Community Bursary Spotlight: Liam Archbold
Liam Archbold is an emerging salmon leader, B.Sc. student at BCIT, and active volunteer with Mossom Creek Hatchery and Education Centre in Port Moody. He is also a proud recipient of PSF’s Stewardship Community Bursary.
Every year, this program awards multiple $2,500 bursaries to post-secondary students in B.C. and the Yukon pursuing careers related to Pacific salmon.
Click here to learn more about the Stewardship Community Bursary.
Eligible applicants must be residents of B.C. or the Yukon, show financial need, and be enrolled full-time (second year and above) in a university or college program connected to Pacific salmon. Preference is given to those who have volunteered with stewardship groups, streamkeepers, or hatcheries.
Read Liam’s Q&A below to see how this bursary has supported him.
Why do Pacific salmon matter to you?
Pacific salmon matter to me because of the central role they play in our lives across B.C. Since I was a kid, we were taught in elementary school about the role salmon play through the Salmon in the Classroom program.
Tell us more about your experience with salmon stewardship at hatcheries around Metro Vancouver and the Tri-Cities. What did you accomplish and learn?
My experience with salmon stewardship is primarily through Mossom Creek Hatchery and Education Centre in Port Moody. There, I’ve had so many opportunities to learn new skills hands-on.
For example, I learned how to insert tiny electronic PIT tags into fish so their movements can be tracked over time. I clipped adipose fins, which can then be used as a visual marker to distinguish hatchery-raised fish from wild ones. I also learned how to identify different species and care for them from egg to fry, and how to explain this to hatchery visitors. Finally, I’ve had the opportunity to do ‘fry trapping’, which involves capturing and releasing juvenile salmon as they migrate to monitor population numbers.
How has the PSF bursary supported you?
The PSF bursary is helping me pay for my tuition and continue my education to learn about and help restore Pacific salmon habitat. I’ve recently finished BCIT’s Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation diploma program.
What are you learning through your studies at BCIT?
Through this program, I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the biology of Pacific salmon, the role they play in First Nations culture and identity, and how many organisms rely on returning salmon every year for nutrients. This fall, I’m starting BCIT’s Bachelor of Science in Ecological Restoration program, with a course on restoring marine ecosystems.
What advice would you give to other students considering salmon conservation as a career?
Go see what’s happening at your local hatchery and see if it interests you! With autumn approaching, Pacific salmon are already starting to return, and there will be so many opportunities to learn and participate in broodstock collection and salmon identification. During the winter, eggs and alevin will need care, and during the spring and early summer, fry will be released.
Don’t forget to submit your application to the Stewardship Community Bursary.
