Dr . Karen Kidd has #51 in Top 100 Science Stories of 2007 - Discover Magazine

Top 100 Science Stories of 2007

The trends and events that most changed our understanding and our world.

Dr. Karen Kidd and colleague's research was highlighted as one of the top science stories of 2007 for her publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Collapse of a fish population following exposure to a synthetic estrogen (104:8897-8901).

Congratulations to Karen!!!

Tier I Canada Research Chair Renewed - Dr. Cunjak

Dr. Rick Cunjak's Canada Research Chair in River Ecosystem Science has been renewed for a second seven-year term, effective Jan. 1, 2008.

Dr. Cunjak will receive a total of $1,400,000 in funding from the Canada Research Chairs program in support of the Tier I chair. He will also receive an additional $75,000 in infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation for the purchase of new equipment for the Stable Isotopes in Nature Laboratory in the department of biology.

The Chair in River Ecosystem Science helped develop the Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI) at UNB into a major research and teaching centre. It attracts international students and collaborators because of the in-house expertise in fisheries, ecology, conservation, toxicology and water resource management.

Dr. Cunjak's research has demonstrated how wild fishes react to natural disturbances such as ice, floods and high temperature, as well as to man-made disturbances from forestry and flow regulation. His stable isotope laboratory is improving understanding of how river food webs function, and the movement and foraging of fishes like the Atlantic salmon. His current and future research with the CRI will expand the scale of study from specific locations and species to test for broad applicability and pattern, and to assist environmental management internationally.

Congratulations to Rick!!!

University of Waterloo names 50 top alumni - 3 from CRI

With the University of Waterloo commemorating its 50 year Anniversary in 2007, the Faculty of Science seized the ‘spirit of why not’ by acknowledging the remarkable achievements of its own alumni.

This inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award will be an annual honour bestowed upon a science alumnus who has made significant career contributions to his/her field.

The CRI is proud to announce that 3 of the 50 alumni honoured this year are members of the CRI.

Dr. Alex Bielak - CRI Management Board member
Dr. Rick Cunjak - CRI Fellow, and former CRI Director (2000-2004)
Dr. Kelly Munkittrick - CRI Fellow, and CRI Associate Director (2000-present)

Click here to access the pdf with more info about each recipient (pp. 5, 11, 19, resp).

CRI meets the Trailer Park

Well the day has come... the CRI has reached a new level in creating networks and establishing relationships with outside interests...

Steve Melvin (MSc Candidate, UNBSJ) is shown here proudly educating Bubbles about the CRI and what we are all about... good job Steve!

Congratulations to Kelly Munkittrick - Tier I CRC renewed

Kelly Munkittrick's Tier I Canada Research Chair in Ecosystem Health Assessment at UNB Saint John has been renewed effective Jan. 1, 2008. Dr. Munkittrick will receive more than $1.4 million over the next five years.

We are expectedly delighted that Kelly's CRC has been renewed for another 5 years. Kelly was one of the founding fellows of the CRI and has worked tirelessly during the past 7 years to build the CRI to it present status as a national and international centre of excellence in aquatic sciences. He can be proud of his achievements; as Director and his colleague, I am.

- Allen Curry
__________________________________________

Welcome - August 2007 edition (June 1 - July 31)

Welcome to the August edition of sCRIbbles. This will be a relatively quick issue to read - although there is lots of activity, everyone is too busy in the field hanging out with our little friend to the right no doubt... or elsewhere (hopefully relaxing) to submit much new news to sCRIbbles this time. We do have some submissions and we hope you take the time to read through what we have for you.

Thanks, Michelle & Katy, co-editors sCRIbbles.

Recent Happenings - MacLatchy Lab

Founding CRI Fellow Deb MacLatchy has recently left UNB for Wilfrid
Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Deb began as Dean of Science
in July and is gradually acclimating to the hot and muggy southern
Ontario summers. She will continue with her research activities focused
on understanding how contaminants affect fish reproduction and
development with CRI graduate students at both UNB and WLU. Deb is
actively pursuing opportunities for CRI to expand some of its activities
in "central" Canada. She can be reached at Canadian Rivers Institute
and Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University
Ave, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5. dmaclatchy@wlu.ca. 519 884-0464 x2401.

Recent Happenings - Peake and Munkittrick Labs

Gaspar Gonzalez-Sanson (visiting UNB Harrison McCain Visiting Professor from Havana, Cuba), and Kelly Munkittrick travelled to the Canadian Rivers Institute Manitoba Field Station located in Pinawa, Manitoba. The had a great visit with Steve Peake and his summer field crew and got to check out some of his fancy new boats and see some lake sturgeon while they were at it.

The 2007 CRI Manitoba Field Station summer crew consists of:
Cheryl Klassen (veteran and new PhD student - U of Manitoba)
Holly Labadie (new MSc student - UNB)
Laura Henderson (new MSc student - UNB)
Cam Barth (PhD student - U of Manitoba)
Carl Bradley (NSERC undergrad summer research assistant (USRA) recipient)
Melanie Boudreau (Manitoba Science Academy tutor)
Claire Hrenchuk (Manitoba Science Academy tutor)
Dan Stepanik (Manitoba Science Academy tutor)
Jon Peake (technician)
Ray Lafantaisie (technician)
Jeff Long (part-time technician)
Blake Cutting (part-time technician)

Recent Happenings - Munkittrick Lab

After leaving the CRI Manitoba Field Station, Gaspar Gonzalez-Sanson and Kelly Munkittrick embarked on a cross-Canada trip driving back to New Brunswick from Manitoba in Kelly's new field truck that he picked up in Manitoba.

Recent Happenings - Baird Lab

The Baird Lab was highlighted at the SETAC Europe Conference in Porto, Portugal.

CRI's Environment Canada Fellows played a highly prominent role at the 17th Annual Meeting of SETAC Europe held in Porto, Portugal from May 20-24, attended by over 2000 scientists. Donald Baird gave an invited keynote address that described a roadmap for ecotoxicologists to move beyond mere description of ecotoxicological phenomena towards a more predictive science based on eco-informatics. Donald Baird also co-chaired an invited platform and poster session (with Joseph Culp), “Diagnostic Approaches in Ecological Biomonitoring”, which included scientists from Europe, North America and Africa and provided novel examples that explored how biomonitoring programs can produce diagnostic, cause-effect results. In addition, Donald Baird's overseas graduate students, Joao Pestaña, Salomé Menezes and Mascha Rubach, and postdoc, Isabel Lopes co-supervised by CRI Associates Amadeu Soares and Paul Van den Brink gave presentations.

Dragonfly workshop
Paul Brunelle of the Atlantic Dragonfly Inventory Program in Halifax, NS gave an in-house workshop to the Baird lab odonate field crew on 13-15 June. The workshop included general background and natural history of adult dragonflies and damselflies, and extensive field training in collection and preservation methods. We hope to bring Paul back in the fall to conduct another workshop on larval collection.

New CRI people

Farah Kabir. Reproductive responses of mummichog to effluent. Summer student. (Dr. Deb MacLatchy)

Ashley Nolan. Effects of industrial effluents on fish reproduction. NSERC USRA summer research assistant. (Dr. Deb MacLatchy)

Kady Herrington. Comparison of mummichog and fathead minnow reproductive tests as indicators of exposure to pulp mill effluents. Summer research assistant. (Dr. Deb MacLatchy)

Riiko Bedford. Dragonfly survey and DNA barcpding. NSERC USRA summer research assistant. (Dr. Donald Baird)

Mike LeMoine. Understanding hydrological control of thermal regimes in rivers. PhD candidate. (Dr. Allen Curry)

Completed Students

Sandra Brasfield. Investigating and interpreting reduced reproductive performance in fish inhabiting streams adjacent to agricultural operations. PhD. July 5, 2007 (Dr. Kelly Munkittrick)

Publications

Aguilar, C., G. González-Sansón, I. Hernández, D.L. MacLatchy, and K.R. Munkittrick . 2007. Effects-based assessment in a tropical coastal system: Status of bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus) on the north shore of Cuba. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 67(3):459-471.

Klassen, C., and S. Peake. 2007. Black fly larvae as a food source for hatchery-reared lake sturgeon. North American Journal of Aquaculture. 69:223-228.

Baird, D.J., S.S. Brown, L. Lagadic, M. Liess, L. Maltby, M. Moreira-Santos, R. Schulz, and G.I. Scott. 2007. In situ-based effects measures: Determining the ecological relevance of measured responses. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. 3:259-267.

Baird, D.J., G.A. Burton, J.M. Culp, and L. Maltby. 2007. In situ-based effects measures: Summary, conclusions and recommendations. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. 3:275-278.

Baird, D.J., and P.J. Van den Brink. 2007. Using biological traits to predict species response to toxic substances. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 67:296-301.

Beckerman, A.P., D.J. Baird, K. Wieski. 2007. Direct, developmental changes in the face of predation risk – the decoupling of feeding and life history. Oecologia. 152:335-343.

Chara, J.D., D.J. Baird, T. Telfer, L. Giraldo. 2007. Leaf litter degradation in three native tree species in a slowly-flowing headwater stream in the Colombian Andes. International Review of Hydrobiology. 92:183-198.

Jones, C., D.J. Baird, M. Bowman, G. Cameron, B. Craig, B. Cutler, J. Diamond, N. Dmytrow, M. Nicol, J. Parker, T. Pascoe, H. Vaughan, G. Whitelaw. 2007. Performance of Ontario's Benthos Biomonitoring Network: Impacts on participants' social capital, environmental action and problem-solving ability. Environments. 34:37-53.

Conference and Invited Presentations

55th Annual North American Benthological Society Meeting. June 3-7, Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Poster
Curry C, DJ Baird, RA Curry. Sampling considerations in the assessment of larval odonate diversity.

The Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographical Society, Canadian Geophysical Union and American Meteorological Society Congress. May 29 - June 1, St Johns, NL.

Platforms
Peters D, DJ Baird. The science of ecological flow needs in Canada

Horrigan N, DJ Baird. Modelling the effects of flow on Canadian river ecosystems: developing an ecological index of flow modification.

Tenenbaum D, D Peters, DJ Baird, N Horrigan. Digital terrain analysis to support the development of an ecological flow needs standard.

Poster
Crocker J, J Shaw, N Horrigan, DJ Baird. Sensitivity of aquatic organisms to direct and indirect effects of decreased flow: towards the development of a sensitivity index.

New Funding

New Funding

Kristie Heard, Michelle Gray, and Allen Curry. Development of a novel online aquatic benthic macroinvertebrate key. UNB Teaching and Learning Fund. July 2007.

CRI Receives $705,000 to study rivers of the Canadian Arctic.

4 Fellows of the CRI have received $705,000 from the Government of Canada Program for International Polar Year to study the impacts of climate change on rivers of the Canadian Arctic for the next 4 years. Donald Baird and Joseph Culp, 2 Environment Canada Scientists co-located at the CRI at UNB and Allen Curry and Karen Kidd at UNB Fredericton and Saint John are on 2 teams receiving a total of $8.2M: ARCTIC BIONET. Arctic Freshwater Systems: Hydrology and Ecology and Climate Variability and Change Effects on Chars in the Arctic."

Drs. Curry, Culp, and Baird will spend the next 4 years examining the status of the biological communities of flowing waters, the bacteria to fishes in streams and rivers. They will complete a survey of the biological communities in flowing waters of Arctic Canada, establish sites for long-term monitoring of these communities in the face of climate change and resource development, and develop for northern communities, appropriate sampling and analysis tools to assess ecological integrity of their flowing waters and develop teaching tools for school programmes.

Dr. Kidd will be examining the effects of transported pollutants from southern sources in the Arctic and specifically as they occur in Arctic char which are a vital fisheries resource for the cultural, social, and economic health of northern communities.

CRI people in the news

Check out the following press release from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) about Dr. Rodrigo Orrego (former visiting scientist to the CRI UNBSJ) who is now working with CRI Associate Dr. Doug Holdway.

News story

CRI spotlight - Chris Blanar

Chris Blanar, PhD candidate (MacLatchy Lab), took part in teaching a Stream Bioassessment workshop for First Nations in Whitehorse, Yukon. Participants were given practical training in bioassessment techniques using benthic invertebrates (CABIN - Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network) and electrofishing.

The workshop was sponsored by the CWN (Canadian Water Network) and was hosted by Dr. Bob Bailey and John Bailey.

Click here for pictures from the workshop.

Personals

Melinda Hanson-Lee has left the MacLatchy Lab at UNBSJ for a new job at Irving Lake Utopia Paper.

Laura Henderson, a new MSc student in the Peake lab, has received a 2-year NSERC Industrial Scholarhip and will be looking at the ecology of age-0 and 1+ juvenile lake sturgeon.

Welcome - June edition (1 April - 31 May 2007)

Welcome to the June edition of sCRIbbles! 'Tis the season to get out and enjoy our wonderful Canadian rivers, either for fieldwork or fun, or both!

Thanks for stopping by to see the latest CRI activities,
- Michelle and Katy

Recent Happenings - April-May Kidd Lab

Karen Kidd and her co-authors at DFO in Winnipeg published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in May. The paper showed a collapse of the fathead minnow population in a lake that was dosed with the estrogen used in birth control pills.

The paper generated an incredible amount of media coverage for UNB and the CRI including articles with National Geographic, Science Magazine, Newsweek, New Scientist, the Globe and Mail, the National Post and 40 other Canadian papers, the London Daily Telegraph, and Forbes Magazine. She was interviewed by CTV, by CBC TV National News, and by CBC Radio (for 7 different shows including “As it happens”). Links can be found in the "CRI in the News" section below.

New CRI People

Taylor, Susan. Swimming performance in brook trout. BSc student. (Dr Jim Kieffer)

Bradley, Carl. Ecology of adult lake sturgeon. NSERC USRA summer student. (Dr. Steve Peake)

Kabir, Farah. Reproductive responses of mummichog to effluent. Summer student. (Dr. Deb MacLatchy)

Nolan, Ashley. Effects of industrial effluents on fish reproduction. NSERC USRA summer research assistant. (Dr. Deb MacLatchy)

Herrington, Kady. Comparison of mummichog and fathead minnow reproductive tests as indicators of exposure to pulp mill effluents. Summer research assistant. (Dr Deb MacLatchy)

Completed Students

Johnson, Alison. A light at the end of the tunnel: Using gait transition speed to determine culvert water velocity. (MSc). Apr, 2007. (Dr. Steve Peake)

Alison is now working as an aquatic biologist for AMEC Earth and Environmental.

Publications - Journal Articles

Aguilar, C., G. González-Sansón, I. Hernández, D.L. MacLatchy and K.R. Munkittrick. 2007. Effects-based assessment in a tropical coastal system: Status of bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus) on the north shore of Cuba. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 67(3): 459-471

Kidd, K.A., P.J. Blanchfield, K.H. Mills, V.P. Palace, R.E. Evans, J.M. Lazorchak and R. Flick. 2007. Collapse of a fish population following exposure to a synthetic estrogen. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104(21):8897-8901. doi:/10.1073/pnas.0609568104

Kullman, M.A., C.L. Podemski and K.A. Kidd. 2007. A sediment bioassay to assess the effects of aquaculture waste on growth, reproduction, and survival of Sphaerium simile (Say) (Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae). Aquaculture. 266 (1-4):144-152, doi:/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2006.12.048

Martell, D.J. and J.D. Kieffer (2007) Persistent effects of incubation temperature on muscle development in larval haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus L.). The Journal of Experimental Biology. 210: 1170-1182.

Suski, C. D., J. D. Kieffer, S. S. Killen and B. L. Tufts (2007). Submitted. Sub-lethal ammonia toxicity in largemouth bass. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. 146:381-389.

Conference and Invited Presentations

Arciszewski,T., K.R. Munkittirick, and K.A. Kidd. Utility of assessing invertebrates at the population level in monitoring programs. North American Benthological Society, Columbia, South Carolina, June 3-8, 2007.

Haralampides, K. and D. Riley. Discussions of women and technology based on Ursula Franklin quotes from her new book “The Ursula Franklin Reader: Pacifism as a Map”. Session held during the Engineering, Social Justice, and Peace Conference, Binghamton, NY, April 27-29, 2007.

Jardine, T.D., K.A. Kidd, and R.A. Cunjak. Mercury bioaccumulation in streams: the role of food web length, carbon sources, and proximity to emission sources. North American Benthological Society, Columbia, South Carolina, June 3-8, 2007.

Kassie R.S. and J. D. Kieffer. 2007. Just Go With The Flow: Recovery from Exhaustive Exercise in brook trout. Canadian Society of Zoologist Annual Meeting. McGill University.

Martell, D.J. and J.D. Kieffer. 2007. The effect of incubation temperature on the metabolic development in embryonic haddock: comparing apples to apples. Canadian Society of Zoologist Annual Meeting. McGill University. 2007 (Poster Presentation)

Swanson, H.K. and K.A. Kidd. Possible effects of anadromous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) on food web structure, energetics, and contaminant concentrations in coastal arctic lakes. 2nd International Symposium on Diadromous Fishes, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 18-21, 2007.

Upcoming Workshops/Conferences

International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) XXXV Congress: Groundwater and Ecosystems. Lisbon, Portugal, September 17-21, 2007.

New Projects

Kidd, K.A. and T.D. Jardine. Assessment of mercury levels in New Brunswick waterways: the continued development of sentinel species. New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund. (funded May, 2007)

Kidd, K. and T.D. Jardine. Mercury in terrestrial and aquatic biota from the Grand Lake Region, New Brunswick. Grand Lake Meadows Fund. (funded April, 2007)

Kieffer, J.D. NSERC funding (2007-2012). Behavioural and Physiological Aspects of Exercise.

Swanson, H.K. The effect of anadromous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) populations on food web structure and contaminant concentrations in coastal Arctic lakes. Northern Scientific Training Program. (March, 2007)

New Proposals

Haralampides, K., A. da Silva, P. Ashmore. Physical modelling of the St. Clair River: a sediment transport investigation. International Joint Commission, May 2007.

Haralampides, K., I. Georgiou, A. McCorquodale. Three-dimensional modeling of the St. Clair River sediments. International Joint Commission, May 2007.

Haralampides, K. Engineering and Social Justice Curriculum Development. Teaching and Learning Fund, May 2007.

CRI in the News

Dr. Karen Kidd and co-workers

Collapse of a fish population after exposure to a synthetic estrogen - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Rivers of Doubt - Newsweek

Sex-Changing Chemicals Can Wipe Out Fish, Study Shows - National Geographic News

Feminized to Extinction - Science Now

Oestrogen exposure can crash fish populations - New Scientist

Estrogen makes fish too feminine to reproduce - Times Colonist

Estrogen in water threatens minnow males - CBC News

Personals

UNB would like to say a fond farewell to CRI Fellow Deb MacLatchy who is leaving the province to become the Dean of the Faculty of Science at Wilfred Laurier University. All the best, Deb!

Kerry MacQuarrie has been appointed to the NSERC Strategic Projects Selection Committee Panel for Healthy Environment and Ecosystems.

Katy Haralampides has been elected as chair of the Women’s Committee for the Canadian Association of University Teachers.

Welcome - April Edition (1 Feb - 31 Mar)

Welcome to the April edition of sCRIbbles!

The ice and snow are melting... so everyone is getting geared up for busy field and research seasons but we hope that you take the chance to read through this edition to see what has been happening over the past two months.

Thanks and enjoy,
Michelle and Katy

Recent Happenings - Feb-Mar Peake (Manitoba) Lab

The Peake Lab (Steve Peake, Cam Barth (PhD student), Peter Allen (post-doc), and Gary Anderson (U of M collaborator and CRI Associate) took a recent research trip to Oshkosh, Wisconsin as a part of a collaborative effort with Ron Bruch, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources. The trip offered a unique opportunity to collect adult lake sturgeon samples and bear sub-zero temperatures. The samples are being analyzed along with samples from the Winnipeg River, Manitoba.

Cam Barth has been working hard this winter continuing his work on juvenile lake sturgeon abundance, habitat use and ecology in the Winnipeg River, Manitoba. The River is frozen at the moment, but that provides opportunities for analyses and teaching others how to curl.

Recent Happenings - Feb-Mar Kidd Lab

Heidi Swanson was awarded the Lorraine Allison Scholarship from the Arctic Institute of North America. Congratulations Heidi!

Karen Kidd is a guest co-editor of special issue of Environmental Pollution entitled “Mercury Cycling and Bioaccumulation in the Environment”.

Recent Happenings - Feb-Mar Culp Lab

Alexa Alexander received an honorarium from Health Canada for her efforts in reviewing and providing feedback to Health Canada on the proposed CCME guideline for the pesticide Imidacloprid. As well, Alexa has recently been awarded the 2007 FM Christie Research Fellowship ($1000). Way to go Alexa!

Laura Noel recently had the opportunity to work with Dr. Len Wasenaar and Dr. Geoff Keolher at the National Hydrology Research Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to learn oxygen stable isotope determination techniques in water samples. This information can then be used to model the photosynthesis: respiration: gas exchange ratio’s of my research sampling sites located along nutrient gradients of the Saint John River. Laura also was lucky enough to attend some of the lectures of a graduate course that Len and Geoff were teaching on stable isotopes. It was a fantastic learning experience. Laura feels that she has become truly infected with the ISOBUG (the unidentified virus responsible for the onset of the transformation from isodope to isotopeteer).

Completed students

Wedge, Peter. Salmonid passage through stream culvert entrances. MScE. Mar 13, 2007. (Dr. Katy Haralampides)

Peter is now working for Hydro-Com Technologies, an engineering firm in Fredericton, NB.


Klassen, Cheryl. The use of black-fly larvae in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) conservation efforts. MSc. Mar 20, 2007. (Dr. Steve Peake)

Cheryl will be starting her PhD research in May at the University of Manitoba, co-supervised by Dr. Steve Peake and Dr. Mark Abrahams.

Publications

Reports

Arciszewski, T., K. Munkittrick, K. Kidd, J. Culp, K. Heard, and R. Parker. 2007. Fraser Papers Inc. Edmundston, New Brunswick. Environmental Effects Monitoring Cycle 4 Interpretive Report. 36 pp.

Conference/invited presentations

Kidd, K.A. 2007. Effects of a whole lake estrogen addition on aquatic populations. Gulf Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Feb 7, 2007. Moncton, NB. (invited presentation)

Paterson, M., C. Podemski, P. Azevedo, P. Blanchfield, D. Findlay, R. Hesslein, K. Mills, R. Rooney, L. Tate, M. Turner, M. Kullman, C. Bristow, and K.A. Kidd. 2007. Ecosystem effects of cage aquaculture: an update of results from the Experimental Lakes Area. Developments in Freshwater Aquaculture in Canada, Interprovincial Partnership for Sustainable Freshwater Aquaculture Development, Feb 8, 2007. Hull, QU.


6th International Symposium on Ecohydraulics, Feb. 18-23, 2007. Christchurch, New Zealand.

Gallant, M.J., K. Haralampides, R.A. Cunjak, P.W. Emerson, C. Connell, C., and R.W. Newbury. 2007. Salmon Hotel Design: An ecohydraulics approach to increasing riverine production of juvenile wild Atlantic Salmon.

Halleraker, J.H., T.P. Linnansaari, K.T. Alfredsen, H.-P. Fjeldstad, and R.A. Cunjak. 2007. Influence of physical processes on activity pattern and movement of overwintering Atlantic salmon: juveniles PIT-tagged in ice-covered streams.

Haralampides, K., and P. Wedge. 2007. Fish in the Engineering Building? Salmonid passage through stream culvert entrances.

Stickler, M., T. Linnansaari, E.C. Enders, K. Alfredsen, R.A. Cunjak, and D.A. Scruton. 2007. The role of stream margin and pool habitats for Atlantic salmon parr in small streams during winter.



Gray, M.A. 2007. Overview: CRI research in agricultural regions. Working Towards A Strategic Approach to Riparian Management in the Atlantic Region. Agri-Food and Agriculture Canada (AAFC) workshop. Mar 21, 2007. Moncton, NB. (invited presentation)

Linnansaari, T.P. 2007. Effects of winter on behaviour, activity and habitat use of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). 3rd Nordic Workshop for PhD students on Salmo salar and Salmo trutta Research, Mar 22-25, 2007. Jyväskylä, Finland.

Upcoming Workshops/Conferences

13th Annual Continuous Flow Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (CF-IRMS) Workshop

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.

The workshop takes place from June 24 at 28 in Fredericton. It provides new and longtime users with hands on experience, access to the manufacturer's tradeshow of the latest equipment as well as insight from colleagues on the performance of instruments and their applications.

Visit our website at http://www.unb.ca/conferences/cfirms/.

Upcoming Courses

23-25 Apr: Watershed Management and Ecosystem Protection – Fredericton NB (contact: m.gray@unb.ca)

26 May – 3 Jun: Stream restoration: design and monitoring – Fredericton NB (contact: m.gray@unb.ca)

4-8 Jun: Backpack electrofishing certificate practicum courses – Fredericton NB (contact: m.gray@unb.ca)

16-24 Jul: River habitats and hydraulics field course – Kananaskis AB (contact: m.gray@unb.ca)

For students, staff, and faculty to see and register for professional development short courses offered continuously through UNB's Coordinated Training and Development please visit: http://www.unb.ca/ctd/courses.cgi

New Projects

Munkittrick, K.R., M.A. Gray, S. Dalton, T. Needham, K. Reimer, and B. Bramble. Developing a management strategy for cumulative impact assessment for watersheds. Canadian Water Network Knowledge Transfer Funding. 2007-2009. Feb 2007.

Curry, R., K. Kidd, D. MacLatchy, and K. Munkittrick. Effects of tourism on coral reef health in Cuba. University of New Brunswick International R&D Seed Grant Competition. 2007. Mar 2007.

Gray, M.A., and R.A. Curry. Development of aquatic health assessment tools for NB agricultural regions. Canada – New Brunswick Water Management Program Tier 3 Strategic Initiatives. 2007-2008. Mar 2007.

Haralampides, K. The Green Power of Blue: Environmentally Responsible Tidal Power. New Brunswick Innovation Foundation. 2007-2008. Mar 2007.

Kidd, K.A., and H. Swanson. The effect of anadromous Arctic charr on food web structure and contaminant bioaccumulation in coastal Arctic lakes. NSERC CRD with Miramar Mining Corporation. 2006-2007. Mar 2007.

Kidd. K., and T. Jardine. Fish health indicators in New Brunswick streams: interacting effects of mercury and selenium. New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund. 2007-2008. Mar 2007.

Reist, J. (PI, Fisheries and Oceans Canada), with collaborating partners M. Power (University of Waterloo), N. Halden (University of Manitoba), D. Muir and F. Wrona (Environment Canada), B. Dempsen (Fisheries and Oceans Canada), and K. Kidd (UNBSJ/CRI). Climate variability and change effects on char in the arctic. International Polar Year proposal. 2007-2011. Feb 2007.


MacQuarrie, K.T.B. Groundwater flow characterization for Research Wells 1 and 2, North Battleford Saskatchewan: Implications for Well Performance. City of North Battleford (Canada-Saskatchewan Water Supply Expansion Program). 2007-2008. Mar 2007.

April edition - Featured CRIer

This new feature will highlight one of our CRIers and explain in a bit more detail what they are working on. If you want to nominate someone for the next edition just include the information with your sCRIbbles submission.

Andrew Sutherland (Post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Joseph Culp).

Andrew is working with Environment Canada (EC) to develop deposited sediment performance standards for streams draining agricultural lands. Specifically, as part of the National Agri-Environmental Standards Initiative (NAESI), his research involves 1) the determination of appropriate deposited sediment criteria, including both performance indicators (e.g. streambed stability) and condition indicators (e.g. benthic invertebrate indices), 2) the development of methods for rapidly assessing these criteria and 3) the development of performance standards for deposited sediment in Canada’s agricultural streams.

If you want to contact Andrew about his research, he can be reached at: andrews"at"unb.ca

CRI in the news

This is a new feature highlighting CRI in the news.... If you have any submissions, send them along to katy@unb.ca or m.gray@unb.ca and we will publish them in the next edition of sCRIbbles.

Click on the image above to bring up the article and then use your browser's back button to return to sCRIbbles.

New CRI mugs and water bottles - on sale now

Check this out! Beautiful CRI mugs for you to keep your coffee or tea warm, or your water cool as you sit and wish you far away from your computer...

$15 - contact Michelle m.gray@unb.ca.

New CRI mugs and water bottles - on sale now

... and here is the CRI water bottle (18 oz) - very sleek and will keep you hydrated during all of your activities...

$10 - contact Michelle m.gray@unb.ca

Welcome - February 2007 issue

Welcome!

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 our Canadian Rivers Institute newsletter, sCRIbbles.

- Michelle and Katy

Recent Happenings - MacQuarrie Lab

Kerry MacQuarrie has returned from a sabbatical year that included a research visit to CSIRO Land and Water, in Perth, Western Australia. Kerry interacted primarily with researchers in the water resource protection stream, see:
http://www.clw.csiro.au/research/urban/protection/

Kerry was involved with several research projects including a modelling-based interpretation of stable isotope field data to identify the fate of chlorinated solvents in groundwater, and reactive transport modelling of riverbank filtration processes.

Recent Happenings - Peake Lab

At the University of Manitoba, Cameron Barth, PhD student, and Peter Allen, Post-Doctoral Fellow, are working on research projects directed at understanding the ecology and environmental physiology of lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens. Currently, Cam is elucidating relationships between age, diet and habit use in juvenile lake sturgeon. Peter is investigating calcium regulation in lake sturgeon, and how reproductive development affects whole body calcium regulation. Both Cam and Peter's research projects are based at the Canadian Rivers Institute's Manitoba Field Station with Dr. Stephan Peake and at the University of Manitoba with Dr. Gary Anderson.

Recent Happenings - Baird Lab

Environment Canada, CRI and the University of Canberra, Australia partner in developing on-line training in biomonitoring

A four-day strategic planning workshop was held on November 20-23, 2006 in Fredericton to bring together Environment Canada staff, research scientists from University of New Brunswick and the Canadian Rivers Institute and University of Canberra, Australia to develop a national online training program for the Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN). The University of Canberra developed a successful national training program for stream monitoring in Australia and has been running the program over the past two years. Scientists from Canberra visited with EC and CRI staff to assist in the development of these tools in Canada. With the assistance of the University of Canberra and partnership with the Canadian Rivers Institute and the University of New Brunswick, an online training program should be available for trialing by CABIN partners in Spring 2007. This program will provide accreditation for anyone interested in collecting biomonitoring data and contributing to the Environment Canada CABIN Program.

For more information on CABIN visit:
http://cabin.cciw.ca/Main/cabin_about.asp?Lang=en-ca

New CRI People

(Supervisor's name in brackets)

Dr. Natasha Hogan, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Joint between Dr. Mike van den Heuvel's Lab at UPEI and the MacLatchy Lab at UNB Saint John.

Laura Henderson. Ecology of age-0 lake sturgeon. Currently a technician, starting an M.Sc. in 2007 (Dr. Steve Peake).

Holly Labadie. Ecology of adult lake sturgeon. Currently a technician, starting an M.Sc. in 2007 (Dr. Steve Peake).

Daniel Paynter. Invertebrate community in juvenile sturgeon nursery habitat. Currently an undergraduate doing a senior research project (Dr. Steve Peake).

Sylvie Morton. Well field properties near Research Wells 1 and 2, North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Currently an undergrad, starting an M.Sc.E. in 2007 (Dr. Kerry MacQuarrie).

Completed Students

Rainie Sharpe, PhD. Investigation of effects and mechanisms of endocrine disruption by _-sitosterol in goldfish (Carassius auratus). December 2006 (Dr. Deb MacLatchy).

Journal Article Publications

Galloway, B.J. and K.R. Munkittrick. 2006. Seasonal changes in liver size, condition and gonadal development of selected forage fish in New Brunswick, Canada. J. Fish Biol.: 69:1788-1806.

Haralampides, K. and A. Rodriguez. 2006. Erosional properties of the sediments in the Petitcodiac River estuary at Moncton, NB. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering 33:1209-1216.

Jardine, T.D., K.A. Kidd and A.T. Fisk. 2006. Applications and assumptions of stable isotope analysis in ecotoxicology. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40(24):7501-7511.

Qiu, W., Zheng, Y., and K. Haralampides. 2007. Study on a novel POM-based magnetic photocatalyst: Photocatalytic degradation and magnetic separation. Chemical Engineering Journal. 125(2007) 165-176.

Sigourney, D.B., B.H. Letcher, and R.A. Cunjak. 2006. Influence of beaver activity on summer growth and condition of age-2 Atlantic salmon parr. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 135: 1068-1075.

Conference and Invited Presentations

Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research. January 4-7, 2007. Montreal, PQ.

Breau, C, R. A. Cunjak, and S. J. Peake. 2007.Behaviour at high temperatures: does physiology explain movement of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to cooler water?

Curry, C., D.J. Baird, and R.A. Curry. 2007. Assessment of larval odonate biodiversity in two tributary watersheds of the Saint John River, New Brunswick.

Enders, E.C., T. Castro-Santos, S. Peake, A. Haro, and D. Scruton. 2007. The effects of horizontally- and vertically-oriented vortices on the swimming performance of upstream migrating brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis).

Kidd, K.A. 2007. Responses of a freshwater food web to whole-lake additions of a potent estrogen.

Peake, S. 2007. Hydroelectric dams are not necessarily bad for fish: ecology of a thriving population of lake sturgeon downstream of a generating station on the Winnipeg River.

Wyn, B., K. Kidd, R.A. Curry, and N. Burgess. 2007. Factors affecting mercury concentrations in fish from acidified food webs in Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia.


5th International Conference on Ecological Informatics ISEI5. Dec. 3-7, 2006 Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

Horrigan, N. and D.J. Baird. 2007. Using artificial neural network models to diagnose potential causes of impairment in stressed river invertebrate communities.

Pascoe, T., T. Kralidis, J. Cree, and D.J. Baird. 2007. BugML: An XML standard for sharing and interoperability of aquatic biomonitoring data across distributed databases.

Rubach, M, P. Van den Brink, and D.J. Baird. 2007. Assessing ecosystem health and impairment by species traits and their relation to stressors.


State of the Saint John River Conference, January 8-9 2007, Fredericton, NB.

Goldschneider, A.A., K. Haralampides, and K.T.B. MacQuarrie. 2007. River sediment and flow characteristics near a bank filtration water supply: implications for riverbed clogging.

Gray. M.A., S.M. Brasfield, and K.R. Munkittrick. 2007. Overview of agricultural studies on the upper Saint John River basin.

Jardine, T.D., and K.A. Kidd. 2007. Mercury sources and fate in the Grand Lake region of the St. John River.

MacLatchy, D.L., M.G. Dubé, K.S. Shaughnessy, A.M. Belknap, C.B. Milestone and L.M. Hewitt. 2007. Investigation of cause at Irving Pulp and Paper, Ltd: A ten-year retrospective.

MacQuarrie, K.T.B. 2007. Connections between the Saint John River and municipal groundwater supplies.




Breau, C., R.A. Cunjack, S.J. Peake. 2007. Behaviour at high water temperature: can physiology explain movement of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to cool water? The Salmonid Science Workshop, Jan 23, 2007. Boistown, New Brunswick.

MacLatchy, D.L. and Melvin, S. 2007. Investigation of Cause Study: Activity 2. Mummichog adult and partial lifecyle tests. Multi-mill Consortium Presentation. Jan 2007, Ottawa, ON.

Recent Courses

K. Munkittrick, K. Kidd, M. Hewitt, M. McMaster and 4 others co-taught a graduate student course entitled “Pulp Mill industry and its impacts on the aquatic ecosystems” Environmental Sciences Center EULA-Chile, Universidad de Concepción, 22-26 January 2007, Concepción, Chile.

The Practical multivariate statistics course for biologists held January 9th instructed by Dr. Nelli Horrigan was a great success with strong reviews from the 24 participants who attended. Anyone interested in any future offerings of this course should watch the CRI website (www.unb.ca/cri/courses.html) or contact Michelle Gray, CRI Training Coordinator: m.gray@unb.ca.

New Proposals

Allen, P.J., S. Peake, and Anderson, G. Development of a minimally-invasive technique to predict future reproductive capacity in lake sturgeon populations. Funding Agency: Great Lakes Fisheries Trust. Tenure of Award: 2008-2009. Jan 2007.

Curry, R., K. Kidd, D. MacLatchy and K. Munkittrick. Effects of tourism on coral reef health in Cuba. UNB International Research Seed Grant. 2007. Jan 2007.

Gray, M.A., R.A. Curry. Development of aquatic health assessment tools for NB agricultural regions. Canada – New Brunswick Water Management Program Tier 3 Strategic Initiatives. 2007-2008. Dec 2006.

Haralampides, K. The Green Power of Blue: Environmentally Responsible Tidal Power. New Brunswick Innovation Foundation Research Assistantship Initiative, 2007-2008. Jan 2007.

Haralampides, K. An eco-hydraulics habitat enhancement project for wild Atlantic salmon. New Brunswick Innovation Foundation Research Assistantship Initiative, 2007-2008. Jan 2007.

Kidd. K. and K. Munkittrick. Assessment of fisheries in nearshore marine areas impacted by municipal wastewaters. New Brunswick Innovation Foundation Research Assistantship Initiative. 2007-2008. Jan 2007.

Kidd, K. and T. Jardine. Assessment of mercury levels in New Brunswick waterways: the continued development of sentinel species. New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund. 2007. Dec 2006.

Kidd. K. and T. Jardine. Fish health indicators in New Brunswick streams: interacting effects of mercury and selenium. New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund. 2007. Dec 2006.

MacQuarrie, K.T.B. Groundwater flow characterization for Research Wells 1 and 2, North Battleford, Saskatchewan: Implications for Well Performance. City of North Battleford. 2007-08. Jan 2007.

Munkittrick, K.R., M.A. Gray, S. Dalton, T. Needham, K. Reimer, and B. Bramble. Developing a management strategy for cumulative impact assessment for watersheds. Canadian Water Network Knowledge Transfer Funding. 2007-2009. Dec 2006.

Peake, S. Development of a submersible radio frequency identification system for passive monitoring of juvenile lake sturgeon. Funding Agency: Great Lakes Fisheries Trust. Tenure of Award: 2008-2009. Jan 2007.

Peake, S. Ecology and behaviour of juvenile lake sturgeon, and identification of factors that impact carrying capacity and population structure in nursery areas. Funding Agency: Great Lakes Fisheries Trust. Tenure of Award: 2008-2010. Jan 2007.

Peake, S. An evaluation of two commercially available sonar units for locating lake sturgeon spawning areas and rapidly assessing population parameters in large water bodies. Funding Agency: Great Lakes Fisheries Trust. Tenure of Award: 2008-2009. Jan 2007.

New Projects

Gray, M.A., S. Nichols (U Canberra). Develop online Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network(CABIN) training courses for delivery through the Canadian Rivers Institute. Environment Canada. Jan 2006.

Kidd, K. and B. Wyn. Mercury concentrations in fish from Kejimkujik National Park. Environment Canada. 2007.

Kidd, K. Effects of freshwater aquaculture on native food webs. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2007.

Peake, S. Ecology and habitat use by lake sturgeon in the Winnipeg River. Funding Agency: Manitoba Hydro. Tenure of award: 2007 – 2013. Jan 2007.

Personals

Congratulations to Kari Long and her husband Herb who welcomed their second child, Hans Rowan, on January 14, 2007. Hans Rowan was born in Penticton, BC at 8 lbs, 11 oz.

Karen Kidd was elected to the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry’s North American Board of Directors for a 3-year term from Nov 2006 – Nov 2009.

Michael Gallant returned from a one-year posting in Mali working on the Multifunctional Platform Project through Engineers Without Borders.

Personals

Congratulations go out to Tim Jardine and Laura Sweeney who married over the holidays in Nova Scotia on December 28, 2006.

State of the Saint John River workshop - Jan 8-10

Canadian Rivers Institute
University of New Brunswick
Fredericton, NB
January 8-10, 2007

We have been conducting an assessment of the upper Saint John River with a variety of partners since the fall of 1999, and the Canadian Rivers Institute selected the Saint John as its flagship project when we were formed in 2001. We have now completed a variety of studies, focused primarily in the upper basin and the estuary, but a large variety of other studies are going on in the basin. We are moving forward on a number of new proposals, and would like to hold a workshop to get a better picture of all of the ongoing work and potential partnerships in the basin.

The specific objectives of this workshop are:
· To find out which groups are collecting data in the basin, and where they are working, to better identify potential synergies;
· To share research approaches and methods;
· To look for partnerships as we move forward in discussing the ideas of integrated watershed management.

My personal research program is aimed at trying to develop an approach to cumulative effects assessment for large river systems, focused specifically on identifying the assimilative capacity of the Saint John River. We think there is almost enough data to formally start the assessment process, but the main question is where do we start – the whole basin, the upper basin (or lower basin), or major tributaries (and which ones). We held a workshop last February that brought together watershed groups from 17 countries to discuss watershed management, and the potential tools and approaches that are successful, and are unsuccessful. That final report can be found at
http://www.cwn-rce.ca/index.php?fa=News.showLinkingWatershedsWorkshop-FinalReport

The workshop clearly indicated to us, that if we wanted to move forward in any cohesive fashion, that we needed to get a better understanding of what was going on in the basin. The format of the meeting will be presentations from identified researchers, giving an overview of their program, with a focus on study objectives, study sites, key partnerships, measurement endpoints, and locations studied.

We have so far, identified 49 groups that are conducting research or monitoring in the basin. That list is attached to the end of this message. If there are other groups that we have not identified, please let us know. You can circulate this notice to them, and ask them to contact us so that we have sufficient space for everybody.

Meeting format
The meeting will be held at the Wu Conference Centre, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB Jan 8-10th. The format for the first two days will be presentations by the various groups working within the basin (the CRI presentations will be restricted to posters from the various projects that are underway – we are interested in hearing from you). The third day will be an open meeting for partners to discuss where we need to go, and how we will get there. We envisage several potential outcomes from the workshop, but are open to discussing other potential outcomes.

The meeting is open to community groups, research groups, regulatory groups, industrial partners, and any groups collecting monitoring or research data within the basin. If your group is interested in making a presentation, please send us a title and abstract (talks will be 15 min). We are looking into making simultaneous translation available for the workshop.

Travel Arrangements
Unless you have received a previous financial commitment related to this meeting, you are responsible for your own travel arrangements and funding.

For more information contact:

Robin Brown rbrown@unb.ca

Kelly Munkittrick krm@unbsj.ca

- Kelly Munkittrick