Fisheries and Aquaculture

Clad in hip waders, the weight of the cool river flow buffeting the protective layer keeping him dry while immersed in the science of salmon enhancement is exactly where Tristen Dieleman wants to be. 

Tristen is a second-year diploma student in the VIU Fisheries and Aquaculture program. He came to the university as a mature student, knowing that a career in fisheries was where he wanted to be. 

Joe Clark is working with the Nanaimo & Area Land Trust (NALT) to monitor urban streams in Nanaimo for the presence of cutthroat trout.

VIU students Matt van Dinther and Savonah MacLeod gained hands-on learning experiences during a VIU study to support food security and wellness in a remote BC community.

Students from Horticulture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Engineering, and the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic programs worked with the Heilsuk (Haíłzaqv) Climate Action Team to design aquaponics and aeroponic tower gardens as a land-based solution to food security and food sovereignty. 

In the wake of the pandemic, Allie Unger decided to make changes in her life. She worked in communications and graphic design but craved hands-on learning in a coastal outdoor setting. She enrolled in VIU’s Fisheries and Aquaculture diploma.

The Pacific Salmon Foundation oversees multiple scholarship awards and bursaries to help foster the development of emerging salmon leaders and scientists. Every year, these initiatives provide financial support to post-secondary students engaged in salmon-related studies.

Two outstanding students in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Diploma Program at Vancouver Island University were recently offered PSF-supported scholarships. Nick Davenport and Allie Unger accepted a $2,000 and $1,000 award respectively at a ceremony hosted by VIU in April 2024.

Receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship Award this past year was an honour that allowed me to live the experience of a lifetime and fulfill a dream that I otherwise would not have been able to.

Rebecca Timmons loves helping kids get excited about science. For the past few months, the fourth-year VIU Fisheries and Aquaculture student has been working as a Let’s Talk Science site coordinator, which is coordinated out of the Deep Bay Marine Field Station.

Marcel Du Pleissis is graduating from Vancouver Island University this June with a Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology diploma. He decided to enrol in the diploma program as a foundational learning step and plans on returning to VIU this fall to pursue a Bachelor of Science, Major in Biology.

Denman Moody was working in Victoria in an industry she didn’t love, and was considering returning to university when a chance encounter with a family friend during a summer camping trip changed the direction of her life.

Her family friend had graduated from Vancouver Island University’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology Diploma program and told her how much he loved the industry and how many opportunities the training opened up for him.