We are hiring for our Herring and Salmon Interaction Project to start in the new year and help prep for a busy summer of boats, fish and fun! Field Research Coordinator
0 Comments
We are happy to announce that the CodCast Podcast is now available for listening on the UVIC libraries page.
Click on the Arctic Cod at the bottom of this post to listen!
We are hiring two research technician positions in the Juanes Lab working on the Pacific Salmon Foundation Salmon and Herring Interactions Project. The closing date is September 13, 2024!
So excited to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of two long term lab members who both defended their Master's degrees in December 2023!!! ![]() Katie Innes successfully completed a thesis "Feeding and bioenergetics of Chinook Salmon during the first winter at sea" and will be making some well deserved time off before joining the Pacific Salmon Foundation in 2024. ![]() Mackenzie Woods successfully defended a thesis on "The effects of anthropogenic noise on the behaviour and vocalizations of plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus" and will be continuing to work on the effects of noise on fish behaviour in 2024
We are hiring for three positions working on salmon and herring interactions and salmon diet. If you are interested check out the postings below. The application closing date has been extended to September 1, 2023 for the Herring/Salmon Research Coordinator position. We are also hiring two Victoria-based research technicians for both the Adult Salmon Diet Program and a Herring/Salmon Interactions Project! We are also hiring two Victoria-based research technicians for both the Adult Salmon Diet Program and a Herring/Salmon Interactions Project!
The BC Adult Salmon Diet Program (ASDP) is hiring a research technician to work on the program starting in September 2023!
The ASDP started in 2017 and to date has processed over 4000 Chinook and Coho salmon stomachs! We are looking for a fish or marine ecology enthusiast with a desire to learn more about Salmon and forage fish ecology on the BC coast. If you interested check out the description below. Deadline for application is August 15th, 2023 Tagged beluga whale in the Eastern Beaufort Sea (left). Nigel Hussey and Luke Storrie releasing a tagged adult male beluga whale (right). Photos by Greg Elias and courtesy of Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The noise generated by ships has had known impacts on many marine species with a focus on whales that use sound for foraging and social behaviours. Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) are sensitive to high frequency sounds as their hearing is most sensitive from 20kHz to 75kHz with an upper limit of 125kHz. Most commercial vessels produce anthropogenic noise between 10 Hz to 63.1 kHz frequency with a sound pressure level of ~110 decibels (dB). Icebreaking ships produce noise between 20–1,000 Hz band up to 200dB (100-200dB). 100 decibels is approximately equated to a motorcycle at full speed, however sound behaves different in water relative to air where pressure becomes even more important. It was previously found that belugas can detect the sounds of icebreaking ships at 85km away and change their behaviour at more than 40km away. A recent study by Martin, et al. (2021) used telemetry tag data previously collected by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to assess the responses of these tagged whales to ships in the area by pairing the tag data with the satellite AIS data Morgan and her team were able to assess the behavioural changes of the tagged whales. Previously studies looked at the change in behaviour from the surface. The introduction of the tag data allows the researchers to assess any changes in speed, acceleration and diving behaviours. The most common response to a vessel by belugas was a sharp turn to avoid the ship and sometimes doubling back to original course once the ship had passed. Whales also displayed other behaviours when coming into close proximity of a ship such as a steep 'V' shaped dive to depth, a shallow dive and course adjustment away from the noise and increased speed when swimming away from the ship. The response of marine organisms to anthropogenic noise sources is becoming increasingly important as reduced ice coverage in the Canadian Arctic opens those waterways for more vessel traffic. Understanding the responses of these organisms to vessels can help managers determine the best path to reducing impact in the face of increased vessel traffic. To find out more check out Morgan Martin's Google Scholar and an article by Hakai Magazine. Morgan Martin in the Canadian Arctic in 2022. Photo by Morgan Martin.
Intense storms must be challenging for marine mammals to survive. CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks reached out to Rhonda Reidy, University of Victoria Juanes Lab to answer to a listener’s question: How do marine mammals surface to breathe during storms? https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/may-28-flying-salamanders-headbutting-animals-and-brain-damage-undersea-cable-sensors-and-more-1.6467018
Niki Digou a post-doc in the Juanes Lab presented a talk on the use of passive acoustics to monitor marine mammals in March 2022 as part of the UVic School of Earth and Ocean Science Seminar Series. She covers the basics of passive acoustics including considerations, applications and included some clips of underwater noise produced by cetaceans and pinnipeds.
Niki is currently studying the acoustic ecology of bowhead whales in the arctic. These whales are the only endemic baleen whale in the arctic and are especially important to the Inuit culturally and nutritionally. Niki Digou works with Bill Halliday and Morgan Martin on acoustic studies of the Arctic.
Fun Facts about Bowhead Whales
|
|