammal Research Unit of the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia, and research coordinator Dr. Andrew Trites. An integral portion of the research for the Consortium project is conducted at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, where since 1993 the Marine Mammal Department has cared for and studied six Steller sea lions specifically for the purposes of the project. Learn more about the Consortium by visiting their website at www.marinemammal.org |
