Annual Report - Memorial University of Newfoundland...OSC Annual Report 2010-2011 Page 6 Completion...

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.

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2010-2011

Annual Report

Ocean Sciences Centre

OSC Annual Report 2010-2011 Page 2

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Message from the Director Congratulations to Dr. Matt Rise on receiving the Terra Nova Young Investigator award. Matt holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Marine Biotechnology. Congratulations are also extended to Dr. Kurt Gamperl on his promotion to Full Professor and Dr. Annie Mercier on her promotion to Associate Professor. Kurt is a fish physiologist studying how fish respond/adapt to environmental change and how to improve fish aquaculture production. Annie’s interests lie with the biology of sublittoral and deep-sea invertebrates.

Once again the Ocean Sciences Centre had a highly successful fiscal year with the Faculty and Staff receiving a total of $4,844,588 in Grants and Contracts. NSERC awards totalled $656,726 of which $441,953 came from Discovery Grants. These funds enabled the Faculty to maintain a high level of research productivity by way of peer reviewed publications (33) and the training of highly qualified personnel (31 PhD, 35 MSc). The OSC also received $1.53 million as a first instalment of the $20.5 million required to construct the Cold-water Deep-sea Research Facility. The Faculty continued to make contributions to the education of undergraduate and graduate students in the Departments of Biology, Biochemistry and the Interdisciplinary Programs of Environmental Science, Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology (CABE) and Aquaculture.

Progress on Challenges identified in the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Annual Reports

• OSC’s plans to become a Department- There continues to be progress, although slow, towards Departmental status. At the end of the 2009-2010 Academic year a proposal to become a Graduate Department was submitted to the Associate Dean of Science. Unfortunately, this was turned down because undergraduate teaching was considered a necessary component of all departments. The Dean then formed and chaired a new committee “Curriculum Issues in the Biological Sciences” consisting of representatives from Biology, Biochemistry, Psychology and the OSC. There was general agreement by all departmental representatives that the OSC could become a Department. Although this agreement is promising, the way forward is still unclear.

• Revitalize Aquaculture Research and Education within the Faculty of Science- Although nothing concrete occurred during the 2009-2010 Academic year, plans were formulated to have a joint meeting between the Faculty of Science and the Aquaculture section of the Marine Institute.

Challenges for 2011-2012 • Continue pursuing Departmental status • Continue to work on the revitalization of Aquaculture Research and Education within the Faculty

of Science • Building infrastructure. The iconic OSC building which opened in 1967 is now forty four years

old and showing signs of deterioration. Here are a few examples: Most of the labs were designed as “wet” labs for research with live organisms. However the floors of many of them have become so broken and cracked that they leak sea water into the rooms below. Thus putting research and equipment into jeopardy. The original sea water line and access tunnel is crumbling and is in need of replacement. The glass enclosed top floor (~ 50 square metres) known as the Phycorium can no longer be occupied because it lacks a secondary egress to conform to fire regulations. These issues are serious and need to be addressed if we are to remain at the forefront of marine research on cold water organisms in Canada and internationally.

Garth L. Fletcher Director & Professor Emeritus

“I’ve got to admit it’s getting better, a little better all the time” John Lennon


Contents Message from the Director ............................................................................................................. 3

OSC Highlights ................................................................................................................................. 5

Distinguished Visitors .................................................................................................................... 12

Dr. Joe Brown Graduate Research Award in Aquatic Ecology and Aquaculture .......................... 13

Other Awards ................................................................................................................................ 14

Financial Overview ...................................................................................................................... 15

Accomplishments 2010-2011 ..................................................................................................... 21

A. Research ....................................................................................................................................... 21

B. Technology Transfer to Industry ................................................................................................ 22

C. Teaching ..................................................................................................................................... 23

D. Publications: 2010-2011 Academic year ...................................................................................... 24

E. Highly Qualified Personnel ......................................................................................................... 31

F. Conferences, Workshops, Invited Lectures ................................................................................ 39

Faculty Profiles .............................................................................................................................. 45

Ocean Science Centre Reports .................................................................................................... 61

Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) ........................................................................ 61

Public Education Program/Outreach Initiatives ............................................................................. 78

Seal Facility ..................................................................................................................................... 79

Field Services Unit ............................................................................................................................ 80

Visitors .............................................................................................................................................. 81

Administration ................................................................................................................................ 82

Committees ..................................................................................................................................... 84

Faculty .............................................................................................................................................. 85

Staff .................................................................................................................................................. 87

Student Assistants ........................................................................................................................... 89


OSC Highlights

Dr. Matthew Rise was awarded the Terra Nova Young Innovator Award in recognition of his research in marine biotechnology. Dr. Rise uses genomic approaches to investigate the genetic basis of fish defence responses. With the support provided by the Terra Nova Young Innovator Award, Matt will develop and use genomics tools to investigate the Atlantic salmon macrophage response to Piscirickettsia salmonis, a bacterial pathogen that causes significant losses in salmon aquaculture production each year. This study will reveal host molecular pathways altered during P. salmonis infection, and may lead to the development of new diagnostic techniques, vaccines, and therapeutics to combat the infection. The Terra Nova Young Innovator Awards are meant to recognize, promote and support outstanding and emerging researchers whose innovative work has the potential to significantly impact society. The prestigious award is funded by the Terra Nova development, an offshore oil field operated by Suncor Energy.

The formation of a CREAIT node at the OSC was established in 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). Photograph (L-R): Andrew Perry, Jennifer Hall, Jeanette Wells, Ken Langdon.

Kim Keating, Suncor Energy, joins Drs. Matt Rise and Joerg Evermann, recipients of the Terra Nova Young Innovator Awards, and Dr. Christopher Loomis, vice-president (Research) at a reception for the award winners

OSC CREAIT Staff


Completion of new sea-water intake in October 2010, to improve research at the OSC. This is the first of three stages in a major upgrade of infrastructure for the Logy Bay research facility. This particular step involved drilling horizontally for over half a kilometer from the parking lot, under the Centre and out into the ocean to a depth of approximately 35 meters. The next stage involves the precision blasting of a wet well and the construction of an overlying pump house that will provide consistent, high quality, low temperature (4-6˚C) seawater on a year-round basis to the facilities.



Census of Marine Life On October 4th, 2010 marine explorers from more than 80 countries delivered a historic first global Census of Marine Life. Dr. Paul Snelgrove was also one of the four panelists for the October news conference held at the Royal Institution in London, UK. Among the featured pieces in this release was his book Discoveries of the Census of Marine Life. This book reports on the final synthesis phase of the census which was led from Memorial University.

Dr. Marlies Rise was appointed as the new director of the Office of Research Services (formerly known as the Office of Research) in December 2010.

Marlies, who received her PhD in forest biology from the University of Victoria, came to Memorial in 2006 as a visiting scientist with the Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) and was subsequently appointed as adjunct professor.

She has worked collaboratively with faculty at the OSC on the cod genomics project, which has been published and presented nationally and internationally.

Mr. Marc Bolli accepted a new position of Information Technology Manager with the Core Research Equipment and Instrument Training Network (CREAIT) in December 2010. Marc, who started with the OSC in 2006, was the Research Computing Specialist responsible for research and academic computer support for the OSC community.


This year (2011) the OSC took possession of a new “Customized Research Support Vehicle” purchased with an NSERC grant of approximately $100,000 to the faculty. The custom research support vehicle is an integral component of the Field Services Unit (FSU) of the OSC, supporting both field and laboratory research. This replaces the former vehicle (upper right) purchased in 2000 with NSERC funds.

The Ocean Sciences Centre has a secret, and it's well kept. This cold ocean research facility houses laboratories for research on the North Atlantic fishery, aquaculture, oceanography, ecology, behaviour and physiology. The secret involves very low turnover and a culture of family like community. Shown here is a vital group of nine long-serving employees, their experience totalling 300 years (l-r): Bob O'Donnell (32 years), Delores Wheeler (36 years), Dr. Margaret Shears (27 years), Connie Short (27 years), Jim Devereaux (37 years), Jerry Ennis (29 years), and Dr. Garth Fletcher (39 years); missing from photo: Dr. Ray Thompson (37 years) and Damien Whitten (36 years).

A genetically engineered salmon produced at Memorial University was named one of the 50 best inventions of 2010 by Time magazine. The research began in the early 1980s at Memorial University when Drs. Garth Fletcher (Director OSC) and Choy Hew, formerly of the Biochemistry department, formulated the idea of using gene transfer to produce strains of Atlantic salmon for aquaculture that could better tolerate, and grow faster, under the harsh winter conditions that prevail in Newfoundland waters.

In September 2010, the FDA declared that Aqua Bounty’s growth hormone transgenic salmon were safe to eat. This is the first genetically modified animal product to be considered safe by FDA. Aqua Bounty expects to receive approval for the sale of the product in United States.


On-going construction at the OSC will result in new, leading edge facilities for research on cold-water and deep-sea organisms and ecosystems. The new upgrades, which will cost approximately $20 million are broken-down into five components ; (1) A deep-seawater supply to provide high quality, low temperature, seawater on a year-round basis, which includes the construction of a new pump house (2) Construction of the Cold-ocean Deep-sea Research Facility (CDRF) which will provide wet and dry laboratory space for research on deep-sea organisms, invasive species, and aquatic infectious diseases of importance to fisheries and aquaculture(3) Improved water quality, and wet and dry lab space for the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (4) Renovation and expansion of the aquatic animal holding areas ('Back Tank Room') (5) State-of-the-Art equipment to support the research initiatives to be undertaken at the CDRF – including flow cytometer, confocal microscope, scanning EM, deep-sea chambers, and equipment for pathogen culture/isolation.

OSC praised by Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) expert review panel in a report released in May 2011. An independent expert panel visited Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) on March 29 and 30, 2011 to assess the outcomes and impacts of CFI investments in the Fisheries Environments theme. Findings suggest the CFI investment has clearly been energizing and critical to the growth of the OSC and Memorial, its ability to attract graduate students, and the level of partnered activity with external research communities. This represents a productive use of CFI funds with significant scientific, local and regional consequences, particularly so from an economic perspective within the Province.

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Ms. Delores Wheeler- Administrative Staff Specialist (35 years), Mr. Damian Whitten- Laboratory Facility Technician (35 years) and Dr. Chris Parrish- Research Professor (20 years) were recognized for their long service to the Memorial University in a ceremony held in August 2011. Photograph: Dr. Gary Kachanoski President and Vice-chancellor of Memorial University and Ms. Delores Wheeler. Missing from photo: Dr. Chris Parrish and Mr. Damian Whitten.

Dr. Raymond Thompson, Professor (Research) will officially retire on December 31, 2011 after 37 years of service at the OSC. (1974-2011). His retirement party was held at the OSC in August 2010.

Ray is the last to retire of the original five Research Scientists recruited by Dr. David Idler to establish the Marine Sciences Research Laboratory (MSRL), now OSC, as a premier marine research establishment in Canada. Interestingly his original title was Scientific Assistant to the Director. Ray’s research interests centre on the physiological ecology of marine invertebrates, particularly bivalve mollusks, such as mussels and scallops. His major focus is the response of the organism to a food supply that varies seasonally, and in response to short – term driven changes such as tidal cycles and storms. In addition to fulfilling his duties as a Professor at Memorial, Ray also earned a BA with a major in Spanish and a minor in history. His fluency in Spanish was of considerable value when collaborating with Chilean scientists and supervising graduate students from Chile. Upon his retirement Ray will continue his association with the OSC as an Honorary Professor. Former and Current Students Bruce MacDonald- PhD Nicole Richoux (Co-supervised) - PhD Jorge Navarro- PhD Guilherme Rupp (Co-supervised) - PhD Roberto Jaramillo- PhD Guangxu Lui (Co-supervised) - PhD Robert Stead- PhD Marcelo Miranda (Co-supervised) - PhD Jorge Toro (Co-supervised) - PhD Sandra Pereda- PhD in progress Anna Redden (Co-supervised) - PhD Shin Hun Kim (Co-supervised)- PhD in progress Jonathan Hall- MSc Fiona Harper- MSc Alsion Scarratt- MSc Nicole Richoux- MSc Jennifer Ryan- MSc Ayes Carioglu (Co-supervised) - MSc Scott Feindel- MSc


Distinguished Visitors

Alan Bones, Canadian Ambassador to Iceland, visited the OSC in January 2011to tour the JBARB and discuss how the Embassy could help the faculty with a joint Iceland/Newfoundland cod aquaculture research project. Photograph: Garth Fletcher, Alan Bones and Danny Boyce

Drs Araki, Nagoya and Tachikawa visited the OSC on August 25th and presented a seminar on their research on Growth Hormone transgenic Amago salmon, and on genomic approaches to the breeding of Japanese flounder. This was followed by a tour of the JBARB aquaculture facility. Drs Araki and Nagoya conduct their research at the National Research Institute of Aquaculture, Nansei, Mie 516-08, Japan. Dr Tachikawa is a faculty member at Tokyo University, Japan. Photograph: Left to right. Drs Masashi Tachikawa, Garth Fletcher, Kazuo Araki and Hiroyuki Nagoya.

Drs. Belmiro Mendes de Castro Filho and Frederico Brandini, Oceanographic Institute, Department of Biological Oceanography, Universida de University of São, Brazil Visited the OSC in March 2011 Collaborative talks with Dr. Chris Parrish and Dr. Richard Rivkin.

Dr. Stephen de Mora, Chief Executive, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK visited the OSC in May 2011 to discuss potential collaborations between both facilities. Dr de Mora comes with an impressive track record across the marine sciences, having worked in the UK as well as New Zealand, Monaco and most recently Canada where he headed up the Department of Oceanography at the University of Quebec before becoming President of his own environmental consultancy, which carried out prestigious contracts for government and international agencies, such as the UN, across the globe.


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. Matthew Rise Terra Nova Young Innovator Award in 2011- Title of project: Genomic approaches to study the molecular pathogenesis of piscirickettsiosis

Dr. Matt Rise Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Marine Biotechnology renewal (2011-2016). Dr. Chris Parrish Employee Service Award- 20 years Staff Awards Delores Wheeler- Administrative Staff Specialist Employee Service Award- 35 years Damian Whitten- Laboratory Facility Technician Employee Service Award- 35 years

Student Awards Peter Westley(PhD) Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies Olin Fellowship from the Atlantic Salmon Federation Brendan Wringe(PhD) Ocean Industries Student Award, Research Development Corporation (RDC) Dr. Wilfred Templeman Graduate Scholarship Award Nate Wilke(PhD) Graduate Student’s Union Award for Excellence in Community Service Catherine Andrews (MSc) Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies Moire A. Wadleigh Graduate Award for excellence in Environmental Science Mitchell Browne (MSc) Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies Emily Zimmerann(MSc) Ocean Industries Student Award, Research Development Corporation (RDC) Dr. Wilfred Templeman Graduate Scholarship Award Krista Oke (Honours) Lou Visentin University Medal in Academic Excellence NSERC CGS-M to undertake her graduate studies at McGill University. Conference awards Becky Graham-Best student presentation, Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution meeting May 2011 Banff, Alberta. First Place for the MSc presentation at the Biology Graduate Students Association (BGSA)


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) 2010-2011 was as follows: Details of grants and contracts see Table 1

Facilities Management $2,351,375 OSC operating (Faculty of Science) $2,294.320 Public education/seals $134,977 Technical Services $ 53,236 NSERC Discovery Grants $ 441,953 NSERC Strategic Grants $ 424,004 NSERC Other $ 188,560 CFI $1,551,447.23 External Research Grants $2,020,121.05 MUCEP Students $ 11,616 JBARB Revenue $ 218,503 Total $9,690,112.67

Note: Clockwise Starting with Facilities Management

Facilities Management

OSC Operating Funds

PEP/SEALS

Tech Services

NSERC Discovery

NSERC Strategic

NSERC other

CFI

External Research Grants

JBARB Revenue

MUCEP Students


Figure 1: Research Funding Fiscal Years 2010-2011

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)

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Alfred P Sloan Genome Atlantic AIF/ACOA

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DFO

AquaNet

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illio

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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. Three major projects stand out in the OSC funding history: Halibut and cod aquaculture, cod genomics and construction of the Cold Ocean Deep Sea Research Facility (CDRF). 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 was to identify genes that will be of value in selective cross breeding programs to produce rapidly growing more disease resistant cod for aquaculture. The Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), through its Leading Edge Fund, the Provincial Government and Memorial University have committed over $20.5 million over a four year period (2009-2913) for the construction of new deep-sea water line and fully equipped building for the study of deep-sea organisms, invasive species and infectious diseases of importance to both fisheries and aquaculture. The OSC received a first installment of $1.53 million during the 2009-2010 fiscal year.


Table 1: Research Funding 2010-2011 Fiscal Year

Grants Received Total Administered

OSC NSERC Discovery $441,953.00

NSERC Strategic $424,004.00

NSERC Other $188,560.00

Internal Awards (MUN) $6,676.50

RDC/IRIF $234,180.00

DFO/DFA

$172,595.50

Genome Atlantic

$620,534.24

Alfred P Sloan Foundation

$202,910.00

ACOA

$65,475.00

CFI $1,551,447.23

Other $717,749.81

JBARB Revenue $218,503.00

Total Awards $4,844,588.28


Figure 2

Faculty, Graduate Students and Publications

Academic Year (September 1-August 31)

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2000-2001

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

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Figure 3: Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) 2002-2011

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Visiting Students Seal volunteers

MUCEP/ISWAP students Student Assistants Grant staff



Accomplishments 2010-2011 A. Research

Publications

Research efforts of the faculty and students resulted in 56 publications, 33 in peer reviewed journals, 5 in book/ book chapters and 18 in technical reports or conference proceedings. A summary of the number of publications appearing in peer reviewed journals over the past 9 years is presented in Figure 2 along with the number of OSC faculty and graduate students. On average the OSC faculty have published approximately 48 journal publications per year over the past 9 years.

Conferences

Seventy presentations were given by faculty and students at Canadian and International conferences/workshops held in twelve countries, Canada, USA, Denmark, Australia, France, Brazil, Spain, Ireland, Puerto Rico, England, New Caledonia and Czech Republic. Participation in such conferences helps to establish the excellence of ocean science at the OSC and Memorial University.

Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP)

Two PhD and eight MSc students successfully completed their degrees during the 2010-2011 academic year. In addition OSC Faculty supervised 7 Post doctoral fellows, 31 PhD students, and 35 MSc students. A summary of HQP trained at the OSC over the past 9 years is presented in Figure 3. On average the OSC contributes to the training of 149 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 12 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 2011. This twelve year record indicates that the OSC faculty supervises, on average, 59 graduate students, 11 of whom graduate each year.


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 juvenile fish and transferred them to private sector partners and researchers. Design of protocols for the ozone disinfection of fish eggs for eradication of vertically transmitted diseases. Optimization of ozonation protocols to maximize efficiency in cod.

The potential of using cunners to control sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestation of Atlantic salmon in Newfoundland

Developing Camelina Meal for the Aquaculture Industry

Scientific Rapid Image Acquisition System (SRIAS) for Aquaculture Smart Tank Technology at the Joe Brown Aquaculture Research Building.


C. Teaching

The faculty continues to provide instruction and training to students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate level programs. Courses taught 2010-2011 academic year. Dr. William Driedzic Biochemistry 4102: Current Topics in Biochemistry (1 module) Biochemistry

3106: Metabolism (1 module)

Dr. Ian Fleming Biology 7000: Being a Researcher in the Biological Sciences Aquaculture 6100: Aquaculture Finfish (Guest Lecture) MMS 6001: Fisheries Ecology (Guest Lecture) Bio/Physch 6351: Behavioural Ecology(Guest Lecture)

Dr. Patrick Gagnon Biology 2122: Biology of Invertebrates Biology 3710: Biological Oceanography (co-taught)

Dr. Kurt Gamperl

Biology 4601: Functional Biology of Fishes Aqua 7702: Finfish Aquaculture (Co-taught)

Dr. Iain McGaw Biology 3401: Animal Physiology (Co-taught) Biology 3640: Environmental Physiology

Dr. Annie Mercier Biology 7933: Advanced Topics in Marine Invertebrates (Graduate) Biology 4122: Advanced Topics in Marine Invertebrates (Undergraduate)

Dr. Chris Parrish Environmental Science 6002 (75%): Environmental Chemistry & Toxicology Aquaculture 6100 (8%): Advanced Finfish Aquaculture

Dr. Matthew Rise Biology B-4251: Genomics (Undergraduate) Biology B-7938: Genomics (Graduate)

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 3710: Biological Oceanography (co-taught) Biology: Fisheries Science (Guest Lectures)

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


D. Publications: 2010-2011 Academic year

Refereed Journals

Baillon, S.; Hamel, J.-F.; Mercier, A. (2011). Comparative study of reproductive synchrony at various scales in deep-sea echinoderms. Deep-sea Research Part I 58: 260-272. 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. (2011). Development and experimental validation of a 20K Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) oligonucleotide microarray based on a collection of over 150,000 ESTs. Marine Biotechnology 13, 733-750. 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. (2011). An integrated approach to gene discovery and marker development in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Marine Biotechnology 13, 242-255. Bradbury, I.R.; Hubert, S.; Higgins, B.; Bowman, S.; Paterson, I.; Snelgrove, P.; Morris, C.; Gregory, R.; Hardie, D.; Borza, T.; Bentzen, P. (2011) Evaluating SNP ascertainment bias and its impact on population assignment in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. Molecular Ecology Resources. 11 (Suppl. 1), 218–225. Bradbury I.R.; DiBacco, C.; Thorrold, S.R.; Snelgrove P.V.R.; Campana, S.E. (2011) Resolving natal tags using otolith geochemistry in an estuarine fish. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 433: 195-204. Browne, M.J.; Feng, C.Y.; Booth, V.; Rise, M.L. (2011). Characterization and expression studies of Gaduscidin-1 and Gaduscidin-2; paralogous antimicrobial peptide-like transcripts from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Developmental and Comparative Immunology 35, 399-408. Bucking, C.; Fitzpatrick, J.L.; Nadella, S.R.; McGaw, I.J.; Wood, C.M. (2011). Assimilation of water and dietary ions by the gastrointestinal tract during digestion in seawater-acclimated rainbow trout. Journal of Comparative Physiology. B. 181: 615-630

Currie, J.J.; Schneider, D.C. (2011). Spatial scale up of vital rates: Size-specific fecundity of the American lobster Homarus americanus. Marine Ecology–Progress Series 439: 193–201. Currie, J.J.; Schneider, D.C.; Wilke, K.M. (2010) Validation of a noninvasive technique for estimating fecundity in the American lobster Homarus americanus. Journal of Shellfish Research 29: 1021-1024. Curtis, D.L.; McGaw, I.J. (2011). A possible feeding control mechanism in Dungeness crabs during hyposaline exposure. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 31: 313-316.


Ditlecadet, D.; Short, C.; Driedzic, W.R. (2011). Glycerol loss to water exceeds glycerol catabolism via glycerol kinase in freeze resistant rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 2011 300: R 674-684. Feng, C.Y.; Rise, M.L. (2011). Identification and molecular cloning of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) transcript and its induction in spleen following intraperitoneal polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid injection. Fish and Shellfish Immunology 31, 475-481. Gamperl, A.K.; Swafford, B.L.; Rodnick, K.J. (2011). Elevated temperature, per se, does not limit the ability of rainbow trout to increase ventricular stroke volume. Journal of Thermal Biology. 36: 7 – 14. Gong, H.; Croft, K.; Driedzic, W.R.; Ewart, K.V. (2011) Chemical chaperone action of glycerol on the antifreeze protein of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). Journal of Thermal Biology 36 78-83

Hall, J.R.; Clow, K.A.; Rise, M.L.; Driedzic, W.R. (2011). Identification and validation of differentially expressed transcripts in a hepatocyte model of cold-induced glycerol production in rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 301(4), R995-R1010. Larsen, L.-K.; Pélabon, C.; Bolstad, G.H.; Viken, Å.; Fleming, I.A.; Rosenqvist, G. (2011). Temporal change in inbreeding depression in life history traits in captive populations of guppy (Poecilia reticulate): evidence for purging. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24: 823-834. McGaw, I.J.; Edgell T.C.; Kaiser, M.J. (2011). Population demographics of native and newly invasive populations of green crab, Carcinus maenas. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 430: 435-240 Mercier, A.; Sun, Z.; Baillon, S.; Hamel, J.-F. (2011). Lunar rhythms in the deep sea: evidence from the reproductive periodicity of several marine invertebrates. Journal of Biological Rhythms 26: 82-86. Mercier, A.; Hamel, J.-F. (2011). Contrasting reproductive strategies in three deep-sea octocorals from eastern Canada: Primnoa resedaeformis, Keratoisis ornata and Anthomastus grandiflorus. Coral Reefs 30: 337-350. Mercier, A.; Sun, Z.; Hamel, J.-F. (2011). Reproductive periodicity, spawning and development of the deep-sea scleractinian coral Flabellum angulare. Marine Biology 158: 371-380.


Mercier, A.; Schofield, M.; Hamel, J.-F. (2011). Evidence of dietary feedback in a facultative association between deep-sea gastropods and sea anemones. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology 396: 207-215. 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 64: 1749-1765. Parrish, C.C.; Milke, L.M.; Bricelj, V.M. (2011). Characterisation of 4a-methyl sterols in Pavlova spp. and postlarval sea scallops, Placopecten magellanicus. Aquaculture 311: 261–262. Pepin, P.; Parrish C.C.; Head, E.J.H. (2011). Late autumn condition of Calanus finmarchicus in the northwestern Atlantic: evidence of size-dependent differential feeding. Marine Ecology Progress Series 423: 155-166. Petersen, L.H.; Gamperl, A.K. (2011). Cod cardiorespiratory physiology and hypoxia tolerance following acclimation to low oxygen. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology: 84:18 - 31. Reddin, D.G.; Dowton, P.; Fleming, I.A.; Hansen, L.P.; Mahon, A. (2011). Behavioural ecology at sea of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) kelts from a Newfoundland (Canada) river. Fisheries Oceanography 20: 174-191. Rossong, M.A.; Quijon, P.A.; Williams, P.J.; Snelgrove, P.V.R. (2011). Foraging and shelter behaviour of juvenile American lobster (Homarus americanus): the influence of a non-indigenous crab. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology Ecology. 403: 75-80. Seiden, J. M.; Way, C.; Rivkin, R.B. ( 2011). Bacterial dynamics in ballast water during trans-oceanic voyages of bulk carriers: Environmental controls Marine Ecology Progress Series. 436: 145-159 So, J.J.; Uthicke, S.; Hamel, J.-F.; Mercier, A. (2011). Genetic population structure in a commercial marine invertebrate with long-lived lecithotrophic larvae: Cucumaria frondosa (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea. Marine Biology 158: 859-870. So, J.J.; Hamel, J.-F.; Mercier, A. (2010). Habitat utilization, growth and predation of Cucumaria frondosa: implications for an emerging sea cucumber fishery. Fisheries Management & Ecology 17: 473-484. Sun, Z.; Hamel, J.-F.; Mercier, A. (2011). Planulation, larval biology and early growth of the deep-sea soft corals Gersemia fruticosa and Duva florida (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea). Invertebrate Biology 130: 91-99.


Westley, P.A.H.; Fleming, I.A. (2011). Landscape factors that shape a slow and persistent aquatic invasion: brown trout in Newfoundland 1883-2010. Diversity and Distributions 17: 566-579. Westley, P.A.H. (2011). What invasive species reveal about the rate and form of contemporary phenotypic change in nature. American Naturalist 177: 496-509.

Books and Book Chapters Abrahams, M.V. (2011). A survival guide for fishes: how to obtain food while avoiding being food. In: Encyclopedia of Fish Physiology: From Genome to Environment. Elsevier. Fleming, I.A.; Einum, S. (2011). Reproductive Ecology: a tale of two sexes, pp 33-65. In: Ø. Aas, S. Einum, A. Klemetsen and J. Skurdal (eds.) Atlantic salmon ecology. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK. (ISBN 978-1-4051-9769-4) Fleming, I.A.; Huntingford, F.A. (2011). Reproductive Behaviour. In S. Kadri and F.A. Huntingford (eds.) Behaviour and Aquaculture. Blackwell, Oxford. in press. Gamperl, A.K. (2011). Integrated responses of the circulatory system: Temperature. In: Encyclopedia of Fish Physiology, from Genome to Environment, 1st Edition. Farrell. A.P (Eds). pp. 1197 – 1205. Gamperl, A.K. (2011).Integrated responses of the circulatory system: Hypoxia. In: Encyclopedia of Fish Physiology, from Genome to Environment, 1st Edition. Farrell. A.P (Eds) pp. 1221 – 1228.


Technical Papers, Reports, Conference Proceedings, Magazines Both A.; Parrish, C.C.; Penney, R.; Thompson, R.J. (2011). Physical and biochemical properties of particles released from an onshore Atlantic cod Gadus morhua aquaculture facility in the context of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. Aquaculture Association of Canada Special Publication Number 17: 14-17. Boyce, D.; Evely, J.; Prickett, R.; King, N. (2010) - Newfoundland Commercial Scale Atlantic Cod Hatchery Production Technology Project. NAIA Cold Harvester Magazine- pp. 25-27. Clarke, M.; Parrish C.C.; Penney, R.W (2010). Free amino acids as an indicator of egg viability in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Bulletin Aquaculture Association of Canada: 108-2: 6-9. Boyce, D. (2010) $16.3 Million Dollar Investment for Ocean Research and Infrastructure at the Ocean Sciences Centre. NAIA Cold Harvester Magazine -Summer pp. 14-15. Boyce, D. (2010). Atlantic Cod farming in Canada. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada- Cod Aquaculture 108-2, pp. 3-4. George, E.M.; Parrish, C.C. (2011). Organic footprint and composition of particles from marine finfish aquaculture operations. ‘The Cold Harvester’ Transcontinental Media and the Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Industry Association. Summer 2011: p25. George, E.M.; Parrish, C.C. (2011). Organic footprint and composition of particles from marine finfish aquaculture operations. Aquaculture Association of Canada Special Publication Number 17: 34-37. King, R, R.; Healey, D.; Tucker, S.; Haley, H.; Boyce, D. (2010) Newfoundland commercial scale Atlantic cod hatchery production technology project – live feed component. Canada. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada- Cod Aquaculture 108-2, pp. 14-17. Lowen, J.B.; Ma, K.; Deibel, D. (2011). Aquatic invasive species: Golden Star tunicate in Newfoundland and Labrador Waters. Fisheries & Oceans Canada, Ottawa. p. 2 (http://publications.gc.ca/collections/ collection_2011/mpo-dfo/Fs23-555-2-2011-eng.pdf) Lowen, J.B.; Ma, K.; Deibel, D. (2011). Aquatic invasive species: Violet tunicate in Newfoundland and Labrador Waters. Fisheries & Oceans Canada, Ottawa. p. 2 (http://publications.gc.ca/collections/ collection_2011/mpo-dfo/Fs23-555-3-2011-eng.pdf) Ma, K.; Deibel, D.; McKenzie, C. (2011). Indigenous and non-indigenous ascidian tunicates of Newfoundland and Labrador. Proceedings of the Contributed Papers of the 27th Annual General Meeting of the Aquaculture Association of Canada. ACC Advance Special Publication. 17: 58-63

http://publications.gc.ca/collections/�

http://publications.gc.ca/collections/�


Mercier, A.; Hamel, J.-F. (2010). Cowries and eggshells. Aquarium Fish International September 2010: 88-94. Mercier, A.; Hamel, J.-F. (2010) Spike up your aquarium. Aquarium Fish International December 2010: 104-112. Mercier, A.; Hamel, J.-F. (2010) L’affluent aux mille visages. Nature sauvage Fall 2010 : 32-37. Prickett, R.; Boyce, D.; Monk, J.; Drake, M.; Armstrong, B.; Canning, C. (2010). Successful partnerships for a sustainable future – Cod juvenile production at the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) 2009-2010 Canada. Bulletin of the Aquaculture Association of Canada- Cod Aquaculture 108-2, pp. 18-20. 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 Aquaculture Association of Canada: 108-2: 10-13. Westley, P.A.H.; Ings, D.W.; Fleming, I.A. (2011). A review and annotated bibliography of the impacts of invasive brown trout (Salmo trutta) on native salmonids, with an emphasis on Newfoundland waters. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2924, 81 p. Zhao, P.; Parrish, C.C. (2011). Effect of finfish aquaculture operations on biochemical composition and growth of algae. Aquaculture Association of Canada Special Publication Number 17: 74-76.



E. Highly Qualified Personnel

Post Doctoral Fellows Marjie Booman (Matthew Rise) Louise Copeman (Chris Parrish) Colleen Mercier-Clarke (Paul Snelgrove) Ben Lowen (Don Deibel) Jeremy Mitchell (Mark Abrahams) Daniel Bassett (Mark Abrahams) Chih-lin Wei (Paul Snelgrove)

Degreed Students

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

Louise Copeman- Biology -Ph.D. (C. Parrish/co-supervised) Gadoid feeding and food webs

Marie George- Environmental Science- M.Sc. (C. Parrish) Environmental footprint of marine fish aquaculture

Mitchell Brown-Biochemistry - M.Sc. (M.Rise/V. Booth) Characterization of fish antimicrobial peptides

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.

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

Kelly Johnson - Biology - Ph.D. (D. Schneider) Bioavailability of metals in soil

Victoria Burdett-Coutts - Biology - M.Sc. (P. Snelgrove/R. Wahle) Lobster Larvae and Juvenile Recruitment

Sara Best- Environmental Science -M.Sc. (E.Demirov/J.Wroblewski) Hindcasting and forecasting of climatology for Gilbert Bay, Labrador: a Marine Protected Area.


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


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

Stefaine Hixson- Biology- Ph.D. (C. Parrish) Effect of ditary Camelina on fish proformance 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

Yunyun, Fu- Ph.D. (R. Rivkin/Co-supervised) Gene transfer agents in Arctic bacterioplankton

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 – Biology-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

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

Cailtin Blain- Biology- M.Sc. (P. Gagon) Effects of environmental variability on population dynamics and acid (H2SO4) production in the annual brown alga Desmarestia viridis


Scott Caines- Biology- M Sc. (P. Gagnon) Population dynamics of the invasive bryozoan Membranipora membranacea along a 450-km latitudinal gradient in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Kyle Matheson- Biology- M.Sc. (P. Gagnon) Effects of temperature and competition on foraging and physical interactions in indigenous rock (Cancer irroratus) and recently introduced green (Carcinus maenas) crabs from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Kimberley Burt – Aquaculture – M.Sc. (K. Gamperl / Hamoutene DFO) Effects of Intermittent Hypoxia on Atlantic Salmon.

Dominic Hauck- Biology-M.Sc. (K. Gamperl) Oxygen limitations on cardiac function in salmonids

Courtney MacSween- Biology- M.Sc. (K. Gamperl) Metabolic physiology of cunner

Abdullah Al-Zaid- Biology- M.Sc. (K. Gamperl) Cunner metabolic and stress response

Travis Nielsen- Biology- M.Sc. (I. McGaw) Thermoregulatory trade-off behavior in the juvenile life stages of the American lobster, Homarus americanus.

Vanessa Oldford- Biology- M.Sc. (I. McGaw) Effect of invasive Green Crab species on juvenile lobster.

Wasiium Bathia- Aquaculture – M.Sc. (C. Parrish/co-supervised) Aquaponics

Daria Gallardi- Aquaculture- M.Sc.(C. Parrish/co-supervised) Mussel Lipids

Matther Webb- Aquaculture- M.Sc. (C. Parrish/Co-supervised) Effect of cod broodstock diets on egg larvae

Peng Zhao – Environmental Science – M.Sc. (C.Parrish) Growth & biochemical composition of cultured algae

Larina Carroll- Biology - M.Sc. (M.Rise) Molecular ontogeny of thermal stress response in teleost fish

Bonita McCuaig-Aquaculture- Aquaculture (M. Rise)Impact of camelina-containing diets on Atlantic cod global gene expression and health


Qingheng Xu – Biology- M.Sc. (M.Rise) Functional genomic research on growth and immunity in triploid salmon

Katie Gale- Biology- M.Sc. (M. Mercier) Trophic ecology of deep-sea Asteroidea Jennica Sieden - M.Sc. - (R. Rivkin) Bacterial dynamics and community structure in ballast water during transoceanic transit

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

Viviana Ramirez - M.Sc. (D Schneider) Development of an exclusive fishery zone on the Pacific Coast of Columbia.

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

Yuir Gidge- Biology- M.Sc. (D. Schneider) Bio-indicators of nutrient loading at aquaculture sites in Newfoundland.

David Walfoort- Biology- M.Sc. (D. Schneider) Consideration of Reproductive Value in Fisheries Bioeconomics

Nicole Dunleavy- Biology- M.Sc. (P. Snelgrove) Spatial variations in benthic macrofaunal communities in the Gulf of Maine

Ashley Robar -Biology-M.Sc. (P. Snelgrove/K. Juniper) Rock movement, species diversity and species richness


Undergraduate Students

Brian Alcock – Biology – B.Sc. (M.Rise) Functional genomic research on defense relevant transcript expression during cod embryonic development.

David Ross -Biology- B.Sc. Honours (A. Mercier) Significance of egg size variations in deep-sea echinoderms.

Sandra Hamilton-Biology- B.Sc. Honours (A. Mercier) Conspecific interactions during shell acquisition in hermit crabs.

Krista Oke – BSc Honours (I. A.Fleming) Ecological consequences for Atlantic salmon of competition resulting from hybridization of growth hormone transgenic Atlantic salmon and brown trout

Alison Jenkins – Environmental Science Honours (R. Rivkin) Microbial dynamics in Logy Bay

Richard Ogunwale– Environmental Science Honours (R. Rivkin) Bacterial dynamics in Logy Bay

Jessica Stephens- Biology- B.Sc. Honours (D. Schneider) Annual variation of late winter and early spring shorebird numbers along the Florida coast with reference to evaluating oil pollution impacts.

Victoria Howse- Biology- B.Sc. Honours (P. Snelgrove) Colour variations in juvenile lobster

Visiting Students

Mr. Adam Keen - B.Sc. B.Sc. University of Manchester, England Ms. Marie Vaugeois- Université Paris-Sud 11 Ms. Kimberley Johnstone- Simon Fraser University, BC.



Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, 2010 Abrahams, M.V. (2010). Behavioural syndromes and their application to the conservation ecology of fishes. Ethology and Evolutionary Ecology of Fishes. INVITED

Annual Meeting of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, Gander, 2010. Ma, K.; Lowen, B.; Deibel, D. (2011). Morphotype diversity in colonies of the golden star tunicate in Newfoundland. The 6th International Tunicate Meeting, McGill University Montreal, Quebec July 3-7 2011 Deibel, D.; Lowen, J.B.; Ma, K.; McKenzie, C.H.; Rise, M.; Applin, G.; Hall, J.; Thompson, R. (2011). A collaborative study of non-indigenous ascidians on the south coast of Newfoundland. Lowen, J.B.; Deibel, D.; Ma, K.; McKenzie, C.H.; Thompson, R. (2011). Life-history constraints affecting invasion success in Botryllus schlosseri Ma, K.; Lowen, J.B.; Deibel, D.; McKenzie, C.H. (2011). Seasonal variability in larval recruitment of the non-indigenous ascidian Botryllus schlosseri in Arnold’s Cove, Newfoundland. Applin G; Hall, J.R.; Lowen, J.B.; Rise, M.L.; Deibel, D. (2011). Early detection of the invasive ascidians Botryllus schlosseri

and Botrylloides violaceus utilising TaqMan assays and molecular phylogenetics. The 7th International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions, Barcelona, Spain 23-25 August, 2011. McKenzie, C.H.; Pilgrim, B.; Deibel, D.; Lowen, J.B.; Ma, K.; Thompson, R. (2011). Mitigation andcontrol of two Aquatic Invasive Species in Newfoundland, Canada: Case studies on the violettunicate, Botrylloides violaceus and the European green crab, Carcinus maenas. Annual Meeting of Aquaculture Canada and of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 2010 Ma, K.; Deibel, D.; McKenzie, C. (2010). Non-indigenous and indigenous ascidians of Newfoundland and Labrador. Aquatic Invasive Species Special Session. Lowen, J.B.; Deibel, D.; Rise, M.L.; Thompson, R.J.; Ma, K.; McKenzie, C.H.. (2010). Life history, population dynamics, diversity and abundance of Botryllus schlosseri in a sub-arctic environment (Arnold's Cove, Placentia Bay, NL). Aquatic Invasive Species Special Session.

The 50th annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Zoologists, University of Ottawa, Ontario, May 16th-20th, 2011. Treberg, J.R.; Stacey, J.E.; Driedzic, W.R. Carbohydrate metabolism in coelomic cells from tunicates with different degrees of vanadium accumulation.

Dr. William Driedzic

Dr. Don Deibel

Dr. Mark Abrahams

F. Conferences, Workshops, Invited Lectures


Aarhaus, Denmark Special Symposium entitle “Adaptations of Heart Function to Stressful Conditions: A Tribute to Docent Dr. Hans Gesser”. June 28, 29 2011. Driedzic, W.R. “My journey with Hans” INVITED

UC Davis Transgenic Animal Research Conference, Tahoe City, USA. August, 2011 Moreau, D.T.R.; Fletcher, G.L.; Conway, C.; Gamperl, A.K.;. Fleming, I.A. (2011) Potential for ecological effects and gene flow resulting from growth hormone transgenic Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) interactions with wild populations. Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution Annual Meeting, Banff, Canada, May 2011 Graham, B.; Fleming, I.A. (2011) Do alternative reproductive phenotypes impact the success of conservation initiatives? Westley, P.A.H.; Fleming, I.A. (2011). The role of the environment in shaping Waltonian variation among introduced populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta). University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, April, 2011 Westley, P.A.H.; Fleming, I.A. (2011). Species invasion and contemporary phenotypic change: a case study of brown trout introduced to Newfoundland. Prevent Escape annual meeting, Galway, Ireland, March. Fleming, I.A. (2011) Escapes Canada: Assessing and mitigating risk from a diversifying aquaculture industry, the potential for interaction between escapee and wild Atlantic cod.

Undergraduate Research Symposium, Memorial University, April 2011. Oke, K.; Westley, P.H.A.; Moreau, D.T.R.; Fleming, I.A. (2011). Transmission and expression of a transgene via hybridization: competitive interactions between genetically modified Atlantic salmon—brown trout hybrids and wild-type Atlantic salmon. Biology. Atlantic Provinces Council of the Sciences Conference - Atlantic Undergraduate Biology Conference (AUBC). Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, March, 2011. Oke, K.; Westley, P.H.A.; Moreau, D.T.R.; Fleming, I.A. (2011). Transmission and expression of a transgene via hybridization: competitive interactions between genetically modified Atlantic salmon—brown trout hybrids and wild-type Atlantic salmon.

1st International Ice Binding Protein Conference, Queen’s University Kingston ON. August 3-6th, 2011 Fletcher, G.L. (2011). How would you make a transgenic fish that can resist freezing. Desjardins, M. Graham, L.A.; Davies, P.L.; Fletcher, G.L. (2011). A potential role for antifreeze protein gene dosage in wolfish speciation. Gauthier, S.Y.; Graham, L.A.; Hobbs, R.; Fletcher, G.L.; Davies, P.L. (2011). Antifreeze protein evolution: recent and often.

Canadian Society of Zoologists Ottawa. May 16-20th McGaw, I.J. (2011). Specific dynamic

Dr. Iain McGaw

Dr. Garth Fletcher

Dr. Ian Fleming


action in the sunflower star, Pycnopodia helianthoides. Aquaculture Association of Canada, Quebec City, May 8-11th McGaw, I.J.; Curtis, D.L. (2011). Feeding and digestive physiology of decapods crustaceans: Importance of basic research for aquaculture. Scientists and Fisherman’s Conference in Truro NS on lobster fishery (March 2011) Workshop at Aquaculture Association of Canada on juvenile lobster culture in Quebec City (May 2011)

Symposium of circadian rhythms research in Canada, Montreal, QC, Canada, June 2011. Mercier, A. (2011). Between the sun, the moon and the sea: infradian and circadian rhythms in the reproduction of marine invertebrates. INVITED Asia-Pacific Tropical Sea Cucumber Aquaculture Symposium. Noumea, New-Caledonia, February 2011. Mercier, A. (2011). Hatchery experience and useful lessons from Isostichopus fuscus in Ecuador and Mexico. INVITED Mercier, A. (2010). Alternative species in fisheries and aquaculture. 55th Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference, St. John’s, NL, Canada, September 2010. INVITED International Conference on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, Prague, Czech Republic, August 2010. Doyle, G.; Hamel, J.-F.; Mercier, A. (2010). Novel gametogenic maturity stage index for

the quantitative study of reproductive synchrony in marine invertebrates.

International Conference on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, Prague, Czech Republic, August 2010. Doyle, G.; Hamel, J.-F.; Mercier, A. (2010). Influence of environmental factors and spatial distribution on the reproduction of the brittle star Ophiopholis aculeata (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea).

Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Brazil (2010) Departments of Hydrobiology & of Botany Lectures (INVITED) Physiomar10 in Québec. October 31st to November 4th 2010. Scientific committee for Lipids in Mollusc Physiology session (Symposium organiser and secession chair). Both, A.; Parrish, C.C.; Penney, R.; Thompson, R.J. (2010). Lipid composition of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) fed effluent from an onshore Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) aquaculture facility. Parrish, C.C.; George, E.M. Lipid class and fatty acid content and composition of molluscs in the vicinity of Atlantic salmon farms in coastal British Columbia. 55th Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference, St. John's, September 2010 Hailat, I.A.; Parrish, C.C.; Helleur, R.J. Sterol content and composition of mussels fed different diets. Both, A.; Parrish, C.C.; Penney, R.; Thompson, R.J. Biochemical composition of the blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) fed effluent from an onshore Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) aquaculture facility.

Dr. Chris Parrish

Dr. Annie Mercier


World Aquaculture Society Conference, Natal, Brazil, June 2011 Parrish, C.; Both, A.; George, M.; Zhao, P.; Hailat I. Effect of finfish aquaculture operations on biochemical composition of particulate matter, algae and mollusks.

55th Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference - Seafood and Aquaculture in Focus: Resources, Processing, Biotechnology, Safety and Health, St. John’s, NL. September, 2010. Rise ML. Biotechnology and genomics in fisheries and aquaculture research. INVITED Plant and Animal Genomes XIX Conference (Aquaculture Workshop), San Diego, California. January, 2011. Rise, M.L.; Hall, J.R.; Hori, T.S.; Booman, M.; Rise, M.; Browne, M.J.; Gamperl, A.K.; Hubert, S.; Kimball, J.; Bowman, S.; Johnson, S.C. Functional genomic research on Atlantic cod responses to asymptomatic nodavirus carrier state and intraperitoneal viral mimic injection II Comparative Immunology and Pathology Workshop, Edmonton, AB, May, 2011. Hori, T.S.; Gamperl, A.K.; Booman, M.; Nash, G.W.; Rise, M.L. Functional genomics study of the impact of moderate temperature increase on the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) spleen transcriptome response to a viral mimic.

Canadian Society of Microbiologists. St. John’s, NL. June 2011.

Keats, K..; Hale, M. S.; Rivkin, R.B. (2011) Factors controlling the abundance, production, and growth of marine heterotrophic bacteria in the eastern Canadian Arctic Fu, Y.; Keats, K.; Rivkin, R.B.; Lang, A. S. (2011).Distribution of marine Rhodobacterales in Northern Baffin Bay. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Meeting. San Juan Puerto Rico. February 2011. Tucker, J. M., Rivkin, R.B.; B., Li, W. K. Mouland, R. 2011. Microbial processes in the Beaufort Sea. Anderson, M. R.; Rivkin, R.B. (2011). Potential impacts of widespread hydrocarbon contamination on the bacterial community of a large coastal bay. Motard-Côté, J.; Levasseur, M.; Scarratt, M. G.; Michaud, S.; Lovejoy, C.; Rivkin, R.B.; Keats, K..; Gosselin, M.; Tremblay, J.; Kiene, R. P. (2011). Dynamics and phylogenetic affiliation of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP)- degrading bacteria in arctic waters. Rivkin, R.B. (2011). Microbial food web structure and connectivity in the upper and mesopelagic layers of the ocean: comparison among ocean regions. Rivkin, R.B. Connectivity of Ecosystem Processes in the Upper and Mesopelagic Oceans. SPECIAL SESSION CHAIR Annual Scientific Meeting. Ottawa, Ontario. December 2010. Tucker, J. M.; Rivkin, R. B. (2010). Microbial Processes in the Beaufort Sea. ArcticNet.

Continuing Studies in Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC 2010 INVITED

Dr. Paul Snelgrove Dr. Richard Rivkin

Dr. Matthew Rise


Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver BC, 2010 INVITED

Ocean Literacy Summit, New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (Keynote), Durham NH, 2010 INVITED

Natural History Museum, London (public lecture), 2010 INVITED

Memorial University (public lecture), 2010 INVITED

University of Victoria, Victoria BC, 2010 INVITED

Benthic Ecology Meeting Wilmington, NC 2010 Robar, A.; Snelgrove, P.; Juniper, S.K. (2010). Investigating pattern and ecosystem services in deep basin sediments on Atlantic Canada’s shelf. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Annual Science Meeting, Nantes, France 2010. Snelgrove, P. V. R.; Archambault, P.; Juniper, S. K.; Lawton, P.; Metaxas, A.; McKindsey, C.; Pepin, P.; Tunnicliffe, V. (2010). Mobilizing Marine Biodiversity Research: The Canadian Healthy Oceans Network. Benthic Ecology Meeting Mobile, Alabama, 2011 Robar, A.; Snelgrove, P.; Juniper, S.K. (2011). Impacts of polychaete diversity on ecosystem services. Stanley, R.; Howse, V.; Snelgrove, P. (2011). An exploratory analysis of colour polymorphism in larval American lobster (Homarus americanus): patterns and implications. National Council for Science & the Environment National Conference, Washington, DC, 2011 INVITED

American University, Washington DC, 2011 INVITED

HERMIONE (European Comm. Framework 7) Annual Meeting, Malaga Spain, 2011 KEYNOTE INVITED

New England Aquarium (public and science lectures), Boston MA, 2011 INVITED

Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 2011 INVITED

Ocean Leadership, Washington DC, 2011 INVITED

Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences, Sydney Australia, 2011 INVITED

CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research, Brisbane, Australia, 2011 INVITED

Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, Townsville, Australia, 2011 INVITED

James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, 2011 INVITED

Australian Marine Science Association Annual Meeting Perth, Australia, 2011 KEYNOTE INVITED

TED Global Conference, Edinburgh, UK, 2011 INVITED

Life in a Changing Ocean (Workshop lead) Sydney, Brisbane, and Townsville, Australia, July 2011 INVITED

APICS Environmental Studies Annual Conf, Dalhousie University, Halifax, 11-13 March 2011 Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Environmental Science at Memorial University. Poster presentation.

Dr. Joe Wroblewski


Faculty Profiles Dr. Mark Abrahams http://www.mun.ca/osc/mabrahams/bio.php

CURRENT 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 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011 I. The Ecology of Information -- Much of the research in the past year has been focusing on the importance of information as an ecological resource. Overall, the idea is to examine how animals are adapted to acquiring information from their environment, and how they might integrate multiple sources of information. The research approach is addressing two fundamental questions. The information environment- This component determines how predictable environments are at different scales. We (M.Sc. student Livia Goodbrand) expect that since most physical parameters tend to be more predictable at greater temporal and spatial scales then so too should most biological parameters. Early fieldwork has been conducted in collaboration with Dr. G. Rose to use hydroacoustic surveys to estimate some of these parameters. Adaptations to acquiring information-Two general components to this research are to investigate how animals have invested in acquiring and using information, and how they can modify their behaviour in response to changes in the physical environment. The first component (collaboration between Dr. Carolyn Walsh and PDF, Dr. Daniel Bassett) are examining the neuroanatomy of fish brains and directly measuring the proportion of the brain mass associated with different sensory functions. Behavioural modification in response to different senses is being determined via computer simulation (PDF, Dr. Jeremy Mitchell). We assume that anthropogenic effects that change the information environment will result in a reduced volume from which information can be acquired. Applications of this work include determining how changes in the physical environment such as the increased turbidity associated with hydroelectric development and agricultural runoff will affect the ability of certain species to survive in such an environment. We (Dr. Daniel Bassett) are also determining how changes to the information environment may promote the establishment of invasive species in Canada and New Zealand

II. Habitat quality – This project is related to the preceding work but extends to include other physical parameters such as temperature and dissolved oxygen. The fundamental premise is that predators must be considerably larger than their prey in aquatic ecosystems, and that this dramatic size difference has ramifications on their ability to function in a dynamic physical environment. Previous work has investigated how manipulations of dissolved oxygen affect habitat quality and use in shallow freshwater environments. The work is now being extended to determine whether it can explain the use of nursery habitats by lemon sharks in warm marine environments as part of Ian Hamilton’s M.Sc. research (co-supervised by myself and Dr. Ian Fleming).

http://www.mun.ca/osc/mabrahams/bio.php�


Dr. Don Deibel http://www.mun.ca/osc/ddeibel/bio.php

CURRENT 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 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011

Invitation to give an invited keynote talk for the Zooplankton Life History session at the 5th International Zooplankton Production Symposium in Pucon, Chile, conducted by ICES and PICES (March 2011). My talk has already been published in a dedicated issue of the ICES Journal of Marine Science (Deibel, D.; Lowen, J.B. (2011) A review of the life cycles and life-history adaptations of pelagic tunicates to environmental conditions. ICES Journal of Marine Science. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsr159 12 pp). This invitation is recognition of my reputation for research on the pelagic tunicates, which I have been conducting continuously since 1976, from the tropics to the Arctic Ocean.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/ddeibel/bio.php�


Dr. William Driedzic http://www.mun.ca/osc/wdriedzic/bio.php

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS Research activities continue to focus on energy metabolism, especially under conditions of low temperature, low oxygen, and low food availability in marine fish and other selected species. The new information generated provides an intellectual connect from molecular biology, through biochemistry to physiological ecology. In another context, our studies are setting the stage for practical and powerful applications in the area of marine biomedicine.


The glycerol cycle in rainbow smelt: 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. We have recently shown that the final step in glycerol synthesis is catalyzed glycerol 3-phosphatase. This enzyme is well recognized in microorganisms but until now was only suggested to occur in vertebrates. In addition, we have shown that glycerol plays an a cryoprotectant role as a chaperon molecule and that glycerol uptake by red blood cells involves a carrier mediated process at high extracellular glycerol concentrations. 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 and glycerol levels in plasma are used as an index of fat breakdown. An understanding glycerol function and management is therefore of broad physiological interest.

Glucose uptake mechanisms in fish: Most animal cells utilize glucose at least to some extent as a metabolic fuel. It is generally viewed that 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 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 and utilization in fish red blood cells from species with a range in plasma glucose levels (sculpin 1mM; cunner 3mM; cod and salmon 5mM). Glucose uptake versus glucose concentration, measured by classical 14C-glucose incorporation, is left shifted in sculpin compared to other species. But glucose utilization, as measured by a novel method that tracks 3H2O production, reveals that metabolism occurs in cells from all species at very low extracellular glucose levels and at a much lower rate than maximal glucose uptake. We are currently assessing the contention that there is a family of specific glucose transporters that preferentially provide glucose to the glycolytic pathway.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/wdriedzic/bio.php�


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

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS The research in my laboratory addresses fundamental questions about the way in which animals respond to their environment (phenotypically and evolutionarily) an 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.

We continued research on a number of projects this past year and saw others wrap up. Darek Moreau, PhD student, submitted his thesis on the Potential for ecological effects and gene flow resulting from growth hormone transgenic Atlantic salmon interactions with wild conspecifics and published or had accepted three papers from his thesis. Another PhD student, Kathryn (Kes) Morton submitted her thesis entitled Development of larval fish: a multi-species perspective. It is anticipated that both Darek and Kes will defend their theses in Fall 2011. Peter Westley is also nearing the completion of his PhD thesis on the brown trout introduced to Newfoundland, which are being used 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. This past year, Peter had two papers and a technical report related to his thesis published. We also continued our collaboration with University College Cork, Ireland, to investigate the population genetic structure and invasion history of the Newfoundland brown trout. Nate Wilke continued his PhD research investigations into the response of endangered Atlantic salmon populations to inadvertent domestication during captive rearing and conservation breeding. Michelle Bachan successfully defended her MSc thesis entitled Maternal influences on egg quality and larval morphology, survival and growth of the batch-spawning Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and submitted two paper for publication from this work. Another MSc student, Becky Graham, completed her analyses of 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. Krista Oke successfully defended her BSc Honours thesis entitled Ecological consequences for Atlantic salmon of competition resulting from hybridization of growth hormone transgenic Atlantic salmon and brown trout and she is working on a manuscript from this work for publication.


This past year also saw the continuation of the collaborative NSERC Strategic project (MUN and DFO) that aims to assess and mitigate risk from a diversifying aquaculture industry, with a focus on the potential for interaction between escapee and wild fish. In association with the project, PhD student, Brendan Wringe, has been 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. A new MSc student, Emily Zimmermann, joined the project and began her research

http://www.mun.ca/osc/ifleming/bio.php�


Dr. Patrick Gagnon http://www.mun.ca/osc/pagagnon/bio.php

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS Research in my laboratory, the Cold Ocean Benthic Ecology Lab (COBEL), 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 environmental variability (including anthropogenic disturbances) affects recruitment, growth, survival, and interactions in native and invasive invertebrates and seaweeds. Our approach combines field and laboratory experiments and observations using scuba diving, underwater photography and videography, wave tanks, remote sensors (airborne and satellite), and GIS tools to extract and merge data across spatial and temporal scales.

• Effects of environmental variability on species interactions - This research aspect investigates individual and combined effects of changes in abiotic factors such as wave energy, salinity, temperature, and light on the behavioral repertoire, growth, and reproductive potential of dominant benthic invertebrates in shallow subtidal environments. Foraging and physical interactions between rock (Cancer irroratus) and green (Carcinus maenas) crabs of different body size from Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) were investigated under various temperature and competition regimes. Results indicated effects of changes in temperature on prey capture and degree of physical interactions between crabs are size- and species-specific. The recent introduction of the green crab to NL may negatively affect foraging in rock crabs of similar or larger size than the largest green crabs and this pattern may be exacerbated in competitive interactions with smaller rock crabs and those missing one chela, especially in warm water.


• Ecology and ecosystem impacts of marine invasive species - Several notorious invertebrate and seaweed species have been introduced to eastern Canada since the early 1990s, including the kelp-encrusting bryozoan Membranipora membranacea. The relatively recent (2002) introduction of M. membranacea to NL raised concerns about the impact that this species may have on local biodiversity and the social and economic systems that depend on it. We quantified and compared seasonal and inter-annual variation in settlement, recruitment, and colony cover of M. membranacea on the kelp Saccharina longicruris across eight sites spanning a 450-km latitudinal gradient between the southwestern tip of Newfoundland and southeastern tip of Labrador. Thermal histories were calculated for each site to determine the extent that the observed variation was explained by sea temperature. Settler abundance varied both seasonally and annually with a sharp increase between August and September at warmer sites, and spatially with differences of up to three orders of magnitude between sites. Settler abundance and sea temperature were strongly correlated, with maxima at mid-latitudes and minima at the northernmost and southernmost sites. Recruitment and colony cover varied seasonally, though variation generally decreased with increasing latitude. This research was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture of NL, and the Institute for Biodiversity, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/pagagnon/bio.php�


Dr. Kurt Gamperl http://www.mun.ca/osc/kgamperl/bio.php CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS I am a fish 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. I use a variety of marine and anadromous (those that can go between fresh and salt water) fishes in my research, and the questions I address often have implications for fish ecology and/or aquaculture. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011 Over the past year, my research program has made significant progress in understanding how temperature affects fish physiology, and I have initiated two major research projects with regards to improving the rearing or larval Atlantic cod.

Ph.D. student Ms. Isabel Costa used the cGRASP 32,000 element microarray (‘gene chip)’ to investigate how exposure to cold temperatures (i.e. 0 – 1oC) affected gene (mRNA) expression of the Atlantic salmon heart. This research revealed that while there were few changes in the expression of genes involved in metabolism, those involved in tissue remodeling and structure, and intracellular signaling showed significant alterations. This data provides important information on the mechanistic basis for changes in heart size/structure and function when fish are exposed to temperatures at the lower end of their thermal tolerance range. This research is NSERC funded.

Adam Keen, a student from the University of Manchester, spent 10 months in my lab conducting research on whether fish only increase heart rate as temperature rises because ventilation goes up with temperature, and thus, heart rate must also increase to ensure cardio-respiratory synchrony (i.e. ventilation-perfusion matching). The results were very interesting as they failed to reveal cardiorespiratory synchrony in the rainbow trout at temperatures approaching the upper limit for this species, and suggest that both cardiac output and ventilation may limit metabolism in the trout at high temperatures. Ventilation has not been identified as a factor limiting thermal tolerance in fish before, and will require that current models that relate thermal tolerance to fish physiology/metabolism to be revised. This research is NSERC funded.

To address issues with slow growth and early maturation in cultured Atlantic cod we have initiated two research programs: 1) “Improving Rearing Conditions for Atlantic Cod” which examines whether adding clay vs. algae to the rearing tanks improves larval growth/survival, and if the 24 hour light currently being used in larval culture might be contributing to the high incidence of early maturation; and 2) “Diet and the Early Development of Atlantic Cod”, is taking a integrative (physiology, biochemistry, genomics, etc.) look at why larval cod grow up to 20% faster when fed wild zooplankton vs, rotifers and Artemia, and evaluating whether a protein hydrolysate enrichment can be used to enhance growth and survival. These projects are funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), and the Dept. of Fisheries and Aquaculture, NL.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/kgamperl/bio.php�


Dr. Iain McGaw http://www.mun.ca/osc/ijmcgaw/bio.php CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS My research program focuses on the ecophysiology of crustaceans. Currently we are working on the digestive physiology of crabs and the behavioural physiology of juvenile lobsters The results of these studies produce solid scientific research but can also be directly applied to the fisheries and aquaculture industry in Newfoundland


Crustacean physiology Recent research has focused on the feeding behaviour of the Dungeness crab, Cancer magister at low salinities. This species is considered to be a weak osmoregulator. However it is known to enter into low salinity regimes when food is abundant. Our recent research was designed to determine whether neurohormones associated with the X-organ/sinus gland located within the eyestalks played a regulatory role on feeding behaviour of crabs exposed to low salinities. Results indicated that the crabs with ablated eyestalks consumed food and fed for longer periods of time in low salinities compared with intact animals. In contrast the proportion of intact animals that would feed declined in reduced salinities and none fed in salinities of less than 50% sea water. These results suggest that feeding behaviour of C. magister at low salinities is regulated by an inhibitory neurohormonal mechanism.

Invasive crustacean species

The green crab Carcinus maenas (L.) is native to north-western Europe. However because of its tolerance of a wide range of environmental conditions, it has become a wide-spread invasive species, with the potential to outcompete and displace native crab species. Reproductively viable populations of this invasive species have been present for at least 10 years in the coastal waters of British Columbia (BC). Our recent study the showed that crabs residing in BC were significantly larger than those from their native range (Europe). In addition the native crabs had a higher frequency of red-coloured individuals than the BC population which consisted of a higher frequency of large green males. Green-coloured integuments are typical of individuals in the early stages of intermoult. This observation taken in conjunction with their larger size suggests that the BC crabs have higher growth rates than their European counterparts. These observations may point to one reason why this invasive species is so successful. If this species is in the transitional stages of adaptation to new habitats we have a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of a newly invasive population as it recruits and matures.

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


Dr Annie Mercier http://www.mun.ca/osc/amercier/bio.php

CURRENT 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 and mollusks 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 or molecular analyses and environmental assessments. Her specific areas of expertise include: 1) the chronobiology of reproduction; 2) various aspects of reproductive strategies and evolutionary biology: larval dispersion, offspring size variations, settlement preferences, juvenile ecology; 3) species interactions such as aggregative patterns, prey-predator relationships, parasitism, symbiosis; 4) conservation and management of commercial species of invertebrates.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011 Control of reproduction and growth. A core component of my research strives toward a comprehensive understanding of benthic ecosystems in terms of reproductive strategies and success at the individual and population levels. An MSc thesis was completed (G. Doyle) that used a quantitative index of oogenesis to study reproductive synchrony in brittle stars. We recently characterized multi-species breeding events in sublittoral invertebrates (lunar and circadian periodicities). Combining the work of several students (Z. Sun, S. Baillon), we also found unexpected lunar rhythms of reproduction in various deep-sea species. These findings were published (Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol., J. Biol. Rhythms) and I was invited to present and discuss them at the Symposium of circadian rhythms research in Canada in June 2011.

Deep-sea biology. Findings on deep-sea gastropods (M. Schofield) and echinoderms (S. Baillon) were published, as was the evidence of lunar rhythms in deep-sea taxa (see above). Exciting data on deep-sea coral associates are currently being gathered (S. Baillon, PhD) and a new MSc project (K. Gale) is focusing on the trophic ecology of bathyal sea stars. I was interviewed in a CBC documentary (Blowout - Doc Zone) on the potential effect of an oil spill on deep-water ecosystems (in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy).

Evolutionary biology. The natural occurrence of fusion among propagules of sea anemones turned out to be the first account of this phenomenon in a non-colonial organism. The publication (Proc. R. Soc. B) got media attention (e.g. New Scientist, The Scientist, DiscoverMag). The ecological significance of related offspring size variations is being investigated (Z. Sun, PhD).

Conservation and management of commercial holothurians. I was invited to take part in the Asia-Pacific Tropical Sea Cucumber Aquaculture Symposium in February 2011 and to write a chapter on ‘Sea cucumber aquaculture’ for Advances in aquaculture hatchery technology (Woodhead Publishing). Two papers related to Cucumaria frondosa were published (J. So) and we welcomed a visiting postdoctoral

http://www.mun.ca/osc/amercier/bio.php�

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20393-zoologger-sea-anemones-spawn-mixedup-kids.html�

http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/58147/�

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/04/21/the-many-yous-in-you-%E2%80%93-what-lydia-fairchild-has-in-common-with-a-sponge-and-an-anemone/�


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

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS I work at the interface of chemistry and biology in the area of marine lipid research. I am interested in the production, transport, fate and effects of hydrophobic organic matter in aquatic ecosystems.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011 Our main focus this past year has been on the environmental effects of finfish aquaculture. We have been studying the particle field associated with finfish aquaculture and how benthic organisms interact with it in land-based and cage site facilities. We also study the dissolved inorganic nutrients associated with finfish aquaculture and their effects on algae. Measurements were made of dissolved and particulate matter in the inflow and outflow of land based Atlantic cod tanks. The effluent was composed of a mixture of fish biodeposits and residual food material not consumed by the fish. Lipid composition results show significantly more free fatty acid in the outflow indicative of lipid breakdown and faecal matter. The fishmeal derived copepod markers 20:1ω9 and 22:1ω11 were also significantly higher in the outflow. There was also significantly more of the essential fatty acid 22:6ω3 (DHA) in the outflow. We were able to confirm that mussels do ingest wastes being generated from an aquaculture site, and that the fraction that is removed is that which has the greatest potential to spread. In order to estimate the potential for co-culturing mussels, the land based data were used to calculate the total possible output from operational cage sites in Newfoundland. The scaling calculation indicates that in the range of 210 to as much as 1400 tonnes of mussels could be supported by the output from a large farm.

In a separate study, Atlantic salmon cage sites in Clayoquot Sound and the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia were sampled by retrieving macroalgae and invertebrates, and by performing 20 μm net tows in transects surrounding the farms. Regression analysis with distance showed mussels alone are heavier closer to the farm. In addition, among the molluscs, blue mussels had significantly higher proportions of the essential fatty acids which would also relate to their potential use in integrated mutli-trophic aquaculture.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/cparrish/bio.php�


Dr. Matthew Rise http://www.mun.ca/osc/mlrise/bio.php

CURRENT 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, my research has focused on these species.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011 Functional genomics research on cod defense responses. I led the functional genomics components of the Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project (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). I have been involved in the development of the CGP’s Atlantic cod expressed sequence tag (EST) database (containing ~ 160,000 ESTs). In addition, I have played a central role in the design and development of a 20,000-gene (20K) Atlantic cod oligonucleotide microarray. 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) egg, embryonic, and larval transcriptomes (e.g. to study defense relevant transcript expression during early development); 2) global gene expression responses to immune stimuli (pathogens or pathogen mimics), environmental stress (heat stress), and combinations of stressors (heat stress and immune stimuli); and 3) gene expression responses to various diets.

Functional genomics research on Atlantic salmon responses to pathogens. With my collaborators and trainees, I study Atlantic salmon global gene expression responses to bacterial and viral pathogens. These studies reveal 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) supported project that involves academic, government, and industry scientists. In this project, DNA microarrays and other genomics tools are used to identify genes associated at the transcript expression level with traits of interest to aquaculture (e.g. rapid growth rate, or robust immune responses).

Studying the impact of sustainable aquaculture feed components on fish gene expression and health. In an ACOA supported collaborative project involving scientists from Memorial University, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, University of Saskatchewan, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, I and my trainees use functional genomics studies to assess the impact of camelina [Camelina sativa, a crop that is resistant to abiotic stress] meal and oil containing diets on Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, and Atlantic cod gene expression.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/mlrise/bio.php�


Dr. Richard Rivkin http://www.mun.ca/osc/rrivkin/bio.php CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS Dr. Rivkin has internationally recognized research programmes 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 biogeochemistry and climate! RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011 Microbial dynamics in the World Ocean: This program combines field measurements with large scale meta-analysis of published information on microbial processes. (1)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. (2)Using meta-analyses contributed key parameters of microbial carbon transfer and incorporated them into coupled-ocean-biogeochemical models. (3)Developed conceptual models to better understand the factors influencing the microbial transformations of carbon in the mesopelagic region of the World Oceans.(4) Initiated comparative studies of microbial dynamics in warm subtropical waters in Asia with cold subpolar waters in Newfoundland. The goal is to develop general principles about the regulation of microbial processes. 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: (1) 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. (2) Bacterial growth in the Eastern Arctic is not limited by the availability of organic or inorganic nutrients. (3)Bacterial abundance and biomass but not production or growth rate remain relatively high throughout the water column, to over 3000m in the Beaufort Sea. (4) 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: (1)- 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. (2)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.(3)-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. (4).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 from temperature and oxygen concentrations.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/rrivkin/bio.php�


Dr. David Schneider http://www.mun.ca/osc/dschneider/ http://www.mun.ca/osc/dschneide/bio.php

CURRENT 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.


Eelgrass habitat use by juvenile fish. Juvenile marine fish often inhabit nursery areas consisting of structurally complex environments. We tested whether juvenile Greenland cod (Gadus ogac Richardson), Atlantic cod (G. morhua L.), and white hake (Urophycis tenuis Mitchill) have higher feeding and growth rates in structurally complex eelgrass habitat compared to barren seafloor or the water column. Results were generally consistent with predictions of higher growth rates and food rations among seafloor habitats for white hake and Atlantic cod, but not Greeland cod (Renkawitz et al 2011). 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. Evaluating these measures requires estimates of fecundity, for which permits are increasingly difficult to obtain. A non-invasive sampling technique was developed to estimate egg-production without scraping and so destroying eggs from sampled animals (Currie et al 2010). A general model (Currie and Schneider 2011) that allows fecundity to be estimated at any location in the range of the species was developed from 11 sites spanning the current commercial range (Massachusetts to Newfoundland). Community feedback session reporting efficacy of all three conservation measures were held in April 2011 at 3 locations on the west coast of Newfoundland. Two manuscript reporting efficacy of conservation measures have been submitted for publication.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/dschneider/�

http://www.mun.ca/osc/dschneide/bio.php�


Dr. Paul Snelgrove http://www.mun.ca/osc/psnelgrov/bio.php CURRENT 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.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011 Dr. Snelgrove’s lab continued its work (Bradbury et al. 2010; Stanley et al. submitted) 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. Additional collaborative work Bradbury et al. 2011a; 2011b) uses genetic and otolith techniques to look at the relationships among cod populations around the island and which of them regularly interbreed. This work suggests relatively modest population structure in populations and there is a fair level of movement and exchange between geographic regions. 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). We have also undertaken experiments on the impact of the recent arrival of invasive green crab in coastal Newfoundland on lobster and other species, which shows that smaller lobster feed less and “hide” more in the presence of green crab, whereas feeding in larger lobsters is unaffected (Rossong et al. 2011a). We also found that the recent invaders in Newfoundland are more aggressive than their mainland counterparts, which have been established much longer, suggesting that the impact of the first wave of invasion may be the greatest (Rossong et al. 2011b). Dr. Snelgrove also authored a book (Snelgrove 2010) published by Cambridge University Press that represents a major synthesis of one of the largest international studies undertaken on ocean life - the International Census of Marine Life. This effort has resulted in numerous invitations to give scientific talks around the world, including an invited talk to the TED Global Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. Baker et al. (in press) present novel data on deep-water coral communities in continental slope waters off the coast of Newfoundland, and highlights how different slope environments support different coral communities.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/psnelgrov/bio.php�


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

CURRENT 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 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011

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.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/rthompson/bio.php�


Dr. Joe Wroblewski http://www.mun.ca/osc/jwroblewski/bio.php CURRENT 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 the 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. (J.S. Wroblewski with J. Russell, illustrated by L.K. Wroblewski. The Golden Cod of Labrador: Establishing the First Marine Protected Area in Canada’s Subarctic Coastal Zone. book in manuscript). 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 this 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. (J.S. Wroblewski, illustrated by L.K. Wroblewski. Nearshore Fishes of Bonne Bay, a Fjord within Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland. book in manuscript). RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2010-2011 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, submitted).

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, in preparation).

Emeritus Faculty

http://www.mun.ca/osc/jwroblewski/bio.php�


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

CURRENT 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.


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.

http://www.mun.ca/osc/gfletcher/bio.php�


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

http://www.mun.ca/osc/jbarb/�


Research Projects 1) Atlantic Cod Broodstock Program (NCBC)- Andy Walsh and Jonathan Moir

The Newfoundland Cod Broodstock Company Ltd. (NCBC) is a company incorporated in Newfoundland. The company participated fully in the Atlantic Cod Genome Project which was established to undertake the sale of eggs and fry from cod broodstock. NCBC is the only operational Newfoundland company interested in the business of supplying Newfoundland cod genetic products to potential industry clients. In the longer term the company is pursuing a plan to become the supplier of cod genetic products to others who enter the industry as it develops.

The duration of this proposal runs through three fiscal years; 2009, 2010 and 2011 with the project completing in March 2012. Production of the first F2 generation of Newfoundland Cod from performance evaluated F1 generations of cod raised through the Atlantic Cod Genome Project.

NCBC’s primary business interest is the sale of eggs and/or fry from pedigree and wild broodstock selected on the basis of performance of previous generations of progeny.

Over the past year, NCBC has maintained an elite, selected cod broodstock population within the confines of the broodstock room of the JBARB, as well as counterparts at the sea cages in Bay Bulls. This group of fish represents the combined efforts of personnel involved in the CGP, NCBC, DFO and JBARB over the past 4 years. Wild caught cod were introduced to the facility in 2007 from the Bay Bulls and Smith Sound regions. These broodstock were placed on an advanced photo-period and were used to generate the YC2 F1 fish through the Cod Genomics Project. A percentage of these F1 fish were reared at the JBARB for roughly 2 years. Using data collected from counterparts at the Bay Bulls sea cage sites, estimated breeding values (ebvs) were generated and the top performing F1 fish were selected for mating pairs to generate the YC5 F2 families.

The original Smith Sound wild caught broodstock continue to be reared at the JBARB on an advanced photo-period, making them the longest captive cod broodstock. These fish range in size from 25-50lbs. Eggs from this group of fish continue to be used in various trials and experiments as well as slated for future production.

Newfoundland Cod Broodstock Company has been involved in a collaborative research project with UNB to look at family resistance and susceptibility to Loma morhua. Research into this matter is in its early phases, with additional family rearing possible at JBARB in the next spawning cycle.

A new production run is expected to occur in the 2012/2013 spawning season using the selected F2 broodstock and generating the first F3 population.


2) Project Title: Improving Rearing Conditions for Atlantic Cod Team: Gamperl, Rise and Boyce and NCBC. Funding: ACOA, DFA and JBARB Duration: September 2010-September 2012 Background Newfoundland and Labrador’s aquaculture industry produced $38.8 Million worth of finfish in 2007 (Socio-Economic Impact of Aquaculture in Canada, DFO/2010-1645, April 2010), and has been expanding rapidly due to significant investment from companies such as Cooke Aquaculture Inc. and Northern Harvest Sea Farms, among others (e.g. the value of cultured finfish and shellfish produced in NL has been estimated at $92 Million for 2009; Fish Farming Expert, June, 2010). However, species diversification will be important for the long-term growth and stability of this industry within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Some steelhead trout and Arctic char are being reared on Newfoundland’s south coast. However, most of the interest in non-salmon (i.e. ‘alternative species’) aquaculture has focused on the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) over the past decade. While ACOA-AIF and Genome Canada/Genome Atlantic funding has led to significant advances in our understanding of the cod’s biology under intensive culture and culture techniques, there are still several challenges that adversely impact production output and the cost of production. This has recently forced the aquaculture industry (and supporting partners such as NL Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans) to reassess the feasibility of cod aquaculture under the current global market conditions for cod.

Project Description Among the challenges to cod aquaculture are growth, diet formulations, early maturation, fish health, production costs, broodstock quality and marketing. This project address two of these issues, and make significant advances towards the Atlantic cod becoming an economically viable species for intensive aquaculture production in the Atlantic region. Specifically, this proposal will address: Early Maturation

• Examine whether rearing cod at ambient photoperiod vs. continuous light during early

rearing can decrease the incidence of early maturation.

Production Costs

• Further investigate whether adding clay to larval rearing tanks vs. algal paste (greening) results in improved juvenile survival and growth.


Early Maturation: Photoperiod During Early Rearing While triploid cod may be a viable option for the Newfoundland cod aquaculture industry, it is only one possible solution to the problem of early maturation. Photoperiod manipulation during the larval stages has demonstrated that growth rates can be increased in the short-term by providing cod with continuous (24 h) light. However, the long-term effects of this practice on cod held in sea-cages are unclear.

Interestingly, it has been suggested that light conditions during the early life history stages have an effect on the sensitivity of cod to light, and therefore, that they may affect the efficiency of continuous light treatments at preventing early maturation or the incidence of early maturation. This makes sense given that the light responsive organs (i.e. mainly retina and pineal organ) develop early in cod. Indeed, it is possible that we are ‘sensitizing’ these organs by exposing cod to continuous light during early larval rearing, and that this is causing, or at least contributing to, the high incidence of early maturation of fish held in sea-cages.

In this experiment, we will rear 5 tanks (600 L) of diploid cod at ambient photoperiod and another 5 on continuous light until they are PIT-tagged, and then rear approx. 1000 fish from each of the treatments in 25 m3 tanks at the OSC for 15 months on ambient temperature and photoperiod. Growth parameters (length, mass, condition factor, etc.) will be measured at regular intervals during larval / juvenile rearing, and fish be sampled semi-annually during growout at the OSC so that growth and stage of maturation can be evaluated. Spawning / larval rearing of these fish would begin in Oct./Nov. 2010.

Production Costs In intensive aquaculture facilities for marine fish species, microalgae (cultured or from paste) have been shown to have a beneficial influence on growth and survival. In 2006-2008, the JBARB had issues with larval survival/performance, and instituted a number of changes to improve water quality. However, large variations in survival between tanks receiving either live algae or algal pastes were evident, and these pointed towards bacterial issues. Based on success with rearing halibut larvae, fine potter’s clay was added to a number of larval tanks, and the growth and survival of these cod larvae/juveniles was compared with tanks where algal products were used for ‘greening’. The results were dramatic, with the addition of clay resulting in significantly increased larval survival and performance. This difference was associated with a suppression of bacterial growth, and fits with clay’s known properties as a colloidal filter that can absorb/remove dissolved organic carbon from the water column.

The results, however, are preliminary and must be confirmed by a dedicated experiment with adequate replication and statistical analysis. To this end, we will examine the influence of clay vs. algal paste (5, 600L tanks for each treatment) on the growth, survival, immune and stress response, and global gene expression (using the 20K cod microarray and qPCR) of cod larvae. Further, 500 fish from each treatment will be combined with fish produced in the ‘photoperiod’ experiment to evaluate how growth improvements seen during early rearing translate into growth during the juvenile and adult stages.


Objectives and Deliverables

The proposed research will provide much needed information on how to optimize cod growth/survival/performance during the early life history stages, and how performance and culture conditions during the larval stage translate into differences in the growth and maturation of cod.

Overall, this research program addresses 2 challenges currently faced by the cod aquaculture industry in Atlantic Canada (early maturation and cost of production), and will move the cod aquaculture industry further towards commercialization. In addition, the ‘clay vs. algae’ experiment will utilize the 20,000 element oligonucleotide microarray developed through the Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project (CGP), and have the potential to identify genes, or suites (groups) of genes, that are differentially regulated in fast growing and ‘robust’ cod. This approach has proven to be extremely valuable with regards to research conducted through the CGP, and for identifying candidate trait-relevant genes for the development of molecular markers (e.g. single nucleotide polymorphisms) that may be correlated with desirable production traits (e.g. rapid growth, robust immune responses, and resistance to environmental stress). Such information will be critical for selecting broodstock for the cod aquaculture industry. Economic Impact and Results Reporting 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.


Partnerships - Supporting Organizations and Industrial Companies This particular project is supported in principle by representatives from The NL Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agencies and Memorial University of Newfoundland. 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. 3) Diet and the Early Development of Atlantic Cod Team: Kurt Gamperl, Danny Boyce, Steve Armstrong, NCBC, Funding: Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador. Duration- May 2011-December 31, 2013 This project was conceived based on initial discussions at the NORA “North Atlantic Opportunities” meeting in Reykjavik (Iceland, May 2010). This project will utilize the talents of “Marine Finfish and Genomics Researchers” at Memorial University, dedicated marine aquaculture technical staff at the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB), Genome Atlantic and our industrial partners from NCBC. Further, it will formalize research collaborations with Icelandic/NORA scientists who have complimentary expertise, and a keen interest in seeing cod aquaculture succeed at a global scale.

As identified in the recently released Gardiner Pinfold Report titled “Factors Affecting Viability of Cod Aquaculture in Canada”, there are a number of technical challenges that are currently impediments to cod aquaculture. This project will address the challenge of slow growth rates (ranked by an international body of reviewers as High Priority) as highlighted in the Pinfold Report, and thus also production costs, and should result in significant advances towards the Atlantic cod becoming an economically viable species for intensive aquaculture production in the Atlantic region. Specifically, this proposal focuses on: Larval Growth (Phase 1)

• Why zooplankton-fed cod grow faster than rotifer-fed conspecifics, and thus, how: (a)

early weaning diets / supplements can be modified (i.e. components that need to be added / have levels adjusted); and/or (b) how the cod’s gut flora could to be altered, for example, through the addition of probiotics, so that the true growth potential of cod can be realized under culture conditions.

Production Costs (Phase 2)

• To what extent increased growth rates achieved by feeding zooplankton to larval fish translate into growth gains in juveniles and adults, and thus, reduce the time to get fish to market.


Currently, there is no commercial cod hatchery in Newfoundland. Until such a facility is constructed, and for this specific proposal, the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) will play a major role in these experiments, and will continue to support the industry with regards to research and development, and the training of highly qualified people.

Experienced hatchery managers understand very well that it is essential to continually optimize protocols in order to guarantee the health of their fry and performance during subsequent rearing. Indeed, the hatchery production of marine fish like cod is a perpetually evolving process, and as new solutions to problems arise, the technology to produce marine juveniles is always advancing. This is an important step in planning for the commercialization of any new (emerging) species.

The project is complimenting 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 funding projects such as this one will help to solidify Atlantic Canada’s and Newfoundland and Labrador’s roles as world leaders in aquaculture innovation, and that the commercialization of any new species will result in economic growth in the region. We feel that our project entitled “Diet and the Early Development of Atlantic Cod” 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.

The Ocean Sciences Centre staff works closely with its industry partners, as demonstrated through the recently completed five year AIF project, the Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project (CGP) and ACRDP projects, and we are also very pleased to be part of the recently announced AIF Camelina project that began in the summer of 2010 (the lead scientists at the OSC are Drs. Matt Rise and Chris Parrish).

Project Description Research In Newfoundland, at present, it is taking approx. 40 – 42 months to grow cod to the preferred market size of 3-4 kg, significantly longer than the 30-36 months that industry has set as a target to ensure profitability (Clift report, 2005; Gardner Pinfold Report – Appendix 1). Thus, many in the industry have identified slow growth due to less than optimal diets as a major impediment to the successful commercialization of cod aquaculture (e.g. see Canadian Aquaculture Systems Inc. report, 2008 and Appendix 1). To address this issue, the proposed research focuses on the early life stages of cod, and uses functional genomics (among other techniques) to investigate why cod larvae fed wild zooplankton have significantly improved growth compared to those fed enriched rotifers.

This research approach is being taken for several reasons. First, cod larvae fed wild zooplankton instead of enriched rotifers for even a short period (e.g. 2 weeks) in intensive culture have substantially better growth. Second, this improved larval growth has been shown to translate into significantly larger juveniles by 20 – 25% (Imsland et al., 2006; Koedijk et al., 2010a) and fish


after 17 months of cage-site growout by approx. 13% (Imsland et al., 2006). Finally, previous studies (e.g. Hartviksen et al., 2009; Koedijk et al. 2010b) have failed to identify factors that might mediate the improved growth of zooplankton fed larvae.

As part of the Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project (CGP), we developed a suite of molecular tools/approaches (e.g. suppressive subtractive hybridization [SSH] libraries for targeted gene discovery, and a 20,000 element oligonucleotide microarray) to investigate global gene expression responses to factors such as elevated temperature, stress and pathogen exposure (Rise et al., 2008; Feng et al., 2009; Hori et al., 2010, Booman et al., in press). In the proposed research we will use similar approaches to identify genes, or suites (groups) of genes, that are differentially regulated when cod are fed wild zooplankton vs. enriched rotifers. Further, we will investigate how these two prey types affect gut morphology/structure, characterize the microbial community present in the intestine of cod larvae and juveniles, and measure the expression of growth-regulating hormones and the cod’s metabolism and stress physiology.

This research will provide valuable information on why zooplankton-fed cod grow faster than rotifer-fed conspecifics, and on how to potentially improve early weaning diets. For example this research will point to: (1) how early weaning diets/supplements can be modified (i.e. components that need to be added / have levels adjusted); and/or (2) how the cod’s gut flora could to be altered (e.g. through the use of probiotics; see Lauzon et al. 2008 and 2009) during early rearing so that the growth potential of cod can be reached under culture conditions

Experimental Details This experiment is divided into Two Phases (1 and 2)

Phase 1

Larvae/juvenile cod will be reared in 600 l tanks until a size suitable for PIT-tagging (approx. 8 months of age; 15 g) following protocols normally utilized for cod culture at the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building. However, 3 groups of cod (6 tanks per group) will differ in what they are fed between days 15 and 35 post-hatch (100% wild zooplankton; 20% wild zooplankton and 80% enriched rotifers; only enriched rotifers).

To evaluate the nutritional quality of the diets, and how the diets affect larval composition, each diet and larvae from all three treatments will be analyzed for total lipids and protein, fatty acid and amino acid composition, and carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen (CHN) levels.

Measurements of fish length, mass, condition factor and liver mass (when fish size allows) will be made monthly on a subset of fish from each tank (n = 10 - 12) until PIT-tagging for the calculation of specific growth rate, condition factor and hepatic-somatic index.

The effect of the three diets on larval gut morphology and development will be examined after tissues are fixed using light and electron microscopy. Measurements will include microvilli length and surface area, enterocyte size, the number of mitochondria per enterocyte and intra-


epithelial leucocytes, among others.

Changes in gene expression when Atlantic cod are fed zooplankton only diets vs. mixed zooplankton/rotifer diets vs rotifer only diets during larval development will be examined in whole larvae and the digestive system using the 20,000 element cod microarray and SSH libraries, followed by the quantification of informative transcripts (i.e. those with immune and digestive functions) using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR).

The expression of the growth-regulating genes insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I and II, and myostatin, will be measured at various life stages. These hormones are being selected because plasma IGF I levels are significantly correlated with growth in cod (Davie et al., 2007), and the expression of all 3 of these hormones increased in copepod-fed vs. enriched rotifer-fed yellowtail clownfish (Olivotto et al., 2008).

The microbial community present in the intestine of cod larvae fed the 3 diets will be also be compared using 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from the intestinal tract. Finally, the stress response, activity, and oxygen consumption of cod larvae and juveniles will be measured to assess how feeding wild zooplankton vs. enriched rotifers influences cod behaviour and physiology, and their potential relationship to growth.

Phase 2:

The PIT-tagged fish will be stocked into a 25m3 tank in the broodstock room under ambient temperature and photoperiod conditions and measured quarterly until they are 2 years of age. In addition, the expression of growth regulating genes will be quantified and the bacterial composition of the gut will be examined. This part of the experiment is intended to simulate Newfoundland cage-site conditions, and to determine if the effects of feeding zooplankton to larval fish translates into growth gains in juveniles and adults.

Project Deliverables and Outcomes

The proposed research will: 1) provide much needed information on how and/or why zooplankton-fed cod out-perform those fed enriched rotifers during the larval stage; 2) identify genes and molecular pathways that are modified by feeding natural diets and result in healthy/robust vs. ‘weak’ larvae; and 3) examine whether or not this enhanced growth is maintained until 2 years post-hatch. This research will be extremely valuable in determining whether/what nutritional components need be added to larval cod diets, or those that are causing deleterious health issues (i.e. those related to stress and compromised immune function). In addition, collaboration with partners in Iceland will enable us to further evaluate how larval nutrition affects cod growth and health. This work (see enclosed proposal submitted by our Icelandic colleagues for NORA funding – Appendix 2) will be complimentary, and additive, to the work proposed here. Overall, this research program addresses two of the main challenges currently faced by the cod aquaculture industry in Atlantic Canada (growth and cost of production), and will move the global industry forward significantly with regards to achieving the goal of having cultured cod reach market size in a 30-36 month time-frame.


Finally, the ‘rotifer vs. zooplankton’ experiment will take advantage of the 20,000 element (20K) oligonucleotide microarray developed through the Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project (i.e. capitalize on previous ACOA investments), and have the potential to identify genes, or suites (groups) of genes, that are differentially regulated in fast growing and ‘robust’ cod. This approach has proven to be extremely valuable with regards to research conducted through the CGP, and for identifying candidate trait-relevant genes for the development of molecular markers [e.g. single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] that may be correlated with desirable production traits (e.g. rapid growth, robust immune responses, and resistance to environmental stress). Such information will be critical for selecting broodstock for the cod aquaculture industry. 4) Project Title: Design of protocols for the ozone disinfection of fish eggs for eradication of vertically transmitted diseases. Team: Dr. Dounia Hamoutene, Research Scientist, Aquaculture Section NL., Juan Perez-Casanova, Post doctoral fellow, Gehan Mabrouk, Section Head, Lynn Lush, Biologist, Jonathan Moir, Project Manager. NCBC. St John’s, Danny Boyce, Facilities Manager, Joe Brown Aquatics Research Center, Memorial University of NL. St John’s, NL. Funding: DFO-ACRDP and NCBC Duration: 2011-2012 Project Rationalle:

Disinfection of fish eggs is an important method of controlling transmissible diseases in an aquaculture facility. Ozone has been successfully used to disinfect eggs of marine and freshwater species in experimental and commercial operations. Operationally, ozonation has been used successfully against nodavirus transmission in cod kept at the Ocean Sciences Center (Joe Brown Aquaculture Research Building, JBARB) since 2004, even though in the first years nodavirus positive parents were used in the production cycle. Nonetheless, this observation needs to be confirmed with appropriate scientific data to ensure that protocols are set-up to maximize control of vertically transmitted diseases. Moreover, information is needed to ensure that ozone conditions have no long-term effects on larvae. This study will test the efficacy of present protocols and investigate potential effect of ozone treatments on larvae performance. The last part of the project will include the testing of an ozone treatment/disinfection prototype system on cod eggs and salmon eggs to ensure efficacy of ozonation.

Project objectives include: • Optimization of ozonation protocols to maximize efficiency in both cod (seawater) and

salmon eggs (freshwater), • Implementation of optimized ozonation protocols for cod in an operational hatchery

(JBARB), • Testing of a prototype, stand-alone, plug & play, ozone disinfection unit to be designed

by industry for commercial use.


Experimental

This research project will be conducted during three years, the first two years will include testing of ozonation protocols and their efficacy both in seawater and freshwater. The final year will be centered on completing reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses of eggs, investigating long-term effects of ozonation on larval development, as well as final data collection and reporting.

Cod and nodavirus The presence of nodavirus in several wild marine fish species, including Atlantic cod, has been previously reported (e.g. Barke et al., 2002, Gagne et al., 2004), and the ability of the virus to persist subclinically suggests that wild-caught broodfish may be a source of the virus. Presently, nodavirus positive parents are being used at the JBARB in egg production cycles and ozonation seems to have been used successfully to destroy egg viruses. Nonetheless, some nodavirus positive larvae may have been detected last year (false positives are a possibility); more importantly, scientific validation of currently used protocols and long-term effects on larvae have not been investigated yet.

Validation and testing of ozonation protocols Ozonation protocols will be tested on eggs from nodavirus positive F1 broodstock kept at the Ocean Sciences Center. Current protocols used at the JBARB have been set at 1.5 to 2.0 ppm of ozone during 1.5 min with egg ozonation prior to incubation (basically right after fertilization of eggs). Testing of the efficiency of the current protocol will be completed by establishing diagnosis of nodavirus presence by reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) before and after ozonation. The main diagnostic methods for nodavirus infections are immunohistochemistry (IHC) and RT-PCR. Although nodaviruses can be cultivated in cell culture, several passages may be necessary before the virus replicates properly, and it is therefore difficult to use cultivation for diagnostic or screening purposes. IHC is very time consuming and therefore not very suitable for screening. RT-PCR is less laborious and is most sensitive if suitable primers are used (Samuelsen et al., 2006).

Improvement of the current protocol will be investigated by considering the following points:

Are the doses and contact time used optimal for inactivation of nodavirus? A higher (~ 3.0 ppm) and a lower dose (~1.0 ppm) will be tested as well as a lower contact time (30s). Grotmol et al. (2003) showed that in a laboratory-scale model, cumulative hatching rates fell as exposure times increased. In particular, in groups of eggs exposed to 2.2 ppm for 3 minutes or more, rates of hatching fell below 20%.

Is the quantity of eggs relative to the volume of disinfectant optimized? When disinfection protocols are being established, it is important to bear in mind the ability of fish pathogenic bacteria and viruses to adhere to organic substances in the water, thereby avoiding inactivation. In order to obtain an adequate effect, surplus organic materials should be removed prior to disinfection by washing the eggs with filtered seawater with low organic load. In addition, to be


sure of a surplus of ozone-produced oxidants, it is essential to optimize the quantity of eggs relative to the volume of disinfectant (Grotmol et al., 2003). The current protocol used at JBARB does not take into account amount of eggs used as different volumes of eggs are ozonated in a similar way. We will try to establish (by using a selected dose and contact time) maximal and minimal amounts of eggs to be used to ensure that proper ozonation of all eggs is completed.

Are the eggs being ozonated at the right “time”? When a powerful oxidant such as ozone is introduced in seawater, it reacts with a wide array of compounds, and new oxidants are formed. Some of these are powerful disinfectants like bromine, bromamine, and hypobromide that efficiently inactivate bacteria and viruses. However, the oxidants formed may also react with compounds in the eggshell (chorion), altering its functional property and thus possibly influencing hatchability (Grotmol et al., 2003). Therefore exposing eggs to ozone well prior to hatch is advisable; nonetheless, different authors have set-up disinfection protocols at different stages of egg development. In Halibut, Grotmol and Totland (2000) reared eggs for 10 days prior to egg infection protocols and disinfection trials. Similarly, Grotmol et al. (2003) disinfected cod, turbot and halibut eggs 2 days before hatching (10 to 12 days in incubators). On the other hand, Buchan et al. (2006) used haddock eggs at the 4 to 16 egg cell stage (right after fertilization). In commercial settings, it is important to minimize entry of potentially infected eggs in the incubation room; keeping them 10 days in an incubation room where non infected eggs might be present can prove risky. Therefore we will be testing setting up disinfection protocols shortly after fertilization (4 to 16 egg stages) and around 24 hours after fertilization (16 to 64 egg stages). Efficiency of ozonation will be tested accordingly.

ACRDP Goals

-Improve the competitiveness of the Canadian aquaculture industry by delivering information on disease control means in aquaculture facilities.

-Increase collaboration between governemnt and industry on scientific research and development that will enhance aquaculture in Canada

-Continuing and strengthening the partnership the department has with the industry proponent (NCBC) and Memorial University (both JBARB and MI) by addressing the common thread research and development needs of all stakeholders.

-Facilitate and accelerate the process of technology transfer and research commercialization through closer collaboration with the Canadian aquaculture industry.

Results and deliverables will be presented to the industry proponent and at national conferences, thereby facilitating technology transfer on egg ozonation and its implementation in a commercial hatchery.

- Increase scientific capacity for essential aquaculture research and development in the aquaculture sector. Furthering our understanding of aquatic animal health and egg development in both cod and salmon will not only increase scientific capacity but will lead to more effective


husbandry techniques which will allow for better aquaculture practices. ACRDP Objectives and Priorities

• Best performance in fish production • Disease control in hatchery settings • Husbandry methods to ensure the production of high quality products • New species development

• Optimal Fish Health • Healthy Management

5) The potential of using cunners to control sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestation of Atlantic salmon in Newfoundland Team: Dr. Keng Pee Ang Cold Ocean Salmon Inc., Harry Murray, Research Scientist- St John's, NL , Dounia Hamoutene, Research Scientist, St John's, NL., Juan Perez-Casanova, Post-Doctoral Fellow- DFO, St John's, Danny Boyce, Joe Brown Aquaculture Research Building (Ocean Sciences, Center) Funding: DFO-ACRDP and Cold Ocean Salmon Duration: 2011-2012 Project

In most salmon farming countries (Canada, Norway, Scotland, and Ireland), prolonged use of chemical therapeutants (eg. SLICE) to control sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestation has led to the emergence of resistance in local lice populations. The use of cleaner fish (eg. Wrasse sp.) to remove lice from Atlantic salmon in cages has been developed and utilized in Europe with some success. The seriousness of the developing chemical resistance issue in Canada has prompted interest in the potential utilization of local fish species as cleaner fish. In 2010, a series of experiments were run by Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd (Cook Aquaculture) to evaluate the potential of using the cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus) as a cleaner fish in salmon cages in New Brunswick (Personal communication; Keng Pee, Ang; Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd). These experiments were tank based and investigated the feeding behavior of cunners in the presence of lice with and without infected salmon (feeding efficiency and rate of consumption). Further trials examined the effectiveness of feeding on lice in the presence of an alternative food source and in the presence of mortalities. All studies concluded that the results were reproducible and that Bay of Fundy stock cunners were effective at picking lice from fish in a tank environment over a period of about five to ten days on average (See Appendix 1: Confidential report –Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd. cunner trials conducted in 2010). Even with the addition of the above data, many questions still remain unanswered regarding the success of this alternative method of sealice control in Canada and in particular in Newfoundland (cunner stock differences in effectiveness; species fitness; geographical differences in seasonal effectiveness in active cleaning plus others). It is the goal of this current project to use local Newfoundland populations of cunner as potential


cleaner fish and compare these results with those in NB. Ultimately it is hoped that these studies will provide information that can be used to choose the best stock of cunners for lice cleaning. In wrasse, results of efficient"cleaning" behaviour remain dichotomous with some stocks/individuals feeding well on lice while others have limited success in fighting infestation. In Newfoundland, differences in general feeding behaviour have been reported between cunners of different sizes and sexes. In the this study, we will attempt to document cunner feeding behaviour on sea lice by comparing stocks as well as sexes and sizes. Subsequently, tank investigations will be conducted to test cunners' feeding success and efficiency on sea lice by stocking cunners with infected salmon smolts. Effect of cunners' presence on salmon's physiology will be assessed by studying feeding and potential stress responses of farmed fish. This project will bring relevant information on the potential application of cunners to control sea lice in salmon cages in Newfoundland.

Project objectives - Document Newfoundland stock cunner feeding behaviour on sea lice with and without the presence of Atlantic salmon (in relation to stocks, sexes, sizes).

- Investigate the potential effect of the cunner on salmon stress physiology.

Description of work and experimental protocol 1-Cunners feeding efficiency on sea lice:

Green et al. (1984) described the foraging behavior of the cunner in Conception Bay South (Newfoundland) as preying mostly on: gastropods, echinoderms, mytilidae, and fish remains. MacKinnon (1995) found that results of individual trials of salmon held with cunners were dichotomous, in that, most sea lice were removed from salmon by some cunners and no lice were removed by others. Therefore, questions remain on whether cunners will actually feed on sea lice and if this behavior is population/size/sex dependent. In this first phase of the project, we will put cunners in contact with sea lice in tanks and document their feeding efficiency by evaluating sea lice number before and after addition of the cunners. This investigation will lead to a determination of whether cunners will pick sea lice from the sides of tanks in the absence of other resident fish (i.e. salmon).

Effect of size: We will test cunners sized below 10cm (7-10cm) and cunners sized above 10-15cm in length originating from at least two Bays in Newfoundland: Placentia Bay (Arnold's Cove) and Conception Bay South. Cunners less than 10cm in length have a dark spot in front of the soft dorsal fin (Scott and Scott 1988), and spots of this nature are considered to be common on cleaner fish. Thus, it may be that younger cunners show cleaning behaviour, while older fish may be less inclined to this mode of feeding (MacKinnon 1995). Moreover, Wynes (1981) showed that preferred prey sizes differed significantly between size classes of fish.

Effect of population/stock: Considering that cunners are territorial, fish from Placentia Bay, and Conception Bay South (Levin et al. 1997) are not likely to "mix" allowing us to document potential behavioral differences between populations of fish.

Documenting cunner feeding efficiency on sea lice will allow us to pre-select the cunners that will be used for the tank experiments with sea lice infected salmon.


II- Cunners with salmon infected with sea lice in tanks to mimic cage site densities

Our trials will focus on smolts (young salmon) with size being determined by industry partners. One of the recommendations of the special issue of norskfiskeppdrett on cleaner fish (wrasse) is to focus on smolts for treatment considering it is the phase where use of wrasse has had the best success. The other recommendation is to stock 1-2% wrasse when introducing smolts to sea and 2% refill when needed (Kvenseth et al. 2003). We will use densities around 2% for our trials.

If cunners from both populations/size show similar feeding rates on sea lice, all groups of fish will be tested by putting them in contact with salmon infected with lice (these fish will be acquired from the industry partner). Infection trials with lice have proven to be challenging. Additional refinement of laboratory methods and reporting of infection trials with L. salmonis is necessary (Fast et al. 2006). Moreover, differences between laboratory and natural infections must be considered when attempting to predict the physiological and immunological effects of natural infections of hosts (Wagner et al. 2008). Replicate tanks with infected salmon and cunners (3 per group of cunners if first phase revealed no differences in feeding rates between sizes/population) will be monitored for lice infestation according to established protocols (e.g. Fast et al. 2006). The control group will be also composed of infected fish to ensure a proper understanding of the effects of cunners on sea lice infestation and salmon stress levels. Studies of Atlantic salmon have shown that 10-30 L. salmonis of varying life-stages per juvenile fish can cause changes in host mucus cell discharge and mucus biochemistry (non-lethal sampling) (Tully and Nolan 2002; Johnson and Fast 2004). Fast et al. (2002) reported a significant reduction in respiratory burst (RB) and phagocytic activity of head-kidney macrophages isolated from sea lice infected salmon. We will be assessing blood respiratory burst responses of salmon by non-lethal sampling. Cortisol levels will also be measured using standardized protocols. To ensure a good understanding of how handling affects some of the endpoints, similar sampling will be conducted on infected salmon with no cunners in tanks. A mid-sampling (lethal) and end-sampling will be also completed to cover the observation period in order to complete histopathology (and RB of head-kidney) on salmon tissues and document stomach contents of cunners (sea lice feeding). Feeding rates of salmon with pellets will be carefully monitored. All fish used in the study will be health screened prior to and following the experiment.

ACRDP Goals

-Improve the competitiveness of the Canadian aquaculture industry by delivering information on alternate ways of disease control in aquaculture sites.

-Increase collaboration between government and industry on scientific research and development that will enhance aquaculture in Canada Continuing and strengthening the partnership the department has with the industry proponent (Cold Ocean Salmon) and Memorial University (JBARB) by addressing the common thread research and development needs of all stakeholders.

-Facilitate and accelerate the process of technology transfer and research commercialization


through closer collaboration with the Canadian aquaculture industry. Results and deliverables will be presented to the industry proponent and at national conferences, thereby facilitating technology transfer on alternate treatments to fight sea lice and their implementation in salmon cages.

- Increase scientific capacity for essential aquaculture research and development in the aquaculture sector. Furthering our understanding of sea lice alternate treatments and salmon biology will not only increase scientific capacity but will lead to the sustainable development of the industry through effective treatment options and overall better aquaculture practices.

ACRDP Objectives and Priorities • Best performance in fish production • Husbandry methods to ensure the production of high quality products • New species development • Optimal Fish Health • Healthy Management

6) Developing Camelina Meal for the Aquaculture Industry Team: Dr. Chris Parrish, Dr. Matt Rise, Steve Armstrong Funding: AIF- Genome Atlantic Duration: 2010-2013

Camelina Project

The Camelina Project aims to develop Camelina sativa as a valuable crop for the benefit of both the Atlantic agriculture and aquaculture industry. One objective is to examine the potential to develop a viable alternative for fishmeal for the aquaculture industry. These objectives fit well with both the infrastructure, activities and expertise of the Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Moreover, the proposed research could have significant Provincial benefits given the interest in the commercialization of large scale cod and salmon aquaculture in the province. The proposed research is currently examining the potential for Camelina to provide a viable option for the present economically and environmentally unsustainable demand for fish meal and possibly fish oil.

This project includes the rearing of cod at the Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland. The Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland (OSC) has played a significant role in the Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Project. The project has completed infrastructure expansion to support this breeding program, including a rearing facility with tanks which appropriate for rearing cod families.

In addition, OSC faculty members, Dr. Matthew L. Rise and Dr. Chris Parrish are contributing their efforts towards completing the research goals below. The infrastructure in Dr. Rise’s


Marine Biotechnology Laboratory is suited to support activities related to fish genomics and analysis of global gene expression. In addition, Dr. Parrish’s research program and laboratory infrastructure is specialized for the study of marline lipid chemistry and transport within marine food webs. As a result, their expertise and resources at the OSC are well suited to this research project.

We feel that the project(s) mentioned would enable the OSC to further its activities in research related to aquaculture. In addition, the research could serve to unite resources and abilities in Atlantic Canada thereby ensuring that the region gains further recognition as a global leader in aquaculture development

The Camelina Project has completed the first phase of Atlantic cod feeding trials at the OSC, which involved two Atlantic cod feeding trials and an immune challenge experiment. The objective of these trials was to examine the impact of camelina-containing diets on Atlantic cod growth, lipid and fatty composition of the tissues, and on global gene expression in tissues that are important for metabolism, digestion, immunity and reproduction. Tissues for lipid and fatty acid analysis, and functional genomics studies have been collected from the feeding trials and analysis is currently ongoing.

7) Other

We have several tanks that are for general housing of fish for projects at OSC such as Atlantic Salmon, Arctic Charr, Steelhead trout, cunners and Atlantic Cod.


Public Education Program/Outreach Initiatives

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 was closed early as a result of construction on the new Cold Ocean Deep Sea Research Facility (CDRF). Despite this minor setback, PEP took the show on the road, using a portable touch tank and seal video presentation, and visited many of local kids’ summer camps. Furthermore, the program was able to set-up on location at Signal Hill and Cape Spear National Historical Sites (Parks Canada); Memorial University’s Botanical Gardens and Child Care Facility; and the Easter Seals House.

In addition to the summer education program, there has been a number of on-going projects/collaborations in outreach initiatives, including working with several private organizations and companies looking into developing marine educational programs in the school curriculum and creating eco-tourism for rural communities across the Province. Other outreach activities have included attending several workshops and events to promote ocean awareness and education, including attending the MI Ocean Net’s Youth and the Oceans Conference (YOC), celebrating Ocean Day’s with the Department of Fisheries and Ocean (DFO) and Huskey Energy, and presenting to the Summer Reading Program group “Splash" at the Marjorie Mews Public Library. Moreover, presentations and tours of the OSC facilities were given to various special interests groups, such as Canadian Association of Girls in Science (CAGIS), Woman in Science and Engineering (WISE), Natural Resources program- Academy Canada, Ecole des Grands-Vents- Francophone Group- Young woman studying Ocean Technology, and Shad Valley Canada.


Seal Facility The OSC is responsible for the care and maintenance of five harp seals. These animals are housed in the seal compound where they have access to three tanks supplied with a continuous flow of seawater pumped directly from the ocean. The oldest seal, Babette, came from the Îles de la Madeleine in 1989 as an adult, and her estimated age is 32 years. Tyler also came from the Îles de la Madeleine, but as a pup, in 1990. Babette, the first harp seal known to give birth in captivity is the mother of the three youngest seals, Jamie, Lenny and Deane. Tyler is the father of the youngest two. Deane, the youngest seal, was named after Dr. Deane Renouf a former Professor of Psychology who initiated the seal research program at the OSC. The seals are under the care of Mr. Daryl Jones, with assistance from a technician, many volunteers and including undergraduate and high school students. The animals are fed daily with appropriate amounts of herring fortified with a prescribed multi-vitamin and amino acid supplement. The seals also need to be fed crushed ice on a daily basis. This is a major source of fresh water for these animals. In order to ensure that the seals remain clean and healthy the sea water tanks are drained and cleaned on a weekly basis. At this point in time each of the seals is weighed to make sure that they are maintaining a healthy body weight. Blood tests are also carried out whenever a medical examination is necessary. In addition to ensuring the health and welfare of the seals their caregivers provide them with a variety of behavioural tasks designed to enrich the environment in which they live. These include training them to distinguish between different shapes and colours, and understanding the meaning of hand and whistle signals. The seals are rewarded with a fish snack for correct responses to a variety of signals. All of these behavioural training exercises are recorded using digital photography and videography. Much of these environmental enrichment activities have involved students registered with “experiential learning programs” such as Women in Science and Engineering, Memorial's Undergraduate Career Experience Program, the International Student Work Experience Program and the Shad Valley Memorial enrichment program. The seals are a major component of the OSC public education program. In addition they are a major attraction for the approximately 17,000 visitors that come to the lab each year. Daryl and his seal caregivers crew speak with the public about the seals and their environmental enrichment training programs on a regular basis.


Field Services Unit

The Field services Unit (FSU) of the OSC supports field work conducted by OSC faculty, staff and students. The unit is equipped with a 6 meter Zodiac, 9 meter Boston Whaler, and a new 5 ton multipurpose diving support vehicle which gives the unit the ability to dive year-round. The unit also collects and transports live specimens for several departments of Memorial University, including the Marine Institute and Bonne Bay Marine Station in Norris Point, and external agencies such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DFA). Furthermore the unit often collects and transports live and preserved specimens to other facilities and academic institutions both in Canada and internationally. As part of the ongoing research in aquaculture, the unit has transported live farm salmon, cod and rainbow trout from the Bay D’Espoir area back to the Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) . During this past year the unit has again been involved in a collaborative project between DFO, DFA, and the OSC into detection and monitoring of aquatic invasive species in Newfoundland and Labrador. The project is part of the Government of Canadians 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 Belloram. The project’s aim for the coming year will investigate how to eradicate this destructive species from the Belloram area. The unit has also conducted surveys to monitor the spread of green crab, Carcinus maenas, in the North Harbour and Placentia Bay area. This past year the FSU, in collaboration with 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, captured underwater video of the main wharf and installed collection plates. This project is in the final year and has promising results. 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 2010-2011 academic year the following groups and individuals visited the OSC.

Academic Institutions

• Université of Sainte- Anne representatives • Ecole des Gauds Veuts- Saint Jean. • Academy Canada- Natural Resources Class • University of Norland, Norway- Dr. Mark Powell • MI Mini Enrichment Course • Advanced Principles in Biology Student Group • Dr. Stephen de Mora, Chief Executive, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK • Woman in Science and Engineering (WISE)

Government & Government agencies

• NL Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture- Honorable Clyde Jackman • Canadian Ambassador to Iceland- Mr. Alan Bones • Canadian Foundation for Innovation • Executive Director NRC IRAP • Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Officers • Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI) • Provincial Department of Innovation Trade and Rural Development (INTRD) • Erin Daily Donahue, Trade Commissioner/ Ocean Technologies, Aquaculture, and

Fisheries/ The Consulate General of Canada, Boston • Emmy Neuls, Canadian International Centre for the Arctic Region (CICAR), Canadian

Embassy, Oslo, Norway.

Industry

• Chilean Group with Cod Research • Spanish Delegation • Chinese Delegation • AquaBounty Canada • Northern Harvest Sea Farms NL Ltd. • Nutra Ocean-Quebec • Open Ocean Systems- Andy Miller • Genome Atlantic • Oceans Ltd, NL.



Administration

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

Associate Director

Field and Laboratory Services Supervisor

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

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 Facility

Mr. Daryl Jones

Computing Services Image & Data Analysis Facility

Mr. Marc Bolli


Committees Promotion and Tenure Dr. William Driedzic

Dr. Don Deibel Dr. Iain McGaw Dr. Annie Mercier Dr. Matt Rise Dr. Richard Rivkin

Dean of Science Committee for OSC Departmental Status

Dr. Andy Foster (Assoc. Dean of Science) Dr. Chris Parrish Dr. Ted Miller (Biology) Dr. David Innes(Biology) Dr. David Schneider

Scientific Advisory Committee OSC CREAIT(ARC)

Dr. Chris Parris (Chair) Dr. Matthew Rise Dr. Don Deibel

OSC Tours Ms. Danielle Nichols Mr. Danny Boyce

Field Services Committee

Dr. Pat Gagnon (Chair) Dr. Don Deibel Dr. William Driedzic Mr. Jim Devereaux

Space Committee:

Dr. Kurt Gamperl Ms. Danielle Nichols

Safety Committee:

Ms. Connie Short Mr. Robert O’Donnell


Faculty 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. Garth L. Fletcher - Professor Emeritus - B. Sc. Univ. of British Columbia, Ph. D. Univ. of California. 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 - Professor - B.Sc (Hons.) Univ.of Guelph, 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 - Associate 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.


OSC Directors (Past and Present) Dr. Fred Aldrich – Director (1967 – 1971) Dr. David Idler – Director (Sept 1, 1971 – 1987) Dr. Richard Haedrich – Director (1987 – 1992) Dr. Laurence Crim – Director (June 1992-Sept, 1998) Dr. Raymond Thompson – Acting Director (Sept. 1998 – Dec. 31, 1998) Dr. William Driedzic – Director (Jan. 1999-May 2002) Dr. Chris Parrish – Interim Director (May - Dec. 2002), Acting Director (Jan – May 2002) Dr. Joe Brown - Interim Director – (Jan. 1, 2003- June 30, 2004) Dr. Ian Fleming – Director (July 2004-June 2009) Dr. Garth Fletcher – Director (July 2009 – present)

Cross - Appointees Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi - Biochemistry Dept. Dr. Helene Volkoff - Biology Dept Adjunct Professors Dr. Ian Bradbury- Department of Fisheries and Oceans 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. 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 Associate Cailin Xu Visiting Scientists Dr. Jennifer Covello Post-Doc, University of PEI, Atlantic Veterinary College Dr. Anita Muller Post-doc, University of Tromsø , Norway. Dr. Mark Powell University of Norway Dr. Patricia Saunders Ashland University, Ohio Dr. Libin Zhang Post-Doc, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences


Staff Research Assistants and Science Technicians Michelle Bachan- Science Technician II (Fleming/Purchase) James Bell- Science Technician II (Fleming) Jennifer Calhoun- Science Technician II (Fleming) Laura Chomyshyn- Science technician I (Deibel) Kathy Clow – Research Assistant II- (Driedzic) Corinne Conway- Science Technician I (Fleming) Michele Durand- Research Assistant III (Snelgrove) Charles Fang- Research Assistant- (Rise) Tara Hooper – Research Assistant II (Parrish) Daryl Jones - Research Assistant I (Seals/Department) Kate Jones - Research Assistant II (Schneider) Ainsley Latour- Science Technician I (Deibel) Laurie Metcalf – Science Technician II (D. Jones) (Secondment) Gordon Nash – Research Assistant II (Gamperl, Genome Atlantic) Ashley Noseworthy-Science Technician II (Seals/Department) Maddison Proudfoot- Science Technician I (Snelgrove) Margaret Shears- Research Assistant II (Fletcher/Department) Connie Short - Research Assistant II (Driedzic/Department) Candice Way- Research Assistant I (Rivkin) Kate Wilke – Research Assistant II (Snelgrove) (Maternity Leave) Christine Vickers – Research Assistant I (Snelgrove) Administrative and Computer Support Staff Ann Angel – Research Marketing Coordinator JoAnn Greening- Intermediate Clerk Steno Danielle Nichols - Research Marketing Manager (Maternity Leave February 2011) Winnie Sparkes - Intermediate Secretary Delores Wheeler - Administrative Staff Specialist II CREAIT Marc Bolli - Research Computer Specialist (CREAIT) Jennifer Hall - Research Assistant II (CREAIT) Ken Langdon - Computer Support Technician (CREAIT) Andrew Perry- Research Assistant I (CREAIT) Jeanette Wells - Research Assistant I (CREAIT) Dr. Joe Brown Aquatic Research Building (JBARB) Danny Boyce – Business Manager Chris Canning- Science Technician III John Evely- Research Assistant II Jennifer Monk - Science Technician III (Maternity Leave March 2012) Denise Tucker - Science Technician III


Genome Atlantic Marjie Booman- Post-Doctoral Fellow 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 (Secondment March 2012) Mathew 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

Technical Services Tony Druken- Electrician/Technical Services


Student Assistants Fall 2010 Brian Alcock- D. Jones Genevieve Marston – D. Jones Viktoria Roskin – D. Jones Maria Watton– R. Thompson Brianna Viscount– D. Boyce Maria Watton – R. Thompson Winter 2011 Brian Alcock– D. Jones Samantha anton– R. Rivkin Kimberly Chafe– D. Jones Genevieve Marston– D. Jones Viktoria Roskin– D. Jones Alexandra Sutton– D. Boyce Brianna Viscount– D. Boyce Spring/Summer 2011 Brian Alcock– D. Jones Kimberly Chafe– D. Jones JessicaTucker– D. Jones Richard Ogunwale– R. Rivkin Mark Earle– D. Nichols Robyn Hillier– D. Nichols Sonia Gillies-de Mota– D. Nichols Victoria Howse– P. Snelgrove Viktoria Roskin- D. Jones Laura Chomyshyn – D. Deibel MUCEP Students Fall 2010 Samantha Banton- R. Rivkin Susan Barney– D. Deibel Kimberly Chafe– D. Nichols Gregory Furey– P. Gagnon Victoria Howse – P. Snelgrove Nikita Laite–A. Mercier Clare Lewis– A. Mercier Melissa Lopez– J. Mitchell Karalee McAskill -A. Mercier Krista Oke – I. Fleming Alexandra Sutton – D. Jones Karalee McAskill -A. Mercier Krista Oke – I. Fleming

Winter 2011 Greg Furey– P. Gagnon Karalee McAskill -A. Mercier Krista Oke – I. Fleming Brianna Viscount– D. Boyce Breanne Coady– C. Parrish Victoria House– M. Abraham Spring 2011 Viktoria Roskin – P. Gagnon Kristyn Coley - P. Snelgrove ISWEP Richard Ogunwale– R. Rivkin Quanquan Li– D. Nichols CSJ Breanne Coady Work Term Students Melissa Badcock- JBARB- D. Boyce Brittany Keough- JBARB- D. Boyce Leah Mahoney- JBARB- D. Boyce WISE Mallory Stewart-D. Jones Alicia Morry – P. Gagnon Seal Volunteers Kayla Sullivan Jessica Flight Krista Walsh Brittany Millier Samantha Gosse Sara Parsons Lenka Wicha Emily Langley Elanor Dillabough Sarah Turner Matt Van Oostdam Sarah Reynolds Catherine Hooper

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Annual Report - Memorial University of Newfoundland...OSC Annual Report 2010-2011 Page 6 Completion...

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