Gaps in ocean science must be addressed: report

Canada's considerable expertise and investment in ocean sciences is being threatened by the lack of effective policy formulation and implementation, according to a major new report from the Council of Canadian Academies. The problem is compounded by incomplete and uncoordinated data, resulting in significant gaps that must be addressed with a national effort involving a broad range of key stakeholders.

Entitled Ocean Science in Canada: Meeting the Challenge, Seizing the Opportunity, the report was produced by an expert panel chaired by Dr David Strangway and commission by the Canadian Consortium of Ocean Research Universities.

A collection of 40 priority research questions compiled by a core group of Canadian and international ocean experts served as a guide to address Canada's needs and capacities in ocean science relating to domestic issues and its role as an international partner.

The panel's work identified three gaps in vision, coordination and information that it contends are currently not being addressed.

"Addressing these gaps is essential if Canada is to meet the growing needs of ocean science with limited resources, and make best possible use of existing capacities to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of ocean science," states the report.

In particular, the panel notes the absence of a national strategy or vision "This makes it difficult to prioritize needs and comprehensively plan investments for ocean science," it concludes.

Without a national-level mechanism to coordinate, the allocation of resources such as funding which is often temporary. The lack of a national mechanism to store, update and disseminate relevant data, makes it difficult to identify capacity needs and address research questions.

Nowhere is this more acute than in the area of funding. The panel examines public funding for university-based ocean science and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) but excludes other sources due to lack of data. Various funding agencies spent $920.4 million on ocean science between FY02-3 and FY11-12. DFO science spending peaked at $400 million in FY06-07 but has declined dramatically since FY08-09 and was less than $250 million in FY10-11.

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