Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre

06/05/2026

Join us this September for “Science Communication for an Ever-Changing World” with Niki Wilson

In this dynamic, hands-on workshop, discover how to pitch, shape, and deliver compelling science stories for the page, the screen, and live audiences.

This workshop is for students, researchers, professionals, and anyone else who wants to improve their ability to communicate science.

The key objectives will be:
-Learn to tell science stories in YOUR voice
-Identify your audience(s) and tailor messages to them
-Practice panel moderation and interview skills
-Develop a project to bring back to work/school
-Learn more about sci comm in the era of AI and misinformation

Register by July 31st with the link in our bio and see more information on our “Student Workshops” page.

See you soon!

05/28/2026

Next week is Ocean Week and we have an exciting line up for our community and followers!

runs from June 1-8th and is a public celebration of the ocean from coast to coast to coast!

For us, ocean week is about taking time to reflect on our core pillars of what we do at our marine station: Research, Education, and Outreach - which includes stewardship, conservation, and restoration; and then share that with our amazing community!

Check out our Ocean week events here at the the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre! All are welcome!

Tuesday June 2nd, Ocean and Coastal Science Talk, Rix A, 7pm
The perfect time to kick off our first summer seminar series talk of the year! Join us in the Rix, room A for a seminar talk by John Reynolds - Marine-fuelled Ecosystems in the Great Bear Rainforest.
We are also going to live stream the talk. Check it out on our YouTube at .

Wednesday June 3rd, Pachena Bay Beach, 5pm
Coastline Stewardship & Conservation AKA beach clean up and mini bioblitz!
Join us at Pachena Bay from 5pm-7pm for a beach clean up and mini bioblitz!
We will bring gloves and garbage bags, you bring the enthusiasm (and possibly a device to take pictures of critters)! Meet up at the Pachena Bay Campground parking lot, and/or find us on the beach! A great event for the whole family!

Thursday June 4th, Rix A, 7pm
Deep Sea Exploration Interactive Talk. Fun for learners of all ages!
In this interactive talk, a highlight of our field trip program, Grace Nelles of BMSC takes us through an incredible exploration of the deep sea, which actually makes up for 90% of our ocean! Learn about deep sea habitat, exploration, and the fascinating inhabitants within the layers of the deep sea!
We are going to try to live stream the talk! Check it out on our YouTube at .

Want to know how you can support our mission? Go to www.bamfieldmsc.com/give

05/22/2026

Applications are open for Ocean Hack Week 2026!

Ocean Hack Week is a unique collaborative learning experience that helps participants gain new skills in different coding languages while working with large oceanographic datasets and real-world problems.

Come for the coding and skill building, stay for the networking, community, and chance to connect with the marine science Industry!

Interested in joining? Hurry! Applications close on June 5th!

When: August 24-28, 2026 (5 days!)
Where: BMSC
Cost: $1200 CAD (scholarships may be available - see website for more details)
Who: You!

Get more information and apply through the link in our bio or at https://oceanhackweek.org/!

*The workshop is also looking for industry partners and sponsors for this event! Please get in touch with Julek Chawarski at ASL Environmental Sciences for more information ([email protected])

Underwater Kelp Clip: Em Lim
Drone video of BMSC: Andrew Hendry

05/13/2026

We are excited to spread the word that BMSC and our partner and neighbor, Nova Harvest, along with the Hakai Institute and the BC Shellfish Growers Association, have received one of the CRBS (Climate Ready BC Seafood) Program Grants! This grant provided funds for research that helps understand the impacts of ocean acidification and hypoxia on the province's seafood so that we can mitigate the issues and improve the resiliency of organisms that we rely on for food.

The partners are using various ocean observing instruments, such as the Burke-o-later, to monitor ocean parameters in sea water. This monitoring allows for both research on how shellfish respond to changes and as a daily monitoring tool. Having this live data allows the team to react in real-time, improving the survival of and production of shellfish.

Watch the video to learn more about the project

📽️ New video

We’re sharing a look at the Climate Ready B.C. Seafood Program and the work happening across the coast to better understand ocean acidification + hypoxia 🌊

This program supports projects that connect science, communities, and industry to respond to changing ocean conditions in B.C.

Watch via the link in bio 🔗 or here: https://youtu.be/EeSmh0e4_BE

OceanScience

05/08/2026

Even though the initial application deadline has passed, we will be accepting Fall Field Trip applications on a first-come-first-serve basis. Contact us to get information on available dates so you can join us for some hands-on ocean science learning!.. and do your best to not get too distracted by all the amazing critters!

05/04/2026

“Listen and learn” takes on a new meaning with this two-week graduate student workshop from the BMSC, University of Victoria, and Ocean Networks Canada.
(The workshop will take place for one week at BMSC and one week at The University of Victoria)

Through this workshop, professors Dr. Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier, Dr. Tommy Happynook, and Dr. Dave Riddell invite students to engage with sound not only as a sensory experience, but also as a powerful medium for research, storytelling, and creative expression.

Learn skills from science communication to quantitative analysis of ecological soundscapes, sound art or electroacoustic composition, and more.

Learn all about the course at https://bamfieldmsc.com/education/prospective-students/courses/detail/biophonic/
(Link in bio under Workshops)

, , ,

04/30/2026

Join us for another Bamfield ! This will be the last one for the spring season... but we will pick them back up soon! Stay tuned!

Take photos of local organisms that are considered species at risk from Friday May 1st to Friday May 8th! Upload your photos to iNaturalist by the end of May 8th.

Observations taken within the time period, in this area, will automatically be added to the Bioblitz project. Whoever observes the highest number of species at risk species wins BMSC merch!

What is a bioblitz? Well, check out this explanation right from the iNaturalist site:
“A bioblitz is a communal effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible.

Bioblitzes are great ways to engage the public to connect to their environment while generating useful data for science and conservation. They are also an excuse for naturalists, scientists, and curious members of the public to meet in person in the great outdoors, and they’re a lot of fun!”

And if you had never heard about before,
it is kind of like a social media app for nature lovers and researchers alike! In short, it is a platform designed to
-Record and organize observations of organisms
-Encourage users to learn about the natural world-
-Aid in real scientific about locations and distribution of species! (for example it has even helped to re-discover species thought to be extinct!)

We hope you join us for this bioblitz... and keep an eye out for more to come!

PS here are some handy iNaturalist Tutorials:
How to upload an observation uing the website: https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/solutions/articles/151000170784-how-to-make-an-observation-with-the-inaturalist-website-video-tutorial
How to mke an observation using the app: https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/solutions/articles/151000170777-how-to-make-an-observation-with-the-inaturalist-mobile-app-video-tutorial

04/28/2026

🚨April Species Spotlight🚨
Can you guess this species based on our clues?

Swipe to learn about this adorable lemony ocean friend that deters predation through some intriguing methods!

04/23/2026

Call for Abstracts for !

The 3rd Biennial World Congress of Marine Stations organised by the World Association of Marine Stations (WAMS) will be held at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre this September 1-4th, 2026.

Abstracts can fall under one of the five congress themes:
Oceans and Human Health
Ocean Innovation and Bioeconomies
Community, Education, and Culture
Marine Stations as Distributed Research Platforms
Ocean Policy

We are looking for submissions that demonstrate innovative and interdisciplinary research, cross-institutional and international collaboration, integration of science with policy, community engagement, societal impact, and the evolving role of marine stations within global observing and knowledge networks.

There is more information on the website: www.event.fourwaves.com/wcms2026/pages (link in bio)

Given the unique congress program for the WCMS 2026, where talks in thematic groups will be followed by strategic working sessions, the call for abstracts is the first step before registration. The abstract deadline is Friday, May 22nd.

Pending abstract acceptance by the organizing committee, registration will open.

Please see the website for more details and direct any questions to Sean Rogers at [email protected]

04/19/2026

Join us for our next Bamfield - Algae ID Extravaganza!

Take photos of local algae from Monday, April 20th to Monday, April 27th.

Upload your photos to iNaturalist by the end of April 27th. Observations taken within the time period, in this area, will automatically be added to the Bioblitz project. Whoever observes the highest number of algae species wins BMSC merch!

—————————————————————

What is a bioblitz? Well, check out this explanation right from the iNaturalist site:
“A bioblitz is a communal effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible.

Bioblitzes are great ways to engage the public to connect to their environment while generating useful data for science and conservation. They are also an excuse for naturalists, scientists, and curious members of the public to meet in person in the great outdoors, and they’re a lot of fun!”

And if you had never heard about before,
it is kind of like a social media app for nature lovers and researchers alike! In short, it is a platform designed to
-Record and organize observations of organisms
-Encourage users to learn about the natural world-
-Aid in real scientific about locations and distribution of species! (for example it has even helped to re-discover species thought to be extinct!)

We hope you join us for this bioblitz... and keep an eye out for more to come!

PS here are some handy iNaturalist Tutorials:

How to upload an observation uing the website: https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/solutions/articles/151000170784-how-to-make-an-observation-with-the-inaturalist-website-video-tutorial

How to mke an observation using the app: https://help.inaturalist.org/en/support/solutions/articles/151000170777-how-to-make-an-observation-with-the-inaturalist-mobile-app-video-tutorial