Good morning.
[Witness speaks in Sm'algyax]
My name is Sm'hayetsk, Dr. Teresa Ryan. I am Tsimshian, from the north coast of British Columbia. I presently live in Vancouver and am employed as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia in forest and conservation sciences. My training is in fisheries aquatic ecology. I'm also appointed by Canada to the Pacific Salmon Commission's Joint Chinook Technical Committee. I'm the first northwest aboriginal person appointed to both of these roles.
I've had opportunities to participate in a variety of sessions for southern resident killer whales, including two out of three in the bilateral Canada DFO-U.S.A. NOAA series of workshops on prey availability for southern resident killer whales. I wasn't able to attend the third workshop because the AAROM funding was not available in the next fiscal year.
I also work at the port of Vancouver enhancing cetacean habitat and observation, ECHO, program, along with my colleague Ray Harris. I was the first nations panel chair at the Government of Canada symposium on southern resident killer whales. I've worked at UBC on the availability of prey for southern resident killer whales and at the Prince Rupert first annual whale festival, and I am on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific region indigenous and multi-stakeholder advisory committee, which is meeting at this moment.
My research interests have focused on the application of ancestral knowledge systems in resource management. I have several years of experience along Canada's west coast in fisheries—
I'm sorry. Would you like me to slow down?