Investigating predator-prey dynamics of leatherback sea turtles and jellyfish in Atlantic Canadian waters The Winter Skate (Leucoraja ocellata) is listed as endangered in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with a declining population trend. Its main threats include natural predation and bycatch. My honours thesis will use DFO RV survey data from 1970-2017 and novel statistical models…
Details
Climate-responsive ocean management My research revolves around themes of understanding how stressors, such as climate change and fishing, are shifting the abundance and distribution of marine species across the global seascape, how these changes will affect the health and development of coastal communities, and ways in which this knowledge can be incorporated into marine spatial…
Details
Spatiotemporal patterns of demersal elasmobranch bycatch in Canadian Atlantic trawling fisheries According to recent estimates, 25% of the worlds sharks, skates and rays are threatened with extinction, driven by habitat loss and overexploitation among other factors. In trawling fisheries, demersal elasmobranch species such as skates and rays constitute a large portion of non-target biomass landed…
Details
Safe operating spaces for marine ecosystems The Earth’s biodiversity is threatened by increasing human impacts, such as climate change, pollution and overexploitation. These impacts are jeopardizing the capacity of ecosystems to provide the goods and services that are vital to sustain human life. In response to this challenge, in 2009 the concept of planetary…
Details
Surveying baleen whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence using VHR satellite imagery North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are an endangered species of baleen whale that is endemic to the North Atlantic Ocean. With its population severely depleted from historical whaling, the global population size is currently estimated to be around 400 individuals. Right…
Details
Protection on the Move: Applying Dynamic Ocean Management to Address Shark Bycatch in Atlantic Canada Dynamic Ocean Management (DOM) has evolved to fill in the management gaps occurring from static processes. DOM consistently changes in space and time, creating a zone of protection around a species based on their movement. Its ability to be very specific…
Details
Understanding how local ecological assemblages change in response to global change drivers Habitat change, invasive species, overexploitation, climate change, and nutrient pollution are all contributing to a global biodiversity crisis, with global species loss far exceeding background extinction rates. At the local scale, these global change drivers alter the composition of ecological communities and influence how…
Details
An Assessment of the Fuel Use Intensity of the Pacific Bluefin Tuna Fattening Operations in Mexico With the industrialization of fishing practices, many global fish stocks have been over-fished either to or near the point of collapse. At present, both open and closed-cycle aquaculture operations exist as a means of supplementing the supply of…
Details
Investigating predator-prey dynamics of leatherback sea turtles and jellyfish in Atlantic Canadian waters The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), classified as endangered in Canadian waters, faces several natural and anthropogenic threats. They are a highly migratory species, traveling between tropical waters to nest, and northern temperate waters to feed. There is a large foraging population of…
Details
21st century learning: Ocean School program evaluation How ocean literate are you? Ocean literacy is understanding the ocean's influence on you - and your influence on the ocean. An ocean-literate person can understand the essential principles and fundamental concepts of ocean science, can communicate about the ocean in a meaningful way, and is able to…
Details