ABSTRACT
Scientific careers in applied science within government, that is, public service, inevitably involve working at the interface of science and its applications in program management, decision-making, and policy formation. My career as an aquatic (marine) biologist, scientist, and science manager for the federal government in Canada spanned the period of 1969-2006. Studies conducted for Environment Canada (herein called EC) covered a wide range of aquatic environmental problems, as the responsibilities of the department expanded with the country embracing its environmental responsibilities. As shown in Section 16.4, most of the applied projects and research were linked, directly and indirectly, to management, policy directives, and legislation. The data and information were used to better manage the coastal zone, through a scientific understanding and enhanced control of water pollution. This occurred despite the fact that the practice of integrated coastal management/integrated coastal and ocean management (ICM/ICOM) in Canada was a vague concept, one newly introduced through the Oceans Act (1996), or one partially in place in Canada through this time period (see Chapter 15 in this book).
