Welcome - December 2006 Issue

Welcome!

We have a very large issue this month since we are trying to capture as much of 2006 as possible. Thanks to all of the submissions from CRI sCRIbes (obviously a Cunjak pun). From now on each issue will contain information from the previous month so it will be a bit lighter reading!

The monthly sCRIbbles will be the main route for communication of events, news bits, research productivity, and new endeavours for the CRI so we hope you support sCRIbbles by ensuring that you send us any pertinent information that you feel should be included (any and all CRI members) and for those from outside of CRI we would love to hear any comments that you may have about sCRIbbles.

If you have any questions regarding sCRIbbles, please email katy@unb.ca or m.gray@unb.ca and if you are interested in, or have questions directed at, any particular CRI research lab please visit the individual lab web pages at www.unb.ca/cri to get more information or contact information.

Thanks and we hope you enjoy the first online version of CRI's newsletter, sCRIbbles.

- Michelle and Katy

Recent Happenings - New CRI building opens in Saint John

New CRI building in Saint John

October 13, 2006: The new Canadian Rivers Institute building on the the UNB Saint John campus was officially opened. Dr. Kathryn Hamer MC'd the event, at which speakers included: Dr. Ed Doherty (Minister of Postsecondary Education, Training and Labour), Dr. Allen Curry (Director of CRI), Dr. Greg Kealey (VP Research, UNB) and Mr. Hermel Vienneau (New Brunswick VP of ACOA). When the speeches and official ribbon cutting were officially over, about 50 guests from the university and region toured the building and had a light lunch.

Funded by CFI (Canadian Foundation for Innovation), ACOA (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), the province and UNB Saint John, the Institute is the new home of Fellows Karen Kidd, Kelly Munkittrick and Deborah MacLatchy and Associates Jeff Houlahan and Jim Kieffer. Offices for CRI's visiting researchers, Environment Canada partners, and United Nations University staff are also located here. Collaborative research space includes: Environmental Physiology and Ecotoxicology Lab, Environmental Chemistry Lab, GIS and Modelling Lab, Incubator Lab, Flume Room, four Aquatic Holding Rooms, four Aquatic Bioassay Rooms, Dissection and Tissue Preparation Lab, and Field Transition and Storage Area. Graduate and undergraduate student offices are associated with each of the lab areas. The collaborative research space and co-location of students and researchers provides for a dynamic and interactive research environment.

Recent Happenings - Cunjak Lab

Balkan Rivers Project – Rick Cunjak recently returned from a trip to Bosnia and Croatia where he is trying to initiate a river conservation project with regional partners. The Neretva River, a 200 km river flowing from the karstic mountains of Herzegovina to the Adriatic Sea is one of the largest river basins in the eastern Adriatic, and one of the most important, economically and culturally, to the future rebuilding of the Balkans. Still largely pristine in its headwaters (except for introduced rainbow trout !) and with an ecologically important delta (a designated Ramsar site), the basin is also subject to many anthropogenic impacts. Rick is hoping to forge agreements between UNB-CRI and the Universities of Zagreb and Sarajevo, and to partner with local NGO’s and government agencies to ensure the conservation of the natural resources in the basin.

Recent Happenings - 2006 CRI Retreat

The CRI held its inaugural retreat on the 21st and 22nd of October, 2006 at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews. Over 50 graduate students, technicians, Associates, and Fellows from New Brunswick, PEI, and Quebec, as well as our Hynes lecturer Judy Meyer from Georgia, attended.

On Saturday, the group took part in an interactive and engaging discussion about the importance of (and sometimes incidents associated with!) communicating science to the public (thanks to Alex Bielak from Environment Canada for a thought-provoking presentation). Communication skills accordingly enhanced, the group then tackled a discussion on the philosophy of science (led by Allen Curry and creatively encouraged by Kelly Munkittrick).

Don McAlpine from the New Brunswick Museum also gave an insightful talk on museum collections and their importance in research programs, and motivated several graduate students to go on tours of the museum’s archives.

The evening was set aside for socializing, and socialize we did! (those stories are off the record though and our livers have sworn themselves to secrecy). Spurred on by the previous day’s discussion of communication, the next morning found several people attending a media training course held by Dan Tanaka of UNBSJ.

By all accounts the retreat was a big success; hopefully it will become an annual event.

Recent Happenings - News from the Stable Isotope Lab

The lab has updated it's look ....no Tim did not have a make-over.... we have designed a new SINLAB logo. Hopefully the web site will also be updated soon!

2006 has been a banner year for the lab having processed over 7000 samples. The number of clients using the facility has grown to include nearly 40 researchers from around the globe. We can only hope for a similar year in 2007. The lab has also worked in collaboration with Dr. Len Wassenaar and Dr. Rick Doucett on the development of stable hydrogen isotope applications in aquatic systems.

Recent Happenings - Munkittrick Lab

• The proceedings from the CRI/CWN/UNU-INWEH February 2006 workshop on Linking Watersheds can be found at http://www.cwn-rce.ca/index.php?fa=News.showLinkingWatershedsWorkshop-FinalReport.
• Kelly Munkittrick attended a government/industry/MGO workshop in Chile on pulp mill impacts November 15-17.

There are opportunities for research on pulp mills in Chile, and with new large hydroelectric developments. Interested people should contact krm@unb.ca.

• Kelly Munkittrick was recently added to Great lakes Fisheries Commission Board of Technical Experts.
• The Canadian Water Network annual meeting was held November 22-24, in Montreal. There are current calls for proposals, due mid-December for knowledge transfer projects, and January 4th for new projects. Details can be found at www.cwn-rce.ca.

Hynes Lecture – 2006

Every year the Canadian Rivers Institute hosts the H.B.N. Hynes Lecture series and brings a researcher that is internationally renowned in aquatic sciences to the Unviersity of New Brunswick. We are very pleased that Dr. Judy Meyer, Professor of Ecology from the University of Georgia, was our 4th Annual Hynes Lecturer this year. Her public lecture was entitled “Birthplaces of Rivers: The Diversity, Destruction, and Restoration of Headwater Streams.” and was held on Thursday, October 19th at 7 pm in the Hazen Hall Lecture Theatre at UNBSJ. This lecture described the impacts that human activities are having on streams and some of the ways that we can restore the health of these systems in New Brunswick. It was exceptionally well attended by members of the public (> 90 people) and generated a lot of interest during and after her visit. She also gave a science lecture on the Fredericton campus on Friday, October 20th in Loring Bailey Hall 146; this talk was entitled “Forest-stream Linkages in an Urbanizing Landscape.” and was also very well attended (> 100 people) by the scientific community and members of the public.

Dr. Meyer was an excellent choice for this year’s Hynes lectures. Since joining the faculty at the University of Georgia in 1977, she has focused her research on nutrient pollution in streams and rivers, on the natural processes that maintain water quality, and on the effects that development and water management have on aquatic systems. She has been heavily involved in public education, has worked with numerous conservation organizations, and has targeted much of her research towards addressing issues of concern to these groups and to the general public. She has also been a consistent and effective advocate for streams and has provided her expertise on issues such as the importance of wetlands and small streams to the health of river networks, the importance of stream buffer zones to native fish, the impacts of logging on water quality, and the effects of lawn and agricultural fertilizers and pesticides on streams to numerous groups. The faculty, staff and graduate students of the Canadian Rivers Institute and the University of New Brunswick really benefited from her expertise and insights during her visit, and were inspired by her enthusiasm and commitment to improving water quality.

New CRI people

(Supervisor's names in brackets)

Undergraduate students

• Leslie Carroll. The reproductive cycle of the redbelly dace (Phoxinus eos) (Dr. Kelly Munkittrick)
• Adrianus Both. Distribution and abundance of long-finned hake in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: a comparison of 1979 and 2002. (Drs. Dave Methven and Kelly Munkittrick)
• Nicole McQuoid. Distribution and abundance of flatfish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: a comparison of 1979 and 2002. (Drs. Dave Methven and Kelly Munkittrick)
• Melinda Hanson-Lee. Development of a fish caging protocol for environmental effects monitoring in the Saint John Harbour (Dr. Deb MacLatchy)

MSc graduate students

• Mary Sollows. Changes in benthic invertebrate communities of Kennebecasis Bay. (Dr. Kelly Munkittrick)
• Lisa Bowron. Response of white sucker at Jackfish Bay to pulp mill shutdown. (Dr. Kelly Munkittrick)
• Vince McMullin. Responses of fish populations to sewage inputs (Drs. Kelly Munkittrick and Dave Methven
• Jennifer Adams. Response of fish populations to mitigation at an oil refinery (Drs. Kelly Munkittrick and Deb MacLatchy)
• Steve Melvin. Bioassay development for investigation of cause of pulp mill effluents: multi-species comparison (Dr. Deb MacLatchy)
• Brianna Wyn. Food web structure and its impacts on mercury accumulation in acidified ecosystems. (Dr. Karen Kidd)
• Heidi LeBlanc. Lethal and sublethal effects of agricultural pesticide mixtures on aquatic invertebrates (Dr. Joseph Culp)
• Laura Grace. The effects of agricultural practices on metabolic rates in stream environments (Dr. Joseph Culp)

PhD graduate students

• Kelly Lippert. Selection of sentinel species for environmental monitoring (Dr. Kelly Munkittrick)
• Thijs Bosker. Investigation of cause studies at a thermomechanical pulp mill in Saint John, NB (Dr. Deb McLatchy)
• Heidi Swanson. The effects of anadromous Arctic charr (Salvelinus namaycush) on food web structure and contaminant bioaccumulation in Arctic lakes. (Dr. Karen Kidd)

Post-doctoral fellows

• Dr. Wendy Monk. A water classification system for NB waters (Dr. Allen Curry)

Visiting Faculty to the CRI

• Dr. Rodrigo Orrego (Universidad de Concepcion, Chile) was visiting from February to June, 2006 from .
• Dr. Fabiana Lo Nostro (Universidad de Buenos Aries, Argentina) was visiting from in October and early November 2006, running short courses on histological techniques and gonadal morphology for CRI graduate students
• Dr. Gaspar Gonzalez (Universidad de Habana, Cuba) will be visiting from for March and April 2007, and we are planning a short course in Cuba in May 2007.

Completed students

(Supervisors in brackets)

Undergraduate Honours projects

• Wells Cushnie. The mechanism of action of 17α-ethylestradiol on gonadal steroidogenesis in mummichog. University of New Brunswick. (Dr. Deb MacLatchy)

Wells is currently starting his MSc at McGill University.

• Heather Loomer. 2006. Swimming in sewage: indicators of faecal waste on fish in Saint John, New Brunswick.”(Dr. Karen Kidd)

MSc

• Karma Tenzin. The design of a non-lethal fish monitoring program for rivers in Bhutan. Current: government training program, Bhutan. (Dr. Kelly Munkittrick)
• Marilynn Kullman. Assimilation of freshwater salmonid aquaculture waste by native aquatic biota. (Dr. Karen Kidd)
• Rachel Keeler. Development and application of passive integrated transponder technology to investigate the movement and reproductive ecology of adult slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) in small New Brunswick streams. (Dr. Rick Cunjak)
• Stephanie Ratelle. Ecological interactions between juvenile diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). (Drs. Rick Cunjak and Tillmann Benfey)
• Megan Mathews. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) autumn parr and spring smolt movements in two tributaries of the Miramichi River system. (Dr. Rick Cunjak)
• Alexa Alexander. Sublethal effects of imidacloprid on mayflies and oligochaetes. MSc. University of New Brunswick. (Dr. Joseph Culp)

Publications/Conference proceedings/Reports

Journal article publications

• Aguilar, C., G. González-Sansón, I. Hernández, D.L. MacLatchy and K.R. Munkittrick. In press. Application of an effects-based assessment protocol in a tropical coastal system: status of bicolor damselfish (Stegastes parvitus) on the north shore of Cuba. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. (Available online)
• Belknap, A.M., MacLatchy, D.L., Solomon, K.R., Dubé, M.G. and Hewitt, M.L. 2006. Identification of hormonally-active compounds in chemical recovery condensates. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 25: 2322-2333.
• Courtemanche, D., F.G. Whoriskey, Jr., and R.A. Curry. 2006. Assessing anadromy of brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) using scale microchemistry. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 63:995-1006.
• Curry, R.A., J. van de Sande, J., and F.G. Whoriskey. 2006. Temporal and spatial habitats of anadromous brook charr in the Laval River and its estuary. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 76:361-370.
• Dietrich, J.P., R.A. Cunjak. In press. Body and scale growth of wild Atlantic salmon smolts during seaward emigration. Environmental Biology of Fishes. (Available online)
• Dietrich, J.P. and R.A. Cunjak. 2006. Evaluation of the impacts of Carlin-tags, fin-clips and Panjet tattoos on juvenile Atlantic salmon. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 26:163-169.
• Dubé, M., B. Johnson, G. Dunn, J. Culp, K. Cash, K. Munkittrick, I. Wong, K. Hedley, W. Booty, D. Lam, O. Resler and A. Storey. 2006. Development of a new approach to cumulative effects assessment: A Northern river ecosystem example. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 113: 87-115.
• Dubé, M.G., MacLatchy, D.L., Hruska, K.A. and Grozier, N.E. 2006. Assessing the responses of creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) and pearl dace (Semotilus margarita) to metal mine effluents using in situ artificial streams in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 25:18-28.
• Edwards, P.A. and R.A. Cunjak. In press. Influence of water temperature and streambed stability on abundance and distribution of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). Environmental Biology of Fishes. (Available online)
• Greenwood, M. T., Wood, P.J. and Monk, W.A. 2006. The use of fossil caddisfly assemblages in the reconstruction of flow environments from floodplain paleochannels ofthe River Trent, England. Journal of Paleolimnology. 35 (4): 747-761.
• Jardine, T.J. K.A. Kidd and A.T. Fisk. In press. Applications and assumptions of stable isotope analysis in ecotoxicology. Environmental Science and Technology. (Available online)
• Kelly, M.H., W.G. Hagar, T.D. Jardine and R.A. Cunjak. 2006. Nonlethal sampling of sunfish and slimy sculpin for stable isotope analysis: how scale and fin tissue compare with muscle tissue. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 26: 921-925.
• Kilgour, B.W., M.G. Dubé, K. Hedley, K.R. Munkittrick, C.B. Portt. In Press. Aquatic Environmental Effects Monitoring Guidance for Environmental Assessment practitioners. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. (Available online)
• Monk, W.A., Wood, P.J., Hannah, D.M., Wilson, D.A., Extence, C.A. and Chadd, R.P. 2006. Flow variability and macroinvertebrate community response within riverine systems in England and Wales. Rivers Research and Applications. 22:595-615.
• Palace, V.P., Wautier, K.G., Evans, R.E, Blanchfield, P., Mills, K., Chalanchuk, S., Godard, D., McMaster, M., Tetrault, G., Peters, L.E., Vandenbyllardt, L. and K.A. Kidd. 2006. Biochemical and histopathological effects of ethynylestradiol in pearl dace (Semotilus margarita) exposed to the synthetic estrogen in a whole lake experiment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 25(4): 1114-1125.
• Rickwood, C.J., Dubé, M.G., Hewitt, L.M., Kovacs, T.G., Parrott, J.L. and MacLatchy, D.L. 2006. Assessing reproductive effects of final bleached kraft pulp mill effluent using pair-breeding fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) in an artificial stream system: Part I. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 25:202-211.
• Sharpe, R.L., Drolet, M. and MacLatchy, D.L. In Press. Investigation of de novo cholesterol synthetic capacity in the gonads of goldfish (Carassius auratus) exposed to the phytosterol beta-sitosterol. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. (Available online)
• Shaughnessy, K., Hewitt, M.L., Dubé, M.G. and MacLatchy, D.L. In press. Toxicity identification evaluation of kraft pulp mill condensates associated with testosterone depressions in mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. (Available on-line)
• Vallis, L., D.L. MacLatchy and K.R. Munkittrick. In press. Assessment of the potential of the rock gunnel (Pholis gunnellus) along the Atlantic coast of Canada as a species for monitoring the reproductive impacts of contaminant exposures. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. (Available online)
• Werner, J., K. Wautier, K. Mills, S. Chalanchuk, K. Kidd and V. Palace. 2006. Reproductive fitness of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of the potent estrogen ethynylestradiol (EE2) in a whole lake exposure experiment. In Eds. M.P. Olivar and J. J. Govoni “Recent Advances in the Study of Fish Eggs and Larvae.” Scientia Marina 70S2:59-66.

Peer-reviewed conference proceedings

• Dubé, M.G., Rickwood, C., Hewitt, M., Parott, J., Kovacs, T. and MacLatchy, D. 2006. Identification of process streams at a bleached kraft pulp mill affecting pair-breeding fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) in an artificial stream system. 6th International Conference, Fate and Effects of Pulp Mill Effluents, Vitoria, Brazil. April 2006. CD ROM. 10pp.
• Hewitt, L.M., Belknap, A.M., Dubé, M.G., and MacLatchy, D.L. Identification of chemicals in bleached kraft chemical recovery condensates associated with testosterone depressions in fish. 6th International Conference, Fate and Effects of Pulp Mill Effluents, Vitoria, Brazil. April 2006. CD ROM. 10pp.
• Kovacs, T., Martel, P., Paice, M., Browne, T., Hewitt, M., Dubé, M., Parrott, J., McMaster, M. and MacLatchy, D. 2006. Towards the elimination of changes in reproductive indicators of fish associated with exposure to pulp and paper mill effluents. 6th International Conference, Fate and Effects of Pulp Mill Effluents, Vitoria, Brazil. April 2006. CD ROM. 10pp.
• MacLatchy, D.L., Shaughnessy, K.S., Belknap, A.M., Dubé, M.G. and Hewitt, L.M. 2006. Reproductive steroid responses in fish exposed to pulp mill condensates. 6th International Conference, Fate and Effects of Pulp Mill Effluents, Vitoria, Brazil. April 2006. CD ROM. 10pp.

Reports

• Munkittrick, K.R., R.A. Curry, J.M Culp, R.A. Cunjak, D.L. MacLatchy, K.A. Kidd, S. Dalton, D.J. Baird and R. Newbury. 2006. A framework for integrated watershed management for the Saint John River, New Brunswick, Canada. Water and Ecosystems: Water Resources Management in Diverse Ecosystems and Providing for Human Needs, UNU-INWEH, Hamilton, Canada.
• Riley, S.C., K.R. Munkittrick, A.M. Niggemeyer and C.K. Krueger. 2006. Understanding the relationships between fish health and ecosystem dysfunction in the Great Lakes. Research Theme Paper for Fishery Research Program, Great Lakes Fisheries Commission.
• Gautreau, M. and R.A. Curry. 2006. Ecology of the Redbreast Sunfish Lepomis auritus in Yoho and Oromocto Lakes. New Brunswick Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Fisheries Report #01-06.
• Culp, J.M., E. Luiker, L. Noel, E. Foster, R.A. Curry, and D. Hryn. 2006. Status and Effects of Nutrient Loading on the Saint John River: Final Report. New Brunswick Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Fisheries Report #02-06.
• Curry, R.A., J.C. Culp, D.J. Baird, M. Gautreau, and O. Logan. 2006. The Potential Impacts of Surface Water Withdrawal on Stream Ecosystems of Prince Edward Island: Phase I (2004-05). New Brunswick Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Fisheries Report #03-06.
• Monk, W. and R.A. Curry. 2006. Developing an interpretive model for flowing water classification in New Brunswick: Preliminary Report 2005/6. New Brunswick Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Fisheries Report #04-06.

Conference and Invited Presentations

59th Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research. 5-7 January 2006. Calgary, AB.

• Curry, C., D.J. Baird, and R.A. Curry. 2006. Measuring the relative importance of distance and habitat characteristics on beta-diversity of Dragonflies and Damselflies (Insecta: Odonata).

92nd Annual Pulp & Paper Technical Alliance of Canada. February 2006. Montreal, QC.

• Hewitt, L.M., Belknap, A.M., Dubé, M.G., and MacLatchy, D.L. 2006. Identification of chemicals in bleached kraft chemical recovery condensates associated with testosterone depressions in fish.
• Kovacs, T., Martel, P., Paice, M., Browne, T., Hewitt, M., Dubé, M., Parrott, J., McMaster, M. and MacLatchy, D. 2006. Towards the elimination of changes in reproductive indicators of fish associated with exposure to pulp and paper mill effluents.
• MacLatchy, D.L., Shaughnessy, K.S., Belknap, A.M., Dubé, M.G. and Hewitt, L.M. 2006. Reproductive steroid responses in fish exposed to pulp mill condensates.

Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Zoologists, May 2006, Edmonton, AB.

• Sharpe, R.L. , Woodhouse, A., Moon, T.W., Trudeau, V. and MacLatchy, D,L. 2006. Disrupted StAr: a mechanism for β-sitosterol endocrine effects in goldfish.

Atlantic Canada Coastal Estuarine Science Society (ACCESS) Meeting, 16-17 May 2006, Fredericton, NB.

• Arciszewski, T., K. Kidd and K. Munkittrick. 2006. Responses of fish and invertebrate populations to industrial and municipal effluents in the upper Saint John River.
• Breau, C., and R.A. Cunjak. Behaviour at high water temperatures: can physiology explain movement of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to cool water sources?
• Dalton, S. 2006. Social assessment tools and techniques for estuarine resource managers:examples from the US national estuarine research reserve network.
• McGraw, M., and D. Methven. Latitudinal variation in egg type and mean egg diameter of marine teleosts from the north western Atlantic.
• Skinner, M.A., and S.C. Courtenay. Examining the influence of suspended oyster (Crassostrea virginica) aquaculture on estuarine epibenthic communities.
• Thériault, M-H., S.C. Courtenay, K.R. Munkittrick, A.G. Chiasson. 2006. Testing of two monitoring approaches to quantify ecological impacts of fish processing plants discharging effluents into coastal waters of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, New-Brunswick, Canada.

Canadian Rivers Institute Day, 18 May 2006. Fredericton, NB.

• Adams, J., Munkittrick, K. and MacLatchy, D. 2006. Investigating the response of fish to chronic exposures to oil refinery effluent.
• Alexander, A., J. Culp, K. Liber, D. Baird, and A. Cessna. 2006. Sublethal effects of larval insecticide exposure on adult mayfly body-size.
• Arens, C.J., D.A. Methven, and K.R. Munkittrick. 2006. Seasonal and regional variation in the nearshore fish assemblage of the southwest Bay of Fundy.
• Casselman, J., D. Methven, and K. Munkittrick. 2006. Spatial scale and development of a fish sampling protocol in Saint John Harbour.
• Curry, C., D.J. Baird, and A. Curry. 2006. Measuring the relative importance of distance and habitat characteristics on beta-diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata).
• Danielescu, S., K. MacQuarrie, and D. Connor. 2006. Nitrogen fluxes from watersheds to nutrient sensitive estuaries.
• Foster, E. 2006. Nutrient status variability in the Kennebecasis and Nashwaak watersheds.
• Gallant, M.J, K.E. Haralampides, R.A. Cunjak, and P.W. Emerson. 2006. An ecohydraulics approach to increasing riverine production of juvenile wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).
• Gautreau, M. and A. Curry. 2006. Ecology of the redbreast sunfish Lepomis auritus in two New Brunswick Lakes: a species of concern (COSEWIC).
• Heard, K., J. Culp, A. Alexander, E. Luiker, R.A. Curry, and D. Baird. 2006. Non-target effects of an insecticide on the benthic invertebrate community.
• Horrigan, N. 2006. Methods to derive pressure specific sensitivity information using biomonitoring and distributional data.
• Jardine, T.D., K.A. Kidd, P.A. Arp, and R.A. Cunjak. 2006. Mercury in streams and rivers: lessons from sentinel species and stable isotopes.
• Kassie, R.S., and J.D. Kieffer. 2006. Just go with the flow: recovery from exhaustive exercise in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis).
• Kullman, M., K. Kidd, and C. Podemski. 2006. Aquaculture waste from freshwater cage cultures: Is it a source of food for native biota?
• Kullman, M., K. Kidd, and C. Podemski. 2006. Food web incorporation of freshwater aquaculture waste.
• Lamson, H., D. Cairns, and A. Curry. 2006. Growth rates of American eels (Anguilla rostrata) in relation to habitat salinity, based on otolith microchemistry.
• Linnansaari, T., and R. Cunjak. 2006. Movements and behaviour by juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in relation to ice conditions in small rivers in Canada and Norway.
• Luiker, E., J.M. Culp, L. Noel, E. Foster, R. A. Curry, and D. Hryn. 2006. Status and effects of nutrient loading on the Saint John River.
• Mitchell, S., and R. Cunjak. 2006. Streamflow, salmon and beavers: Interactions structuring fish assemblages in Catamaran Brook.
• Monk, W.A., Curry, R.A., Craig, N., O’Keefe, J. and Duke, N. 2006. New Brunswick’s Water Classification: An environmental program using benthic macroinvertebrates.
• Noel, L., and J. Culp. 2006. Community resilience and resistance in regulated rivers.
• Newbury, R. , M. Gallant, and R. Cunjak. 2006. River restorations studies at the Canadian Rivers Institute.
• Sharpe, R.L., A.W. Woodhouse, T.W. Moon, V.L. Trudeau, and D.L. MacLatchy. 2006. Disrupted StAR: a mechanism for β-sitosterol endocrine effects in goldfish (Carassius auratus).
• Skinner, M.A., and S.C. Courtenay. 2006. Examining the influence of suspended oyster (Crassostrea virginica) aquaculture on estuarine epibenthic communities.
• Thériault, M-H., S.C. Courtenay, K.R. Munkittrick, and A.G. Chiasson. 2006. Testing of two monitoring approaches to quantify ecological impacts of fish processing plants discharging effluents into coastal waters of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, New-Brunswick, Canada.
• Walker, E.M. and S. Peake. 2006. The effects of suspended sediments on circulating glucose, in two Percids: Johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens).

54th Annual North American Benthological Society Meeting, 4-6 June 2006. Anchorage, AK.

• Alexander AC, Culp JM, Liber K, Baird DJ and AJ Cessna. 2006. Sublethal effects of larval insecticide exposure on adult mayfly body-size.
• Culp JM, Liber K, Cessna A, Luiker E, Alexander AC, Heard K, Baird DJ and PJ Van Den Brink. 2006. Comparison of press versus pulse exposure to insecticides: the role of sublethal effects.
• Luiker E, Culp JM, Alexander AC, Heard KS and RA Curry. 2006. Cumulative ecological effects of agricultural stressors on stream benthic ecosystems.
• Logan, O., Curry, R.A., Culp, J.C. and Heard, K. 2006. Effects of sediment depositionon benthic invertebrate community structure and biological trait composition.

Jardine, T.D., Kidd, K.A., and Fisk, A.T. 2006. Applications and assumptions of stable isotope analysis in ecotoxicology. Society of Toxicology and Chemistry - North Atlantic Chapter 12th annual meeting, June 7-9, Portland, Maine.

7th Biannual Fish Biology Congress. 18-22 July 2006. St. John’s, NL

• Sharpe, R.L. , Woodhouse, A., Moon, T.W., Trudeau, V. and MacLatchy, D.L. 2006. Beta-sitosterol alters gonadal steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) expression in goldfish (Carassius auratus).
• Sharpe, R.L., Drolet, M. and MacLatchy, D.L. 2006. Investigation of de novo cholesterol biosynthetic capacity in the gonads of goldfish (Carassius auratus) exposed to beta-sitosterol.

** Rainie Sharpe won best poster and best oral for these two presentations at the Fish Biology Congress**

8th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant. August 6-11, 2006. Madison, Wisconsin.

• Campbell, L., R. Hecky, K. Kidd, M. Evans and D. Muir. 2006. Assessing biomagnification of mercury in food webs using stable isotopes: a global perspective.
• Evans, M.S., D. Muir, K. Kidd, L. Lockhart, L. Doetzel, R. Anderson, M. Whittle 2006. Biological and anthropogenic factors affecting longitudinal and latitudinal gradients in mercury concentrations in lake trout.
• Jardine, T.D., P.A. Arp, K.A. Kidd, R.A. Cunjak. 2006. What can water striders tell us about the movement of mercury and organic matter through aquatic systems?
• Kidd, K.A., Evans, M., M. Whittle, D.C.G. Muir 2006. Accumulation of mercury through freshwater food webs of lakes in the boreal regions of Canada.

Jardine, T.D., Kidd, K.A., Doucett, R.R., Wassenaar, L.I., R. Cunjak. 2006. Multiple stable isotopes reveal organic matter and mercury flow in a temperate river. 5th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotope Techniques to Ecological Studies. 13-18 August 2006. Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

**Tim Jardine won 2nd place in best student oral presentation for this talk**

Riverine Hydroecology: Advances inResearch and Applications conference, 14th– 18th August 2006, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland.

• Monk, W.A., Wood, P.J., Hannah, D.M. and Wilson, D.A. 2006. The importance of taxonomic resolution in understanding the influence of flow variability upon benthic macroinvertebrate communities.

33rd Annual Aquatic Toxicity Workshop. 1-4 October, 2006. Jasper, AB.

• Alexander, A.C., J.M. Culp. K. Liber, D.J. Baird, and A.J. Cessna. 2006. Sublethal effects of larval insecticide exposure on adult mayfly body-size.
• Kidd, K., D. Muir, M. Evans, M. Whittle and T. Johnston. 2006. Factors affecting the accumulation of mercury through food webs that support lake trout.

Kidd, K.A. Effects of a potent estrogen on aquatic populations. 6 October 2006. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta.

27th Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 5-9 November 2006. Montreal, QU.

• Adams, J., G. Vallières, D. MacLatchy and K. Munkittrick. 2006. Fish responses to chronic exposures in oil refinery effluent.
• Arciszewski, T., K. Munkittrick, and K. Kidd. 2006. Population-level responses of fish and invertebrates to sewage and pulp mill effluents in the Saint John River.
• Bowron, L.K., K.R. Munkittrick, M.E. McMaster, G. Tetreault and M.L. Hewitt. 2006. Investigation of the response of white suckers with decreased pulp mill effluent.
• Brasfield, S., M.A. Gray and K. R. Munkittrick. 2006. Monitoring of fish populations along a gradient of agricultural inputs in New Brunswick, Canada using a nonlethal sampling approach.
• Culp, J., K. Liber, A. Cessna, E. Luiker, A. Alexander, K. Heard, D. Baird. 2006. Effects of continuous versus pulse exposure to insecticides on benthic invertebrate assemblages
• Jardine, T., K. Kidd, P. Arp, and R. Cunjak. 2006. Assessing atmospheric mercury deposition using water striders as environmental sentinels.
• Kullman, M., Kidd, K., and C. Podemski. 2006. Exposure of Sphaerium simile (Say) (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae) to aquculture waste in a sediment bioassay.
• Kullman, M., Kidd, K., Podemski, C., Paterson, M., and P. Blanchfield. 2006. Stable isotope evidence of the incorporation of aquaculture waste by native biota.
• MacLatchy, D.L. T. Bosker, S. Melvin, M. Hanson-Lee, M.L. Hewitt and T. Kovacs. 2006. Development of partial and full lifecycle Fundulus heteroclitus bioassays to test for hormonally-active contaminants in pulp mill effluents.
• Palace, V., K. Kidd, P. Blanchfield,, K. Mills, K. Wautier, R. Evans, J. Lazorchak, and R. Flick. 2006. A comparison of subcellular- through population-level effects of a potent estrogen mimic on fish: results from a multi-year whole-lake experiment.
• Tenzin, K. and K. Munkittrick. 2006. The design of a non-lethal fish monitoring program for rivers in Bhutan.

Kidd, K.A. A whole lake experiment to assess the effect of a potent estrogen mimic on aquatic populations. and, Using stable isotopes to understand the bioaccumulation of mercury in freshwater food webs. University of Lund, Sweden, Limnology & Ecology Departmental Seminars, 16 November 2006.

Kidd, K. Current and emerging water related threats to human health in Canada. “Watersheds and Source Protection: Governance, Science, and Health: An Exploratory Workshop.” Peter Wall Institute, University of British Columbia, 24-25 Nov 2006.

Upcoming workshops/conferences

• 60th Annual Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research (CCFFR), Montreal, QU. January 4-6, 2007.

• The CRI (led by Dr. Kelly Munkittrick) is planning a workshop January 9-11, 2007 for Fredericton, for researchers working on the Saint John River basin. Interested people should contact Robin Brown at rbrown@unb.ca.

• The Stable Isotopes in Nature Laboratory (SINLAB) will be hosting the 13th Annual CFIRMS (Continuous Flow Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry) Workshop, June 24-27, 2007, at UNB in Fredericton. This workshop brings together researchers, technicians and manufacturers from around the globe in a casual setting to discuss the technical issues surrounding Stable Isotope Analysis. We are especially fortunate that Dr. Brian Fry, one of the world leaders in ecological applications of stable isotope, has agreed to be the keynote speaker. The first continuous flow instruments were introduced to the scientific community in 1985 and since 1994 the number of installations around the globe have increased significantly. This workshop provides new and longtime users with hands on experience, access to the manufacturer’s trade-show of the latest equipment as well as insight from colleagues on the performance of instruments and their applications. Dr. Brian Fry has agreed to be the keynote speaker for this conference.

Dr. Brian Fry is a professor in the Coastal Ecology Institute and the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Studies at Louisiana State University. A world-renowned ecologist with over 130 publications, he has been using stable isotopes for understanding food webs and ecosystem functon for 30 years. His research interests are broad as evidenced by his published works which range in topic from geochemistry to limnology to forest ecology to marine foodweb dynamics and tracing N-loading in river systems. Geographically, he has studied in Australia, the Arctic, the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Black Sea and the north Atlantic. In 2006, he published a book, “Stable Isotope Ecology” that promises to be the pivotal reference text for novices and experts wishing to use isotopes in environmental research. Dr. Fry’s plenary talk will deal with the use of multiple isotope tracers for better understanding ecological processes.

For more information on the CFIRMS workshop, please contact Anne McGeachy (isotope@unb.ca).

Courses - Electrofishing

Backpack Electrofishing Course - 2006 saw the introduction of CRI's electrofishing course and between the instructors, Mark Gautreau and Michelle Gray, they handed out certificates to over 50 participants.

The CRI also formed a new relationship with the Maritime College of Forest Technology to deliver the WebCT portion of the electrofishing course to all 1st year students - which is now a mandatory part of their program.

We will be scheduling more electrofishing courses in the spring of 2007, and also throughout the summer and fall on a "by-demand" basis.

Recent and Upcoming Courses

Upcoming Courses

• Dr. Kelly Munkittrick. Pulp mill impacts on river systems - short course. Montevideo, Uruguay, Dec 2-16, 2006.
• Nelli Horrigan. Practical multivariate statistics for biologists. Fredericton, NB, Jan 9th, 2007.
• Dr. Kelly Munkittrick. The pulp mill industry and its impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Chile – Centro de Ciencias Ambientales, EULA-Chile Centre, Universidad de Concepcion, Jan 17-26, 2007.
• Drs. Rick Cunjak, Bob Newbury, Doug Craig. River habitats and hydraulics. Kananaskis Field Station, Kananaskis, AB. Jul 15-24, 2007.
• Dr. Bob Newbury et al. Stream restoration design and monitoring. Fredericton, NB. end of May/early Jun, 2007.
  

2006 Past Courses

• Dr. Kelly Munkittrick. The pulp mill industry and its impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Chile – Centro de Ciencias Ambientales, EULA-Chile Centre, Universidad de Concepcion, Jan 4-13, 2006.
• Drs. Kelly Munkittrick, Karen Kidd, A. Burton and Joanne Parrott. Ecological Risk Assessment: Theory and Practice. Course for academics and government researchers 11-15 July 2006, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico.

New Projects/New Proposals

New Projects

• McCain Visiting Professorship – Dr. Gaspar Gonzalez will be visiting from Universidad de Habana, Cuba. March-April 2007
• Harrison McCain Young Scholar Award, $21,000 for 2006/07 - K. Kidd.
• Cycle 4 Environmental Effects Monitoring research program, Fraser Papers, Edmundston
• UNB/Environment Canada/Paprican/University of Guelph/UPEI. 2006-2007. Activity 2, Cycle 4: Comparison of lab and field models for reproductive effects in fish (mult-mill consortium), M. Hewitt, T.Kovacs, M. McMaster, J. Parrott, G. Van Der Kraak, M. van den Heuvel, D. MacLatchy.
• Irving Paper Ltd./Irving Pulp and Paper Ltd. 2006-2008. Investigation of cause in pulp mills with different processes (TMP/BKM), M. Hewitt, D. MacLatchy.
• NSERC Discovery - Thermal habitats of Rivers, A. Curry
• Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada - Instream Flow Requirements for PEI Stream Ecosystems, A. Curry
• Berthe, F. (PI, UPEI) “Holistic health management in aquatic ecosystems.” AquaNet Networks of Centres of Excellence funding, with collaborating partners L. Hammell, M. van den Heuvel (UPEI), O. Chouinard (U. Moncton), B. Hatcher (CBU), M. Litvak (UNB SJ), $300,000 for 2006/07.
• Assessment of mercury levels in New Brunswick waterways. New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, $19,500 for 2006/07. K.A. Kidd
• Fish health indicators in New Brunswick streams: influence of diet and mercury exposure. New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, $10,000 for 2006/07. K.A. Kidd

Proposals submitted

Curry

• NSERC Discovery - Thermal habitats of Rivers
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) - Instream Flow Requirements for PEI Stream Ecosystems

Kidd

• NSERC CRD with Miramar Mining Co. - The effect of anadromous Arctic charr on food web structure and contaminant bioaccumulation in coastal Arctic lakes. 40K for 2006/2007; 24K matching industry funds and 17K in-kind.
• International Polar Year proposal - Climate variability and change effects on char in the arctic. Reist, J. (PI, Fisheries and Oceans Canada), M. Power (University of Waterloo), N. Halden (University of Manitoba), D. Muir and F. Wrona (Environment Canada) and B. Dempsen (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) 2.18 million over 4 years for 2007-2011.

Munkittrick

• NSERC Research Network Letter of Intent submitted for CRI

MacLatchy

• NSERC CRD match. Investigation of cause in pulp mills with different processes (TMP/BKM). M. Hewitt, D. MacLatchy (collaborators) with Irving Paper Ltd./Irving Pulp and Paper Ltd. 2006-2008.

Personals...

• Tim Jardine & Laura Sweeney will tie the knot on December 28th, 2006. Congratulations Tim and Laura!!!!

• Christine Paton and the Fredericton Backyard Composters won the NB Department of Environment Environmental Leadership Award for a community group or organization.