Calvert Island and Quadra Island, British Columbia, Canada Hakai Institute

At Hakai, we blend technology and science to study a particular part of the British Columbia coast in great detail—long term and year-round. This work informs and strengthens our partnerships and scientific networks across BC, the cross-boundary Cascadia region, and around the globe through MarineGEO.  

At the Hakai Institute, our research flows seamlessly across the artificial nearshore boundary between land and sea—a mixing zone of tremendous productivity and biodiversity. Because of the complex and convoluted coastline around our research centers on Calvert and Quadra Islands in British Columbia, we are blessed with a quantity, quality, and diversity of nearshore habitats that rivals anywhere on the planet—rocky reefs, seagrass meadows, kelp forests, mud flats, salt marshes, rocky intertidal, and more. The Hakai Institute was among the founding nodes of MarineGEO, which in turn has led to a growing web of collaborations. 

We have specific expertise in technology, including sensor networks, geospatial mapping, information technology, DNA sequencing, and computer modeling. Our work in the nearshore epitomizes the way we achieve science of global consequence by combining the excellence of our own research teams with the power of active collaboration across the Pacific region and farther afield. MarineGEO research at Hakai focuses mainly in seagrass and kelp habitats. 

MarineGEO Team

  • Principal Investigator: Margot Hessing-Lewis and Alyssa Gehman
  • MarineGEO Coordinator: Angeleen Olson
  • Team: Zach Monteith, Ondine Pontier, Carolyn Prentice, Derek VanMaanen, Gillian Sadlier-Brown, Krystal Bachen, and Tyrel Froese

Participating Institutions

  • Hakai Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Province of British Columbia, BC Parks, Parks Canada 
  • University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Victoria (UVic), Simon Fraser University (SFU), University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) 
  • Heiltsuk Nation, Wuikinuxv Nation, CCIRA, Nanwakolas 
  • And many more!  

iNaturalist

Social Media