Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research
The goal of the Marine Institute's Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER) is to better understand fish stocks and the productivity of Newfoundland and Labrador's marine ecosystem through fisheries research. CFER was created with a five-year mandate through $11.75 million in funding from the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Research and Development Corporation.
Specifically, CFER's mandate is to:
- focus research on Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries and the sustainability of stocks
- offer research and training opportunities to graduate students both locally and internationally
- collaborate with the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Fisheries and Oceans Canada for research activities and fisheries management
- collaborate with other researchers and institutions within Canada and worldwide
CFER fulfills these roles within four primary areas:
CFER will add to the fisheries research capacity in Newfoundland and Labrador and will work with government agencies and others who share the goals of CFER, including various researchers at Memorial University.
CFER's specialized researchers - finfish, pelagic, crustacean and fisheries acoustics science and management - will help gather more information and scientific support for ecosystem-based and precautionary approaches to fisheries management.
CFER provides opportunities for fisheries scientists to work in our province and allows research opportunities to more than 20 fisheries science graduate students annually.
CFER has the RV Gecho II, its own inshore research vessel, and has charter access to the RV Celtic Explorer, a world-class offshore research vessel. These crafts enable major fisheries surveys and provide opportunities for research and training both within CFER and with academia and government.
CFER collaborates with Canadian fisheries scientists and creates linkages and partnerships with researchers from around the world.
The Marine Institute’s Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research presents its five-year report highlighting its researchers, students and technologists and the innovative research it has conducted since 2010, with particular focus on projects undertaken in 2014.
