NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014

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RESEARCH IN THE SPOTLIGHT

48 th Congress of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS)

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Organizing Committee of the 2014 CMOS congress.

This annual congress was held in Rimouski from 1 to 6 June 2014. The local organizing committee, chaired by Prof. Simon Bélanger (UQAR), gave a good performance, ensuring a diverse scientific program and very popular social activities. Concerning oceanography, several plenary talks drew attention, such as that of Dr. Doug Wallace, “The Northwest

Atlantic Ocean is changing: Are we ready?”, that of Dr. Greg Flato, “Summary and Key Messages from Working Group I, Physical Science, of the IPCC 5th Assessment”, and that of Prof. Dany Dumont, “Dancing with the waves.” Five parallel sessions allowed listening to 225 conferences, including more than twenty from Québec-Océan members. Topics related primarily to the Arctic and North Atlantic, from observations to forecasts, through remote sensing and modeling, climate and acoustics, sea ice and the water column, sometimes biogeochemistry or biology. A dozen posters signed by Québec-Océan students and professionals plus an exhibition stand completed the participation of the group at this congress.

Two public activities, however, were sponsored by Québec-Océan. On one hand, a public event on “Exploitation of natural resources in the Gulf of St. Lawrence” was offered on the occasion of the World Oceans Day. With over 250 participants and four panelists - Steven Guilbault (Équiterre), Jean-Thomas Bernard (U. of Ottawa), Mario Heppell (WSP), and Prof. Daniel Bourgault (UQAR-ISMER), the discussion was very informative and relevant, particularly on the issue of exploitation and utilization of oil. The public had many questioned the panelists on the economic relevance of still using oil, while the risks of pollution of the Gulf did not seem to be questioned. On the other hand, a Teachers’ Day was organized to help teachers in science and technology (high school and college levels) to update their knowledge and to offer them teaching tools to disseminate science, including oceanography and remote sensing.

Finally, two student members of Québec-Océan made outstanding contributions to the conference. Indeed they won awards of excellence for their posters: Yann Follin, MSc student at UQAR-ISMER under the supervision of Prof. D. Bourgault, exposed the poster “Pelagic respiration in the twilight zone of the Gulf of St. Lawrence: a meta-analysis and critical review”; Mathieu Ardyna, doctoral student at U. Laval under the supervision of Prof. M. Babin, presented the poster “Physical control of subsurface chlorophyll maximum in the Arctic Ocean.”

To resume, an excellent conference that brought oceanographers on “The North vu lnerable : Implication of climate change in cold environments.”

RESEARCH IN THE SPOTLIGHT 1

IN THE FIELD 2

AwARDS AND RECOGNITION 4

SHORT TRAININGS AND CONFERENCES AROuND THE wORLD 4

IN THE mEDIA 6

EVENTS 7

ON THE BuLLETIN BOARD 8

IN THIS ISSUE

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IN THE FIELD

Takuvik on board the icebreaker USCGC Healy in the Chukchi Sea

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Caroline Guilmette (L) and Margaux Gourdal (R) sample sea water.

Nine Takuvik and Québec-Océan members are on board the American ship as part of a collaborative effort with the team of Dr. Kevin Arrigo (Stanford U.). The overall objective of the mission is to understand the spatiotemporal distribution of phytoplankton living under the ice, according to factors such as light passing through the ice, nutrients, the circulation of water masses, ice algae concentrations, grazing, etc. The ship is advancing slowly through first-year ice, revealing a large amount of ice algae. Sampling is carried out by taking ice cores, setting phytoplankton and zooplankton nets, pumping water for DMS, collecting water from the rosette for biogeochemistry, laying the Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) and the LOKI (Lightframe On-sight Key species Investigation system) to obtain zooplankton images or videos, as well as acoustic measurements with the MAAs (Mid-trophic Automatic Acoustic sampler) and optical measurements. Several experiments are also scheduled to study the physiological responses of natural phytoplankton to the observed environmental variation. The preliminary analysis of the May 2014 samples shows a water column full of nutrients, a very salty, uniform layer of water containing little chlorophyll a, but copepods feeding on the ice algae and chaetognaths. This is the start of the summer season that shows the ecosystem ready to profit from the coming opening of the ice cover, with intense phytoplankton blooms and a prosperous food web. Team cooperation and safety are a priority for the expedition. Joannie Ferland, a research professional in the laboratory of M. Babin (U. Laval) sums up life on board: “The Takuvik team works almost 24 hours a

day, but thanks to the wonderful group spirit and crew’s support, we still have our energy and good mood!”

In the Greenland Sea

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The research team of Mission 2 of the CarbonBridge project.

The second oceanographic mission of the Norwegian CarbonBridge project on board the RV Helmer Hanssen has come to a successful end. After leaving Longyearbyen on May 15, 2014, Prof. J.-É. Tremblay and his master’s student Gabrielle Deslongchamps (U. Laval) took nutrient measurements and evaluated the nitrogen uptake by phytoplankton in the northwest section of the Svalbard island group. In the marginal ice zone, they came upon a massive Phaeocystis bloom, whose sulfured emanations even perfumed the ship’s drinking water!

CarbonBridge is a multidisciplinary research project aimed at understanding how northward moving Atlantic waters affect productivity and the carbon cycle in a zone where climate change is causing melting of increasing volumes of sea ice and glaciers. We see in the picture above the team on a visit to the Polish station in Hornsund Fjord (77°N), whose main glacier is retreating at a rate of about 200 metres a year. No sea ice has formed since 2005.

Manganese MissionProf. Alfonso Mucci (McGill U.) will lead a mission on the Coriolis II from June 27 to July 4 in the St. Lawrence marine Estuary and Gulf, and the Saguenay Fjord. He will be accompanied by Prof. Gwenaëlle Chaillou (UQAR) as well as researchers and students from the U. de Montréal and the U.S. (Delaware U., Oregon U., Health and Sciences U.). The main objectives of the expedition are the following:

1. Determine the stability of Mn(III) manganese complexes in the water column and interstitial waters;

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2. Understand the stoichiometry and reaction speeds that produce and consume Mn(III);

3. Evaluate the contribution of Mn(III) to the total Mn flux at the water-sediment interface.

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Alfonso Mucci sampling sea-water on-board Coriolis II.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential nutrient for most organisms and plays a role in the production of oxygen by plants or algae during photosynthesis. The new knowledge will make it possible to better understand the manganese cycle and to revise the conceptual model for oxidation-reduction in marine sediments. The organic matter degradation to which highly oxidized manganese contributes will thus be better measured.

Mission accomplished

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Scientists and crew on board the Coriolis II, for the PROMESS mission.

The Coriolis II has finally returned to Rimouski after a voyage of several months that took it off the coast of Patagonia and to the San Jorge Gulf, and that was part of the PROMESS expedition. Two projects were carried out: MARES (Marine Ecosystem Health of the San Jorge Gulf), under the direction of Gustavo Ferreyra (UQAR-ISMER), and MARGES (Marine

Geology of the Gulf of San Jorge), under the direction of Guillaume St-Onge (UQAR-ISMER), in collaboration with Argentine partners. The multidisciplinary research expedition integrated biogeochemistry, physical oceanography, marine geology, and the study of the structure and functioning of the ecosystem. Its purpose was to evaluate the potential impacts of offshore hydrocarbon exploitation and climate change in the region. Several Québec-Océan researchers (Gustavo Ferreyra, Guillaume St-Onge, Gesche Winkler, Cédric Chavanne, and Jean-Carlos Montero Serrano), students and technicians took part in the expedition, which was partially funded by Québec-Océan. Close to 20 of the group’s researchers will benefit from the data collected.

In addition to meeting its scientific objectives, there was a wide range of dissemination activities aimed at Argentine government bodies, universities and the general public. Furthermore, a workshop on the preliminary results was held at the end of the expedition, in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina, and students from two secondary schools specialized in marine biology visited the Coriolis II.

The Antarctic’s microcosms

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Microcosms used at the Argentine Carlini Base.

The first field expedition to the Carlini base in the Antarctic was carried out in January and March 2014, in the framework of cooperation between Argentina and Canada. The expedition’s objective was to study the impact of glaciers melting and temperature increases in surface water on the coastal environment. An experiment was carried out in microcosms under controlled conditions. The project, which ensured the direction of Irene Schloss, brought together two other researchers from UQAR-ISMER and Québec-Océan: Gustavo Ferreyra and Dany Dumont. Next stop: the Arctic!

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AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Two UQAR scholarships granted to Québec-Océan students

In March 2014, V i rgin ie Roy, a doctoral student at UQAR-ISMER under the superv is ion of Prof . Philippe Archambault, was awarded the Estelle-Laberge Scholarship at a reward ceremony organized by the F o n d a t i o n d e l ’ U Q A R . T h e

scholarship is awarded in recognition of the merit of a student who is beginning or continuing to pursue oceanographic studies. The scholarship is a tribute to the work and memory of Dr. Estelle Laberge, a professor, researcher, and biologist whose work was in the field of marine science.

Armelle Simo, an oceanography student at UQAR-ISMER under the supervision of Prof. Michel Gosselin, received the ISMER Faculty and Support Staff Scholarship, which is awarded in recognition of the merit of a student enrolled in the master’s

or doctoral program in oceanography.

Dr. Morissette receives the Roland Michener Conservation Award from the Canadian Wildlife Federation

Lyne Morissette, a researcher and Q u é b e c - O c é a n m e m b e r, h a s received this year’s Roland Michener Conservat ion Award f rom the Canadian Wildlife Federation. It is o n e o f t h e m o s t p r e s t i g i o u s Canadian awards in bioconservation.

Dr. Morissette received her award at the official ceremony held at the CWF’s annual general meeting, on June 7, 2014, in Winnipeg. The award was created in 1978 by the CWF to recognize the outstanding commitment of those who devote their lives to the conservation of our natural heritage for future generations. For the first time, the award was given to a person who protects the oceans. It is an outstanding mark of recognition for the young researcher, whose career holds great promise for the St. Lawrence and the Earth’s oceans.

A w a r d s o f t h e C a n a d i a n Meteorological and Oceanography Society (CMOS)

Yann Fo l l i n and Math ieu Ardyna each received an a w a r d f o r t h e i r posters presented at the 48th CMOS c o n g r e s s ( s e e

“Research in the Spotlight” section). Congratulations to the happy winners!

S H O RT T R A I N I N G S A N D CONFERENCES AROUND THE WORLD

Nine destinations: Santa Fe, Honolulu, Savannah, Port land, Wal tham, Jacksonville and Philadelphia (U.S.), Barcelona (Spain), and St. Andrews (Canada)

ANNE-MARIE DION-CÔTÉ

Anne-Marie Dion-Côté is a doctoral student in biology at U. Laval, under the supervision of Prof. Louis Bernatchez. She is working on the ident i f icat ion of genomic and epigenomic barriers to hybridization among lake whitefish. She presented

a c o n f e r e n c e e n t i t l e d “ R N A - S e q R e v e a l s Transcriptomic Shock Involving Transposable Elements Reactivation in Hybrids of Young Lake Whitefish (Salmonidae) Species” at the Mobile Genetic Elements and Genome Evolution (C2) Symposium that was held in Santa Fe (NM, U.S.) from March 9 to 14, 2014. The results presented show a phenomenon of transposable and non-coding elements reactivation among dwarf and normal lake whitefish hybrids, a system undergoing speciation. The study leads to a better understanding of the genomic shock phenomenon between two diverging species. This work was recently published in Molecular Biology and Evolution.

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EMNA KAMLI

Emna Kamli, a master’s student in oceanography, is also under the supervision of Prof. Cédric Chavanne. She took part in the 2014 International R a d i o w a v e O c e a n o g r a p h y Workshop , wh ich was he ld in Savannah, (GA, U.S.) from May 11 to

15. Her oral presentation entitled “Performance of high frequency CODAR and WERA radars to measure ocean currents in partially ice-covered areas” was on currents’ measurements taken in the winter of 2013, on both shores of the St. Lawrence marine estuary. The impact of ice concentration on the effectiveness of the radars was examined, taking wind effects into account. The empirical relationships obtained will make it possible to predict the spatial coverage quality that high-frequency radars would have if installed in other marine zones with seasonal pack ice.

RObyN EDGAR

Robyn Edgar is a master’s student in b io logy a t U . Lava l under the supervision of Prof. Connie Lovejoy. From May 17 to 24, she took part in the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting 2014, in Portland (OR, U.S.). Her conference entitled “Exploring

genes crucial to the survival of Arctic microalgae” was on the specialization of protists adapted to the extreme conditions of the Arctic. She studied the effects of changes in salinity, luminosity, and nutrients on these microbial eukaryotes. The analyses made it possible to compare the expression of polar microalgae genes, giving an overview of their specific responses to environmental conditions.

JULIE LEMIEUx

Julie Lemieux, a doctoral student, and Stéphanie Cimon, a master’s s t u d e n t , a r e b o t h u n d e r t h e supervision of Prof. Mathieu Cusson (UQAC). They took part in the Benthic Ecology Meeting that was held in Jacksonville, (FL, U.S.) from March 19

to 22, 2014. Julie’s oral presentation was entitled “Effects of richness, evenness, identity and abundance on macroalgae community productivity”. It explained that all those parameters have an impact on the diversity of subarctic communities, either separately or synergistically. “The meeting,” Julie said, “was very relevant and interesting. I learned many new concepts. Being able to speak with ‘big names’ in the benthic field was very stimulating and made it possible for me to see my work under a new light.”

STÉPHANIE CIMON

Stéphanie Cimon presented a poster entit led “Resil ience of benthic c o m m u n i t i e s t o m u l t i p l e d i s tu rbances” . Because most e c o s y s t e m s a r e f a c e d w i t h e n v i r o n m e n t a l c h a n g e a n d anthropogenic pressures, i t i s

interesting to study the resilience of a subarctic intertidal community dominated by a microalgal canopy of Fucus spp. The results show that raising the canopy induced the greatest perturbation in the resilience of the benthic community, in terms of structure and productivity, as well as a variation in the dominance of grazers. The interaction between raising the canopy and grazers, combined with the addition of nutritive matter, changes resilience. The study made it possible to better understand the mechanisms that structure the communities and their functions following natural and anthropogenic perturbations.

Stéphanie also attended a three-week training activity at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia (PA, U.S.). She became familiar with R statistical software for processing univariate and multivariate ecological data on benthic communities. “Prof. Peter Petraitis and his laboratory,” Stéphanie adds, “warmly welcomed me to the beautiful city of Philadelphia, and it was with a twinge of regret that I left after three weeks.” The knowledge that she gained will be useful throughout her future career. She wants to share that knowledge with her Québec-Océan colleagues.

MICHEL LAvOIE

Michel Lavoie is a post-doctoral fellow at U. Laval in the laboratories of Prof. Maurice Levasseur and Prof. Marcel Babin. From May 19 to 23, 2014, he went to Barcelona (Spain) to present a lecture at the 6th I n t e r n a t i o n a l S y m p o s i u m o n

Biological and Environmental Chemistry of DMS(P) and Related Compounds. His oral presentation, entitled “Dimethylsulfoniopropionate uptake in the polar diatom Thalassiosira gravida”, brings to light the interaction mechanism between dissolved DMSP and diatoms. Experiments that involved exposing algal cells to DMSP 35S showed that the number of T. gravida associated with DMSP 35S increases initially very rapidly and then slowly. This two-phase kinetic rate is consistent with the hypothesis of rapid DMSP adsorption on cells, followed by slower internalization.

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ARMELLE SIMO

From May 12 to 16, 2014, Armelle S i m o , a d o c t o r a l s t u d e n t i n oceanography under the supervision of Prof. Michel Gosselin, took part in a training workshop on PRIMER and PERMANOVA+ g iven by P ro f . Robert Clarke of the Plymouth

Marine Laboratory (U.K.). She attended the workshop at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, in St. Andrews, New Brunswick (Canada). Commenting on her experience, Armelle said, “The workshop was multidisciplinary; it focused on digital ecology and mathematics applied to statistics. I gained very useful new skills that I will be able to use for the chapters in my dissertation that cover multivariate analysis.” Armelle is working on the spatial and seasonal var iabi l i ty of phytoplanktonic and bacter ia l communities in the subarctic fjords of Canada’s east coast. Biological productivity is very variable from one fjord to another and would depend mainly on the availability of nutrients and the renewal of surface waters.

Several students took part in the Ocean Sciences Meeting held in Honolulu (HI, U.S.) from February 23 to 28, 2014

vIRGINIE ROy

Virginie Roy, a doctoral student in oceanography at UQAR-ISMER under the superv is ion of Prof . Philippe Archambault, presented h e r m o s t r e c e n t r e s u l t s i n a conference entitled “Benthic food-web responses to marine biological

productivity and depth across the Canadian Arctic”. She studied the spatial variability of the isotopic carbon and nitrogen composition of the muscular tissues of benthic invertebrates in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Throughout the study area, the isotopic carbon s ignatures of benth ic inver tebrates corresponded to those of ice algae, not to those of potential sources of nutrient available at the time of sampling (sediment and particulate organic matter in the water column). The isotopic nitrogen composition of benthic consumers showed that herbivores had assimilated degraded organic matter at the deepest stations and that deep station predators had a diet that was mainly omnivorous, compared with their continental shelf peers. The study showed that ice algae are an important source of carbon for the food web in the deep zones of the Canadian Arctic, which seem overall to be very limited in their diet.

CHIAKI MOTEGI

Chiaki Motegi is pursuing a post-doctora l fe l lowship under the supervision of Prof. Connie Lovejoy and Prof. Marcel Babin (U. Laval). Her lecture entitled “Free-living and attached bacter ia l community composition in the western Arctic

Ocean inferred from ribosomal RNA” gives the results of sampling carried out in the Chukchi Sea. Two taxa dominated the microbial composition of the samples: alphaproteobacteria and gammaproteobacteria. The nature of the bacterial communities varied according to site rather than according to sampling depth or bacterial fraction (free-living vs. attached). The Chukchi Sea’s complex hydrodynamics could explain this “site effect”.

JULIEN RObITAILLE

Julien Robitaille, a master’s student in oceanography at UQAR-ISMER, also under the supervision of Prof. Cédric Chavanne, presented his poster entitled “Submesoscale frontolysis event in the Saint-Lawrence Estuary: observations vs.

mixed-layer surface quasi-geostrophy predictions”. The simulation of the three-dimensional circulation of a front based on a quasi-geostrophic surface model was studied by using observations made in the St. Lawrence estuary. The model seems to give a good representation of surface circulation for scales larger than 10 km. Predictive precision begins to decrease when a depth of 40 metres is reached.

IN THE MEDIA

Arctic Spring: Exploring Life under the Sea IceThe web site realized by Amanda Kowalski, multimedia photographer, follows the USCGC Healy icebreaker mission in the Chukchi Sea, using great pictures, videos, and texts.

http://arcticspring.org/

48th CMOS Congress Organized to a great extent by members of Québec-Océan, the program for the congress was very diverse, with several lectures and posters being presented by Québec-Océan members. Going beyond scientific activities, several researchers gave talks at events aimed at disseminating scientific knowledge to the general public.

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http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2014/05/05/001-congres-meteo-ocean-nord.shtml

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2014/06/04/002-hydrocarbures-uqar-congres.shtml?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2014/06/06/012-bas-saint-laurent-enseignants-congres-meteo.shtml

A study undertaken by Daniel Bourgault (UQAR-ISMER) shows that an oil spill could affect the Îles-de-la-Madeleine coastlineA study conducted by oceanographer Daniel Bourgault (UQAR-ISMER) with Dr. Frédéric Cyr and Prof. Dany Dumont (UQAR-ISMER) shows that an oil spill at the Old Harry site, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, could reach all the surrounding coastlines, including the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The effects of a spill would probably be detrimental to the coastal ecosystem.http://www.ledevoir.com/environnement/actualites-sur-l-envi-ronnement/407886/une-maree-noire-dans-le-golfe-risquerait-de-frapper-les-iles-de-la-madeleine-conclut-une-etude-scientifique

h t t p : / / w w w . l a p r e s s e . c a / l e - s o l e i l / a c t u a l i t e s /environnement/201405/08/01-4764887-un-deversement-a-old-harry-menacerait-tout-lest-du-golfe.php

25 years after the Exxon Valdez disasterÉmilien Pelletier (UQAR-ISMER) reminds us of the impact of oil spills in cold waters and Canada’s inadequate preparation for effectively reacting in the case of a spill. In cold waters, the natural mechanism of oil evaporation and biodegradation progresses very slowly. That increases the concerns over a spill in any of the three oceans that surround Canada. The researcher linked this important fact to eventual projects for petroleum exploitation in the Arctic and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.h t t p : / / i c i . r a d i o - c a n a d a . c a / n o u v e l l e s /environnement/2014/03/24/001-exxonvaldez-deversement-pe-trole.shtml

EvENTS

...UPCOMING

ArcticNet Annual Scientific Metting

Arctic Change, December 8 au 12, 2014, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

http://www.arcticnetmeetings.ca/ac2014/index.php

Québec-Océan Annual General Meeting

Mark your calendar! The next annual meeting of all Québec-Océan members will be held at the Hôtel Universel in Rivière-du-Loup from Monday November 17 to Wednesday November 19, 2014. The program, call for papers, and registration form will be available online in a few months. This year, the students themselves will organize the legendary annual party. Contact Rachel Picard if you are interested in being part of the organizing committee or have ideas to share.

American Fisheries Society

August 17 to 21, 2014, Québec, QC, Canada

http://afs2014.org

A LOOK bACK...

St. Lawrence Week

The second edition of St. Lawrence Week was held from June 6 to 15, 2014. It was organized by the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF), in collaboration with Stratégies Saint-Laurent (SSL). For the occasion, more than 30 organizations, including several Québec-Océan Allies, organized activities to put Quebecers in closer touch with the St. Lawrence, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf, so that they may become aware of its fragility and its importance for Québec life.

http://www.semainedusaintlaurent.ca/

24 Hours of Science

The 9th edition of “24 Hours of Science” was held on May 9 and 10, 2014. Several Québec-O c é a n m e m b e r s organized activities to b r i n g t o g e t h e r re s e a rc h e r s a n d t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c , t o stimulate general interest f o r s c i e n c e s a n d technologies , and to promote science careers to young people. Thanks

to Cindy Grant from the benthic ecology laboratory (UQAR-ISMER), to Prof. Urs Neumeier and to the Comité ZIP du Sud-de-l’Estuaire for taking part in the organization of the “Discovering the Bay of Rimouski” activity. Thanks also to Lyne Morissette (M – Expertise Marine) for her activity “Art, Science, and the St.

NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014

Québec-Océan pools together the scientific activities of Québec’s main universities active in oceanography, and those of their partners in government and the private sector. Funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies, some universities and research grants, Quebec-Ocean’s mission is to support Québec researchers and the training of

students to promote excellence in oceanographic research and dissemination of knowledge.

Pavillon Alexandre-vachon 1045, Avenue de la médecine, local 2078 université Laval, Québec ( Québec ) G1V 0A6

T 418.656.5917 F 418.656.2339 www.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca

Lawrence Whales”, and to Prof. Karine Lemarchand (UQAR-ISMER) and her team for the activity “15 Years of Oceanographic Research at ISMER”.

Earth Month

Lyne Morissette (M – Expertise marine) and Prof. Émilien Pelletier (UQAR-ISMER) took part in Earth Month activities by presenting two talks on the threats and consequences of the development of oil exploitation in the St. Lawrence. Earth Month was from April 22, 2014 (Earth Day) to May 22, 2014, and was marked by some 15 activities organized to make the general public question its dependence on oil.

Nature in All its Forms

From March 13 to 15, 2014, the traditional “Nature in All Its Forms” scientific popularization symposium was held at UQAR. Québec-Océan had a stand to publicize the work of i t s members . Lotus Bouchard (UQAR- ISMER) p resented her

master’s results, while Prof. Daniel Bourgault gave one of the opening talks, entitled “The Science Behind the Spill Scenarios for the Old Harry Project: Who is Right?”. Several Québec-Océan members were on the organizing committee.

ON THE bULLETIN bOARD

New members• Student Members:

Alexandre Palardy (UQAR); Patricia DeRepentigny, Marianne Falardeau-Côté, Louis Renaud-Desjardins, David Trossman, James William (U. McGill); Karolane Dufour, Rachel Hussherr (U. Laval).

• Employee Members:Simon Morisset (U. Laval).

The Capelin Observers Network (CON) online

The Capelin Observers N e t w o r k ( C O N ) w a s created to obtain better knowledge on capelin (Mallotus villosus) spawning sites in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf, to facilitate reproduction of

the species. If someone sees capelins rolling on a beach, he or she can report the sighting to the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO). The collected information will aid in understanding how capelin react to climate change, shore erosion or disturbed beaches. Indirectly, the information will increase our knowledge of the general functioning of the St. Lawrence ecosystem. This effort to monitor capelin spawning began in 2002.

The data entry tool developed by SLGO is available to members of the general public who want to participate in the acquisition of knowledge on capelin spawning. The network’s archives will soon be available on the SLGO site under the tab Data-Biodiversity.

http://ogsl.ca/fr/biodiversite/poissons/mpo-capelan/reseau.html

Did you know… ?Québec-Océan’s Website has a wealth of information. For you, to find out, and help us keep the site up to date.

• Recent publications: http://www.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca/en/realisations-recherche-publications.php

• Index of short and long training activities: http://www.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca/en/formation-repertoire-stages.php