Projects

Science to support management of Parks Canada’s historic Rideau and Trent-Severn waterways to maintain and enhance ecosystem services

Parks Canada is the primary steward of the Rideau Canal (completed in 1832, stretching 202 km) and the Trent-Severn Waterway (completed in 1920, stretching 386 km), two national historic waterways that support many recreational, cultural, and economic activities (e.g. boating, fishing, swimming).  Protecting the interconnected cultural, natural and social values of… Read More

Reproductive success in sockeye salmon

Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) are an important commercial and recreational fish. However, warm water temperatures in the ocean and rivers, accumulation of sea lice and lamprey injuries, and delayed lethal interactions with fisheries are all contenders for decreasing run returns – and 2016 was the smallest return for the Fraser River in the last 100 years, resulting… Read More

Using heart rate loggers to determine smallmouth bass parental care energy investment

Understanding energetic expenditures at different periods of their life history is important for the conservation of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). One of the most important life history stages is spawning, where offspring success is important for individual fitness and population sustainability. During spawning, male smallmouth bass care for their offspring by… Read More

Effects of cortisol on diet and oxidative stress in brown trout

All organisms experience some combination of natural (food, predation, disease) and artificial (climate change, fishing, habitat alteration) stressors in their lives. These stressors may have immediate lethal effects, or have delayed sub-lethal effects that impact fitness-related metrics. Sub-lethal stressors experienced during one part of the annual cycle may also carry over… Read More

Behavioural guidance of fish using light

Aquatic systems are altered for many reasons, including building dams for hydroelectric power, diversions for cooling at nuclear facilities, and irrigation for crops. These alterations impose negative consequences on fish populations, whether through entrainment (being drawn through water intakes) or impingement/biofouling (becoming trapped against barrier structures intended to prevent entrainment). Consequently,… Read More

Habitat Use and Behaviour of Juvenile Predators in the St. Lawrence River

The life history of muskellunge, a large and rare apex predator in freshwater ecosystems, has long remained cryptic to researchers. While muskellunge are found in small systems where they are restricted to small home ranges, they are known to migrate when inhabiting large systems such as the Great Lakes and their… Read More

Systematic reviews on: (1) the effectiveness of non-native fish eradication techniques in freshwater ecosystems; and (2) the effectiveness of spawning habitat creation/enhancement for substrate spawning north temperate fish.

  In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that objective scientific evidence and information synthesis is essential for supporting important policy and management decisions by environmental and conservation professionals. A seminal paper by Pullin et al. (2004; Biol Conserv. 119:245-252) discussed how environmental management actions were largely not based on the… Read More

CanFishPass: Inventory of Canadian Fish Passage Facilities

Across North America, fishways ensure upstream and downstream portions of waterways remain connected around dams. However, the efficiency of passage for each fishway design can be unique for different species. CanFishPass is an electronic inventory of fish passage facilities in Canada, and includes important information on the engineering and hydraulic specifications of… Read More