Government restoring 135 marine science jobs

Wanted, once again: Fish scientists, whale scientists, oceanographers, and anybody else who studies lakes, rivers or oceans. The federal government wants 135 of you.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s postings for biologists, oceanographers and technicians are scheduled to go public within days at Jobs.gc.ca.

The hiring follows years of science cuts at DFO, and Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo calls the hiring the biggest at his department “in over a generation.”

But as well as hiring bodies, the department is changing direction back to more traditional field research. And its top science official says the change will be “fun.”

“We are going back to some of our core, basic fish science,” said Trevor Swerdfager, assistant deputy minister in charge of science.

While DFO has been doing science research, “the core fish biology, the stock assessment biology, field surveys, all that kind of thing — that has really withered away. That’s where the biggest chunk of these (new) investments are going. … Ditto on physical oceanography. A big, big change.”

Cuts under the Conservatives reduced science staff by about 310, he said. Instead of replacing all 310, the hiring of 135 science staff will be complemented by purchases of new equipment.

“We’re trying to take ourselves from a point where a lot of the equipment … and gear we have in the water, on ships and vessels is antiquated or broken,” he said.

“The second big investment is in partnership. We haven’t done this in a while. So we’re going to be back in the business of working with the university community, both domestic and international,” including work with other countries.

As well, there is a move toward “open data” — providing data to everyone instead of making people ask for it. He said it’s a little like putting all the census data out in public. “If you want it, go get it.”

The cost of all the changes is $197 million over five years.

The department also promises a return to funding work in the Experimental Lakes Area of northwestern Ontario. The Conservative government was widely criticized for ending decades of funding for work there that used whole lakes as “living laboratories.”

But the department isn’t going to re-staff the ELA itself. Instead, it will provide funding for projects it wants to support, while the scientists there will still work for an institute funded largely by Ontario.