Characterizing Populations During a Pandemic: Our Summer on a Virtual Research Team

“Have you ever wondered what Statistics Canada does with their census data? Well we have. Our names are Nihla Hussain and Madeleine Gorman-Asal, and in February 2020 we attended the Atlantic Student Research Journal’s inaugural Reaching Higher conference. It was there that we first learned about the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data, and Training (NB-IRDT), and its Pathways to Professions program. We both share a passion for research, which led us to attend the conference and to apply for the 2020 Pathways to Professions program.”

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Estimating Population Abundance of Brook Trout: The Eleventh Hour

“The annual catch of brook trout and Atlantic salmon, however, is experiencing a relatively steady decline for a multitude of reasons; over-exploitation, habitat degradation, and the introduction of invasive species such as the smallmouth bass, for example, can account for some of this deterioration. In addition, brook trout are extremely sensitive to temperature-related stress and are intolerant to water temperatures above their thermal optima, which in general, is relatively low for salmonids.”

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Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in New Brunswick: How They Got Here and What This Means for Native New Brunswick Flora and Fauna.

“Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopava) are an increasingly regular occurrence in the province of New Brunswick over the past decade. As with any new species, these turkeys leave managers and scientists unsure of the impacts they could have on native flora and fauna species. In order to properly manage a species, biologists need to know some key ecological details about the population, such as habitat and food sources, where populations are located, and where the animals are reproducing. Dr. Graham Forbes is working closely with graduate students in order to begin this research and discussion.”

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Causes and Consequences of the Miramichi Salmon Decline

Since the 80s, the number of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) returning to the Miramichi River have experienced a drastic decrease compared to previous years. According to Department of Fisheries and Oceans from 1992 to 2014 the Miramichi watershed has seen a 93.5% decrease in the number of returning Atlantic Salmon!

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