The InFORM network is made possible by a dedicated group of volunteers that help us monitor for the levels of Fukushima contamination present in coastal marine waters and biota (salmon).

The coastal component of the program will involves citizen scientists in 16 sampling locations along the British Columbia coast (blue). Salmon are donated to the InFORM biotic monitoring program through our partnerships with many of British Columbia’s First Nations communities (red).

To learn more about our InFORMal scientists, select each community, below.

InFORMal seawater scientists will collect monthly samples, from Fall 2014 through Spring 2019, that will be returned to our laboratories for analysis to better understand the arrival and intensity of the Fukushima contaminated seawater plume. Local groups of InFORMal scientists are trained to collect 20 litre seawater samples for radioisotope analysis and record important properties like seawater temperature and salinity.

During warmer months, some InFORMal scientists are able to schedule their collections to make them available to the public. To ensure that you are InFORMed about these opportunities, sign up for our e-newsletter.

The First Nations communities that have partnered with InFORM donate 10-30 fish for analysis. As salmon makes up a large portion of the diet in these communities, InFORM monitoring ensures that information about any potential health risks are made known.