Ph.D. Candidate
My research will use passive acoustic telemetry to examine the spatial ecology of fish in Toronto Harbour to aid in management and conservation. I completed my BSc at the University of Guelph in 2015 majoring in Zoology. I worked as a research technician in Kluane National Park Yukon with squirrels, as well as with Pacific Whale Foundation studying humpbacks in Maui, Hawaii. From there I completed my Masters of Science at McMaster University studying the spatial ecology and conservation of common snapping turtles in an urbanized marsh. Since graduating in fall of 2018, I have worked at the Great Lakes Lab for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, where I was involved with a number of projects that furthered my interest in fish ecology.
Lab Publications (23)
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Piczak, M. L., Robichaud, J. A., Morrison, P., Rous, A. M., Mulder, I. M., Hill, C. J., Prystay, T. S., Rosner-Katz, H., Robinson, K. F., Bennett, J. R. and Cooke, S. J. 2023. Structured decision making remains underused in ecological restoration despite opportunities. Environment Systems and Decisions.
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Cooke, S.J., A.J. Lynch, D. Tickner, R. Abell, M.L. Piczak, A.H. Arthington, M. Thieme, D. Perry, J.R. Britton, T. Dalu, K. Birnie-Gauvin, S.J. Ormerod, F. Ayaviri Matuk, R. Raghavan and J.P. Smol. In Press. A roadmap for implementing the Emergency Recovery Plan for Freshwater Biodiversity. Environmental Reviews. 00:000-000.
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Piczak, M. L., Theÿsmeÿer, T., Doka, S. E., Midwood, J. D. and Cooke, S. J. 2023. Knowledge of spawning phenology may enhance selective barrier passage for wetland fishes. Wetlands 43:72.
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Haley, A.L., T.A. Lemieux, M.L. Piczak, S. Karau, A. D’Addario, R.L. Irvine, C. Beaudouin, J.R. Bennett and S.J. Cooke. 2023. On the effectiveness of public awareness campaigns for the management of invasive species. Environmental Conservation. 1-10.
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Cooke, S.J., R.A. Castaneda, A.J. Reid, A. Duncan, C.T. Hasler, J. Brownscombe, A. Howarth, M.L. Piczak, S.J. Kerr, M.L. Jones, J.M. Casselman, J.G. Imhof and N.E. Mandrak. 2023. Freshwater fisheries resources and management: Canadian contexts. Pages 57-90 in C.T. Hasler, J.G. Imhof, N.E. Mandrak and S.J. Cooke, Editors. Freshwater fisheries in Canada: Historical and contemporary perspectives on the resources and their management. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.
Other Publications
McKenzie, C. M., Piczak, M. L., Snyman, H. N. et al. (2018). First report of ranavirus mortality in a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Dis Aquat Org 132: 221-227.
Piczak, M. L. and Chow-Fraser, P. (2019). Assessment of critical habitat for common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) in an urbanized coastal wetland. Urban Ecosyst 22(3): 525-537.
Piczak, M. L., Markle, C. E. and Chow-Fraser, P. (2019). Decades of road mortality cause severe decline in a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) population. Chelonian Conserv Bi 18(2):231-240.
