Our Team

Our team of researchers is constantly changing, as students graduate and leave while other students begin their studies either as an undergraduate or graduate student.

 

 

Dr. Mike Stokesbury
Dr. Michael Stokesbury is a professor in the biology department of Acadia University. He has published research studies on several diadromous and marine species including migrational and behavioural research on Atlantic salmon, and Greenland sharks, and a co-authored paper in Nature on Atlantic bluefin tuna population structure. His research focuses on the study of movement and behaviour of large marine predators through the use of satellite, archival, and acoustic tagging equipment.

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Dr. Mike Dadswell
Dinsey's mere presence in the lab has catalyzed countless studies and projects.  His lengthy career as a marine biologist has spawned publications on the ocean migration patterns of Atlantic salmon, American shad and striped bass; the biology of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, and dogfish shark in Minas Basin and the Bay of Fundy; and the interaction of fishes and fisheries to anthropogenic changes such as the Canso Causeway and tidal power. He has also been involved in sea scallop and American lobster management and research and developed sea scallop aquaculture in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.  He is currently retired as an Acadia Biology Professor, so now spends more time on research (that is when he is not layin' low down in Abaco, The Bahamas).

 

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Dr. José Luis Varela, Research Associate
José Luis is a researcher and Associate Professor at the University of Cadiz, Spain.  He spent two years in our lab, researching the trophic ecology of large pelagics using stomach content and stable isotope analyses. He is currently analyzing 3 years of Bluefin tuna data from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

 

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Dr. Aaron Spares, Research Associate
After taking a SCUBA diving course at the age of 13, Aaron became hooked on marine biology. His doctorate at Dalhousie University focussed on Salmoninae and the environmental factors that influence their marine migration (Arctic char and sea-run Brook trout (Salvelinus spp.). His MSc at Acadia University researched the open ocean migration of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). He has also worked on bivalve (Placopecten magellanicus) aquaculture in Mahone Bay, coral reef conservation off East Africa, Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) and Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) tagging in Minas Basin, and Atlantic Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) tagging off North Carolina and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Following a two-year post-doc fellowship with the Coastal Ecology Lab and Ducks Unlimited Canada, he continues this research investigating the impact of culverts, fishways and tide gates on movements of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and American eel elvers (Anguilla rostrata). Aaron loves to travel, and has devoted his career to finding out how ‘finned travelers’ get around.

 

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Dr. Montana McLean, MITACS PDF, Vemco Inc.
Montana earned her B.Sc. (Hon.) at the University of Guelph, Ontario. Her research at Acadia involved the use of passive acoustic receiving technology paired with coded transmitters to investigate the movement of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy. Her project also involved the investigation of fine-scale movement patterns in order to examine spatial distribution using VR2W Positioning System technology. Along with gut analysis via gastric lavage and taxonomic identification of prey, she identified areas of critical feeding habitat as well as principle components of the Atlantic sturgeon diet. Her PhD at Dalhousie University examined White Sturgeon in the Fraser River, BC. Montana has recently started a MITACS Industrial Post Doctoral Fellowship with Vemco Inc. in collaboration with Acadia University. She will be working on a number of acoustic tracking projects in the Coastal Ecology Lab including the investigation of riverine and coastal marine migration patterns of inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon kelts.

 

 

Dr. Sam Andrews, PDF

After discovering a passion for marine biology during his B.Sc. at Dalhousie University, Saskatchewan- born Sam left the prairies behind to track various anadromous fish species across the Maritimes. He has assessed fish passage of Alewife with passive integrated transponders during his M.Sc. at Acadia University, mapped Shortnose Sturgeon aggregations with side scan sonar, and tracked Striped Bass with acoustic telemetry, among many other fish monitoring projects. Most prominently, Sam’s Ph.D. focused on the study of native Striped Bass in Saint John River where the population was once thought to have disappeared. Sam is presently the lead author of the ongoing COSEWIC report for Striped Bass in Canada and is continuing Striped Bass research in Annapolis River and other regions of Nova Scotia. As a postdoctoral fellow of the Coastal Ecology Lab, Sam serves as a resource and assistant to several student research projects involving aquatic ecology and fish telemetry in addition to supporting industry partner collaborations such as Innovasea and the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE).

Current Students

Matt Warner, MSc candidate

Big lake trout fella.

Cameron Solda, MSc. Biology Candidate

Cam completed his BSc at the University of New Brunswick in 2020, in Environment and Natural Resource Management specializing in Water and Fisheries Management. He has a broad skillset and has experience in a diverse field of work from fish tracking studies to arborist work to trades practice in small and big engines and carpentry. He is an avid outdoorsman with a strong passion for fisheries conservation and aquatic ecology. Aside from fly fishing and fisheries work, his other hobbies include hunting and trapping, cooking wild game and other self harvested edible resources, snowboarding, and wrenching on what ever little mechanical project he has on the go. Cam joined the Stokesbury lab May of 2021 for the field season to begin his MSc tracking Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic Salmon smolt in the Gaspereau River, focusing on survival and mortality and tagging effects.

Spencer Richard, MSc Candidate

Spencer was born and raised in Wolfville and will seemingly never leave. He completed his BSc with Honours at Acadia University studying the stock assessment methods of Gaspereau River Alewife. He has also worked with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on a mark and recapture study of Gaspereau River Salmon Smolt. Spencer joined the Stokesbury lab in the Spring of 2022, continuing his work on Atlantic Salmon in the Gaspereau, tracking smolt route choice and predation events. Spencer is also a linebacker on the Acadia Axemen Football team and will be returning to the team this fall.

Bo Stokesbury-Price, Research Technician

Bo is an undergraduate student at Acadia University. He is completing a double major in Psychology and Biology, and looks to study animal behavior in the future. Bo has spent three years as a technician in the lab. He also currently works in the Wildlife division at the Department of Lands and Forestry as part of the Acadia Workskills program. Bo spends most of his time in and around the pool as a co-captain of the Acadia swim team. He is an avid outdoorsman, and can often be found doing backcountry hiking or camping trips in his free time.

Liz Bateman, MSc Biology Candidate

Liz completed her BSc at the University of New Brunswick in 2021. She worked in mudflats and salt marshes monitoring plant and invertebrate communities for several years until she discovered her real passion for fish ecology. Since then, she has become an avid multispecies angler and has been involved in many fish tracking projects throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. When she's not fishing, she's snorkeling, hiking, or gardening. Liz joined the Stokesbury lab in September 2021 to begin her MSc tracking acoustically tagged Atlantic Halibut on the Scotian Shelf in collaboration with the Ocean Tracking Network, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Atlantic Halibut Council.

Keeler Colton, MSc candidate

Keeler grew up in Wolfville Nova Scotia and earned his B.S. at Acadia in 2022. He is an avid fly fisherman and naturalist with a passion for aquatic ecology and has spent the last three years working with local non-profit river conservation groups as a field ecology intern. Keeler spends most of his time around rivers snorkeling, fly fishing, and foraging which sparked a keen interest in aquatic sciences at a young age. He is now pursuing his M.Sc at Acadia University supervised by Dr. Michael Stokesbury and Dr. Trevor Avery. His research is in collaboration with CARP (Clean Annapolis River Project) and is focused on the re-colonization of striped bass in the Annapolis River following the decommissioning of the Annapolis Turbine, which aims to monitor fish movement and behavior throughout the system by use of acoustic telemetry.

 

Elliot Cederberg, Research Technician

Born in Wolfville, NS, and raised in the Annapolis Valley, Elliot has always had a strong interest in biology. Anyone who knows this technician personally acknowledges his strong interest for marine biology, as he has always been fascinated by sharks and marine predators. He is currently a second-year biology student at Acadia University, and plans on pursuing his career in the biology field. Elliot started with the lab in 2022, and has been involved with many projects around the lab, such as shad and alewife tagging, and occasionally helps out with the novel lake trout project. 

Scotia Broome, Research Technician

Scotia grew up mainly in Western Australia before moving to Canada in 2017. She is a keen swimmer, and has always loved being around the water but her love for marine biology stemmed from a school trip to Coral Bay, Western Australia. After pursuing her undergraduate degree in Biology at Acadia University she hopes to return to Australia to study the marine ecosystems that first intrigued her as a teen. Scotia assisted this year with the novel lake trout project as well as tagging Alewife and Shad.

 

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Lindsay Carroll MSc Biology Candidate
Lindsay is a born and bred Nova Scotian and has lived throughout the province for her entire life. She first got involved in marine biology in 2014 by travelling to Fiji to assist on a shark conservation project and her love for the ocean environment stuck. Since then, she completed her Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Marine Biology at Dalhousie University in 2018 while also taking advantage of field work opportunities throughout her degree that have put her in rivers, watersheds, coves and reefs to further her understanding of crucial habitats for aquatic species. Her honours research involved her examining the intraspecific habitat use and seasonality of an elusive and highly electric local species, the Atlantic Torpedo Ray (Tetronarce nobiliana), using a novel underwater timelapse imagery method in collaboration with the Ocean Tracking Network. She joined the Coastal Ecology Lab in April 2019 as a masters student to undertake research on Atlantic Tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) and will be utilizing acoustic telemetry to monitor their movement and habitat use throughout the Minas Basin and adjoining river systems. She will be building her research questions off of First Nations’ traditional knowledge of the valuable species and so she will be collaborating closely with other local groups, including the Mi’kmaw Conservation Group, the Department of Fisheries & Oceans and the Ocean Tracking Network. .

 

Brandon Nilsen, M.Sc. Candidate
Brandon completed his BScH (Co-op) in Biology and Economics at Acadia University in 2018. Brandon’s Honours thesis was supervised by Dr. Trevor Avery and Darrin Reid from Kejimkujik National Park. His thesis investigated Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) movement patterns using PIT tagging and historical data sets. He also looked at lake thermocline profile development. He has also worked on invasive species (Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu) control projects with Parks Canada. Partnered with Ducks Unlimited Canada, his Masters research aims to assess and enhance American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) elver passage through anthropogenic barriers.

 

Past Students

Gabby Deveau, M.Sc. Candidate

Growing up in the prairies, Gabby’s dream of becoming a marine biologist didn’t hit her until her third year at the University of Winnipeg. Since then, she has earned her B.Sc. (co-op) in marine biology from Dalhousie University. Her honours thesis looked into the movement patterns of Atlantic torpedo rays living off the coast of Halifax using acoustic telemetry. Gabby’s current research focuses on studying the coastal ecology of American eel in the Minas Basin in collaboration with academic, local and Mi’kmaw knowledge holders.

 

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Martha Horsman, M.Sc. Applied Geomatics Candidate
Martha grew up in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia and completed a Bachelor of Studies at Saint Mary’s University in 2014. She then went on to complete an Advanced Diploma in Geographic Sciences – with a concentration in GIS at the Centre of Geographic Sciences in 2018. Currently, Martha is pursuing a Master’s in Applied Geomatics from Acadia University and COGS. Supervised by Dr. Edmund Halfyard, David Colville, and Dr. Michael Stokesbury, her research focuses on using GIS modelling and data mining techniques to identify thermal refugia in the Killag River. .

 

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Kelsey Crouse, B.Sc. (Co-op)
Kelsey is a Co-op student for the Coastal Ecology Lab. She grew up on a dairy farm in Caledonia Nova Scotia, but when she took a Marine Biology course at Acadia University, she realized her interest lies with aquatic species. She has experience in PIT tagging American Eels and Yellow Perch, as well as Floy tagging Striped Bass. She will be assisting with many different projects in the lab during her work term in 2019, but mostly with acoustic tagging of Tomcod and American Eel.

 

Maria Stone BSc. Candidate

Maria is a 4th year biology major. Her interests are focused on marine animals, especially sharks. She is working with acoustic telemetry and LEK to study impacts on native and migratory fish in an environment.

 

Kynan Berger BSc. Candidate

Kynan is a fourth-year biology undergraduate student at Acadia and joined the lab as an honours student to review methods for assessing upstream fish passage efficiency, and also the role of stress in these evaluations. Kynan's project aims to improve the design of fish passages in the Gasperau River..

 

Perry Comolli, Research Technician

A Montreal native, Perry received a BSc. Biology from Concordia University with a focus on behavioral physiology. After a decade working in the Pacific as a NOAA Fisheries observer, he obtained an Advanced Diploma in Geographic Science from COGS in Lawrencetown NS. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Applied Geomatics from Acadia/COGS.

 

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Benjamin Henger, B. Sc. Candidate, Co-op
Hailing from Windsor, NS, Benjamin could not help but to stay in the Valley to continue his post-secondary education. Starting competitive swimming at the age of 7, Benjamin has always loved the water and anything related so it only felt natural for him to pursue marine biology. Beginning in May 2019, he is helping with various projects around the lab, but will mainly be tagging and tracking Tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) and American eel (Anguilla rostrate).

 

Jillian Hunt, M.Sc.
Jill originates from Gander,the inland part of Newfoundland (Yes, there are places without a view of the ocean in Newfoundland); but she grew up in Moncton/Sackville, New Brunswick. She completed her BSc in Biology and Environmental Science at Mount Alison University in 2014. At Mount A, she was introduced to field work, mainly involving wetlands. Since graduation, she has worked as a wetlands field technician. In 2017, she commenced her Masters in our lab. Her research will focus on understanding wetland health, and specifically focus on the marine nutrient signature found in aquatic invertebrates to evaluate energy input from the ocean to freshwater via anadromous fishes.

 

 

Rachelle Breau, Research Technician (Ducks Unlimited Canada)
Rachelle has completed two years at Saint Mary's University, majoring in Environmental Science and Geography. She works for Ducks Unlimited Canada as a summer research technician, and has helped with all alewife, American eel and marine-derived nutrient projects based out of the Beaubassin Research Station. Rachelle does not use the word 'quit' and consequently has been offered multiple opportunities to do a field-based research project as part of her education.

 

 

Jessie Lilly, M.Sc.
At the age of 15 Jessie became fascinated by marine biology after being certified in Scuba Diving. She completed a BSc at the University of Alberta in 2016, and then moved out East to be closer to the ocean. Jessie started her Masters in January 2018 in the Coastal Ecology lab. Her research will focus on studying the movement of Atlantic Sturgeon through the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) test site in Minas Passage. To determine if Atlantic Sturgeon pass through the FORCE test site, the Coastal Ecology Lab at Acadia will be using new high residency (HR) tagging technology developed by VEMCO. To detect a tag, only one ping of 170 kHz from HR2 tags needs to be detected by HR receivers. These receivers will record the time, data and unique tagging ID of Atlantic Sturgeon passing through the FORCE test site. This will be one of the first uses of the tagging technology in highly turbulent environments. This information central to forming predictive models of the possible effects of in-stream turbines on Atlantic sturgeon.

 

Danni Harper, M.Sc.
Danni is a new Masters candidate at Acadia University in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts. She completed her BScH (Co-op program) in Marine Biology at Dalhousie University in 2016. Her Honours research partnered her with the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to investigate anoxic/uninhabitable sediments as indicators of benthic health around aquaculture sites. She has also worked on invasive species for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Region. Throughout her undergrad she developed a passion for field work and everything marine. Her Masters research will use video surveying to estimate abundance, density, habitat preference, and aggregation size of the sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) on the Scotian Shelf. Results may provide insight towards sustainable fishery development.

 

Liza Tsitrin, M.Sc.
Liza earned her B.Sc. (Hon.) in Marine Biology at Dalhousie University in 2018, and is now a M.Sc. candidate at Acadia. Her research involves assessing the feasibility of tagging sensitive pelagic fish, Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) and Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), with newly developed acoustic coded transmitters. This technology will be used to investigate the postspawning movement of these species in Minas Basin and the Bay of Fundy, and predict encounter rates with in-stream tidal turbines operating at the FORCE test site in Minas Passage.

 

Sarah Mitchell, B.Sc. (Hon.) Candidate
Sarah came to Acadia from Ontario, driven by her love for the ocean. Sarah's passion for fieldwork has developed through her experiences working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for the past four summers on various stewardship projects. She is currently completing the 3rd year of her undergraduate degree with a double major in Biology and Environmental Science. Sarah will be working with the Acadia Coastal Ecology Lab beginning May 2018 on a marine-based Honours project, as well as assisting with other projects in the lab.

 

Anna Murphy, B.Sc. (Hon.) Candidate, Co-op Option
Originally from Beaver Bank, NS, Anna Murphy is a 4th year Environmental Science student. Her past work experience ranges from fish passages and river restoration with local not-for-profits such as the Sackville Rivers Association and the Bluenose Coastal Action Association, to the analysis of total mercury levels in American eel and Striped bass. Starting May 2018, she will begin working on her Honours with the Acadia Coastal Ecology Lab researching stress in marine life.

 

Sarah Stewart, B.Sc. (Hon.) Candidate, Co-op Option
Sarah discovered her love for water growing up at the tip of the Bay of Fundy in Sackville, New Brunswick. Sarah started her fieldwork at the Tantramar Wetlands Centre, and then with the Canadian Wildlife Services on various wetland-related projects. Now completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science at Acadia University, Sarah hopes to expand her knowledge helping other fieldwork based projects in the lab.  She started her Honours project in May 2018 researching freshwater feeding behaviour of alewife during their spawning migration.

 

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Colin Buhariwalla M.Sc.
Colin graduated from Acadia University with a B.Sc. in Biology (Co-op) in 2010. He was introduced to the joys of fisheries work studying Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) during undergrad positions at the Nova Scotia Department of Inland Fisheries. Upon graduation he garnered experience with acoustic telemetry as a research assistant with Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research working on Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) tagging projects and deployment of Ocean Tracking Network hydrophone arrays. After Acadia, Colin worked in the Diadromous Fish Division at Fisheries and Oceans Canada with the team responsible for Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) assessments in the Maritime region. In 2012, curiosity led Colin back to Acadia to join the Coastal Ecology Lab. His research focused on the population characteristics, seasonal movements, and origins of Striped Bass in Cape Breton, NS.  In 2016, he participated in a sub-Antarctic salmonid research expedition in the Kerguelen Islands (France).  Currently, he works at the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture -Inland Fisheries Division (Pictou).

 

Emma Laskey, B.Sc. (Hon.) Candidate
Emma, a native of the Annapolis Valley, joined the Coastal Ecology Lab in 2017 to begin work for her Honours. Her research will focus on whether or not alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) are feeding during their spawning  run. She is also assisting with tracking alewife using PIT tags and readers.

 

 

 

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George Nau, M.Sc.
Hailing from Maine, George studied fishway efficiency and marine nutrient transfer within the wetlands on the border of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He can even make alewife jump on command (see profile photo).  George's Honours project in our lab involved analysis of long-term variation in tidal cycles and their various environmental effects on fishes, as seen in historic commercial fisheries data from the Bay of Fundy. In the past, he has spent months tagging Acipenser oxyrinchus, and harvesting/cleaning fish at an intertidal fishing weir.  He is currently holding a DFO position working with Atlantic salmon.

 

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Seth Newell, B.Sc. (Hon.), Co-op Option
Seth Newell, from Wolfville, NS, completed an Honours project examining the annuli of Atlantic sturgeon pectoral fin spines to determine age at spawning.  While in our lab, Seth spent time hunting for mini-PAT satellite pop-off tags off Cape Breton and survived the mud and scales of alewife tagging at Beaubassin.  He is currently doing his MSc in Biology at St. F.X. University, Antigonish, NS.

 

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Laura Logan-Chesney, M.Sc.
In 2012, Laura joined the lab as an Honours student. Her project involved attaching a high frequency icListen hydrophone (Ocean Sonics Ltd.) to an Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) to measure ambient noise from the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia. Following her graduation in May 2013, Laura happily stayed on in the Coastal Ecology Lab for a Masters investigating potential Atlantic sturgeon spawning rivers and breaching behaviour around Minas Basin using acoustic telemetry.  She successfully defended and submitted her MSc thesis in December 2016 and graduated in May 2017.  She worked on fisheries surveys in Minas Basin for the spring and summer of 2017, and has since secured a science teaching position at a private school in Sherbrooke, Quebec, her hometown.

 

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Erin McConnell, B.Sc. (Hon.), Co-op Option
An Acadia student from Annapolis Royal, NS, Erin completed two Co-op placement in the lab assisting with ongoing projects and completing her honours research. For her Honours, Erin studied multi-species fish movement in the Habitant River through fishways using PIT antenna tracking systems.

 

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Jillian Bennet, B.Sc. (Hon.)
After graduating with an Environmental Science degree in 2014 from Acadia, Jillian joined the Coastal Ecology Lab to complete an Honours thesis. Her project was based in Saint John, New Brunswick where she studied the fish population, with a focus on Brown Trout, within Little River. The Brown Trout were tagged using both PIT and acoustic tags, which allowed their movement patterns to be tracked throughout the river system. Jillian hopes to continue with her studies in aquatic ecology.

 

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Nathan Stewart, B.Sc. (Hon.)
A Biology student from Wolfville, NS, Nathan conducted his honours project on aging sturgeon from the Saint John River to determine the age-growth relationship within the population. This project was done in cooperation with researchers at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, and its results will be useful in management of the Saint John River sturgeon fishery. Nathan moved on from the Stokesbury lab to  complete his Masters at Trent University in Ontario.  A notable accomplishment for Nathan was his authoring or co-authoring three peer-reviewed publications for work he completed during his stint in the CEL lab.

 

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Jeffrey Beardsall, M.Sc.
Jeff received his B.Sc. (Hon.) from Acadia University in Psychology and Biology. He studied how physiological stress responses influence fish behaviour and their adaptive function for survival. Jeff's work in the Stokesbury lab included collection of blood samples from Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus). The blood samples were used to measure stress associated with two capture methods (fish weir and trawling techniques). Various physiological indicators of stress and physical activity (i.e. plasma cortisol, glucose, lactate, ions, and pH) were used to identify the capture method that minimizes physiological disturbance and the likelihood of subsequent impairments.  He also tracked long-range movements of Atlantic sturgeon in the Bay of Fundy using PAT tags.

 

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Marylise Lefèvre, M.Sc.
Starting out her career as a veterinary technician in France, Marylise Lefèvre, soon decided that her calling was to work as a field biologist. Among other projects, she has worked on reintroducing and tracking California condors in Big Sur, California and chimpanzees in the Republic of the Congo. After completing her B.Sc. in Wildlife Biology at McGill, Marylise worked for the Atlantic Salmon Federation research project on the Rivière Saint-Jean on Quebec's north shore, using acoustic telemetry equipments. Two years later, she came to Acadia to study the effects of environmental factors (water temperatures, diel and tide cycles) on the seaward migration of Rivière Saint-Jean Atlantic salmon juveniles and to define their emigration pathways in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

 

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Sierra Wehrell, M.Sc.
Sierra grew up near the shores of the Bay of Fundy and completed her B.Sc. (Hon.) at Acadia University. Her honours thesis was a survey of the groundfish caught by summer trawl fishery in Minas Basin and Scots Bay. This began her interest in sustainable, small community fisheries and the challenges involved in the recovery of overexploited fish stocks. After 2 years of adventures in Alaska and working for the Canadian government, Sierra returned to Acadia to start a Master's thesis. Atlantic sturgeon have been intensely studied since the 1970s but the details of their marine migration in Canadian waters remain unknown. Sierra hopes to shed some light on this aspect in this small part of the vast ocean.

 

Lab Alumni

Erin Harris
Erin finished her first year as a Biology major at Acadia University in 2017. Her love of marine life began while scuba diving in the Bahamas, and she has since immersed herself in marine biology. Her assistantship involved alewife tagging and tracking and she helped other Masters students with their projects throughout the summer of 2017. She intends to complete her BSc and continue on at Acadia to pursue a MSc degree.

 

 

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Luc Boudreau, B.Sc.
A New Minas-native, Luc is very interested in aquatic ecology and marine life. For two summers, Luc worked as a lab technician, and collected data for his Special Topics project on aspects of population distribution of smelts (Osmerus mordax) in the Gaspereau River.  Since graduation, he became involved in land-based finfish aquaculture.

 

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Thomas Grégoire, B.Sc.
Tom helped out with field work for the various projects that took place in the lab between 2011-2013.

 

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William Roberts, B.Sc.
After his 3rd year of his Biology undergraduate studies, William joined the lab to help with the on-going Atlantic Salmon and Atlantic Sturgeon research projects. As a graduate, William helped with several projects as needed and helped to develop the lab website.

 

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Alex Johnson, B.Sc.
An Acadia Biology alumni, Alex came to our lab as a research technician for the summer of 2016.  He spent the majority of his time monitoring alewife spawning run movements using PIT tagging technology in the Tantramar Marshes.  In the lab, Alex helped to age hundreds of alewife scales and was co-author on a report for alewife movements through a new tide gate on the LaPlanche River.