Diversity and Abundance of Beneficial and Pest Insects in Canadian Prairie Agroecosystems

The proposed research project will assess the insect fauna present associated with prairie wetlands, as well as those found in adjacent fields of crop plants (canola, barley, wheat) and restored grasslands. Insects will be collected using various trapping methods to sample taxa exhibiting different lifestyles. Collected specimens will be identified as specifically as possible to […]

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Impact of Wind Energy Turbines on Bat and Bird Mortality

In this Mitacs-funded project, a postdoctoral researcher will work with partners at Trent University and Bird Studies Canada to expand our understanding of how wind turbines affect birds and bats. We will leverage an extremely detailed database on wind-wildlife interactions that is managed by Bird Canada. Using these data, we will investigate whether bat and […]

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Assessing the lice cleaning efficacy and diet of lumpfish in Canadian Atlantic salmon sea cages using metabarcoding and conventional diet analysis

The salmon aquaculture industry is a highly profitable industry, known to contribute significantly to the Canadian economy. During this time an ectoparasite called the sea louse may infect the salmon leading to animal welfare concerns a significant economic loss. Lumpfish are a species of cleaner fish used as a biological control for sea lice and […]

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Development of a tissue culture platform to investigate piscine orthoreovirus infectious cycle in-vitro

The aquaculture industry is constantly growing worldwide. Vast arrays of fish species are farmed in freshwater, brackish, and marine systems. In farms, fish reach high-population densities, which facilitates the outbreaks of infectious diseases. This is a big challenge for the aquaculture industry, particularly in the case of viral pathogens because there are few, if any, […]

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Effectiveness of vegetation and habitat characteristics as predictors of insect parasitoid populations – Year two

Climate change, land development, invasive species, and other disturbances can alter the composition, structure, and functions of native vegetation across landscapes. These disturbances also impact insect parasitoids, which are a key, and often overlooked, component of biodiversity. By their ability to control other insect populations, they are integral for fostering resilient and functional forests. Understanding […]

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Quantifying the value and risk of restoring wetland habitats in agricultural landscapes – Year two

Wetlands provide critical habitat and valuable ecosystem services. Land use conversion in Ontario, however, has led to substantial wetland loss. The restoration of wetlands on agricultural properties has the potential to offset wetland loss, yet these wetlands are also susceptible to contamination by pesticides. Our research will therefore establish: (1) to what degree restored wetlands […]

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A Photovoice Study of Settlement Experiences and Needs of Recent Immigrant Men in Central Alberta

Red Deer College, together with the Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership (RDLIP), received Mitacs Accelerate funding to research the settlement experiences of recent immigrant men to Central Alberta. There have been concerted efforts from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments to attract and retain newcomers in mid-size cities and rural communities in Canada; nevertheless, the […]

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Design of autonomous robotic system for removal of Porcupine Crab spine

Porcupine Crab (Neolithodes grimaldii) inhabits the seabed off the Coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and in the eastern Arctic as a by-catch in the turbot gillnet fishery. This research project focuses on developing automatic robotic technology for the removal of Porcupine Crab spines to ease the crab processing for potential future development of a Porcupine […]

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Ecosystem-based management research for Canada’s Sablefish fishery

The fishery for British Columbia’s Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is one of Canada’s most valuable marine fisheries. This project addresses the two primary strategic challenges currently facing this fishery: (1) lower harvest quotas aimed at rebuilding the spawning biomass to more productive levels risks the economic sustainability of the industry and (2) future access to fishing […]

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Disentangling Effects of Multiple Stressors on Nuisance Benthic Algae (Cladophora) in Nearshore Regions of the Great Lakes

We will analyze long-term monitoring data that were sampled over ten years from nearshore regions of the Great Lakes to find out key factors that cause the proliferation of nuisance benthic algae and fouling of shorelines of Lake Ontario in the Toronto–Durham region and throughout the Great Lakes. Additionally, we will test whether environmental DNA […]

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Asian Aquaculture Feed Formulation Database

Asia is the most important global market for aquaculture feeds and an increasingly important consumer of Canadian agricultural commodities, know-how and technologies. Given the complexity of the field, feed manufacturers require robust and highly flexible tools that could assist them in the formulation of cost-effective feeds for major aquaculture species across their life cycle. Veridis […]

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Benchmarking the Sustainability Performance of Clearwater Seafoods

Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership. (Clearwater) is a Nova Scotian company that has grown to be one of the global leaders in the market of seafood. it is dedicated to improving the sustainability of its operations in order to protect the valuable resource upon which it relies. In fisheries science and management, as well as food […]

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