Vancouver, BC: The Vancouver Port Authority is pleased to announce the establishment of the Scientific Advisory Committee that will provide scientific and technical advice and recommendations to the port for the implementation of the Adaptive Management Strategy as part of the Deltaport Third Berth Expansion Project.

The Adaptive Management Strategy is one of several significant environmental programs that are being undertaken as part of the Deltaport Third Berth Project. It is a science-based approach to monitoring and managing the Roberts Bank ecosystem that will assess ecosystem trends attributable to the third berth's construction and operation.

The committee will provide scientific and technical advice and recommendations to the port for the implementation of the Adaptive Management Strategy.

"The core activity of the Scientific Advisory Committee is to review the data collected under the Adaptive Management Strategy," said Darrell Desjardin, Director Environmental Programs for the Vancouver Port Authority. "The committee will consider the scientific data to monitor positive and negative ecosystem trends that emerge as a result of the third berth project, and will advise the port if additional mitigation measures or monitoring is required."

The Scientific Advisory Committee consists of one scientist appointed by the VPA, one scientist appointed by Environment Canada, and one scientist selected jointly by VPA and Environment Canada. Appointees are as follows:

Dr. Ron Ydenberg: Dr. Ydenberg was appointed jointly by the VPA and Environment Canada and will chair the committee. He is Director of the Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, at Simon Fraser University and his research interests lie in behavioral ecology and the application of behavioral ecology to conservation and other applied problems. Dr. Ydenberg is also experienced with the application of programs similar to the Adaptive Management Strategy for monitoring and managing ecosystems.

Dr. Terri Sutherland: Dr. Sutherland is serving as the Environment Canada appointment to the advisory committee. She is a research scientist with the UBC-DFO Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research. Her research has included work at Roberts Bank, such as a study on the sensitivity of Roberts Bank to climate change and a Roberts Bank biodiversity study.

Mr. Rowland Atkins: Mr. Atkins was appointed by the VPA. He is a coastal and fluvial geomorphologist with extensive experience along the BC coast. Mr. Atkins experience in applied geomorphology studies includes work in areas of particular interest at Roberts Bank, including sediment transport by waves and tidal currents, channel stability, bank protection, and coastal erosion.

The committee may consult with other independent scientists, engineers and/or technical experts as needed and when such additional expertise is required.

The committee will meet at a frequency dictated by the Adaptive Management Strategy monitoring and reporting schedule. The first quarterly monitoring report will be provided to the committee in late spring 2007 and the first annual report will be provided in spring 2008. The advice and recommendations made by the committee will be incorporated into the program, and the annual reports will be made available on the Deltaport Third Berth Project section of the VPA's website.

The Deltaport Third Berth Expansion Project is an agreement between the VPA and terminal operator TSI Terminal Systems Inc. (TSI), who will share the capital cost of approximately $300 million CAD. The VPA will oversee marine construction, habitat compensation, and long-term environmental monitoring components while TSI will undertake yard construction and equipment acquisition. The expansion will increase capacity at Deltaport by 50 per cent by adding a third berth and 20 hectares of container storage facilities to the existing terminal.

The Port of Vancouver is Canada's Flagship Port, trading more than $53 billion in goods with more than 100 trading economies annually. Port activities generate 69,200 jobs in total with $4 billion in Gross Domestic Product and $8.9 billion in economic output.

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For more information, please contact:

Anne McMullin,
Director, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Vancouver Port Authority
(604) 665-9069 (office)
(604) 665-9073 (fax)
(778) 231-6978 (cellular)
anne.mcmullin@portvancouver.com

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