Opening Plenary

Welcome from Conference Organizers Scott Redman, Executive Chair Cecilia Gobin, Program Co-Chair Julie Watson, Program Co-Chair Fran Wilshusen, Program Co-Chair Christianne Wilhelmson, Program Co-Chair Ginny Broadhurst, Salish Sea Institute Coast Salish Welcome Cecilia Gobin, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Coast Salish Perspectives on the Last 150 years Patti Gobin, Tulalip Tribes Patti Gobin has over 25 years of Community Development experience with the Tulalip Tribes. Presently, she is with the Natural Resource Treaty Rights office working with state, local and federal agencies regarding those issues that impact the life ways of the Tulalip Tribes. In addition to her years of experience, Ms. Gobin is a member of the Tulalip Tribes and is well versed in the culture and history of her people. Her personal goal is to invest in the future of the Coast Salish community, helping to affect a sustainable future for the next generations to come. The State of the Salish Sea Dr Isobel Pearsall and Dr Kathryn Sobocinski will give an overview about the current state of the Salish Sea. Both have led recent Salish Sea ecosystem-wide analyses - the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project and the State of the Salish Sea report, respectively. Isobel and Kathryn will each provide presentations followed by discussion with the session moderators Scott Redman, Science Program Director at the Puget Sound Partnership and Christianne Wilhelmson, Executive Director of Georgia Strait Alliance. Dr. Isobel Pearsall is the Director of the Pacific Salmon Foundation's Marine Science Program. She co-ordinated the Canadian component of the international Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, a $24M program set to address declines in Chinook, Coho and Steelhead in the Salish Sea (2014-2019) and is continuing to work on this massive transboundary effort. Isobel holds a first class degree in Pure and Applied biology from Oxford University, a M.Sc. in Ecology from the Department of Biology at Dalhousie University, and a PhD. in Ecology from the Department of Plant Science, UBC. She was a post-doctoral fellow in ecosystem management at the Pacific Biological Station, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Nanaimo. Since 1995, she has worked as a scientist on numerous programs for government, non-profit organizations, and private industry. She is an adjunct professor at UBC. Dr. Kathryn L. Sobocinski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Marine and Coastal Science program at Western Washington University. She is the lead author of State of the Salish Sea published May 2021. Kathryn is an applied marine ecologist focusing on fishes, fish habitats, and impacts of human disturbance and climate change in coastal ecosystems. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Connecticut College, MS in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences from the University of Washington, and PhD in Marine Science from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science/College of William & Mary. Kathryn completed post-doctoral work at Oregon State University and NOAA-NWFSC prior to joining the WWU faculty. She resides in Bellingham, WA.