Current Ocean History Lab members
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Dr. Loren McClenachan
Loren is a Professor of Environmental Studies and History and Canada Research Chair in Ocean History and Sustainability at the University of Victoria. She has a PhD from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a MA from the University of Oregon, and a BA from Middlebury College. Her research has spanned historical ecology, environmental history and marine conservation. A 2019 Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, her current work primarily focuses on integrating historical data into fisheries management. She's lived in Victoria BC since 2021; prior to that she lived with her family on the coast of Maine. |
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Ilse Martinez
Ilse is a PhD student in Environmental Studies exploring pathways to integrate historical data into fisheries management in Mexico. She has an MSc in Natural Resources and Rural Development from El Colegio de la Fronter Sur (Mexico). Her main academic interests are artisanal fisheries and local and traditional ecological knowledge. Her first PhD chapter "Fisheries decision-makers’ perspectives on the use of historical data to inform assessment and management" was published in Ocean and Coastal Management. Outside of the lab, you will find her trying as many new foods as possible and spending time with her partner and cats. |
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Dr. Patrick Hayes
Patrick is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History and School of Environmental Studies, focusing on Solid Carbon. His previous work focused on the ecological legacy of Indigenous dispossession in the BC clam fishery. He completed his PhD at Trinity College Dublin in 2020, and his first book examined the history of Ireland's marine fisheries from 1400 to 1600 and showed how a combination of conflict, colonization and climate change damaged the industry's long-term sustainability. |
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Elias del Valle
Elias is a lifelong Vancouver Island resident with an education in coastal resource management, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. He has a keen interest in the cultural, ecological, and management dimensions of Pacific salmon in BC. His PhD research In Environmental Studies focuses on understanding how BC commercial salmon harvesters are perceiving and adapting to environmental and policy changes. His first thesis chapter, "Fishing in turbulent waters: resilience, risk, and trust in British Columbia’s declining commercial salmon fishery" was published in Facets. Outside of school, Elias works for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, partakes in typical Vancouver Island outdoor activities, and lives a mostly quiet life aboard his sailboat with his wife. |
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Kai Muir
Kai is a Master's student in Environmental Studies, and previous Honours student in Environmental Studies and Geography. Growing up on the West Coast as the child of two windsurfers sparked his early interest in marine ecology. This interest has become a central academic focus through involvement in interdisciplinary marine research at UVic and through summer field work in Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Kai's honours research focused on reconstructing the historical dynamics of the Pacific cod fishery in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea and current research focuses on the historical ecology of BC fisheries. Hameet Randhawa Hameet is a PhD student in Environmental Studies investigating linkages between historical logging practices and Pacific salmon habitats in BC, focusing on whether habitat alterations and wildfire-driven climate change disturbances have impacted salmon populations over time. She holds a Master of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, where her research, supervised by Dr. Prateep Nayak, explored social-ecological regime shifts based in a Mexican marine protected area. With a professional background in forest carbon and climate policy, Hameet is currently a Senior Policy Analyst with the BC Ministry of Forests, supporting the implementation of provincial climate initiatives. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the stunning outdoors of Vancouver Island with her husband. |
Lab alumni
Ursula Dhillon defended her Master's thesis in History in September 2025, which focused on nautical chart making along the west coast of North American and the documentation of kelp in that process. Congratulations Ursula!
Ellie Batchelder defended her Master's thesis in Environmental Studies in September 2025, which focused on offshore wind development and the role of commercial fishermen in the policymaking process. Congratulations Ellie!
Karoline Moore defended her Master's thesis in Environmental Studies in September 2024, which focused on drivers of decline in the 20th century Pacific cod fishery. Congratulations Karoline!
