Position: M.Sc. candidate
Previous Education: B.Sc. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; awarded highest distinction in research by the School of Integrative Biology
Thesis title: The Effects of Catch-and-Release Recreational Angling on Muskelluge, Esox masquinongy
Thesis website/blog: http://www.projectnoblebeast.blogspot.com
Thesis Research:
Recreational angling – the act of fishing for leisure versus as a commercial enterprise – remains a steadfast and important aspect of many cultures throughout the world. Some partake in this activity for food, money (e.g., tournament angling), pleasure, or a combination thereof. As such, a portion of an angler’s catch may be released, but release rates differ depending on the situation. For example, many marine fishes are harvested solely for domestic consumption, so it follows that release rates are near zero percent for some species. On the other hand, big-game species such as marlin are privy to release rates of nearly 100 percent. However, just because a fish is released and swims away does not necessarily mean it will survive.
Catch-and-release (C&R) angling subjects fish to a plethora of sublethal stressors (e.g., stress caused by the angling event, hook retention, and air exposure). Should the accumulation of sub-lethal stressors push the organism past the “point of no return”, then mortality may ensue.
My research focuses on assessing the behavioural and physiological changes as well as, ultimately, the amount of angler-induced mortality rates of muskellunge, Esox masquinongy subject to C&R angling. Muskellunge are an elusive game fish that often reside in lakes and rivers in relatively low numbers (population sizes). They can grow in excess of 130cm (50+ inches) and exceed weights of 27kg (60 pounds). Their mystical nature and sheer size make them a much sought-after sport fish for many anglers.
Today, release rates are above 95 percent. For specialized muskellunge anglers, release rates are reported to be above 99 percent. With such little harvest taking place, it is important to gauge the effects, if any, anglers are having on populations. I will combine biotelemetry (radio-tagging) to assess behavioural changes and mortality rates post-release. I will also combine physiological techniques to assess the stress imposed on muskellunge by anglers.
The end goal is to provide anglers and fisheries managers with the information necessary for these groups to make the most well informed decisions on how to handle and manage muskellunge. Educating the masses on proper handling techniques is the key to perpetuating C&R angling.
Honours Thesis (University of Illinois): The effects of stochastic temperature change on the hatching success and larvae survival of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.
My undergraduate thesis involved exposing smallmouth bass and largemouth bass eggs and larvae to varying magnitudes of temperature change. Our objective was to assess whether temperature change caused direct mortality in the developing offspring (eggs, egg-sac-fry, and fry-above-nest) of these species, and whether there were species and stage-specific differences in survival. The results of our study show bass offspring are quite resilient to changes in water temperature, both similar to and exceeding what typically occurs in nature. Significant differences in egg hatching success and larvae survival were most prominent at extreme warm water temperature changes, with smallmouth bass having poorer survival than largemouth bass eggs at the egg and egg-sac-fry stage. The resilience that smallmouth bass and largemouth bass offspring exhibit amidst unstable environmental conditions underscores the need for fisheries managers to protect nest-guarding male bass during the spawning period.
Additional research:
In the spring of 2008, I attended a three month marine biology program on South Caicos Island, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies through the School for Field Studies. The culmination of my semester abroad resulted in conducting a dockside monitoring program specifically looking for the number and size of Nassau grouper Epinephelus striatus harvested. Nassau grouper form spawning aggregations at very predictable time periods and locations, making them an easy target for commercial and recreational fishermen. As such, the Nassau grouper has suffered from over-harvest, and are currently considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, stocks in the Turks and Caicos Islands are reportedly healthy relative to those in other regions of the Caribbean. To compliment the data we collected, two other data sets were combined to more accurately determine the numbers and size classes harvested from areas surrounding South Caicos. Our data showed that 50% of Nassau grouper harvested had not reached sexual maturity. Though there was not an alarming number of Nassau grouper harvested, the number of sexually immature individuals removed from the population was a concern. Therefore, we proposed that local fisheries managers adopt proactive management measures to protect the Nassau grouper, including creating a closed season and minimum size limits.
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