Overview 
The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre provides year-round research
facilities and technical assistance to scientists from the
five western
Canadian universities as well as visiting scientists from other Canadian and international institutions.
NEW Transport Canada Regulations regarding boat use at BMSC:
Anyone operating a BMSC skiff is required to have SVOP certification. If you are not SVOP certified, you will be required to arrange for a certified person to operate these vessels.
All vessel operators, including the 14 foot copes, are required to have PCOC (Pleasure Craft Operator Card) certification.
Please contact
for more information.
Facilities Feature
BMSC Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
What BMSC has to Offer 
BMSC has a variety of resources to facilitate your research here.
Below is a list to help facilitate your new and ongoing research here at BMSC.
Welcome! To conduct research at BMSC there are a few things you should know. If you would like to do research here follow these simple steps:
Barkley Sound has diverse intertidal and subtidal habitats.
Intertidal habitats range from rocky shoreline with varying degress of wave exposure, sandy beaches through to mud flats and eel grass beds.
Subtidal Barkley Sound is vast and highly varried. From kelp beds to urchin barrens, fjord walls to sandy slopes, the subtidal realm in Barkley Sound is remarkable.
Barkley Sound also hosts Canada's first subtidal marine reserve, Baeria Rocks Ecological Reserve. The 53 hectare reserve was established in 1971 with the purpose of preserving representative and sensitive habitats around Barkley Sound and is protected under the B.C. Ecological Reserve Act to a depth of 10 Fathoms. Permits can be obtained to do scientific work here. Public Education Coordinator Anne Stewart is the volunteer warden of this reserve.
The Deer Group Islands also are a model system for island biogeography projects and other terrestrial splendors. There are also many coastal streams and lakes in close proximity to BMSC.
Barkley Sound is rich in diversity of life both marine and terrestrial. The diversity of algae present is equally astounding. Barkley Sound has about 650 species of marcoalgae. We are uniquely situated that we get both northern and southern species of algae. There is also a rich diversity of phyto and zooplankton which during the summer months clouds our waters making diving almost impossible!
Barkley Sound hosts an innumerable number of invertebrates including the common black turban snails, purple shore crabs, red sea urchins, whelks, and the rare jems like puget sound king crabs, nudibranchs, crinoids, sea pens and of course much, much more.
Vertebrate diversity is also astounding. Fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals are often close at hand.
BMSC has extensive indoor wet and dry labs. There are also outdoor sea tables. There are also a few offices available for students to work in.
BMSC has basic and specialty equipment available for use by researchers. For information about what equipment is availableduring your stay contact the
.
Specialty Equipment
- Laser Confocal Microscope
- 12 Meter Flume with a particle image velocimeter (PIV)
- Large cable tank
- Gradient PCR machine
- Shimadzu TOC/TN analyzer
- Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV)
Lab Equipment
- -80 degree freezers
- Various plastic and glass aquaria
- Balances
- Analytical
- Micro-analytical
- Centrifuges
- Bench top refigerated
- Bench top ultra-micro refrigerated
- Micro-
- Cryostat
- Culture shaker
- Microscopes
- Olympus CX-40 compound with C-5050 digital camera and mounting adapters
- Inverted
- Stereo dissecting
- Drying ovens
- Spectrophotometers
- DU 640
- Water-jacketed, portable
- Freeze dryer system
- Various glass ware
- Growth Cabinet
- Homogenizer
- Ice machines
- Laminar flow hood
- Liquid nitrogen dewars
- LS6500 Liquid scintillation counter
- Micropipeters
- SDS-PAGE systems
- pH meters
- Radiatorion survey meters
- Shaker tables
- Sonicator
- Speed vac system
- Stir/heat plates
- Tanks
- Tilt tables
- Vortexers
- Water heating baths
Field Equipment
- Crab traps
- Plankton nets
- Field Fluorometer
- Buckets
- Shovels
- Seives
BMSC operates a small scientific stores carrying preservatives, glassware, photographic materials, standard supplies and stationery for the convenience of station users. Researchers are asked to give advance notice if they require large quantities or specialized items.
Supplies in these stores can be purchased with cash, credit or ebit by contacting the Stores accountant.
Equipment can be purchased on your account. Simply fill out a purchase card with your account number and what equipment you took.
BMSC has a variety of on-site housing to meet your needs while doing research here; from single room appartments for PIs to full cabins to house the whole lab. We have 8 cabins and 6 studio suites. All researcher housing is furnished including fully equipped kitchens. All housing is located close to laboratories for easy access. Housing is limited during the busy summer months so book early to ensure a spot.
Peruse our accommodation page for more information or contact
to book space.
Fees for researchers from Member Universities
Fees for researchers from Non-member Universities
BMSC has a variety of boats available for researcher use. Two skiffs can accommodate 12 people and are suitable for diving. The Raider can accommodate 7 people and is also suitable for diving. There are 4, 14' Copes for a maximum of 4 people and one 16' Cope which has a maximum capacity of 6 people available for field work. The Barkley Star and MV ALTA are also available for diving and dredging respectively. The both need to be captained by an appropriate staff member.
All people piloting BMSC boats must have their Pleasure Craft Operator's Card. Boats with 5 or more passangers must be piloted by someone holding a Small Vessel Operator's Proficiency (SVOP) Card.
For more information see our marine vessels page or contact our Skipper .
The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC) provides research infrastructure
for marine and coastal scientists from around the world.
BMSC is committed to the humane and ethical care and use of animals and adheres to the principle that in order for animal use to be justifiable in scientific research and teaching, the research must have a reasonable expectation of providing a benefit to the health and welfare of humans or animals, or of advancing knowledge.
To meet this commitment, BMSC has established an animal care committee to facilitate research that complies with Canadian Council on Animal Care Guidelines and Policies and with the Russell-Burch tenet of, "reduction, replacement and refinement".
The BMSC Animal Care Committee (ACC) ensures that all animal users are informed of and comply with institutional
animal care and use policies.
All researchers must fill out an Animal Use Protocol Form (AUP) before commencing work on all animals, including invertebrates.
DFO has recently changed their regulations for scientific collecting. Researchers will no longer fall until the BMSC permit and
must apply for their own collection permit. Permits should be submitted at least 30 days prior to beginning research. A $100 fee applies.
Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre is placed to provide excellent opportunities for pelagic and subtidal research. All individuals wishing to undertake scientific diving must notify the
, well in advance of the proposed diving activities. The dive program has a dedicated dive building and a twin compressor filling station.
For more information see our diving webpage.
As a BMSC user, you are entitled to a BMSC Computing Account, which provides access to the
computer lab, printer, private and public file storage, and limited technical support.
BMSC’s computer lab has a new fleet of computers thanks to the Department of Biological Sciences
at the University of Alberta. There are 12 PCs and 2 Macs.
To obtain your computing account, contact the
.
Use your user name and password to logon to the computers in the computer lab. Computers in the computer lab have some basic programs but researchers should expect to supply their own specialty software.
For more information, including how to print on station and how to access the shared files, see our Computing Brochure.
BMSC has wireless access for personal computers in most buildings. There is online access to your home library.
To get an idea of research going on at the sciences centre check out our
publications lists.
Coming Soon!
Research Coordinator
Phone: 250-728-3301 ext 255
Animal Care Coordinator
Phone: 250-728-3301 ext 275
Visitor Services
Phone: 250-728-3301 ext 221
Scientific Diving Coordinator
Phone: 250-728-3301 ext 222
Researchers are strongly advised to review/complete the following sections before coming to BMSC:
