The Management Board has identified the following 2026-2030 research priorities for the Environmental Studies Research Fund.
| Research Area |
Research needs / Questions to answer |
| Coral and sponge communities |
- Ground truthing the cuttings dispersion model and refining the PNET as it pertains to corals and sponges
- Short-term and long-term effects of drill cuttings on coral and sponge communities
|
| Decommissioning and abandonment |
- Environmental impacts and benefits
- Literature review and international experience
- Socio-economic impacts
|
| Indigenous knowledge |
- Building capacity within Indigenous communities to engage in environmental assessments (ongoing)
- Identify Indigenous knowledge-based research gaps related to environmental and social impacts of offshore oil and gas activities
|
| Biodiversity |
Seabirds (ongoing) |
- Oil spill preparedness and response for impacts to seabirds
- Decline of Leach’s storm petrel populations in Atlantic Canada
- Attraction of migratory birds to lighting
|
| Marine fish and mammals (ongoing) |
- Atlantic salmon migratory behaviour at sea
- Species distribution and behaviour
- Impacts of industrial noise on species
|
| Marine noise |
- Effect of seismic surveys (ongoing)
- Impact of marine noise (ongoing)
|
