annual report 2009-2010 mar 24 2011 - memorial university of … · 2017. 6. 20. · progress on...

2009‐2010

Annual Report

Ocean Sciences Centre

Our Mission

To carry out world class fundamental and applied research on organisms and processes in cold oceans

To educate, nurture and train graduate students to

become leaders in science and business.

OSC Annual Report 2009‐2010

Ocean Sciences Centre, Logy Bay, NL http://www.mun.ca/osc/Home/


Message from the Director

On behalf of the faculty I would like to congratulate Dr Paul Snelgrove on his promotion to full professor. Dr Snelgrove joined the OSC in 2003 as an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Boreal and Cold Ocean Systems (Tier 2). He is currently Director of the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network.

The Ocean Sciences Centre had a highly successful fiscal year with the faculty and staff receiving a total of $3.9 million in grants and contracts. NSERC awards totaled $1.2 million, of which $511,000 came from Discovery grants. These funds enabled the faculty to maintain a high level of research productivity by way of peer reviewed publications and graduate student supervision The faculty continued to make significant contributions to the teaching of undergraduate and graduate students in the Departments of Biology, Biochemistry and Interdisciplinary Programs of Environmental Science and Aquaculture.

Research and development operations in support of the aquaculture industry at the Dr Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) also continued to be successful for most of the year. However the decline in interest in cod aquaculture by industry over the past year resulted in the loss of 5 staff. The remaining staff of 5 including Danny Boyce, manager, is only sufficient to carry out day to day operations and conduct small to medium scale research projects. Since all five staff are dependent on contracts and grants to pay their salaries their focus is now on revenue generation rather than on innovation: this needs a resolution.

Progress on challenges identified in the 2008-2009 annual report.

1. Cold-water and Deep-sea Research Facility (CDRF). The final $8.3 million required to finance the CDRF was secured from the provincial Research and Development Corporation (RDC). This $16 million group of buildings will be constructed at the OSC location and is expected to be completed in 2012.

2. Replacement for the loss of NSERC’s Major Resources Support (MRS) program funds. The loss of the four technical staff supported by this grant was prevented by the establishment of a CREAIT node at the OSC. This restructuring occurred thanks to an invitation from David Miller, Director of CREAIT, and the advice and efforts of Chris Parrish and Bill Driedzic. This CREAIT node subsidizes the salaries of four staff.

3. OSC’s plans to become a department. Progress towards departmental status has been slower than expected. The joint committee between OSC and Biology that was formed in April of 2009 met on a number of occasions and as a result the Department of Biology voted to relinquish control of their graduate program in marine biology. The thought was that this program could be delivered by the OSC. In February of 2010 a committee chaired by the Associate Dean of Science was formed to look into the procedures that would be required to have the OSC administer the graduate program in marine biology. In August of 2010, the OSC members of the committee submitted a document to the faculty indicating proposed changes to the academic calendar that would occur in the event that the OSC became a department. The document was approved by the faculty and submitted to the Associate Dean of Science before the end of the academic year. We hope that more progress on this challenge will be made during the 2010-2011 academic year.

Challenges for 2009-2010

Continue pursuing departmental status

Revitalize Aquaculture Research and Education within the Faculty of Science. There is a need to look for a long term sustainable solution to managing the JBARB in order to retain a competent staff with the imagination, creativity and ability to foster the innovation necessary to help the growth of the aquaculture sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Canada. Towards the end of the academic year key OSC faculty in conjunction with Danny Boyce were developing a document outlining a potential solution that includes the recruitment of an Aquaculture Research Chair. Garth L. Fletcher Director & Professor Emeritus “What loss is to man most irrecoverable?”

“Time. Of all losses, time is the most irrecoverable for it can never be redeemed."

Michael Hirst. Henry VIII. The Tudors


Table of Contents Director’s Message ..................................................................................................................................................3

Highlights ................................................................................................................................................................5

Dr. Joe Brown Award ..............................................................................................................................................7

Other Awards ...........................................................................................................................................................8

Financial Overview ..................................................................................................................................................9

Summary of Accomplishments ..............................................................................................................................13

Technology Transfer ........................................................................................................................................15 Teaching ...........................................................................................................................................................17 Publications ......................................................................................................................................................18 Highly qualified personnel ...............................................................................................................................25 Conferences, Workshops, Lectures ..................................................................................................................31

Faculty Profiles ......................................................................................................................................................35

Ocean Science Centre Reports ...............................................................................................................................51

Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic research Building .................................................................................................51

Public Education Program/ Seal Research Unit .........................................................................................58

Field Services Unit .....................................................................................................................................59

Visitors .......................................................................................................................................................60 Administration .......................................................................................................................................................62

Committees ..........................................................................................................................................63 Faculty ..................................................................................................................................................64 Staff ......................................................................................................................................................66 Student assistants .................................................................................................................................68


OSC Highlights

Dr. Ian Fleming was named to the Royal Society of Canada's Expert Panel on Ocean Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity. He is one of 10 researchers from around the world who will work together to produce a new report looking at issues such as climate change, overfishing and biodiversity, all of which are related to various international treaties and conventions to which Canada is signatory.

Dr.’s Kurt Gamperl and Ian Fleming were highlighted in Memorial University’s 2010 Annual Research Report. They were successful in securing federal-provincial funding of more than $16 million to expand and enhance the OSC facility. In Aug 2009 CFI contributed $6.5 million toward the project. A year later the Research & Development Corporation (RDC) of NL committed $8,325,477. A new research facility will be constructed, complete with the latest equipment, laboratories and coldwater holding tanks, for the specialized study of invasive species, deepwater organisms and marine diseases. This significant funding from RDC demonstrates the commitment by the province to the benefits of supporting cold ocean research and the value of investing in the unique asset of the OSC.

Senator Fabian Manning announced the renewal of Dr. William Driedzic as the Canada Research Chair in Marine Bioscience. This position tenable for 7 years will provide Dr. Driedzic a total of $1.4 million to continue his research into fish metabolism. His research is providing insight into how animals are able to respond to climate change and serve as valuable models for understanding human disease processes.

Ms Connie Short was awarded the Dean of Science Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes service demonstrably superior to that normally expected of staff members.


The formation of a CREAIT node at the OSC was established in April 2010. The node known as the Aquatic Research Cluster

(ARC) consists of 4 staff members from the OSC. At this same time the Scientific Advisory Committee for the OSC CREAIT (ARC) unit was formed. The committee consists of Dr. Chris Parrish (Chair), Dr. Matthew Rise (representative for Molecular Biology Services) and Dr. Don Deibel (representative for Field Research).

Distinguished Visitors

Newly appointed President and Vice Chancellor of Memorial University of Newfoundland visited the OSC in April 2010.

The OSC played host to a delegation from Spain in July 2010. The group was part of the Spanish Mission to Atlantic Canada, Aquaculture 2010. They represented various sectors of the aquaculture industry in Spain and were accompanied by the Deputy Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Spain.

Delegation from Spain with Danny Boyce, Manager of JBARB

OSC CREAIT Staff


Dr. Joe Brown Graduate Research Award in Aquatic Ecology and Aquaculture

This award was established to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Joe Brown. As a Professor (Research) at the Ocean Sciences Centre from 1984 to 2005, Joe established a unique reputation both for his scholarly work in the areas of behavioural ecology of fishes and cold-water aquaculture and for his radiant, passionate sense of humour, humanity and empathy, particularly concerning students. The award in support of research activities will be normally available annually to a full-time graduate student in the second or subsequent year of study in the areas of aquatic ecology or aquaculture, and is valued at a portion of the income from the endowment. Given on the basis of scholarly merit and quality of research, the award will be made by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies upon recommendation from the Director of the Ocean Sciences Centre.

Andrew Vickerson 2007-2008 Marieve Desjardins 2008-2009

Tiago Hori 2008-2009 Peter Westley 2009-2010


Other Awards

Faculty Awards Dr. William Driedzic Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) Renewal Staff Awards Ms Connie Short Dean of Science Distinguished Service Award Student Awards Sara Best Gordon Mertz Memorial Fellowship in Physical Oceanography Jeanette Bruce LGL Ltd. Scholarship in Marine Science. Kim Keats George Weston Graduate Scholarship Shanshan Liu Moire A. Wadleigh Award for Excellence in Environmental Science. Melanie Rossong 2010-2012: NSERC Post Graduate Doctoral Scholarship 2010-2012: Newfoundland RDC Ocean Industries Research Award Peter Westley Dr. Joe Brown Graduate Research Award in Aquatic Ecology and Aquaculture Fellows of the School of Graduate Studies Roanne Collins Conference awards Peng Zhao – Best Poster Presentation- Aquaculture Canada 2010 and Cold Harvest 2010 Meeting, St. John’s, NL Canada Kevin Ma Baculum Award (People’s Choice) by the MUN Biology Graduate Student Assoc., for his talk Indigenous and non-indigenous ascidians of Newfoundland and Labrador


Financial Overview The Ocean Sciences Centre complex of buildings is maintained by Memorial University (MUN) Facilities Management. The faculty and staff are supported by an annual operating budget from the Faculty of Science consisting of two components: a) OSC operating expenses and b) the public education program including the seal facility. MUN Technical Services provides technical support for scientific equipment. Research activities are supported by grants and contracts to faculty and staff. Research and development carried out at the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) operates on a user fee, cost recovery basis. Funding for the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) 2009-2010 was as follows: Details of grants and contracts see Table 1 Facilities Management $1,619,584 OSC operating (Faculty of Science) $2,181,555 Public education/seals $ 97,635 Technical Services $ 49,022 NSERC Discovery Grants $511,153 NSERC Strategic Grants $527,901 NSERC MFA Grant $158,300 NSERC RTI Grants $87,006 External Research Grants $2,418,851 MUCEP Students $7,911 JBARB Revenue $203,752 Total $7, 862, 670

OSC Operating funds

PEP/Seal Unit

Technical Service

NSERC Discovery

NSERC Strategic

NSERC MFA

NSERC RTI

External Research Grants

Facilities Management

JBARB Revenue

MUCEP Students

FacilitiesManagement

External Research Grants

(not visible)

OSC Operating Funds


Figure 1: Research Funding Fiscal Years 1999-2010

Alfred P Sloan Foundation- Census of Marine Life Genome Atlantic – Cod Genomics AIF/ACOA – Atlantic Innovation Fund/Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency IRIF: Industrial Research & Innovation Fund – Research & Development Corp. of NL CCFI: Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation CFI: Canada Foundation for Innovation DFO: Dept of Fisheries & Oceans Aquanet: Canadian Center of Excellence: Administrative location & Aquaculture Research NSERC: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada: discovery, strategic, equipment grants JBARB: Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (note: 2001-2003 total approx)

0

1

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JBARB Revenue

Other

Alfred P Sloan

Genome Atlantic

AIF/ACOA

IRIF

CCFI

CFI

DFO

Aquanet

NSERC


Grant and Contract History

A summary of the OSC research funding over the past 11 years is presented Figure 1. The 1999-2000 fiscal year is the earliest for which we have a relatively complete picture of the

grants and contracts received by the OSC and various faculty. Although we have not yet found such information for earlier years it is unlikely that external funding exceeded that of the $1.2 million obtained during 1999-2000.

Research and development funds for the 2000-2001 fiscal year were more than double that of 1999-2000 and have continued to remain at or above this level to the present. This considerable increase in funding is largely attributable to the Aquaculture Research and Development Facility (renamed Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building [JBARB]). Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Kevin Keough, funds to construct this facility ($2.7 million) were made available from the Aquaculture component of the Canada-Newfoundland Economic Agreement. The building was officially opened in 1999, and in the year 2000 $1.2 million in funds from CFI were provided to fully equip the JBARB and develop a business plan that would enable the facility to operate on an effective cost recovery basis. The 2000-2001 year also saw the arrival of funds to establish the AquaNet research network with its headquarters at the OSC.

Two major projects stand out in the OSC funding history: Halibut and cod aquaculture and cod genomics. The halibut and cod aquaculture development project, funded by AIF in partnership with industry and OSC faculty was carried out over a six year period (2002-2008) for a total of $5 million. This project resulted in the production of an elite broodstock of cod. The cod genomics project was funded by Genome Canada/Genome Atlantic over a four year period (2006-2010) for $4.3 million. The aim of this project is to identify genes that will be of value in selective cross breeding programs to produce rapidly growing more disease resistant cod for aquaculture

Table 1: Research Funding 2009-2010 Fiscal Year

Grants Received Total (Administered by the OSC)

NSERC Discovery $511,153.00

NSERC Strategic $527,901.00

NSERC MFA $158,300.00

NSERC RTI/USRA/EQPEQ $ 87,006.00

Internal Awards (MUN) $ 6,515.00

RDC/IRIF $ 448,980.00 DFO/DFA

$ 73,697.00

Genome Atlantic

$875,000.00

Alfred P Sloan Foundation

$425,480.00

ACOA

$ 47,833.00

Other JBARB Revenue

$541,346.00 $203,752.00

Total Annual Grants $3,906,963.00


Figure 2Faculty, Graduate Students and Publications

Academic Year (September 1 - August 31)

1999

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2000

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Combined (MSC & PhD enrolled) # M.SC. enrolled # Ph.D.enrollled Publications Peer Reviewd Year vs # Degreed students (cummulative)Year vs Faculty

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2002‐2003 2003‐2004 2004‐2005 2005‐2006 2006‐2007 2007‐2008 2008‐2009 2009‐2010

Number of H

QP

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Figure 3: OSC Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP)2002‐2010

PhD

MSc

PDF

Visiting Students

Seal volunteers

MUCEP students

Students Assist

Grant staff


Accomplishments 2009-2010

A. Research

Publications

Research efforts of the faculty and students resulted in 60 publications (excluding those in press;) 45 in peer reviewed journals, 6 in book/ book chapters and 8 in technical reports or conference proceedings. A summary of the number of publications appearing in peer reviewed journals over the past 8 years is presented in Figure 2 along with the number of OSC faculty and graduate students. On average the OSC faculty has published approximately 46 journal publications per year over the past 8 years.

Conferences

Sixty seven presentations were given by faculty and students at Canadian and International conferences/workshops held in twelve countries, Canada, USA, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Iceland, Monaco, India, England, Czech Republic, Austria, and Mexico. Participation in such conferences helps to establish the excellence of ocean science at the OSC and Memorial University.

Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP)

Five PhD and ten MSc students successfully completed their degrees during the 2009-2010 academic year. In addition OSC Faculty supervised 4 Post doctoral fellows, 30 PhD students, and 34 MSc students. A summary of HQP trained at the OSC over the past 8 years is presented in Figure 3. On average the OSC contributes to the training of 146 HQP annually, either as students (full and part time), volunteers or laboratory research staff. A summary of the numbers of graduate students who graduated or were supervised by OSC faculty over the past 11 years is presented in Figure 2. The numbers of PhD and MSc students for the years 1999-2002 is unavailable at this time and therefore only the combined totals for these years are presented. The number of degreed students is plotted as a cumulative total from 1999 to 2010. This eleven year record indicates that the OSC faculty supervises, on average, 58 graduate students, 11 of whom graduate each year.


Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB)

Mr. Danny Boyce: Manager JBARB


B. Technology Transfer to Industry Most of the applied research and development at the OSC is conducted in the JBARB in conjunction with the aquaculture industry. Developed best practices and processes for culturing Atlantic cod from egg to adult that will be of

benefit to the aquaculture industry. This knowledge is of paramount importance to the fledgling cod farming industry in NL.

Developed the first generation of an elite Atlantic cod broodstock in partnership with industry. This is

the first selectively bred broodstock in North America.

Produced commercial quantities of a 100,000 - 200,000 juvenile fish and transferred them to private sector partners and researchers.

Successful completion and final report of the Newfoundland Commercial Scale Atlantic Cod Hatchery Production Technology Project optimizing the OSC‘s contribution to marine finfish culture.

Under the guidance of RSP Services, Skretting Marine Hatchery Feeds and a highly trained JBARB staff, the latest in marine finfish technology was implemented confirming that JBARB can be a serious player in the marine finfish hatchery business as well as an aquatic research facility.

Production numbers reached in excess of over 900,000 + quality juveniles in a single production run. The best production run in the history of the facility

Technological upgrades to the existing larval and juvenile water intake system inside JBARB took place improving water quality leading to improved production

Completed the development of methods for producing nutritionally enriched live feed to support

commercial scale production of cod.

Establishment of a cod broodstock nutrition program aimed at determining how diet influences the

spawning and growth performance of the JBARB elite broodstock. The JBARB’s capacity to conduct applied marine aquaculture research in a university setting attracted

200 visitors from private sector industries, government officials and researchers from various countries. This worldwide interest attests to the value of Memorial University and the Province’s commitment to aquaculture in the marine environment.

Companies partnering with the JBARB: Newfoundland Cod Broodstock Company, Cooke Aquaculture, Sablefish Canada Ltd., Great Bay Aquaculture Ltd., Skretting Global, RSP Services.


C. Teaching

The faculty continues to provide instruction and training to students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate level programs Courses taught 2009-2010 academic year

Dr. William Driedzic: Biochemistry 4102: Current Topics in Biochemistry (1 module, 4 weeks) Biochemistry 3106: Metabolism (1 module, 3 weeks) Dr. Ian Fleming: Biology 7000: Being a Researcher in the Biological Sciences Biology 7939: Evolutionary-ecology of Reproductive Strategies

Dr. Patrick Gagnon: Biology 2122: Biology of Invertebrates

Biology 3711: The Ecology of Open Waters

Dr. Annie Mercier Biology 7933/4122: Advanced Topics in Marine Invertebrates Dr. Chris Parrish Environmental Science 6002 (75%): Environmental Chemistry & Toxicology Aquaculture 6100 (8%): Advanced Finfish Aquaculture Dr. Matthew Rise Biology 7938/4251: Genomics

Environmental Science 6002 (3 lectures): Environmental Chemistry & Toxicology

Aquaculture 6100: Finfish Aquaculture (guest lecturer) The Genomics of Fish and its Pathogens, Universidad de Chile and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), (guest lecturer) Molecular Biology Techniques: VPM-871, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island (guest lecturer)

Dr. Richard Rivkin Biology 7540: Plankton Dynamics

Dr. David Schneider Biology 7220/4605: Quantitative Methods in Biology Biology 7932: Application of the Generalized Linear Model in Biology

Dr. Paul Snelgrove Biology (co-taught): Aquatic Biology

Dr. Joe Wroblewski Biology 4750: Fisheries Ecology Environmental Science 6009: Environmental Science Project Report Environmental Science 6010: Environmental Science Seminar Biology 7551: Fisheries Resource Management Biology 3714 (co-taught): Estuarine Fish Ecology Field Course: Bonne Bay Marine Station D. Workshop Facilitator, Graduate Research Integrity Program (GRIP), Graduate Program in Environmental Science


D. Publications: 2009-2010 Academic year Refereed Journals

Archambault, P.; Snelgrove, P.V.R.; Fisher, J.A.D.; Gagnon; J.-M.; Garbary, D.J.; Harvey, M.; Kenchington, E.; Lesage, V.; Levesque, M.; Lovejoym, C.; Mackas, D.; McKindse, C.W.; Nelson, J.; Pepin, P.; Piché, L.; Poulin, M. (2010). From Sea to Sea: Canada’s Three Oceans of Biodiversity. PLoS One : 5(8):1-26. Best, S.; Lundrigan, S.; Demirov, E.; Wroblewski, J. (2010). Interannual variability of physical oceanographic characteristics of Gilbert Bay: a Marine Protected Area. Journal of Marine Systems (special issue on science-based management of coastal waters). (in press). Booman, M.; Borza, T.; Hori, T.S.; Feng, C.Y.; Higgins, B.; Culf, A.; Leger, D.; Chute, I.; Hall, J.R.; Belkaid, A.; Rise, M.; Gamperl, A.K.; Hubert, S.; Kimball, J.; Ouelette, R.; Johnson, S.C.; Bowman, S.; Rise, M.L. Development and experimental validation of a 20K Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) oligonucleotide microarray based on a collection of over 150,000 ESTs. Marine Biotechnology (in press). Bowman, S.; Hubert, S.; Higgins, B.; Stone, C.; Kimball, J.; Borza, T.; Bussey, J.T.; Simpson, G.; Hall, J.R.; Hori, T.S.; Feng, C.Y.; Gamperl, A.K.; Booman, M.; Rise, M.; Symonds, J.; Johnson, S.C.; Rise, M.L. An integrated approach to gene discovery and marker development in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Marine Biotechnology (in press) Borza, T.; Stone, C.; Gamperl, A.K.; Bowman, S. (2009). Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) hemoglobin genes: multiplicity and polymorphism. BMC Genetics. 10:51 Borza, T.; Stone, C.; Rise, M.L.; Bowman, S.; Johnson, S.C. (2010). Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) CC chemokines: diversity and expression analysis. Developmental and Comparative Immunology 34, 904-913. Bradbury, I.R.; Snelgrove, P.V.R.; Bentzen, P.; De Young, B.; Gregory, R.S.; Morris, C.J. (2009). Structural and functional connectivity of marine fishes within a semi-enclosed Newfoundland fjord. Journal of Fish Biology 75:1393-1409

Bradbury, I.R.; Hubert, S.; Higgins, B.; Bowman, S.; Paterson, I.; Snelgrove, P.V.R.; Morris, C.; Gregory, R.; Hardie, D.; Hutchings, J.; Bentzen, P. (2010) Parallel adaptive evolution of Atlantic cod in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean in response to ocean temperature. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.0985 Bradbury, I.R.; Hubert, S.; Higgins, B.; Bowman, S.; Paterson, I.; Snelgrove, P. V.R.; Morris, C.; Gregory, R.; Hardie, D.; Borza, T.; Bentzen, P. (2010). Evaluating SNP ascertainment bias and its impact on population assignment in Atlantic cod, (Gadus morhua). Molecular Ecology Resources. (in press) Browne, M.J.; Feng, C.Y.; Booth, V.; Rise, M.L. (2010). Discovery and expression analyses of two novel, paralogous antimicrobial peptide-coding transcripts from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Developmental and Comparative Immunology (in press). Buitenhuis, E.T.; Rivkin, R.B.; Sailley, S.; Le Quéré1, C. (2010).Biogeochemical fluxes through microzooplankton. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 24:16pp Callahan, A.G.; Deibel, D.; McKenzie, C.H.; Hall, J.R.; Rise, M.L. (2010). Survey of harbours in Newfoundland for indigenous and non-indigenous ascidians and an analysis of their cytochrome c oxidase I gene sequences. Aquatic Invasions 5, 31-39.

Carruthers, E.H.; Schneider, D.C.; Neilson, J.D. (2009). Estimating the odds of survival and identifying


mitigation opportunities for common bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries. Biological Conservation 142 (11) 2620-2630 Chiu, S.; Abrahams, M. (2010). Effects of turbidity and risk of predation on habitat selection decisions by fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Environmental Biology of Fishes 87(4): 309-316 Choe, N., Deibel, D. (2010). Life history characters and population dynamics of the boreal larvacean Oikopleura vanhoeffeni (Tunicata) in Conception Bay, Newfoundland. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK (in press) Copeland, A.; Edinger, E.; Devillers, R.; Bell, T.; LeBlanc, P.; Wroblewski, J. (2010). Marine habitat mapping in support of Marine Protected Area management in a subarctic fjord: Gilbert Bay, Labrador, Canada. Journal of Coastal Conservation ( in press). Currie, J.J.; Schneider, D.C.; Wilke, K.M. (2010).Validation of a non-invasive technique for estimating fecundity in the American lobster (Homarus americanus). Journal of Shellfish Research (in press). Curtis, D.L.; Vanier, C.H.; McGaw, I.J. (2010). The effects of starvation and acute low salinity exposure on food intake in the Dungeness crab, (Cancer magister). Marine Biology. 157: 603-612 Curtis, D.L.; McGaw, I.J. (2010). Respiratory and digestive responses of postprandial Dungeness crabs, (Cancer magister) and blue crabs, (Callinectes sapidus) during hyposaline exposure. Journal of Comparative Physiology B. 180: 189-198 Deibel, D.; Paffenhofer, G.-A. (2009). Predictability of patches of neritic salps and doliolids (Tunicata, Thaliacea). Journal of Plankton Research 31: 1571-1579 Ditlecader, D.; Short, C.; Driedzic, W. (2010) Glycerol loss to water exceeds glycerol catabolism via glycerol kinase in freeze resistant rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). Am J. of Physiol: Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology (in press) Feng, C.Y.; Rise, M.L. (2010). Characterization and expression analyses of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2-like genes NR-13, Mcl-1, Bcl-X1, and Bcl-X2 in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Molecular Immunology 47, 763-784. Fu, Y.; MacLeod, D.M.; Rivkin, R.B.; Chen, F.; Buchan, A.; Lang, A.S. (2010). High diversity of Rhodobacterales in the subarctic North Atlantic Ocean and gene transfer agent protein expression in isolated strains. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 59:3 283-293 Guénard, G.; Boisclair, D.; Ugedal, O.; Forseth, T.; Jonsson, B.; Fleming, I.A. (2010) Experimental assessment of the bioenergetic and behavioural differences between two morphologically distinct populations of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 67: 580-595 Hamel, J.-F.; Sun, Z.; Mercier, A. (2010). Influence of size and seasonal factors on the growth of the deep-sea coral Flabellum alabastrum in mesocosm. Coral Reefs 29(2): 521-525. Hering, D.; Bottom, D.; Prentice, E.; Jones, K.; Fleming, I.A. (2010.) Tidal movements and residency of subyearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in an Oregon salt marsh channel. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 67(3): 524-533. Hori, T.S.; Gamperl, A.K.; Afonso, L.O.B.; Johnson, S.C.; Hubert, S.; Kimball, J.; Bowman, S.; Rise, M.L. (2010). Heat-shock responsive genes identified and validated in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) liver,


head kidney and skeletal muscle using genomic techniques. BMC Genomics 11(2), 72. Johnson, K.E.; Knopper, L.D.; Schneider, D.C.; Ollson, C.A.; Reimer, K.J. (2009). Effects of local point source polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination on bone mineral density in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Science of the Total Environment 407: 5050–5055. Katz, T.; Yahel, G.; Yahel, R.; Tunnicliffe, V.; Herut, B.; Snelgrove, P.; Crusius, J.; Lazar, B. (2009). Groundfish overfishing, diatom decline and the marine silica cycle – Lessons from Saanich Inlet, Canada and the Baltic Sea cod crash. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 23: 12pp. Lamarre, S.G.; Driedzic, W.R.; Le François, N.R.; Blier, P.U. (2010). White muscle 20S Proteosome activity is negatively correlated to growth rate at low temperature in the spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor). Journal of Fish Biology 76: 1565-1575 Laurel, B.J.; Copeman, L.A.; Hurst, T.P.; Parrish, C.C. (2010) The ecological significance of lipid/fatty acid synthesis in developing eggs and newly hatched larvae of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). Marine Biology: 157 (8): 1713-1724 Lewis, J.M.; Hori, T.S.; Rise, M.L.; Walsh, P.J.; Currie, S. (2010). Transcriptome responses to heat stress in the nucleated red blood cells of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Physiological Genomics 42, 361-373. Lewis, J.M.; Driedzic, W.R. (2010). Protein synthesis is defended in the mitochondrial fraction of gill but not heart in cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus) exposed to acute hypoxia and hypothermia. Journal of Comparative Physiology B 180: 179-188 Lillis, A.; Snelgrove, P.V.R. (2010) Near-bottom hydrodynamic effects on postlarval settlement in the American lobster (Homarus americanus). Marine Ecology Progress Series 401, 161-172 McGaw, I.J.; Stillman, J.H. (2010). Cardiovascular system of the Majidae (Crustacea: Decapoda). Arthropod Structure and Development. (in press) McGaw, I. J; Curtis, D.L.; Ede, J.D.; Ong, K.J.; van Breukelen, F.; Goss, G.G. (2009). Physiological responses of postprandial red rock crabs, (Cancer productus), during emersion. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 87:1158-1169 Mendonça, P.C.; Gamperl, A.K. (2010). The effects of acute changes in temperature and oxygen availability on cardiac performance in winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. A. 155: 245-252. Mercier, A.; Pawson, D.; Pawson, D.L.; Hamel, J.-F. (2010). First record of the sea cucumber Trachythyone nina (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) in Canadian waters with a redescription of the species and notes on its distribution and biology. Marine Biology Research 6: 315-320. Mercier, A.; Hamel, J.-F. (2009). Reproductive periodicity and host-specific settlement and growth of a deep-water symbiotic sea anemone. Canadian Journal of Zoology 87: 967-980. Mercier. A; Hamel, J.-F. (2010). Synchronized breeding events in sympatric marine invertebrates: role of behaviour and fine temporal windows in maintaining reproductive isolation. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology (in press).


Miranda, M.B.B.; Innes, D.J.; Thompson, R.J. (2010). Incomplete Reproductive Isolation in the Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis and M. trossulus) Hybrid Zone in the Northwest Atlantic: Role of Gamete Interactions and Larval Viability. Biological Bulletin, 218 (3): 266-281 Parrish, C.C.; Milke, L.M.; Bricelj, V.M.( 2010). Characterisation of 4a-methyl sterols in Pavlova spp. and postlarval sea scallops, (Placopecten magellanicus). Aquaculture (in press). Pepin, P.; Parrish, C.C.; Head, E.J.H. (2010). Condition of Calanus finmarchicus on the Newfoundland Shelf and in the western Labrador Sea in late autumn: Fatty acid biomarker evidence of size-dependent differential feeding histories. Marine Ecology Progress Series (in press). Pérez-Casanova, J.C.; Lall, S.P.; Gamperl, A.K. (2010). Effects of dietary protein and lipid level, and water temperature, on the post-feeding oxygen consumption of two gadoids, the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus L.). Aquaculture. Res. 41(2): 198-209 Petersen, L.H.; Gamperl, A.K. (2010) Effects of acute and chronic hypoxia on the swimming performance, metabolic capacity and cardiac function of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 808-819. Petersen, L.H.; Gamperl, A.K. (2010). In situ cardiac function in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua): effects of acute and chronic hypoxia. Journal of Experimental Biology. 213: 820-830. Richards, R.C.; Short, C.; Driedzic, W.R.; Ewart, K.V. (2010). Seasonal changes in hepatic gene expression reveal modulation of multiple processes in rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) Marine Biotechnology 12: 650-663. Rise, M.L.; Hall, J.R.; Rise, M.; Hori, T.S.; Browne, M.J.; Gamperl, A.K.; Hubert, S.; Kimball, J.; Bowman, S.; Johnson, S.C. (2010). Impact of asymptomatic nodavirus carrier state and intraperitoneal viral mimic injection on brain transcript expression in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Physiological Genomics 42; 266-280. Rose, K.A.; Icarus, J.; Carlotti, A.F.; Cropp, R.; Daewal, L.U.; Edwards, K.; Rivkin, R.; et al. (2010). End-To-End Models for the Analysis of Marine Ecosystems: Challenges, Issues, and Next Steps. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 2:115–130. Scheibling, R.E.; Gagnon, P. (2009). Temperature-mediated outbreak dynamics of the invasive bryozoan Membranipora membranacea in Nova Scotian kelp beds. Marine Ecology Progress Series.390:1-13. Seiden, J.M.; Way, C.; Rivkin, R.B. (2010). Microbial hitchhikers: dynamics of bacterial populations in ballast water during a trans-Pacific voyage of a bulk carrier. Aquatic Invasions. 5(1): 13-22 Snelgrove, P.V.R.; Petrecca, R.; Stocks, K.I.; Van Dover, C.; Zimmer, C.A. (2009). A Mosaic of Diverse Ideas: The Ecological Legacy of J. Frederick Grassle. Deep-Sea Research. B 56: 1571-1576. So, J.J.; Hamel, J.-F.; Mercier, A. Habitat utilization, growth and predation of Cucumaria frondosa: implications for an emerging sea cucumber fishery. Fisheries Management & Ecology (in press). Stacey, J.E.; Driedzic, W.R. (2010). Temporal variability in, and impact of food availability on vanadium and iron concentrations in Ciona intestinalis tissues (Tunicata, Ascidiacea) Journal of Experimental Marine Biology Ecology 386: 11-18. Sun, B.; Mouland, R.; Way, C.; Rivkin, R.B. (2010). Redistribution of heterotrophic prokaryotes through


ballast water: A case study from the west coast of Canada. Aquatic Invasions.5 (1): 5-11. Sun, Z.; Hamel, J.-F.; Mercier, A. (2010). Planulation periodicity, settlement preferences and growth of two deep-sea octocorals from the northwest Atlantic. Marine Ecology Progress Series 410: 71-87. Sun, Z.; Hamel, J.-F.; Edinger, E.; Mercier, A. (2010). Reproductive biology of the deep-sea octocoral Drifa glomerata in the Northwest Atlantic. Marine Biology 157: 863-873. Thistle, M.E.; Schneider, D.C.; Gregory, R.S.; Wells, N.J. (2010). Fractal measures of habitat structure: Maximum densities of juvenile cod occur at intermediate eelgrass complexity. Marine Ecology Progress Series: 405 (29): 39-56 Workenhe, S.T.; Hori, T.S.; Rise, M.L.; Kibenge, M.J.T.; Kibenge, F.S.B.(2009). Infectious salmon aneamia virus (ISAV) isolates induce distinct gene expression responses in the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) macrophage/dendritic-like cell line TO, assessed using genomic techniques. Molecular Immunology 46, 2955-2974. Workenhe, S.T.; Rise, M.L.; Kibenge, M.J.T.; Kibenge, F.S.B. (2010). The fight between the teleost fish immune response and aquatic viruses. Molecular Immunology (in press)

Books and Book Chapters Becker, P.; Eeckhaut, I.; Ycaza, R.H.; Mercier, A.; Hamel, J.-F. (2009). Protozoan disease in larval culture of the edible sea cucumber Isostichopus fuscus. Pp. 571-573, in L.G. Harris, S.A. Bottger, C.W. Walker and M.P. Lesser (eds). Echinoderms: Durham. CRC Press, London.

Brodeur, R.D.; Fleming, I.A.; Bennett, J.M.; Campbell, M.A. (2009). Summer distribution and feeding of spiny dogfish off the Washington and Oregon coasts, pp 39-51. In V.F. Callucci, G.A. McFarland and G.G. Bargmann (eds.) Management and Biology of Dogfish Sharks, Special Volume of the American Fisheries Society.

Copeland, A.; Edinger, E.; Bell, T.; LeBlanc, P.; Wroblewski, J.; Devillers, R. Geomorphic features and benthic habitats of a sub-arctic fjord: Gilbert Bay, Southern Labrador, Canada. In: P. Harris and E. Baker (Eds). Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphology as Habitat. Elsevier Publishing Co. (in press). Fleming, I.A.; Einum, S. Reproductive Ecology: a tale of two sexes. In: Ø. Aas, S. Einum, A. Klemetsen and J. Skurdal (eds.) Atlantic Salmon Ecology. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, (in press) Gagnon, P. (2010). Remote sensing: To map or not to map? Toward characterizing the distribution of eastern Canada’s shallow marine vegetation from above the sea surface. In: Gillies S., Hewitt, S. (eds). Biology on the cutting edge. Concepts, Issues, and Canadian Research around the Globe. Pearson Canada. pp. 195-203 (Volume 1 - Research Essay) & pp. 139-141 (Volume 2 - Teaching Notes) Hamoutene, D.; Volkoff, H.; Parrish, C.; Samuelson, S.; Mabrouk, G.; Mansour, A.; Mathieu, A.; King, T.; Lee, K.l. Effect of produced water on innate immunity, feeding and antioxidant metabolism in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). In Produced Water: Environmental Risks and Advances in Mitigation Technologies Lee, K and Neff, J. (Eds) Springer, (in press).

Moreau, D.T.R.; Fleming, I.A. The potential ecological and genetic impacts of aquaculture biotechnologies: Eco-evolutionary considerations for managing the blue revolution. In: G.L. Fletcher and M.L. Rise (eds.) Aquaculture Biotechnology. Wiley-Blackwell, Iowa, (in press.) Rise, M.L.; Liu, Z.J.; Douglas, S.E.; Brown, L.L.; Nash, J.H.E.; McFall-Ngai, M.J. (2009). Aquaculture-related applications of DNA microarray technology. In Molecular Research in Aquaculture (ed. K. Overturf), Wiley-


Blackwell, Ames, IA. Pp.63-101. Schneider, D.C. (2009). Quantitative Ecology: Spatial and Temporal Scaling. 2nd edition Elsevier Inc. Snelgrove, P.V.R. (2010). The Census of Marine Life: Making Ocean Life Count. Cambridge University Press. 286 pp.

Technical Papers, Reports, Conference Proceedings, Magazines Baker, K.; Snelgrove, P.; Edinger E. (2009). The ecology of deep-sea corals of Newfoundland and Labrador waters: biogeography, life history, biogeochemistry, and relation to fishes. Summary of ongoing coral recruitment experiments. Canadian Technology Report Fisheries Aquatic Science 2830: 36-38. Both, A.; Parrish, C.C.; Penney, R.; Thompson, R.J. (2010). Physical and biochemical properties of particles released from an onshore Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) aquaculture facility in the context of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada (in press). Boyce, D. (2010). Final Report for project titled: “Newfoundland Commercial Scale Atlantic Cod Hatchery Production Technology”. Bruce, J.E.B.; Schneider, D.C.; Wroblewski, J.S. (2010). The habitats of 0-group juvenile Atlantic cod in Bonne Bay, a fjord within Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland. Community-University Research for Recovery Alliance (CURRA) Project Report, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL. 41p. Clarke, M.; Parrish, C.C.; Penney, R.W. (2010). Free amino acids as an indicator of egg viability in Atlantic cod. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada (in press). Currie, J.J.; Wroblewski, J.S.; Methven, D.A.; Hooper, R.G. (2009). The nearshore fish fauna of Bonne Bay, a fjord within Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland. Community-University Research for Recovery Alliance (CURRA) Project Report. Memorial University, St. John’s. 66p. George, E.M.; Parrish, C.C. (2010). Organic footprint and composition of particles from marine finfish aquaculture operations. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada (in press). Mercier, A.; Edinger, E.N.; Snelgrove, P.; Zedel, L. (2009). The ecology of deep-sea corals of Newfoundland and Labrador waters: biogeography, life history, biogeochemistry, and relation to fishes. Biogeography, biodiversity, and reproductive ecology of deep-sea corals: NSERC Discovery Ship Time Cruise Report. Canadian Technology Report Fisheries Aquatic Science 2830: 125-133.

Prickett, R.; Boyce, D.; Monk, J. (2010). Marine Finfish Hatchery in Canada uses Clay to Rear Cod, Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association Quarterly Magazine, Spring 2010. Rise, M.L.; Gamperl, A.K.; et al (2009). The Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada 107-3, 21-30. Rowsell, N.J.; Parrish, C.C. (2010). Incorporation of a krill protein hydrolysate into the feeding regime of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae: Effect on growth, survival and amino acid composition. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada (in press). Wijekoon, M.; Mansour, A.; Parrish, C.C. (2010). Effect of diet and temperature on liver and muscle lipid and fatty acid composition in steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Canadian Technology Report Fisheries Aquatic Science (in press). Wroblewski, J.; Liu, S. (2009) Determination of the growth rate of Iceland scallop in the Gilbert Bay MPA. MUN Fisheries Oceanography Group Contract Report 2009-1; 54pp.


E. Highly Qualified Personnel

Post Doctoral Fellows

Marjie Booman (Matthew Rise)

John Lowen (Don Deibel)

Jeremy Mitchell (Mark Abrahams)

Daniel Bassett (Mark Abrahams)

Degreed Students Ashley Callahan- Environmental Science- M.Sc. (D. Deibel) Ecology of invasive ascidan tunicates Jason Robinson- Biology-M.Sc. (W. Dreidzic) Smelt glycerol metabolism Juan Casanova - Biology - Ph.D (K. Gamperl) A Comprehensive Study of the Thermal Physiology of Two Gadids, the Atlantic Cod (Gadus Morhua) and Haddock (Melanogrammus Aegle Finus) Roanne Collins - CABE - M.Sc. (D. Schneider/J.Lein) Effect of MPA closures on lobster egg production Charles Yu Feng - M.Sc. Biology (M.L.Rise) Atlantic cod gene expression responses to immune stimuli Simon Lamarre - Biology - Ph.D. (W. Driedzic) Physiological processes of juvenile growth in spotted wolfish (Anarhichas minor) Ashlee Lillis - Biology- M.Sc. (P. Snelgrove) Larval Settlement in Marine invertebrate larvae Shanshan Liu - Environmental Science - M.Sc. (J. Wroblewski/R. Thompson) Growth of the Iceland scallop Chlamys islandica in Gilbert Bay, Labrador: a Marine Protected Area Paula De Costa Mendonca - Biology - Ph.D. (K. Gamperl) Cardiovascular function of flatfishes. Lene Hebsgaard Peterson – Ph.D. Biology (K.Gamperl) Effects of chronic hypoxia on the cariorespiratory physiology of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) Justin So - Biology – M.Sc. (A. Mercier) Biology and geneflow of sea cucumber (Cucumaria fondosa) Joy Stacey-Biology – PhD. (W. Driedzic) The Ecophysiology of Iron and Vanadium Accumulation in North Atlantic Ascidians Ryan Stanley - Biology - M.Sc. (P. Snelgrove) Egg transport and population connectivity in coastal fishes Bei Sun - Environmental Science - M.Sc. (R. Rivkin) Bacterial dynamics in ballast water\

Kelly Carter - Biology - M.Sc. (P. Snelgrove/ P. Pepin - DFO) Environmental and biological influences on larval fish diversity


Ph.D. Students Jennifer Hall- Biology- Ph.D. (W. Driedzic/ M. Rise) The use of molecular tools to study glycerol production in rainbow smelt. Delphine Ditlecadet- Biology- Ph.D. (W. Driedzic) Control of glycerol levels in smelt Kathryn Moreton - Biology - Ph.D. (I.A. Fleming/P. Pepin - DFO) Comparative larval fish life history Darek Moreau - Biology - Ph.D. (I.A. Fleming/G. Fletcher) Competitive interactions of wild vs. transgenic Atlantic salmon parr in a modified stream environment Nathan Wilke- Biology- Ph.D. (I.A. Fleming) Conservation of endangered populations Brendan Wringe – Biology-Ph.D. (I.A. Fleming/ co supervised) Reproductive interactions & hybridization in cod Peter Westley Biology- Ph.D. (I.A. Fleming) Invasion and impacts of exotic brown trout in Newfoundland Rodney Hobbs - Biology - Ph.D. (G. Fletcher) Purification and characterization of antifreeze Marieve Desjardins - Biology - Ph.D. (G. Fletcher) Antifreeze Proteins in Wolffish Spp Isabel Costa - Biology – Ph.D. (K. Gamperl) Cardiac function and microvascular control in flatfish Tiago Hori - Biology - Ph.D. (K. Gamperl/L. Afonso / M Rise) Physiological and genomic responses of Atlantic cod to stress. Sandrine Baillon - Biology- Ph.D. (A. Mercier) Associated fauna of deep-sea corals Zhao Sun- Biology - Ph.D. (A. Mercier) Offspring size variations in brooding invertebrates Laura Carreon-Palau -Biology-Ph.D. (C.Parrish/co-supervised) Organic sources of carbon and their transfer in a coral reef ecosystem Louise Copeman- Biology -Ph.D. (C. Parrish/co-supervised) Gadoid feeding and food webs Jorge Del Angel-Rodriguez – Biology-Ph.D. (C.Parrish/co-supervised) Seasonal changes in krill lipids: implications for whales Iyad Hailat – Chemistry- Ph.D. (C Parrish/co-supervised) Determination of lipid molecular species in mussels Manjursir Wijekoon - Biology - Ph.D. (C. Parrish/A. Mansour - DFO) Gastric dilation and air sacculitis syndrome (GDAS) in farmed steelhead trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Kimberley Keats - Biology - Ph.D. (R. Rivkin) Bacterial community structure and biogeography in the World Ocean Liang Qu- Biology- Ph.D. (R. Rivkin) Microbial dynamics in a high latitude coastal region: Role of mortality


Adam Hamilton - Ph.D. (R. Rivkin/Hale) Microbial mediated trace metal cycling in the Beaufort Sea Kelly Johnson - Biology - Ph.D. (D. Schneider) Bioavailability of metals in soil Erin Carruthers - Biology - Ph.D. (D. Schneider/B. Neis) Pelagic fishery by - catch in the Northwest Atlantic Corey Morris - Biology - Ph.D. (P. Snelgrove/R. Gregory - DFO) Behavioural interactions among juvenile Gadoids along the north east coast of Newfoundland Krista Baker - Biology - Ph.D. (P. Snelgrove/ E. Edinger) Deep - sea diversity and conservation off Newfoundland and Labrador Melanie Rossong – Biology - Ph.D. (P. Snelgrove/P. Quijon) Impacts of the invasive green crab on native biodiversity in Placentia Bay Ryan Stanley – Biology-Ph.D. (P.Snelgrove) Biophysical interactions regulating connectivity during the early life history of American lobster (Homarus americanus) Renald Belley – Biology-Ph.D. (P. Snelgrove) Ecosystem services in deep-sea benthos Shin Hun Kim – Ph.D. (R. Thompson/co-supervised) Maintenance of blue mussel hybrid

Sandra Pereda - Biology - Ph.D. (R. Thompson)

Nutrition of mussels. Arnault LeBris - Biology Ph.D. (J.Wroblewski/A Frechet DFO) Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) ecology: a life history diversity analysis. M.Sc. Students Livia Goodbrand - Biology-M.Sc. (M.Abrahams) Effects of changing (or changed) resource distributions on fish behaviour and trophic interactions. Gavin Applin – Biology – M.Sc. (D. Deibel/M.L Rise) Genetics of invasive ascidians Kevin Ma – Biology-M.Sc. (D.Deibel) Abundance & recruitment of invasive ascidians Hind Elloukal - Biology - M.Sc. (D. Deibel/R.Thompson) Ecology of ascidian tunicates Becky Graham-Biology- M.Sc. (I.Fleming) Captive breeding & the Atlantic mating system Michele Caputo – Biology – M.Sc. (I.Fleming) Evolutionary costs & benefits of partial migration Michelle Simms - CABE - M.Sc. (I A. Fleming) Evolution of fish early life history Rebecca Poole - Biology - M.Sc. (I.A. Fleming/D. Reddin - DFO) Lacustrine and Fluvial Habitat use by Atlantic salmon parr in Labrador


Sarah Ross - Biology - M.Sc. (I.A. Fleming/R. Gregory - DFO) Early recruitment of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) Michelle Bachan - Biology - M.Sc. (I.A. Fleming) Egg size and selection during early history in Atlantic cod Heather Young - Biology - M.Sc. (G. Fletcher) Differences in expression of Growth hormone receptors and downstream factors in transgenic salmon when compared to control salmon Scott Caines- Biology- M Sc. (P. Gagnon) Invasion dynamics of M. membranacea in coastal Newfoundland Kyle Matheson- Biology- M.Sc. (P. Gagnon) Interactions between native and invasive crabs in coastal Newfoundland Kimberley Burt – Aquaculture – M.Sc. (K. Gamperl / Hamoutene DFO) Effects of Intermittent Hypoxia on Atlantic Salmon. Courtney MacSween- Biology- M.Sc. (K. Gamperl) Metabolic physiology of cunner Abdullah Al-Zaid- Biology- M.Sc. (K. Gamperl) Cunner metabolic and stress response Gina Doyle- Biology- M.Sc. (A. Mercier) Reproductive cycles of daisy brittle stars Adrianus Both – Aquaculture M.Sc. (C. Parrish/R Thompson) Integration of mussel and finfish aquaculture Marie George- Environmental Science- M.Sc. (C. Parrish) Environmental footprint of marine fish aquaculture Peng Zhao – Environmental Science – M.Sc. (C.Parrish) Growth & biochemical composition of cultured algae Catherine Andrews - Environmental Science - M.Sc. (M. Rise/J. Payne - DFO) Identification of a responsive gene set to evaluate the potential impact of seismic exposure on fish. Larina Carroll- Biology - M.Sc. (M.Rise) Molecular ontogeny of thermal stress response in teleost fish Mitchell Brown-Biochemistry - M.Sc. (M.Rise/V. Booth) Characterization of fish antimicrobial peptides Qingheng Xu – Biology- M.Sc. (M.Rise) Functional genomic research on growth and immunity in triploid salmon Jennica Sieden - M.Sc. - (R. Rivkin) Bacterial dynamics and community structure in ballast water during transoceanic transit Yunyun Fu - M.Sc. (R. Rivkin) Dynamics of DMS consuming bacteria (tentative) Jane Tucker - M.Sc. (R. Rivkin/Lang) Bacterial carbon cycling in the Beaufort Sea Jens Currie – M.Sc . (D. Schneider) General Model of Lobster Fecundity


Jennifer Dawe - M.Sc. (D.Schneider/co supervised) Case study with Wolffish

Jamie Raper – M.Sc. (D Schneider) General Model of Lobster Growth Rate Viviana Ramirez - M.Sc. (D Schneider)

Victoria Burdett-Coutts - Biology - M.Sc. (P. Snelgrove/R. Wahle) Lobster Larvae and Juvenile Recruitment Ashley Robar -Biology-M.Sc. (P. Snelgrove/K.Juniper) Rock movement, species diversity and species richness Sara Best- Environmental Science -M.Sc. (E.Demirov/J.Wroblewski) Hindcasting and forecasting of climatology for Gilbert Bay, Labrador: a Marine Protected Area. Undergraduate Students Krista Oke – Biology – BSc (I.Fleming) Hybridization & GH transgenesis in salmonids

Maria Stapleton – Biology -BSc (P. Gagnon) Light environment and gonad production in green sea urchins Nick Kelly- Biology BSc (K. Gamperl) Ontogeny of Thermal Tolerance in Cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus) and Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Emily Doncaster – Biology – BSc (A. Mercier) Predation on marine invertebrate eggs, embryos and larvae Brian Alcock – Biology – B.Sc. (M.Rise) Functional genomic research on defense relevant transcript expression during cod embryonic development Cathy Whiffen – Biology- B.Sc. (D Schneider) Rebecca Doyle- Biology B.Sc. (P. Snelgrove) The role of light and temperature through larval ontogeny of American lobster (Homarus americanus)" Jeanette Bruce – Biology – B.Sc. (J.Wroblewski) Determining the habitat of 0-group Atlantic cod in Bonne Bay, a fjord within Gros Morne National Park. Newfoundland Visiting Students Ms. Natasha Hynes- Ph.D. University of Tromsø, Tromsø Norway Mr.Mather Carscallen – M.Sc. Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS Ms. Kimberley JohnStone – M.Sc. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC Ms Ciar O’Toole – University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland


Aquaculture Canada 2010 and Cold Harvest 2010 Meeting, St. John’s, NL Canada King, N, Healey R, Tucker D, Hann Haley S, Boyce D. Newfoundland commercial scale Atlantic cod hatchery production technology project – live feed component R.Prickett, D.Boyce, J.Monk, M.Drake, B. Armstrong, and C Canning. Successful partnerships for a sustainable future – Cod juvenile production at the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) 2009-2010

Aquaculture Canada 2010 and Cold Harvest 2010 Meeting, St. John’s, NL Canada Lowen JB, Deibel D, Rise ML, Thompson R, Ma K & McKenzie C. Life-history, population dynamics, diversity, and abundance of Botryllus schlosseri in a sub-arctic environment (Arnold's Cove, Placentia Bay, NL) Ma K, Deibel D & McKenzie CH. Non-indigenous and indigenous ascidians of Newfoundland and Labrador. Aquatic Invasive Species Research & Monitoring Workshop (Maritime Region), Charlottetown, PEI, Canada Lowen JB, Deibel D, Rise ML, Thompson R, Ma K & McKenzie CH. Life-history diversity and abundance of Botryllus schlosseri in a sub-arctic environment (Arnold's Cove, Placentia Bay, NL). Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Committee, St. John's, NL, Canada Lowen JB & Ma K The golden star tunicate in Arnold's Cove, Newfoundland Ma K & Lowen B. Invasive ascidians

9th International Congress on the Biology of Fish, Barcelona, Spain. Ditlecadet D. and Driedzic WR. How do smelt produce glycerol to survive in winter? 26th European Society for Comparative Physiology & Biochemistry, Innsbruck, Austria Driedzic WR. &Ewart KV. Low temperature stress results in glycerol accumulation: function and metabolism.”

Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes Conference, Vancouver BC Canada Fleming IA. The shaping of salmon recovery by reproductive behaviour. Caputo MA, Fleming IA.and Knight T. The migratory behavior of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland. Wilke NF, Fleming IA and O’Reilly P. Populations in peril: early life history response of endangered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations to captive rearing and conservation breeding . ICES Annual Science Conference, Berlin Germany Fleming IA. Cultural invasions: understanding the potential for, and implications of fish escapes from aquaculture. Bjørn PA, Uglem I, Dale T, Kerwath S, Økland F, Nilsen R, Aas K, Fleming IA. and McKinley RS. Movements and spatio-temporal distribution of escaped farmed and local wild Atlantic cod. Department of Animal Ecology, Göteborg University, Sweden. (lecture) Fleming IA. Parental effects on offspring performance & the shaping of populations. INVITED

Aquaculture Canada 2010 and Cold Harvest 2010 Meeting, St. John’s, NL Canada Desjardins M, Fletcher GL, and Le François NR. Hybrid wolffishes and aquaculture considerations

39th Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting, Wilmington, North Carolina USA Gagnon P, Stapleton M, Caines S, Matheson K & Payne M. Towards characterizing the ecological importance of rhodolith beds of Newfoundland and Labrador Caines S & Gagnon P. Population dynamics of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea along coastal Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Matheson K & Gagnon P. Is foraging by the rock crab, Cancer irroratus, affected by the green crab, Carcinus maenas?

Dr. Patrick Gagnon

Dr. Garth Fletcher

Dr. Ian Fleming

Dr. William Driedzic

Dr. Don Deibel

Mr. Danny Boyce (JBARB)

Conferences, Workshops, Invited Lectures


Annual Newfoundland and Labrador Aquatic Invasive Species Steering Committee Meeting. Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. St. John’s, NL, Canada. Caines S & Gagnon P. The state of the Membranipora membranacea invasion in Newfoundland.

Canadian Society of Zoologists Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC. Canada Rodnick KJ, Gamperl AK, Nash GW, and Syme DA. Thermal characteristics of mitochondria from cardiac muscle of Atlantic cod Syme DA, Gamperl AK and Rodnick KJ. Ventricular stiffening may limit cardiac power at low PO2 and high temperature. Alzaid A, Kelly N, Nash GW and Gamperl AK. Ontogenetic effects on thermal tolerance and metabolic depression in fishes Aquaculture 2010: The International Triennial Meeting of the World Aquaculture Society, San Diego, California.USA Gamperl AK, Busby CD, Bailey JA, Perez-Casanova PC and Hall JR. Improving the metabolic and thermal physiology of cage-cultured Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. INVITED Rise ML, Booman M, Feng C, Hori T, Hall J, Rise M, Gamperl AK, Hubert S, Kimball J, Borza T, Bowman S, and Johnson S. Characterizing fish immunomes: targeted gene discovery and microarray-based studies of Atlantic cod responses to pathogens. Hori TS, Rise ML, Johnson SC, Afonso LOB, and Gamperl AK. The stress physiology of Atlantic cod in aquaculture. 9th International Congress on the Biology of Fish, Barcelona, Spain. Gamperl AK, Rodnick KJ, Nash GW and Syme, DA. Re-thinking how high temperatures affect cardiac function in fishes INVITED. APICS Aquaculture and Fisheries Conference. Fredericton, NB, Canada Burt K, Hamoutene D, Perez-Casanova JC, Gamperl AK, Mabrouk G, Lush L, Clarke M, Bungay T, Kenny S and Hobbs K. The Effect of Intermittent Hypoxia on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Preliminary Results on Fish Growth and Immune Response. Burt K, Hamoutene D, Puestow T, Drover D, Samuelson-Abbott S, Gamperl AK and Lush L.

Monitoring of environmental conditions at salmon sites on the South Coast of Newfoundland and Labrador: Emphasis on the occurrence of hypoxia Texas Marine Sciences Institute, Port Aransas TX, US Gamperl AK.An Integrative, Mechanistic, Approach To Determining How North Atlantic Fishes Respond to Environmental Challenges INVITED Atlantic Fish Physiology Conference, St. Andrews NB, Canada Gamperl AK. Environmental Challenges Faced by Atlantic Cod: Basic and Applied Aspects. Keynote Speaker

Canadian Society of Zoologists Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada McGaw IJ. Effects of chronic and acute temperature change on the specific dynamic action and gastric processing in the green shore crab, Carcinus maenas. Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, BC, Canada Invited Seminar:

12th Deep-sea Biology Symposium, Reykjavik, Iceland Mercier A, Sun Z and Hamel J-F. Reproductive periodicity, spawning and development of the deep-sea scleractinian coral Flabellum angular. MercierA, Schofield M, and Hamel J-F. Evidence of dietary feedback in a facultative association between deep-sea gastropods and sea anemones. Sun Z, Hamel J-F & Mercier A. Planulation patterns, larval development, settlement and early growth of deep-sea octocorals from the northwest International Conference on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, Prague, Czech Republic Doyle G, Hamel J-F & Mercier A. Novel gametogenic maturity stage index for the quantitative study of reproductive synchrony in marine invertebrates. Doyle G, Hamel J-F & Mercier A. Influence of environmental factors and spatial distribution on the reproduction of the brittle star Ophiopholis aculeata (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea)

Dr. Annie Mercier

Dr. Iain McGaw

Dr. Kurt Gamperl


Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network, Ottawa, ON Canada Parrish CC. Effect of finfish aquaculture operations on biochemical composition of particulate matter, algae and molluscs. INVITED Aquaculture Canada 2010 and Cold Harvest 2010 Meeting, St. John’s, NL Canada SESSION CHAIR Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture. Both A, Parrish C, Penney R, Thompson R. Physical and biochemical properties of particles released from an onshore Atlantic cod Gadus morhua aquaculture facility in the context of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture 55th Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference,St. John's, NL Canada SESSION CHAIR Aquaculture and Environment. Parrish CC, Westelmajer SKM, Clarke MJR, and Rowsell NJ.Variation in lipids and amino acids in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) during ontogeny from unfertilized eggs to fully weaned larvae Clarke M, Parrish CC, and Penney RW. Lipids, fatty acids and free amino acids as indicators of egg and larval viability in Atlantic cod George EM, and Parrish CC. Organic footprint and composition of particles from marine finfish aquaculture Operations Zhao,P and Parrish CC. Effect of finfish aquaculture operations on biochemical composition and growth of algae. Poster World Aquaculture Society, Veracruz, Mexico, Both, A., Parrish C, Penney R & Thompson R. Physical and biochemical properties of effluent from an onshore Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) aquaculture facility in the context of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture.

American Fisheries Society 139th Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee. USA Hori TS, Rise ML, Afonso L, Johnson SC, and Gamperl AK. Advancements in understanding the stress physiology of Atlantic cod. INVITED Rise ML, Booman M, Hall JR, Rise M, Hori TS, Feng CY, Browne M, Gamperl AK, Hubert S, Kimball J, Bowman S, and Johnson SC Functional genomic

research on Atlantic cod anti-viral immune responses. Canadian Society of Zoologists Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada Rise ML, Booman M, Hori TS, Feng CY, Hall JR, Browne M, Gamperl AK, Rise M, Hubert S, Kimball J, Borza T, Bowman S, and Johnson SC. Functional genomic studies of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) defense responses. Feng CY and Rise ML. Characterization and expression analyses of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2-like genes NR-13, Mcl-1, Bcl-X1, and Bcl-X2 in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Aquaculture 2010: The International Triennial Meeting of the World Aquaculture Society, San Diego, California,USA Rise ML, Booman M, Feng C, Hori T, Hall J, Rise M, Gamperl AK, Hubert S, Kimball J, Borza T, Bowman S, and Johnson S. Characterizing fish immunomes: targeted gene discovery and microarray-based studies of Atlantic cod responses to pathogens. Hori TS, Rise ML, Johnson SC, Afonso LOB, and Gamperl AK. The stress physiology of Atlantic cod in Aquaculture – use of genomic tools to improve our understanding of the impacts of stress. Plant and Animal Genomes XVIII Conference (Aquaculture Workshop), San Diego, California,USA. Rise ML, Hori TS, Feng CY, Hall JR, Booman M, Gamperl AK, Rise M, Hubert S, Kimball J, Bowman S, and Johnson SC. Functional genomic research on Atlantic cod responses to heat stress and immune stimuli. Booman M, Borza T, Hori TS, Feng CY, Higgins B, Hall JR, Rise M, Gamperl AK, Hubert S, Kimball J, Johnson SC, Bowman S, and Rise ML. Development of an Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) oligonucleotide microarray and its use for studying cod tissue global gene expression responses to immune stimuli. 9th International Congress on the Biology of Fish, Barcelona, Spain. Hori TS, Rise ML, Booman M, Johnson SC, Bowman S, Borza T, and Gamperl AK. Microarray analyses of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) spleen transcriptomic responses to elevated temperature and intraperitoneal injection of the viral mimic polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (pIC).

Dr. Matthew Rise

Dr. Chris Parrish

Aquaculture Canada 2010 and Cold Harvest 2010 Meeting, St. John’s, NL,Canada Hori TS, Rise ML, Johnson SC, Booman M, Afonso LOB, Bowman S, and Gamperl AK. Using DNA microarrays to investigate the immune and stress responses of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Booman M, Borza T, Hori TS, Feng CY, Higgins B, Hall JR, Rise M, Gamperl AK, Hubert S, Kimball J, Johnson SC, Bowman S, and Rise ML. Development of an Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) oligonucleotide microarray and its validation in a study of cod spleen global gene expression responses to stimulation with formalin-killed atypical Aeromonas salmonicida. Bowman S, Borza T, Higgins B, Hubert S, Simpson G, Stone, C, Hastings C, Vander Voort GE, Garber A, Booman M, Rise ML, Trippel E, Rise M &Robinson A. Applying genomics to the analysis of traits in Atlantic cod Rise, M, Gamperl AK , Johnson SC , Rise ML et al Overview of the Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project (CGP) 1st Canadian Comparative Immunology and Pathology Workshop, Waterloo, ON,Canada Booman M, Borza T, Hori TS, Feng CY, Higgins B, Hall JR, Rise M, Gamperl AK, Hubert S, Kimball J, Johnson SC, Bowman S, and Rise ML. Development of an Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) oligonucleotide microarray and its validation using a study of cod spleen global gene expression responses to stimulation with formalin-killed atypical Aeromonas salmonicida

Marine Ecosystem Model Intercomparison Project Workshop. Cambridge UK. RIVKIN, RB. Use of global scale databases in climate modeling

CoML Scientific Steering Committee, Synthesis Group Meeting, Monaco INVITEDCoML Scientific Steering Committee, Synthesis Group Meeting, Goa, India INVITED

International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Benthic Ecology Working group,EdgwaterMD, USA.INVITE Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, Quebec City, PQ. Canada Chair: Marine Biodiversity in the 21st Century: Making Ocean Life Count INVITED Ottawa Commons Group – Oceans Day Discussion, Ottawa, ON Canada INVITED INDEEP (International Deep-Sea Ecosystems) Workshop, New Orleans, LA, USA INVITED NOAA Howard Lab Seminar Series Sandy Hook, NJ USA Mobilizing Marine Biodiversity Research: The Canadian Healthy Oceans Network INVITED PICES (North Pacific Marine Science Organization) 2010 Meeting. Portland OR. USA Census of Marine Life - Exploring ocean life: Past, present and future INVITED

World Aquaculture Society, Veracruz, Mexico, Both, A, Parrish C, Penney R & Thompson R. Physical and biochemical properties of effluent from an onshore Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) aquaculture facility in the context of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture.

APICS Environmental Studies Conference, St. John’s, NL Canada Best S, Lundrigan S, Demirov E and Wroblewski J. Interannual variability of atmospheric and oceanographic characteristics of a Marine Protected Area in Labrador,Canada.

Wroblewski, J. Presentation to MUN Administration on the Cluster-Theme “Environment” at the consultation sessions on research strengths for the Memorial University Research Plan

Dr. Joe Wroblewski

Dr. Ray Thompson

Dr. Paul Snelgrove

Dr. Richard Rivkin


Faculty Profiles

Dr. Mark Abrahams http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~abrahamslab http://www.mun.ca/osc/mabrahams/bio.php Research Interests Dr. Abrahams’ research focuses on predator-prey interactions involving fishes. Current research examines several questions. How do fish integrate information from multiple senses when making decisions involving the risk of predation? For a fish as a predator to consume its prey, it must normally be much larger than its prey. What are the physiological and ecological costs associated with this variation in size, and how does it affect their ability to use different microhabitats? Dr. Abrahams is also working with genetically modified fish that have had their growth rates dramatically altered. These animals are very useful for gaining insight into the costs and benefits associated with different growth rates. This research area also allows him to begin studying the potential environmental risk posed by these animals. Research Overview and Highlights 2008-2009 Impact of the physical environment- Majority of Dr. Abrahams research is conducted in relatively shallow, freshwater systems. These habitats experience tremendous fluctuations in the physical environment, particularly with respect to temperature, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that there is considerable variation in the ability of predator and prey species to withstand different levels of dissolved oxygen. Earlier research in his lab has also shown that turbidity can alter the relative importance of different types of information used by fish in these ecosystems. This is of particular interest since there is considerable variation between species in their ability to use different sensory modalities. Experiments are also currently investigating the role of temperature and how it affects interactions between predators and their prey. Lake Sturgeon- An ongoing theme in Dr. Abrahams’ laboratory is to identify parameters that affect habitat quality. His work with lake sturgeon applies this goal to a conservation objective: determining the parameters that are important for the conservation of Lake Sturgeon. The work is collaboration with Drs. Gary Anderson and Steve Peake (University of New Brunswick). Their objective is to identify the specific environmental features that are required for Lake Sturgeon to survive in the Assiniboine and Winnipeg Rivers. Research includes identification of diet preferences, substrate types, their interaction, and the potential effects of competitors and predators. Population Models- Using individual-based population models, Dr. Abrahams’ lab seek to determine the potential population dynamics that are associated with individual characteristics such as physiology and behaviour. They hope that this approach will be an especially valuable tool for better understanding the population level consequences of genetic manipulations.


Dr. Don Deibel

http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~ddeibel

http://www.mun.ca/osc/ddeibel/bio.php Research Interests I am interested in the behavioural and physiological ecology of marine invertebrates with applications to simulation modeling, global climate change and the ecology of invasive species. In particular, I determine the role of zooplankton in marine ecosystems, including planktonic tunicates and suprabenthic zooplankton. Recently, I have been focusing on seasonal dynamics of lipids and fatty acids to determine the response of zooplankton to phytoplankton blooms and to elucidate seasonal cycles of reproduction and energy storage. My work on invasive species is focused on two non-native ascidian tunicates that we have found in some harbours on the south coast of insular Newfoundland. Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 We have achieved several significant highlights in our invasive species project in Arnold's Cove, Placentia Bay. We have determined that seasonal windows for asexual growth and sexual reproduction are much shorter in Newfoundland than in the more temperate environments from which these invasive tunicates originated. This suggests that time may be the limiting resource for invasive ascidians in Newfoundland, and that our long winters may limit their explosive growth into problematic densities. This may also explain the observation of invasive populations on the south coast (longer growing season) but none on the northeast and north coasts (shorter growing season). Sexual reproduction and larval recruitment occur in August and September, which may be exploited in the future to help government managers control the spread of invasive tunicates in Newfoundland. A related highlight is that we determined that experimental mitigation of the violet tunicate in Belleoram, Newfoundland, was largely ineffective, due to extensive regrowth of this invasive species in areas immediately adjacent to the mitigation site. This information is of great value to governmental managers attempting to control the spread of the violet tunicate in Newfoundland, and is of great interest scientifically because it suggests that this species may be capable of recruiting to new habitat by colony fragmentation. A significant highlight of our work with the pelagic tunicate Oikopleura vanhoeffeni in Conception Bay was our discovery that this animal has an annual life cycle in Newfoundland coastal waters. It reproduces during the spring diatom bloom, a time of maximum food concentration but minimum temperatures. This information has fundamental theoretical implications for the life history of this animal. Furthermore, our calculations indicate that O. vanhoeffeni is among the major secondary producers of Newfoundland coastal waters, which has not been taken into account previously in conceptual and computer simulation models of Newfoundland marine food webs. It is worth pointing out that O. vanhoeffeni has a pan-Arctic distribution, indicating the value of the Ocean Sciences Centre as a land base for doing field and laboratory work on species with polar distributions.


Dr. William Driedzic http://www.mun.ca/osc/wdriedzic/bio.php Research Interests Research activities continue to focus on energy metabolism, especially under conditions of low temperature and low oxygen, in marine fish and other selected species. The new information generated provides an intellectual connect from molecular biology, through biochemistry and to physiological ecology. In another context, our studies are setting the stage for practical and powerful applications in the area of marine biomedicine. Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 Antifreeze mechanisms in fish: Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) live at water temperatures in winter that approach the freeze point of sea water. They are able to avoid death by accumulating glycerol to 300-400 times higher than summer levels. Glycerol is a small molecule similar to chemicals that are added to car radiators in the winter and serves as an antifreeze. As spring approaches glycerol levels in all tissues decreases. We have recently shown that much of the glycerol is lost to the water via simple diffusion across the gills and skin but some of the glycerol is recaptured in the liver and converted to glucose. This is achieved in part by increased activities of the first two enzymes and increased expression of the genes leading to the production of these enzymes in the metabolism of glycerol by liver. These studies which address how glycerol levels are managed are important in understanding the physiological ecology of rainbow smelt, a dominant species in the marine food web. In addition, glycerol metabolism is a metabolic process that is the target of recent therapies for type II diabetes. Understanding how the genes are regulated is critical to drug development. Glucose uptake mechanisms in fish: Most animal cells utilize glucose at least to some extent as a metabolic fuel. Under conditions when oxygen is limiting glucose is utilized by all cells and results in lactate production. Glucose enters cells via facilitated diffusion through glucose transporters. Glucose entry is therefore determined by the concentration difference across the cell membrane and the nature of the glucose transporters. In mammals, glucose levels are tightly regulated both amongst and within species at around 5 mM. But in fish levels may range on a species specific basis from 0.2 to 10 mM. We question how glucose can enter cells when the extracellular level is very low. This problem is being addressed by assessing glucose uptake in fish red blood cells. Isolated RBCs from sculpin (a low blood glucose species) show higher rates of uptake than RBCs from Atlantic salmon (a high blood glucose species) when extracellular glucose is low. We are now attempting to learn what mechanisms the sculpin uses to allow glucose to enter cells a very low glucose gradients. Protein degradation in cephalopods. The cephalopods (e.g. squid, octopus, Sepia) are amongst the fastest growing organisms on land or sea. These animals feed on protein rich diets, synthesize protein at fast rates and achieve fast growth by having minimal rates of protein degradation. Also, body reserves of fat and carbohydrate are minimal. A consequence of this metabolic strategy is that when food deprived they must use body protein and as such, present a model system to study the activation of protein degradation mechanisms. We have initiated experiments with Sepia officinalis, the common cuttlefish, as this species can be maintained in captivity for extensive periods of time without food. We have found that one of the first responses to food deprivation is an increased expression of one of the genes involved in protein breakdown via the proteosome assembly. This finding will lead to insights into how protein degradation is controlled.


Dr. Ian Fleming http://www.mun.ca/osc/ifleming/index.php http://www.mun.ca/osc/ifleming/bio.php Research Interests

The research in my laboratory addresses fundamental questions about the way in which animals respond to their environment (phenotypically and evolutionarily) and aims to provide a foundation for the understanding of central issues in biological conservation and management. It focuses on the behavioural and evolutionary ecology of fishes, with an emphasis on breeding system evolution, life history diversity, phenotypic plasticity, maternal effects, survival strategies, and cultured (i.e. hatchery, farmed and transgenic) and wild fish interactions in the context of fisheries management and conservation. It examines the role of behavioural and life history diversity in the dynamics of fish populations and the links among reproductive patterns, early life history and population processes. We use a range of scientific approaches from controlled laboratory experiments to large-scale field experiments, as well as more theoretical studies.

Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 Darek Moreau, PhD student, finalized analyses related to assessing ecological risks associated with the

farming of growth-hormone transgenic Atlantic salmon. PhD student, Nate Wilke, continued his investigations into the response of endangered Atlantic salmon

populations to inadvertent domestication during captive rearing and conservation breeding. The focus of the past year’s activities was on parentage analyses using DNA microsatellites to document performance of different experimental groups in the wild.

Peter Westley, PhD student, undertook further research using brown trout introduced to Newfoundland as a model system to investigate key unresolved issues in evolutionary theory related to the role of adaptive plasticity in invasion dynamics and contemporary evolution. The primary activity was a reciprocal transplant experiment to directly test the adaptive significance of trait expression differences in wild populations and the role of phenotypic plasticity. Associated with this was the launch of collaboration with University College Cork and the Irish Marine Institute to investigate the population genetic structure and invasion history of the Newfoundland brown trout. As part of the collaboration, Ciar O’Toole, a University College Cork PhD student, joined our laboratory for two months during the summer of 2010. We also continued our analyses, led my MSc student Michelle Caputo, into the migratory histories and behaviour at sea of brook trout from two distinct populations in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland; one where the river enters a protected fjord and the other, open ocean. An interdisciplinary approach was used, integrating acoustic telemetry, physical tagging, otolith microchemistry, and fishermen surveys to quantify and contrast migratory behaviours.

This past year also saw the initiation of new projects, including one to assess and mitigate risk from a diversifying aquaculture industry, with a focus on the potential for interaction between escapee and wild Atlantic cod. A new PhD student to the laboratory, Brendan Wringe, is leading investigations into potential for interbreeding between wild and escapee cod, the factors that lead to successful fertilization and the implications of hybridization among populations. Another new project led by Becky Graham, a new MSc student to the laboratory, involves a series of experiments to quantify the importance of wild exposure and alternative reproductive phenotypes in the success of salmon reintroduction for the reestablishment of endangered populations. There was also the Honours thesis research of Krista Oke that was initiated to explore the transmission of a transgene via hybridization between genetically modified Atlantic salmon and brown trout, and its ecological consequences. Finally, we undertook a field study to quantify how competition between Atlantic salmon and invasive brown trout is manifested across varying geographical scales, and its implications for the conservation of native freshwater fishes in Newfoundland.


Dr. Patrick Gagnon

http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~pgagnon/ http://www.mun.ca/osc/pagagnon/bio.php Research Interests Research in my laboratory (COBEL, Cold Ocean Benthic Ecology Lab) aims to elucidate the structure and function of subtidal marine ecosystems in subarctic and temperate regions with current emphasis on shallow rocky ecosystems of eastern Canada. It investigates how natural environmental variability and anthropogenic disturbances affect growth, survival, behavior, and interactions of a variety of native and invasive macro-organisms (mainly invertebrates and seaweeds). Our approach combines field and laboratory experiments and observations carried out using scuba diving, underwater videography, wave tanks, remote sensors (airborne and satellite), and GIS tools to extract and merge information across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 Effects of environmental variability on species interactions - Marine organisms inhabiting shallow subtidal habitats exhibit a range of morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations to cope with changes in the abiotic environment. Marine invertebrates, in particular echinoderms, gastropods, and decapod crustaceans are ubiquitous in such environments where they can exert strong functional and structural influence. This research component investigates individual and combined effects of changes in abiotic factors including wave energy, salinity, water temperature, and light on behavioral repertoire, growth, and reproductive output of dominant benthic invertebrates. Recent work conducted by NSERC USRA and Honors student Maria Stapleton indicate that changes in light quality and quantity have very little effect on feeding and production of gonad and somatic tissues in the green sea urchin and warns caution about inferring reproductive outputs in natural populations from laboratory experiments. Studies of competitive interactions between native (Cancer irroratus) and invasive (Carcinus maenas) crabs by MSc candidate Kyle Matheson suggest size- and species-dependent effects of temperature on prey capture success. Overall, our results increase our understanding of niche restriction in marine invertebrates, while providing valuable insights about their capacity to regulate the structure of subtidal ecosystems. Ecology and ecosystem impacts of marine invasive species - Human-mediated introductions of non-indigenous species to coastal ecosystems accelerate on a global scale. This raises concerns about potential threats that these species pose to the biodiversity and integrity of marine communities. Numerous marine benthic and epiphytic species have been introduced to eastern Canada over the last two decades, including the kelp-encrusting bryozoan Membranipora membranacea and the green seaweed, Codium fragile ssp. fragile. Interestingly, more than 10 years have elapsed between the time those two aliens were introduced to the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia (invasion epicenter) and the time they colonized the coast of NL where they have been observed only recently. The population dynamics of M. membranacea has been examined carefully at sites spanning a latitudinal gradient of 500+ km on the west coast of Newfoundland and southern tip of Labrador by MSc candidate Scott Caines. Results to date highlight the scale-dependent variation that exists in settlement, recruitment, and growth of this bryozoan while identifying areas of particular vulnerability to invasion. This research is conducted in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and is partly funded by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture of NL (DFA) and the Institute for Biodiversity, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability (IBES).


Dr. Kurt Gamperl http://remote.osc.mun.ca/kgamperl http://www.mun.ca/osc/agamperl/bio.php

Research Interests:

Dr. Gamperl is a physiologist whose goal is to understand how environmental and physiological variables interact to affect fish biology. This research uses a multi-level (whole animal, organ/tissue, cellular, genomic) approach to test hypotheses about how environmental conditions (temperature, oxygen, domestication) affect metabolism, swimming performance, cardiovascular function and stress physiology, and how life history and ecology influence the design of physiological systems.

Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 Over the past year, Dr. Gamperl’s research program has made significant strides in understanding how temperature affects fish physiology. Ph.D. student Ms. Isabel Costa showed, using isolated microvessels, that temperature has a large effect on the capacity of various hormones / substances to control trout coronary vascular resistance and that the immune system (specifically the cytokine interleukin-1ß) may play a significant role in cardiovascular collapse at high temperatures. Honours student, Nick Kelly and M.Sc. student Abdullah Alzaid have been studying the temperature-related biology of cunner, a species of fish that goes into metabolic depression in Newfoundland during the winter. Their research has revealed several novel insights into this species’ biology. For example: the temperature at which metabolic depression is initiated, and the degree of metabolic depression, are age- (size-) specific; and although their normally low metabolic rate allows them to withstand short exposures to high temperatures (~ 26 – 28oC), they appear to be chronically stressed by long-term exposure to temperatures of 10oC. This latter data suggests that this species’ adaptation to the cold has resulted in physiological tradeoffs. Ph.D. student Tiago Hori (Co-supervised by Dr. Matt Rise) has continued his functional genomics research into understanding the influence of high temperatures on the stress response and immune function of cultured Atlantic cod. His most recent experiments show that while cod have a rapid immune response to a viral-like stimulus at 16oC, the magnitude of this response is short-lived, and of a lesser magnitude than at 10oC. This data might help to explain why significant mortalities have been observed at cod aquaculture cage-sites at elevated temperatures (> 15oC).


Dr. Iain McGaw

http://www.mun.ca/osc/ijmcgaw/bio.php

Research Interests

My research program focuses on the ecophysiology of crustaceans. The results of these studies produce solid scientific research but can also be directly applied to the fisheries and aquaculture industry in Newfoundland Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 I have been setting up and renovating my new lab at OSC during the past year. Here we will work on physiological and behavioural responses of hatchery raised juvenile lobsters. I am hoping to start collaborative research with the FFAW and NAIA on this project and apply for funding through the NSERC strategic grants program. I also completed work on how crustaceans and echinoderms balance the demands of physiological processes when they feed and digest during environmental perturbations. I now have a fully functional lab and 3 new graduate students will join my lab in the 2010-2011 year.


Dr Annie Mercier

http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~amercier/ http://www.mun.ca/osc/amercier/bio.php Research Interests Dr. Mercier’s research is primarily focused on the fundamental and applied aspects of benthic invertebrate ecology. Her studies are centered on echinoderms, cnidarians, mollusks and crustaceans from tropical and cold waters, and from the deep sea. Dr. Mercier typically combines laboratory and field experiments, mixing investigations at the behavioural level with microscopic/molecular analyses and environmental assessments. Her specific areas of expertise include: 1) the chronobiology of reproduction with emphasis on the role of exogenous and endogenous factors and inter-individual chemical communication in the fine-tuning of gametogenesis and spawning; 2) other aspects of the reproductive cycle: spawning, gamete dispersion, larval development, settlement cues, juvenile growth and ecology; 3) interactions such as pairing and aggregative patterns, prey-predator responses, parasitism, symbiosis; 4) conservation and management of commercial species of invertebrates Research Overview and Highlights 2009 – 2010 Control of reproduction and growth. A major component of my present research focuses on the

internal and external stimuli that govern reproduction, growth and activity cycles in marine invertebrates. While providing new tools for the study of marine chemical ecology, the program strives toward a comprehensive understanding of benthic ecosystems in terms of reproductive strategies and success at the individual and population levels. As a leader in this field, I recently published a book on the endogenous and exogenous factors that control gametogenesis and spawning in echinoderms in Advances in Marine Biology (2009, Academic Press/Elsevier).

Deep-sea biology. Breakthroughs continue to be made by my team in the maintenance and reproduction of deep-sea invertebrates. We have now successfully kept, reproduced, settled and grown several species, leading to numerous journal publications. Findings from recently completed MSc thesis on deep-sea corals and Honours dissertation on deep-sea whelks are also being published. Facilities will soon be developed at the OSC for the maintenance of deep-sea organisms in pressurized tanks which will further enhance our research in this field.

Conservation and management of holothurians. Work continues in this area in collaboration with FAO and IUCN. I was invited by the latter to participate in the first Sea Cucumber Red List Workshop in Colombia in May 2009. I am also involved in local initiatives with the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DFA) and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).


Dr. Chris Parrish http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~cparrish http://www.mun.ca/osc/cparrish/bio.php

Research Interests

Our studies lie at the interface of chemistry and biology in the area of aquatic lipid research. We work on food webs, aquaculture, and analytical techniques.

Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010

Food webs - We found that various strategies are used to sequester essential fatty acids and high energy algal lipids in different trophic levels in cold ocean environments where lipid fluxes are seasonally high but sediment lipid concentrations are low. Differences often occur among taxa within a phylum and even within orders. Together these strategies may optimize use of the sinking spring diatom bloom for the entire community. Working with colleagues in DFO, we used fatty acid biomarkers to show feeding differences in Calanus finmarchicus. Smaller copepodites had a greater proportion of biomarkers for dinoflagellates and prymnesiophytes and those collected near the coast had higher levels of biomarkers indicative of terrestrial input in their diet. Working with colleagues in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the opposite coast, we made a very surprising discovery of the apparent ability of Pacific cod eggs and larvae to synthesize ‘essential’ fatty acids de novo.

Fish nutrition - We continue to work on lipids and amino acids in finfish aquaculture. We looked at the variation in lipid classes, fatty acids and amino acids in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) during ontogeny from unfertilized eggs to fully weaned larvae. We correlated lipid and amino acid contents with fertilization success, hatching success, and egg morphology, and we then compared the levels with larval growth and survival. We were able to document the importance of lipid and amino acid structural compounds (phospholipids, nervonic acid, hydroxyproline, lysine, docosapentaenoic acid) and to show that their importance varies during ontogeny. These results are important for the nutritional management of broodstock and larvae.

We also investigated lipid nutrition in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The study was conducted at different temperatures to determine the effect of substitution with flax seed or sunflower seed oil on trout growth, disease status, biochemical composition and biophysical response (membrane fluidity). Lipid results indicate that replacement of ⅔ of the long-chain (C20 - C22) n-3 PUFA for 12 weeks caused only a ¼ drop in C20 - C22 n-3 PUFA in trout muscle. Also, growth, mortality and growth efficiently were not significantly affected.

Analytical Chemistry - The instrumentation we work with includes gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (MS). We have developed a sensitive method to profile neutral lipids in individual fish larvae by GC. We also developed a GC method to determine free amino acids in fish eggs and larvae. Finally, GC/MS was used to differentiate large C30 - C34 phytoplankton sterols and to show that scallops discriminated against some of them when provided in their diets.


Dr. Matthew Rise

http://www.mun.ca/osc/mlrise/bio.php

Research Interests

Building and using fish genomics resources. As the Canada Research Chair (tier 2) in Marine Biotechnology at the Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) of Memorial University, much of my research has focused on the construction and use of genomics tools for studying the molecular basis of fish stress and immune responses. Due to the importance of salmonids and Atlantic cod to global fisheries and aquaculture industries, my research has focused on these species.


Functional genomics research on Atlantic cod defense responses. I have been integrally involved in the Genome Canada-funded Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project (CGP). I have led the functional genomics components of the CGP, overseeing research activities related to targeted gene discovery, microarray development and quality testing, and microarray application. This research has dramatically improved the characterization of Atlantic cod genes that respond to pathogens (e.g. viral, bacterial, fungal) or environmental stress (e.g. heat stress). Because of the success of this research, Canada is now a leader in the area of large-scale functional genomics studies of Atlantic cod defense responses. I have been involved in the development of the CGP’s Atlantic cod expressed sequence tag (EST) database (containing ~ 160,000 ESTs), the largest collection of cod expressed (transcript) sequences in the world. In addition, I have played a central role in the design and development of a 20,000-gene (20K) Atlantic cod oligonucleotide microarray that was built and quality tested during the past year. Our 20K microarray platform is an important new tool for cod functional genomics research, and is currently being used in my laboratory to study: 1) cod egg, embryonic, and larval transcriptomes (to identify molecular biomarkers of superior egg quality, and to study the ontogeny of defense relevant transcript expression during early development); and 2) cod global transcript expression responses to immune stimuli (e.g. pathogens or pathogen mimics), environmental stress (e.g. heat stress), and combinations of stressors (e.g. heat stress and immune stimuli).

Functional genomics research on Atlantic salmon responses to pathogens. Infectious diseases kill millions of salmon each year. I use functional genomics methods to improve our understanding of host molecular pathways altered by infection. With my collaborators and trainees, I study salmon global gene expression responses to pathogens such as Piscirickettisa salmonis and infectious salmon anemia virus. These studies have revealed host molecular pathways altered during contact with pathogens, and may lead to the development of novel tools to combat emerging infectious diseases of fish.

Gene expression profiling of growth hormone (GH) transgenic salmon. I lead the functional genomics components of an Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) supported project entitled ‘Reproductive Confinement for the Safe Cultivation of Genetically Improved Lines of Atlantic Salmon’ [collaboration with academic (MUN, UNB), government (NRC, DFO) and industry (AquaBounty Canada, PEI) scientists]. This research builds on collaborative work with Dr. Robert Devlin (DFO) involving the use of functional genomics to study the impact of growth rate, growth hormone (GH) transgenesis, ration level, and domestication on gene expression in coho salmon tissues. In the AquaBounty AIF project, DNA microarrays and other functional genomics tools are used to identify Atlantic salmon tissue (e.g. liver, skeletal muscle, brain, spleen) genes that are associated at the transcript expression level with traits of interest to the aquaculture industry (e.g. rapid growth rate, or robust response to immune stimuli).


Dr. Richard Rivkin http://www.mun.ca/osc/rrivkin/bio.php Research Interests Dr. Rivkin has internationally recognized research programs studying the microbial food web dynamics and their influence on the cycling of organic material on ocean-climate interactions. His research studies the physiological ecology of phytoplankton and microbial food web processes in temperate and tropical oceans and in the Antarctic. His research has expanded into assessing and modeling the role of microbes in controlling oceanic biogeochemistry at global scales, and their effects on ocean-climate interactions. Simply stated, his research is at the critical interface between microbial ecology, ocean biogeogeochemistry and climate! Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 Microbial dynamics in the World Ocean: This program combines field measurements with large scale meta-analysis of published information on microbial processes. -We have developed predictive models to estimate critical model parameter from remotely sensed ocean surface properties incorporating them into predictive modes of ocean-climate interactions. - Using meta-analyses contributed key parameters of microbial carbon transfer and incorporated them into coupled-ocean-biogeochemical models. - Developed conceptual models to better understand the factors influencing the microbial transformations of carbon in the mesopelagic region of the World Oceans. Microbial control on the cycling of trace elements and gases in the Arctic. SOLAS characterizes the flux of climate active properties between the ocean and atmosphere whereas Geotraces characterizes the elemental transformation (including those that are influenced by and in turn influence climate processes) of major and trace elements from the surface ocean to ~3000m. Major findings include: -Distinct patterns of bacterial abundance, production and growth are related to water mass structure in both the Eastern and Western Arctic and the Beaufort Sea. -Bacterial growth in the Eastern Arctic is not limited by the availability of organic or inorganic nutrients. -Bacterial abundance and biomass but not production or growth rate remain relatively high throughout the water column, to over 3000m in the Beaufort Sea. -Predictive models are being developed to constrain microbial mediated air-sea fluxes of climate active gases. Microbial dynamics in ballast water. This program documented the delivery, in ballast water of bacteria to ports on the East and West coasts of Canada and in the Great Lakes. Major findings include: - Bacterial abundance in receiving port water was three-to-four-fold higher than that in ballast water. Ballast water not exchanged at sea showed higher bacterial abundance than ballast water exchanged at sea. -Bacterial community structure, as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization, showed that the bacterial communities did not differ among ballast waters types or experienced different ballast operations. However, bacterial communities differed between ballast and port water. -Bacterial abundances decreased and community structure changed with ballast water age. There was no relationship between bacterial abundance and any measured ballast water environmental (temperature, pH etc) variable at the time of deballasting -There is a significant positive relationship between bacterial abundance and temperature , and a significant inverse relationship between bacterial abundance and dissolved oxygen concentrations .When both temperature and dissolved oxygen are included in a multiple regression, ,changes in these two factors explained ~60% of the change in bacterial abundances. This means that we can predict the bacterial abundances in ballast tanks from temperature and oxygen concentrations.


Dr. David Schneider http://www.mun.ca/osc/dschneider/ http://www.mun.ca/osc/dschneide/bio.php Research Interests The problem of scale in environmental biology is that pressing problems are often at the scale of decades and entire ecosystems, while measurements are usually constrained to small areas and brief periods. Patterns and process that prevail at small scales do not necessarily prevail at large scales. Consequently, effects at large scales cannot necessarily be computed from local measurements, including almost all experimental manipulations. Examples include habitat loss, fish stock collapses, and contaminant release into the air and the oceans. Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 Eelgrass habitat and predator avoidance by juvenile fish. Juvenile marine fish often inhabit nursery areas consisting of structurally complex environments. Laboratory and field experiments have demonstrated that predation risk on small fish is reduced in such environments compared to less complex barren environs. A field study of age 0 Atlantic cod (first year of life) showed that abundance depends more on structural complexity than on amount of eelgrass.

Lobster Biology and Fishery Sustainability. In Atlantic Canada, the lobster fishery has a landed value of $ 550 million/year, and has long been a mainstay of inshore fishers. In Newfoundland, the industry has undertaken a number of measures aimed at sustainable harvest, notably v-notching, the adoption of a maximum size limit in 4 fishing areas, and locally-supported closed areas within one of these areas and three other fishing areas. A planning video conference in May 2009 brought together recognized experts from Maine, DFO scientists and managers, and FFAW collaborators. V-notching is clearly effective. In an analysis of over 32,000 female lobsters, Vnotched lobsters accounted for 6.8% of the catch, and 42% of the estimated egg production. The results were reported in the newsletter of the Eastport Marine Protected Area (Coastal Current (Vol 7 Issue 3, July 2010). Details can be found at:www.curra.ca/documents/Goetting-Effects_of_V-Notching-web_version.pdf. Over a 12 year period, egg production per female and density were consistently higher in a closed area (Eastport Marine Protected Area) than in adjacent areas. Future work will use the ratio of reproductive to economic value to evaluate the efficacy of conservation initiatives by the Newfoundland lobster fishery.


Dr. Paul Snelgrove http://remote.osc.mun.ca/psnelgrove/MBEL_index.html http://www.mun.ca/osc/psnelgrov/bio.php Research Interests Dr. Snelgrove’s interests include marine community ecology, larval ecology and connectivity of fish and benthic invertebrates, biodiversity, hydrodynamic effects on benthic communities and populations, deep-sea ecology, coral reef ecology, disturbance and anthropogenic impacts, marine conservation.


Dr. Snelgrove’s lab continued to publish work (Bradbury et al. 2009, 2010; Warren et al. 2010) that shows how dispersal and habitat suitability for different stages of cod eggs, larvae, and juveniles in Newfoundland coastal waters have profound impacts on which local cod populations will contribute to future generations. This information is critical in determining which populations and locations require the greatest level of protection to ensure sustainable fisheries. It can also be generalized to some degree to other species with similar reproductive biology (Bradbury et al. 2010). The interaction between ocean circulation and success of larvae extends to lobster, where our lab has shown (Lillis et al. 2010) that lobster larval settlement is influenced by bottom flow and that settlement is stalled in low flow areas because larvae are not strong swimmers and bottom flow helps to expose them to a wider range of preferred habitat. Dr. Snelgrove also participated in a major review of knowledge on marine biodiversity in Canada that identified major gaps in taxonomic groups (e.g. microbes, seafloor invertebrates) and geographic locations (Arctic, deep-sea), and raised concern over taxonomic capacity in Canadian institutions. (Archambault et al. 2010). This review will play a key role in a pending Royal Society of Canada report on marine biodiversity in Canada The Snelgrove lab was also part of a study (Katz et al. 2009) that suggests organisms feeding at the seafloor may fundamentally impact the rates at which silica is released from sediments, which in turn links fishing intensity to primary production and suggests a potential “top down” role for fishes that disturb the seafloor and may therefore indirectly enhance the base of the food chain that supports them.


Dr. Ray Thompson http://www.mun.ca/osc/rthompson/bio.php

Research Interests Dr. Thompson’s interests centre on the physiological ecology of marine invertebrates, particularly bivalve mollusks, such as mussels and scallops. The major focus is the response of the organism to a food supply that varies both seasonally and over the short – term (e.g., tidal cycles and storm – driven changes). Such variation is reflected in physiological rate processes such as feeding, digestion and respiration, and in the partitioning of available energy between growth and reproduction. Future work will be directed towards more sensitive estimates of the diet, especially qualitative factors that have thus far received little attention. Dr. Thompson is also collaborating with biological and physical oceanographers at the OSC in a study of the formation and fate of the spring bloom in a large Newfoundland bay. Results to date indicate that, in some years, much of the phytoplankton production sinks to the bottom and is available to the benthos, whereas, in other years, pelagic grazers use most of the primary production, so that the organic material reaching the benthos is considerably modified. This presumably influences the nutrition of benthic invertebrates, and he is therefore investigating the energy storage and reproductive cycles of representative infaunal bivalves in order to determine whether or not events in the water column are coupled with those in the benthos. Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010

Hybridization in blue mussels (genus Mytilus) Two species of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis and M. trossulus, occur sympatrically in Newfoundland waters and are capable of hybridization in nature. We are investigating the prezygotic and postzygotic mechanisms by which the mussel hybrid zone is maintained in the northwest Atlantic. There is interspecific variation in the reproductive cycle, but reproductive isolation is incomplete. Fertilization success and larval survival are greater for conspecific than for heterospecific crosses. Conspecific sperm preference may also limit hybridization. We are continuing to investigate the potential role of gamete incompatibility in the evolution of complete reproductive isolation between these species. This research is relevant to the aquaculture industry, since both species are being farmed in Newfoundland and there are interspecific differences in many of the traits that are important in production.


Dr. Joe Wroblewski

www.ucs.mun.ca/~jwroblew

Research Interests Dr. Wroblewski’s research program focuses on fisheries ecology in marine conservation areas, specifically in the Gilbert Bay Marine Protected Area in southeastern Labrador and in Bonne Bay within Gros Morne National Park in western Newfoundland. Gilbert Bay is home to a genetically distinctive population of Atlantic cod. To protect this fish population from unchecked exploitation, local residents asked DFO to consider Gilbert Bay for its Marine Protected Area (MPA) program. Dr. Wroblewski and his students had a leading role in establishing the science basis for designating Gilbert Bay as a MPA. Bonne Bay bordered by the Gros Morne National Park is a relatively unspoiled natural marine environment. Dr. Wroblewski and his students are studying the bay as a habitat for species recreationally fished and as a nursery ground for species commercially fished. It is hoped that our research will encourage local stewardship of Bonne Bay and the establishment of a marine conservation area supported by the people living in adjacent coastal communities. Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 Balancing fishing and conservation in a Marine Protected Area Marine conservation areas are effective in rebuilding sedentary finfish and shellfish stocks. Within the Gilbert Bay MPA, near-pristine scallop habitat has been closed to commercial dredging. An adaptive management strategy has been developed for Iceland scallops in areas of the MPA still open to fishing. Our research determined that scallops in Gilbert Bay recruit to the fishery several years later than assumed by Iceland scallop fishery managers. This new information on scallop growth will be considered when revisiting the adaptive management plan (Liu, S., et al., Journal of Shellfish Research, in press). Establishing networks of Marine Protected Areas The Government of Canada is establishing a network of protected areas on the three coasts of the nation to help maintain a natural state of the marine environment. In 2005 Gilbert Bay became the first MPA established in Canada’s subarctic coastal zone. Our research shows that the fish fauna in Gilbert Bay is composed of subarctic species along with several temperate species living at their northern limit of distribution. In contrast, the fish fauna of Bonne Bay is a combination of temperate fishes and several subarctic fishes living near their southern limit of distribution. The Strait of Belle Isle is a physical oceanographic boundary separating the cold ocean waters of Labrador from warmer ocean waters of Newfoundland. Our research shows that the Strait is also a biogeographic boundary, separating subarctic and temperate fish species assemblages along the Newfoundland and Labrador coastlines. It is important to recognize natural biogeographic boundaries in establishing marine reserve networks. The connectivity among the marine ecosystems in a network of MPAs would be limited by oceanographic boundaries (Currie, J.J., et al., Journal of Biogeography).


Emeritus Faculty Dr. Garth Fletcher http://www.mun.ca/osc/gfletcher/bio.php

Research Interests

Dr. Fletcher’s research program focuses on fish antifreeze proteins (AFP) and their genes. These proteins, present in a wide variety of fish species inhabiting polar and subpolar/temperate oceans, play an essential role in the colonization of such potentially lethal environments. Antifreeze proteins bind to and thereby prevent the growth of embryonic ice crystals that form within the fish’s extracellular fluids effectively lowering the fish’s freezing point; thus giving the fish a margin of safety that correlates with the severity of the environment inhabited. These proteins also appear to play a role in cold adaptation by stabilizing cell membranes at hypothermic temperatures. Characterization of the AFP types and of the genes controlling antifreeze production is providing valuable information on both antifreeze protein evolution, and on fish species evolution and population structure. Antifreeze protein gene research has led to the development of AFP and chimeric growth hormone gene constructs that can be used for the production of genetically modified fish for use in aquaculture. Research Overview and Highlights 2009-2010 Antifreeze proteins (AFP) Research during the past year has focused on the type I AFP of cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus), and the type III AFP in wolffish (Atlantic: Anarhichas lupas, and spotted: A. minor ), the rock gunnel (Pholis gunnellus) and the radiated shanny (Ulvaria subbifurcata). Rod Hobbs (PhD Candidate) has found that the molecular mass, amino acid sequence and tertiary structure of the type I AFP in cunner (family Labridae) is essentially identical to the type I AFP characterized in sculpin (family Cottidae) and winter flounder (family Pleauronectidae). These results suggest that the evolutionary origins of the type I AFP predate the diversification of these three distinct families. Marieve Desjardins (PhD Candidate) is researching the molecular reasons why the Atlantic wolffish produces high levels of type III AFP while the spotted wolffish produces little or none. Her results suggest that the main reason for this is AFP gene copy number. The spotted wolfish has approximately one third the number of AFP genes found in the striped wolfish. This correlation between AFP production and gene copy number is consistent with our observations in other fish species, and supports our hypothesis that the evolution of AFP as a means to avoid freezing was facilitated by the rapid amplification of genes coding for protein motifs that could bind to and prevent the growth of ice.


Ocean Science Centre Reports Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) http://www.mun.ca/osc/jbarb/ The Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) provides facilities designed to support research, training, pre-commercial production, and small-scale commercial trials, on alternative species for marine aquaculture. Separate tanks and rooms are available for broodstock conditioning, paired mating, physiological aspects of marine finfish, hatchery, first feeding / nursery operations, and grow-out. Live food production can deliver quantities of rotifers and Artemia daily.

The JBARB carries out research in collaboration with Memorial University (including the OSC) and Government(s) Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DFA, NL) and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientists and industry partners. The aquaculture potential of various finfish species is being evaluated through the study of broodstock biology, and physiology and genomics, and the development of larval rearing techniques.

A very capable and competent staff with experience in Project Management, Systems Management and Operations, System Designs, Water Quality (salt and fresh), Broodstock and Spawning Development, Live Feed, Hatchery Rearing, First Feeding, Juvenile On-Growing, Biosecurity, Fish Transport and Cage-Site Operations.

JBARB has provided research based tours for 200 visitors, including researchers, government officials, and industry members from Canada, USA, Scotland, China, Europe, Iceland, Norway, Spain, Japan, France, Italy, India, Portugal, Denmark and Ireland. Furthermore, during the last year JBARB has hosted both MUCEP and work - term students.

The past year proved to be a very successful year within the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building.

Large Scale Project Research 1) “Newfoundland Commercial Scale Atlantic Cod Hatchery Production Technology Project” Danny Boyce, RSP Services and JBARB Staff

The primary objective of this project is expanding upon the current knowledge of cod hatchery technology and improving the efficiency of the production facilities at the Ocean Sciences Centre. This will aide in support the Commercial Atlantic Cod Farm Demo Project and other interested industrial cod companies in the region. Until the day comes when a full scale commercial hatchery is built, JBARB in terms of cod production will remain a dominant player in cod juvenile production, semi commercial hatchery technology(s) and highly qualified people.

However, in order to meet the above demands and facilitate the transition from a Research and Development Facility to a Semi Commercial Production Facility or hatchery capacity, we need to Add some of the latest in Innovative Technology for juvenile production, Pursue the expertise of RSP Services and Skretting Marine Hatchery Feeds. These two groups will add

the commercial aspect of large scale rearing techniques and expertise that will allow JBARB staff the opportunity to be trained on commercial scale husbandry techniques.


This project will compliment ongoing research and development activities at the OSC, which are already providing information/data that are essential for the establishment of a commercial Atlantic cod aquaculture industry. We believe collectively, that projects such as ours will help solidify Atlantic Canada’s and Newfoundland and Labrador’s roles as world leaders in aquaculture innovation, and result in economic growth in the region. We feel our project titled “Newfoundland Commercial Scale Atlantic Cod Hatchery Production Technology Project” is innovative and a benefit to the Canadian Aquaculture sector. We are very proud here at the OSC to play a key role in Aquaculture which is the fastest growing food sector in the world.

Deliverables

The main deliverables are as follows:

a. Train and instruct staff in the latest hatchery technology relevant to the commercial rearing of cod. Innovation and Technology

b. Achieve commercial production of 200,000 x 2g juveniles per run. 2 production runs per year =

400,000 juveniles. Commercial Quantities c. Establish of commercial scale written protocols and increase productivity for commercial quantities

of live feed production, egg incubation, larval rearing, and weaning and nursery stages of cod production on a commercial level.

d. Technological Upgrades to the existing larval and juvenile water intake system inside JBARB to

improve water quality thus improving production. These changes will include replacing the sand in the existing filters with a more efficient AFM Filter Media, installing intake water fractionators using ozone on larval water supply, skid mount recirculation system for larval tank (not common in Canada), removal of biofilms from water lines through new mechanical means and larval tank improvements.

e. Live Feed Production-Provide OSC-JBARB with technical consultation in order to deliver

sufficient quantity of nutritionally enriched live feed to support commercial scale production of cod. Additionally, we aim to improve the efficiency of the live feed program at JBARB though reduction of labor and use of modern equipment along with state-of-the-art products. All facets of the program will be standardized and capable of up-scale to support increased cod production beyond capacity of JBARB in alternate facilities.

Benefits Expected

Facility and Personnel Increase knowledge base at OSC-JBARB by transition from a Research and Development Facility to a

Semi Commercial Production Facility with increased hatchery capacity.

Trained staff in the latest hatchery technology relevant to the commercial rearing of cod. Innovation and Technology

Commercial quantities of juvenile fish to support industry needs at present. Established production protocols and increase productivity for commercial quantities of enriched live

feed production, egg incubation, and larval rearing, weaning and nursery stages of cod production on a commercial level.

Facility upgrades using the latest technology to the existing larval and juvenile systems inside JBARB to improve water quality thus improving production.


Commercial Scale Live Feed Production Improvements and Techniques. Improved efficiency of the

live feed program at JBARB though reduction of labor and use of modern equipment along with state-of-the-art products.

Benefits derived from this project will support our local cod industry. This knowledge will be available to all partners within JBARB and industry as a whole as we move towards a full scale commercial hatchery.

Communication Communication of this project to the public can be achieved in many ways:

workshops that JBARB holds and proceedings are on our website at (http://www.mun.ca/osc/Home/workshops.php).

We have also prepared numerous written articles for NAIA’s Cold Harvest Magazines, Fish Farming International, Hatchery International, Global Aquaculture Advocate, Newfoundland Herald or Aquaculture Journals

Tours of our Facility Staff and Graduate Student Presentations at various conferences

Social Benefits

Atlantic cod was the principal species in a fishing industry that was the backbone of the Newfoundland’s economy. The cod fishery was an integral part of the social and economic fabric of Newfoundland. The failure of the fishery had catastrophic impacts on Newfoundland’s rural economy and way of life. An appreciation of this background is essential in order to grasp the relevance of cod aquaculture to Newfoundland. Atlantic Canada is well positioned, at or near the leading edge of cod aquaculture development in the world. But equally important, there is the promise of rural communities deriving social and economic viability through participation in sustainable cod aquaculture.

The potential for large scale development of cod aquaculture in Newfoundland is huge, given the current market demand, the state of world’s cod supply and that the biological requirements of Atlantic cod are ideally suited for Newfoundland.

The end result of this could be the revival of social and economic vigour to rural communities in which traditional fishing skills will be blended with appropriate aquaculture technologies in a fashion that results in long term stability of employment and improved quality of life.

2) The Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project September 1, 2009 to August 13, 2010 http://www.codgene.ca

The objective of the CGP is to develop a breeding program and a set of fundamental genomics tools that will be used to supply the developing Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) aquaculture industry in Canada with elite broodstock. The CGP is an $18.1 Million Project with University, Industry, Not-for-Profit and Government Partners. For a complete list of project partners see: http://codgene.ca/partners.php. This project is vital to solving several key issues that have hindered the development of the cod aquaculture industry in Canada. End point deliverables for the CGP include elite cod broodstock selected for performance in industrial-scale aquaculture production as well as a set of cod genomic markers and a genetic map that can be applied to accelerate the enhancement of cod broodstock.


Traditionally, Atlantic cod aquaculture has depended on unselected wild cod stocks for production which has limited progress in the industry. The CGP’s captive selective breeding program is a first step towards domestication of this species. At the end of the project, ownership of elite cod broodstock developed by the CGP will be transferred to the founding industry partners in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. The CGP has successfully completed selection of cod broodstock in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. These broodstock have been selected based on Estimate Breeding Values calculated from pre-harvest and harvest data collected on the first year classes of family fish generated by the project. These two broodstocks represent the first captive selected broodstocks for cod in Atlantic Canada.

A major factor limiting the directed improvement of cod broodstock has been the scarcity of molecular tools available for this species. Within 18 months of project inception, 94% of publicly available DNA sequence information for cod was contributed by the CGP, and at present the CGP remains the leading contributor of genomics information for the species worldwide. To date, the CGP has generated approximately 158,000 DNA sequences and has started building a 20,000 element microarray, a high-throughput Illumina SNP genotyping platform, as well as a cod genetic map which will be used by the CGP to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and to develop genomic markers applicable in Marker Assisted Selection (MAS). MAS will enable rapid enhancement of cod broodstock in Canada, and is an approach that has been the cornerstone of recent advancements realized in other animal production systems (e.g. chicken, swine, dairy cows, and beef cattle). The CGP will give Canada a competitive edge in the developing cod aquaculture industry by ensuring that Canadian producers will have tools to improve the quality and volume of their product.

Through the CGP, a number of individuals have gained experience in various aspects of cod aquaculture, and several of these persons were attracted to the Atlantic region by the project. It is expected that these individuals will continue to be involved in cod aquaculture after completion of the CGP, and will persist as a tremendous resource for the growing cod industry. By uniting the collective energies, talents and resources within the region, Atlantic Canada has the potential to be recognized globally as the leader in genetic marker validation in cod aquaculture and, in turn, establish the region as the world’s premier supplier of cultured product.

Broodstock Development

Since project inception in January 2006, the CGP has established family-based breeding programs in Newfoundland and New Brunswick / New Hampshire. The first three major spawning seasons have been completed. Between the fish being evaluated as part of the CGP and surplus cod, over 100,000 juvenile cod were placed in sea cages in the Atlantic region by November 2006. An estimated 94,000 more were available for transfer to sea cages by the end of 2007. Juveniles from the third spawning season were reared at the Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland and at the newly constructed hatchery at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, NB during 2007 until the fish were transferred either to sea cages or to land-based rearing facilities for broodstock maintenance. In September 2008, the fourth major spawning season was started in NL, and this process will also commence in NB in December.

As part of the broodstock development aspect of the project, once CGP family fish reach an average weight of 15 grams, they are tagged and assessed. Throughout the spring and summer, staff at rearing facilities track family performance related to growth, survival and the overall health of the progeny. Significant variation in growth between the families has been observed, and the heritability estimates are high, indicating that the breeding programs will be successful at improving growth rates of cod for aquaculture.

Genomics

The CGP has dramatically improved the availability of genomic resources for this species. Within the first 18 months of project inception, 96% of publicly available DNA sequence information for cod was contributed by the CGP. To date, just over 158,000 sequences have been submitted to GenBank – a publicly accessible genetic sequence database.


Sequences are being used within the CGP for gene discovery and the development of gene linked markers. Marker identification has yielded >4,700 “predicted informative” SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and 150 microsatellite markers. The resources being developed by the CGP will be invaluable for analyzing quantitative trait loci (QTL), identifying genes of potential importance in Canadian cod aquaculture and enabling marker assisted selection (MAS) within cod breeding programs. MAS will enable rapid enhancement of cod broodstock in Canada, and is an approach that has been the cornerstone of recent advancements realized in other animal production systems including beef, pork and chicken production.

Other Project Activities

The CGP includes ongoing studies of the stress response in cod and performance differences between haemoglobin genotypes, as well as studies that examine the cod’s response to thermal challenges and immunogenic stimuli that simulate disease challenges. Results have shown that there is considerable variation among cod families with respect to their tolerance to elevated temperatures and stress; thus, there is great potential to select fish that will perform well under variable aquaculture conditions. The project has also identified many genes that have altered expression when cod are exposed to immunogenic stimuli. The majority of these genes will be represented on a ‘gene chip’ or microarray that is currently being generated.

The CGP also includes research on ethical, economic, environmental, legal and social issues associated with the science of genomics (GE3LS). The GE3LS research team is developing solution-oriented legal and policy options regarding: legal ownership of commercially valuable research results, the status of elite cod broodstock under Canadian environmental law and Canada’s international obligations, and ethical and legal options regarding benefit sharing and improved methods of consultation with the affected publics.

3) DFO - Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP). Dr. Dounia Hamoutene, Ms. Lynn Lush, Newfoundland Cod Ventures Ltd and JBARB

Cod Broodstock Nutrition Project

Difficulties in determining proper feeding for hatchery raised F1 Atlantic cod broodstock have been prominent in the culture of this species. Previously, broodstock raised on grow out diets have not performed well on first spawning. The question has been raised whether this is a function of diet or naïve spawning. Our project aims to determine how diet influences the spawning and growth performance of F1 broodstock by testing three diets on three duplicate groups of photo manipulated F1 cod broodstock hatched in 2006. One group is being fed a manufactured on-growing pellet; a second group fed a manufactured pellet specifically formulated for marine finfish broodstock and the third group, the current standard diet of baitfish supplemented with vitamins. Feeding trials commenced in late August 2008. Results show that so far, specific growth rates and condition factors are significantly higher in the baitfish-fed group, and that grow-out and broodstock diets lead to similar growth rates. Spawning unexpectedly started in January 2009 and assessment of egg and sperm quality was conducted. Preliminary results from this spawning show that no significant differences are detectable in egg quality between the three diets with regards to fertilization, blastomere normality, and hatch rates. However, there is an indication of differences in sperm motility, with sperm being significantly less motile in those males fed the on-growing diet over the other two treatments. It was also noted that significantly fewer individuals contributed to the spawning population in the baitfish fed group. This may indicate a delayed response to the photo manipulation, or a difference in energy allocation of fish fed this diet. This question remains to be answered in the upcoming spawning season. Further investigations will be conducted in collaboration with the Cod Genome Project group in the coming spawning season which is anticipated to commence this fall. This assessment will bring much needed information on the potential impact of these diets on reproductive output and broodstock husbandry.


Memorial University of Newfoundland has long been an active proponent of aquaculture Research & Development. Faculty and support staff at the Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) and the JBARB will be key players in the execution of the proposal. These individuals will capitalize upon an infrastructure which includes facilities designed to support pre-commercial production and small-scale commercial trials on species for marine aquaculture.

Most Recent Large Scale Funded Research Projects

Aquaculture Collaborative Research Development Program (ACRDP) – Department of

Fisheries and Oceans- “Atlantic Cod Broodstock Nutrition Project” - Nutrition to Promote Healthy Productive Broodstock

Genome Atlantic - Cod Genomics Project (CGP)-To develop a breeding program and a set of

fundamental genomics tools which will be used to supply the developing Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) aquaculture industry in Canada with improved broodstock.

Newfoundland and Labrador Commercial Atlantic Cod Demonstration Farm Project- Cooke

Aquaculture Inc., Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, DFO and ACOA- This project will use “best approach” staff, techniques and equipment to successfully grow cod from larvae through to market size, and show the technical and economic feasibility of cod farming in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Supporting Organizations and Companies Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries

and Aquaculture, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agencies, Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA), Canadian Centre of Fisheries Innovation, National Research Council of Canada - IRAP, NSERC, Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development Newfoundland, Canadian Aquaculture Industry Association, Genome Atlantic, EWOS, Skretting. INVE and numerous industrial partners.

Atlantic cod heading to market


Public Education/Seal Research Unit

Public Education Program

Since 1988 the Ocean Sciences Centre has organized and played a continuous role in public awareness in marine sciences through public and marine science programs. The current public education program (PEP) is a complimentary interactive and interpretive outdoors activity for tourists, school children and local visitors. Features of the program include an outdoor touch tank, where visitors can experience a never - ending variety of local marine life; an out - door observation platform for viewing our captive population of harp seals; and marine interpreters (MUN summer students) to answer questions and explain current research initiatives at the facility. The program operates seven days a week from June 1st to Labour Day weekend. This past summer the program successfully welcomed over 15,000 visitors, which included individuals, groups (i.e. school children, daycare kids, summer camps and bus tours), and organized educational programs (i.e. Shad Valley).

Seal Research Unit

Research into seals perceptual capabilities, molting, and hormone profiles continue. Harp seal blood samples were supplied for Biology teaching labs (Animal Physiology) again this year. The training of the seals and these research initiatives have been achieved by the ongoing participation in experiential learning programs and with the help of volunteers, (High school co-operative programs, Women in Science and Engineering, and Memorial's Undergraduate Career Experience Program). The existing Seal Volunteer Program continues, with volunteers providing seal care and feeding on weekends, and with additional volunteers assisting with weekday training and husbandry during the summer. Our ongoing participation in extension and education included the development of scripts and training of the Marine Interpreters for the Public Education Program, as well as responding to the varied requests from the media (Kids CBC, CBC radio, NTV News, Gazette (MUN), MUSE (MUN) and the general public). Seal biology and research was one facet of the Shad Valley Memorial enrichment program again this year. Presentations were also made at Water Day and Oceans Day events.


Field Services Unit

The Field Services Unit (FSU) of the OSC supports field

work conducted by OSC faculty. The unit is equipped with 2 small marine vessels (6 & 9 meters), a 5 ton multipurpose vehicle, and year round SCUBA ability. It provides live specimen collection for research projects conducted at the OSC. The unit also collects live specimens for several departments of Memorial University, the Marine Institute, the Bonne Bay Marine Station in Norris Point, and the federal (DFO) and provincial (DFA) Departments of Fisheries. When requested they also transport live samples to other areas of Canada.

As part of the ongoing research project in cod aquaculture, the unit transports juvenile cod raised at the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building to sea cages in Bay D’Espoir and Bay Bulls.

Since 2006 the unit has been involved in a collaborative project between DFO, DFA and the OSC into the early detection and monitoring of aquatic invasive species in Newfoundland and Labrador. The project is part of the Government of Canada’s Action Plan to address the threat of aquatic invasive species. Divers from the unit have been monitoring the presence and spread of the violet tunicate, Botrylloides violaceus, an invasive colonial tunicate in the Belleoram area. The project, a joint effort between DFO and the Field Services Unit, is attempting to eradicate this destructive species. The unit has also helped in surveys to monitor the spread of the green crab, Carcinus maenas, in the North Harbour area of Placentia Bay. This past year the Field Services unit, under the direction Dr. Don Deibel of the OSC, conducted a project to study and monitor the life cycle of the invasive tunicate golden star (Botryllus schlosseri) in the Arnolds Cove area. The divers from the unit collected specimens, took underwater video of the main wharf and installed collection plates.

Another ongoing project of the unit, in partnership with the Marine Institute and the Fishermen Union, has been the monitoring of juvenile lobsters in the Placentia Bay area. The unit deployed a 25 x 25 meter grid on substrate inhabited by juvenile lobster and performed a count. Further assessments on movement of the lobsters will be conducted with the help of the OSC Field Services Unit.

The unit continues to play an integral role in the research activities of the OSC and to provide support to other organizations as requested.


Visitors The Ocean Sciences Centre is visited throughout the year by individuals and groups from various sectors of government, academic institutions, and industry. During the 2009-2010 academic year the following groups and individuals visited the OSC. Academic Institutions

Dr. Gary Kachanoski, President, Vice Chancellor of Memorial Women in Engineering and Science (WISE) Canadian Council of Animal Care group Marine Institute Mini Enrichment Course group Undergraduate students from MUN, Faculty of Science National Research Council (NRC)

Government & Government agencies

Research Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador Dept of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation Genome Atlantic

Industry

Spanish Mission to Atlantic Canada, Spain Chilean Aquaculture Delegation, Chile Aquabounty Technologies, USA Northern Harvest Sea Farms Ltd, NL Nutra Ocean Irish Cod technical Team (EIRCOD), Ireland Research Productivity Council, NB Open Ocean Systems, NB Oceans Ltd.,NL


DirectorDr. Garth Fletcher (July 2009 – present)

Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building Danny Boyce -Manager

Associate DirectorDr. Kurt Gamperl

Ocean Sciences Centre Organizational Chart

Field & Laboratory Services Supervisor

Jim DevereauxAdministrative Assistant II

Delores Wheeler

Research Marketing Manager

Danielle Nichols (leave Feb 2010-Feb 2011

Ann Angel (May 2010-Mar 2011)

Intermediate Secretary

Winnie Sparkes

Intermediate Clerk

StenographerJoAnn Greening

Lab Facility Technician II

Damian Whitten

Lab Facility Technician I

Danny AuJerry Ennis

Matthew Pittman

DriverWalter Martin

DiversDive Technician IIIRobert O’Donnell

Research Assistant IPhil Sargent

Dive Technician IDavid Poitras

Facility CustodiansRobert Cadigan

Michael CarriganRandy CahillHarry Young

Research Computing Specialist

Marc Bolli *

Research Assistant IIConnie Short

Research Assistant IDaryl Jones

Science Technician IIIJulia Pantin

* Transferred to CREAIT April 2009


Administration Director Dr. Garth L. Fletcher (2009 – present)

Associate Director Supervisor Laboratory & Field Services

Dr. Kurt Gamperl (2007-2013)

Mr. Jim Devereaux

Facility & Business Manager: Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building

Mr. Danny Boyce

Research Marketing Manager Marine Public Education Program Field Services

Ms. Danielle Nichols (parental leave Feb2010 – Feb 2011)

Research Marketing Coordinator Ms Ann Angel (parental leave replacement May 2010-Feb 2011)

Administrative Staff Specialist II Mrs. Delores Wheeler

Intermediate Secretary Intermediate Clerk Steno

Ms Winnie Sparkes

Ms. JoAnn Greening

Research Assistant (Animal Husbandry /Seal Research Facility)

Mr. Daryl Jones

Computing Services Image & Data Analysis Facility

Mr. Marc Bolli

L-R Ann Angel, Delores Wheeler, Jo-Ann Greening, Winnie Sparkes


Committees

Promotion and

Tenure Dr. Joe Wroblewski (Chair)

Dr. Chris Parrish Dr. Richard Rivkin Dr. David Schneider Dr. Paul Snelgrove

Graduate Program

Delivery Committee

Dean of Science Committee for OSC Departmental Status

Scientific Advisory

Committee OSC CREAIT(ARC)

Dr. Joe Brown Graduate Research Award Committee

Field Services Committee

Space Committee:

Safety Committee:

OSC Tours

Dr.Ian Fleming (Chair) Dr.Paul Snelgrove Dr.David Schneider Dr.Chris Parrish Dr.Kurt Gamperl Dr. Andy Foster (Assoc. Dean of Science) Dr. Chris Parrish Dr. Ted Miller (Biology) Dr. David Innes(Biology) Dr. David Schneider Dr. Chris Parris (Chair) Dr. Matthew Rise Dr. Don Deibel Dr. Garth Fletcher Dr. Pat Dabinett Dr. Faye Murrin

Dr. Pat Gagnon (Chair) Dr. Don Deibel Dr. William Driedzic

Ms. Danielle Nichols Mr. Jim Devereaux Ms. Connie Short

Dr. Kurt Gamperl Ms. Danielle Nichols

Ms. Connie Short Dr. Ray Thompson

Ms. Danielle Nichols

Mr. Danny Boyce (JBARB) Ms Ann Angel Mr. Daryl Jones


Faculty Dr. Garth L. Fletcher - Professor Emeritus - B. Sc. Univ. of British Columbia, Ph. D. Univ. of California.

Dr. Mark Abrahams - Professor, Dean of Science - B.Sc (Hons.) University of Western Ontario, MSc Queen’s University, PhD Simon Fraser University.

Dr. Donald Deibel - Professor (Research) -B.Sc Bucknell Univ. USA, PhD Univ. of Georgia, USA.

Dr. William Driedzic - Professor - B.Sc (Hons.) York, M.Sc. Toronto, PhD. British Columbia. Canadian Research Chair Tier I - Marine Bioscience.

Dr. Ian A. Fleming - Professor - B.Sc Queen’s Univ., M.Sc. Simon Fraser Univ., PhD. Univ. of Toronto.

Dr. Patrick Gagnon- Assistant Professor - B.Sc Laval University, M.Sc. Laval University, PhD Laval University.

Dr. Kurt Gamperl - Associate Professor - B.Sc (Hons.) Univ.ofGuelph, M.Sc. Univ. of Guelph, PhD Dalhousie Univ.

Dr. Iain McGaw- Associate Professor - B.Sc. University of Wales, Bangor, UK, Ph.D. University of Wales, Bangor, UK

Dr. Annie Mercier - Assistant Professor - B.Sc Université de Sherbrooke, M.Sc. Université du Québec à Rimouski, Ph.D. Université du Québec à Rimouski.

Dr. Chris Parrish - Professor (Research) - B.Sc Univ. College of Swansea, UK, PhD Dalhousie Univ.

Dr. Matthew L. Rise - Assistant Professor - B.Sc. Whitworth College, M.Sc. Boston College, Ph.D. University of Victoria. Canadian Research Chair Tier II – Marine Biotechnology

Dr. Richard Rivkin - Professor - B.Sc. City College of New York, USA, M.Sc. City College of New York, USA., Ph.D. Univ. of Rhode Island, USA. University Research Professor

Dr. David Schneider - Professor - B.Sc. Duke, Durham, NC, USA, Ph.D. SUNY, Stony Brook, Long Island, NY, USA.

Dr. Paul Snelgrove - Professor - B.Sc. Hon. Memorial Univ., M.Sc. McGill., Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Canadian Research Chair Tier II - Boreal and Cold Ocean Systems

Dr. Raymond Thompson - Professor (Research) - B.Sc. Univ. Bristol, UK, Ph.D. Univ. of Leicester, UK

Dr. Joseph Wroblewski - Professor (Research) - B.Sc. Univ. of Illinois, USA, M.Sc. Florida Univ., USA, Ph.D. Florida State Univ., USA.

.


Cross - Appointees Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi - Biochemistry Dept. Dr. William Montevecchi- Biopsychology Dept. Dr. Helene Volkoff - Biology Dept

Adjunct Professors Dr. Sharon Bowman- Atlantic Genome Centre Dr. Dave Cote - Terra Nova National Park Dr. Elizabeth Deblois- Jacques Whitford Environment Ltd. Dr. Brian Dixon- University of Waterloo Dr. Kathryn V. Ewart- NRC- Marine Bioscience Dr. Michelle Hale-University of Portsmouth Dr. Atef Mansour - Department of Fisheries and Oceans Dr. Cynthia McKenzie- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Dr. Joanne Morgan - Department of Fisheries and Oceans Dr. Patrick O’Reilly- Diadromous Fish Division, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Dr. P. Pepin - Department of Fisheries and Oceans Dr. Marlies Rise- Genome Atlantic Dr. Edward Trippel- Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Research Specialist Dr. Michele DuRand Visiting Scientists Alan Dyer Collaborations with Dr. Kurt Gamperls Laboratory Mr Marcos F. Quinones Arreola (JBARB) Dr. Elizabeth Sweetman Cod Demo project JBARB

NRC, Genome Atlantic Aquaculture Program Northwestern Centre for Biological Research, Mexico RSP Services, England

Visiting Technical Staff Richard Prickett RSP Services, England Cod Demo project JBARB Nick Fullerton RSP Services, England Cod Demo project JBARB Nick King Sketting, Boston, MA,USA Cod Demo project JBARB Rae Rost-Cooke Belleoram, NL Cod Demo project JBARB


Staff Research Assistants and Science Technicians Ashley Callahan- Research Assistant I- (Deibel) (ended Mar 31, 2010) Kathy Clow – Research Assistant II- (Driedzic) Corinne Conway- Science Technician I (Fleming) Charles Fang- Research Assistant- (Rise) Jennifer Hall - Research Assistant II (MFA) (CREAIT Apr. 2010) Tara Hooper – Research Assistant II (Parrish) (ended Apr.16, 2010) Danny Ings - Research Assistant II (Department)( ended May 21, 2010) Daryl Jones - Research Assistant I (Seals/Department) Kate Jones - Research Assistant II (Schneider) Laurie Metcalf – Science Technician II (D. Jones) Gordon Nash – Research Assistant II (Gamperl, Genome Atlantic) Julia Pantin – Science Technician I (Seals/Department) (June 2009-Aug 2010) Meredith Schofield- Science Technician III (Deibel) Margaret Shears- Research Assistant II (Fletcher) Connie Short - Research Assistant II (Driedzic/Department) Candice Way- Research Assistant I (Rivkin) Jeanette Wells - Research Assistant I (Parrish/MFA)(CREAIT Apr 2010) Cathy Whiffen - Research Assistant I (Schneider) (ended July 2010) Kate Wilke – Research Assistant II (Snelgrove) Christine Vickers - Science Technician III (Deibel/Snelgrove)

Administrative and Computer Support Staff Ann Angel – Research Marketing Manager (May 2010- Mar 2011) Marc Bolli - Research Computer Specialist (CREAIT Apr2010) JoAnn Greening- Intermediate Clerk Steno Ken Langdon - Computer Support Technician (CREAIT Apr 2010) Danielle Nichols - Research Marketing Manager Winnie Sparkes - Intermediate Secretary Delores Wheeler - Administrative Staff Specialist II

Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) Danny Boyce – Business Manager Chris Canning- Science Technician III Matthew Drake -Science Technician II (ended Apr 2010) John Evely- Research Assistant II Francine Fortune - Science Technician III (ended July 2010) Daria Gallardi –Science Technician II (ended June 2010) Susan Hann Science Technician II (Ended Dec2009) Rodney Healey - Research Assistant II (ended June 2010) Courtney MacSween – Science Technician II Jennifer Monk - Science Technician III Kelly Santos- Science Technician III (ended Mar 2010) Lori Thorne - Research Assistant II (ended July 2010) Denise Tucker - Science Technician III Genome Atlantic Marlies Rise- Genome Atlantic Project Manager Tasha Harold- Research Assistant II


Field Services Robert O’ Donnell - Dive Technician II Philip Sargent - Research Assistant /Dive Technician (March 2010) David Poitras – Dive Technician I Laboratory and Technical Services Danny Au - Laboratory Facility Technician I Robert Cadigan- Facilities Custodian Randy Cahill - Facility Custodian Michael Carrigan - Facility Custodian James Devereaux - Laboratory Services Supervisor Jerry Ennis - Laboratory Facility Technician I Jim Hopkins- Facilities Custodian Matthew Pittman- Laboratory Facilities Technician I Walter Martin- Delivery person Damien Whitten - Laboratory Facility Technician II Harry Young- Facility Custodian

Facilities Management John Dunne Rick Walsh Trevor Wiseman Tech Services Tony Druken- Electrician/Technical Services


Student Assistants Alcock, Brian – M. Rise (Aug. 31/2010) Applin, Gavin - D. Deibel (Sept. 3/2010) Banton, Samantha –R. Rivkin (Aug. 27/2010) Burke, Pamela - D. Jones (Jun. 30/2010) Green, Samantha - D. Jones (Apr. 1/09) Hamel, Renee – PEP (Sept. 6/2010) Harnum, Sarah – PEP (Sept. 6/2010) House, Victoria – P. Snelgrove (Sept. 3/2010) Laite, Nikita – D. Jones (Apr. 1/09) Leonard, Jillian – I.Fleming (Apr 2010) Marston, Genevieve - D. Jones (Aug. 31/2010) Mills, Rebecca – C. Parrish (Sept. 3/2010) Mouland, Rebecca - R. Rivkin(Apr. 30/09) Noseworthy, Ashley - D. Jones (Apr. 1/09) Penny, Chantelle – P. Snelgrove (Sept. 03/2010) Roskin, Victoria -D. Jones (Aug. 31/2010) Walsh, Shawna – PEP (Sept. 6/2010) MUCEP Bruce, Jeanette - J. Wroblewski Chatman, Lance- D.Boyce Collins, Nikki – PEP D. Jones Doyle, Rebecca – P.Snelgrove Evans, Daniel – R. Thompson Griffiths, Stephanie – D. Jones Victoria House – D. Boyce Keddy, Jason – R. Rivkin Laite, Nikita - A. Mercier Le, Juliet - R. Thompson Oake, Krista - I. Fleming Marston, Genevieve – D.Jones Mills, Rebecca – C.Parrish Mouland, Rebecca – D. Jones Payne, Meghan - P. Gagnon Penny, Chantelle – P. Snelgrove Quirke, Ashley – D. Deibel Roskin, Viktoria – P. Gagon

Slater, Cruise – C.Parrish Wyatt, Jessica – R.Rivkin White, Courtney – M. Abrahams Work Term Students Spring 2010 LeMessurier, Meagen, (P. Gagnon) Shawn Lundrigan – June 7-11 (JBARB) Oke, Krista – NSERC USRA (I. Fleming) Penney, Stacey –June 21-Aug. 13 (JBARB) Templeton, Adam – (JBARB) Viscount, Brianna – (JBARB) WISE STUDENT Spring/2010 Milley, Danielle – PEP Skiffington, Deanna – P. Gagnon Stroud, Samanda - PEP Canada Summer Jobs/2010 Mills, Rebecca – C. Parrish

Volunteers - Seals Becky Doyle Kayla Dunphy Jessica Flight Samantha Green Nikita Laite Cynthia Mercer Ashley Noseworthy Shane Randell Marina Schofield Meredith Schofield James Stenson Katie Stenson Sarah Turner Jennifer Walsh Margaret Warren Peter White

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