Jan 23, 2018

The Maritime Museum of BC is thrilled to host our fourth Nautical Nights Speaker Series featuring Cherisse Du Preez. This Speaker Series runs on the last Thursday of every month from September to April, with the exception of December.

Talk Summary
Come out to hear Marine Biologist, Cherisse Du Preez share with us some of the exciting research that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is currently working on. Cherisse studies deep seafloor habitats in potential Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Pacific Ocean. To meet national and international conservation goals, Canada is creating its largest Marine Protected Area or MPA to date, ~140,000 km2 of the Pacific offshore. The region’s seismic and geologic activity has created a diverse and complex seafloor. These natural networks of ecosystems support enhanced marine biodiversity, as well as ecologically, commercially, and culturally significant species. In July 2017, DFO embarked on a pilot expedition to collect valuable footage of the never before seen seamounts. Join us to get the latest updates!

About Cherisse Du Preez
Dr. Cherisse Du Preez is a marine biologist with the Canadian Federal government, at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). She is currently based at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (Sidney), where she works on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Canada’s Pacific Ocean. Cherisse specializes in deep-sea exploration, focusing on mapping the distribution of animals living on the seafloor. Her research interests are varied but the method of inquiry she enjoys and uses the most is filming the alien-like inhabitants of the deep seafloor using robotic submersibles. Her recent expedition highlights include exploring never before seen submarine volcanic mountains off Vancouver Island, monitoring the Deep Horizon Oil Spill site, filming and writing for Blue Planet II, and documenting the South Pacific hydrothermal vents threatened by deep-sea mining.

Originally from South Africa, Cherisse graduated from the University of Victoria in 2015 with a PhD in biology, having completed her research under the supervision of Prof. Verena Tunnicliffe. She has since completed a post-doctoral research position at Pennsylvania State University with Prof. Charles Fisher and an NSERC visiting fellowship at DFO.
Nautical Nights Speaker Series is hosted at the Maritime Museum of BC at 634 Humboldt St. Doors will open at 6:30pm with the talk starting at 7:00pm. Drinks are available by donation.
Tickets are:

• $8 Museum Members
• $10 General Admission

Tickets are on sale now and will be sold till the day of the event, or till sold out. Tickets can be reserved directly through the Museum by either coming in in-person, or by calling 250-385-4222 ext. 103. Tickets are also sold online and can be purchased here:

http://mmbc.bc.ca/events/nautical-nights-cherisse-du-preez-dfo-marine-biologist/