In western North America, char (fishes of the genus Salvelinus) consist of a complex of four species whose study has provided many insights into systematics, biogeography, ecology, and evolution. These fishes are also important components of subsistence and recreational fisheries and the focus of many conservation programs. It is now well-established that sympatric Dolly Varden and Arctic char, as well as sympatric bull trout and Dolly Varden, maintain strong reproductive isolation despite some interbreeding. Our lab is using genomic data to test hypotheses about the drivers of speciation in these species with a focus on Arctic char and Dolly Varden, and also to better understand the contact zone between two subspecies of Dolly Varden. Genomic analyses are also serving to inform fish passage decisions and monitoring programs for bull trout at the Site C Hydroelectric development.

Eric Taylor is a professor of Zoology and Director of the Fish Collection at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum where he also served as museum Director from 2013-2020. He studies the patterns, and processes promoting the origins and persistence of biodiversity and the application of such knowledge to conservation, especially in fishes. He graduated with a PhD in Zoology from UBC in 1989, spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University, then 1.5 years as a visiting research fellow at the Pacific Biological Station before retuning to UBC in 1993. Between 2000 and 2018, he was involved with, or a member of, COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) and its Chair between 2014 and 2018. In 2016, he was elected as a Fellow of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Autumn 2021 will see the release of his book Rivers Run Through Us: A Natural and Human History of Great Rivers of North America (Rocky Mountain Books).

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through LiveStream. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.

This event is funded by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP). The FWCP is a partnership between BC Hydro, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, First Nations, Public Stakeholders and the Province of BC, to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by existing BC Hydro dams.