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.

91裸聊视频淢y work has shown that populations of salmon differ in their thermal tolerance, which has important management implications,91裸聊视频� Eliason said in a statement after the award was announced. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e also shown that Pacific salmon may be dying en route to their spawning grounds because of heart failure.91裸聊视频�

She explained that most aquatic animals can91裸聊视频檛 regulate their own body temperature. If water temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius, then the fish91裸聊视频檚 temperature rises by the same amount.

91裸聊视频淔ish can only thrive within a specific range of temperatures, so heat waves 91裸聊视频� or cold snaps 91裸聊视频� can create huge problems for fish, even leading to death,91裸聊视频� Eliason said.

The FSBI noted that Eliason91裸聊视频檚 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.91裸聊视频檚 sockeye fishery.

91裸聊视频淓rika91裸聊视频檚 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,91裸聊视频� said Dr. Holly Shiels, FSBI honorary president and Professor of Integrative Physiology at the University of Manchester.

91裸聊视频淔ish are incredibly important for our economy, recreation, culture and ecosystems,91裸聊视频� she noted. 91裸聊视频淲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.91裸聊视频�

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 FSBI91裸聊视频檚 annual symposium in Bilbao, Spain.

91裸聊视频淚t is such an honour to win this award,91裸聊视频� said Eliason. 91裸聊视频淭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.91裸聊视频�

READ ALSO: