FISK LAB

My research interests are in the field of conservation, resource management and traditional ecological knowledge, especially as these pertain to aquatic environments and species. During my Master of Environmental Science (GLIER, University of Windsor – Dr. Aaron Fisk) I studied how acoustic anthropogenic disturbance caused by increasing vessel traffic in the high Canadian Arctic affected the key forage fish, Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida). The use of acoustic telemetry allowed me to examine these effects on a fine scale in the species’ natural environment. The project was part of the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) Canada.

While working on my MSc project, and due to my enjoyment of sports fishing in the Great Lakes, I found myself with a number of questions and concerns regarding the issues we are facing in our own communities in Ontario and the Great Lakes. Thus, for my dissertation I’ll look at top predator interactions in large lakes and implications for species restoration. My model species is Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), native to my model lake Lake Ontario, and the introduced Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Drawing upon my experience with acoustic telemetry, the objectives of my research are to examine habitat and behavior choices, and spatial overlap of Chinook Salmon and Lake Trout by coupling spatial data of predators, prey and the environment.