Coming to Canada from

Rutgers, USA

Research involves

Combining information and knowledge to improve management of coastal social-ecological systems.

Research relevance

The research is leading to a better understanding of the way human society interacts with marine and coastal ecosystems.

A Helping Hand for Coastal Communities

It's not a pretty picture: Unemployment, depopulation, and controversy dog Canada's coastal communities. Recent shifts from traditional resource-based industries like logging, fishing, and mining are forcing many coastal residents to abandon their homes and communities to find employment in larger urban centres. Those who remain are left to survive through alternative economic activities such as tourism and conservation, as well as struggling resource-based industries such as fisheries, aquaculture, and alternative forms of logging. Many of these activities are in flux and turmoil, with various stakeholders struggling for control.

And frequently, these activities - like salmon farming - provoke controversy, polarizing participants on all sides.

Talk about stress. That's why Canada Research Chair Grant Murray develops research programs that confront the serious socio-economic challenges facing coastal communities. Grant's research tackles social, cultural, political, and economic issues relating to coastal resources, such as the growth of the shellfish industry, the re-introduction of the sea otter on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and the establishment of Marine Protected Areas.

Together with his research team, Murray is drawing on the knowledge of a range stakeholders, as well as on local and traditional ecological sources. Their aim is to improve the management of coastal social-ecological systems. In the process, they are creating alternative models for generating information about marine and coastal systems, and improving relations between user groups, scientists, and resource managers.

In the long run, Murray's research will lead to a better understanding of the way society interacts with marine and coastal ecosystems, and to the establishment of better communications between concerned stakeholders throughout Canada.