Fonds consists of records related to Alan Austin’s activities as an educator and phycologist, including materials generated through major research projects and student projects, arranged into four series: 1. Seaweed Inventory Project; 2. Victoria Phenology Project; 3. Teaching and student material; and 4. Aquatic ecology projects. The Seaweed Inventory Project (SIP), in particular, is a valuable, detailed record and baseline survey of a substantial part of the coastline of BC, and the vegetation and biota (thus measurable on a global scale) supported at the time of the surveys done in 1972 and 1974. These data stand as a permanent record against which any coastal changes can be compared and measured. The sedentary, attached nature of coastal biota makes it particularly responsive to, and thus a sensitive indicator of changes in their environment. Forces of change include oil spills, toxic spills, runoff from land developments, marina construction, and natural catastrophic events. Series 1 has been arranged into four sub-series: SIP reports; SIP films and photographs; SIP correspondence and field notes; and SIP reference literature.