Andrea Perreault is a PhD candidate with CFER. She completed her undergraduate degree in mathematics and physics at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and her master’s degree in fisheries science at the Marine Institute (CFER) under the supervision of Dr. Noel Cadigan. Andrea has worked on a broad range of topics in fisheries science, including growth modeling, state-space stock assessment models, and management strategy evaluation. She is currently completing her PhD with Dr. Noel Cadigan, where her most recent work has focused on improving model diagnostics for fisheries state-space models. Andrea is finishing her PhD while working as a stock assessment biologist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Email: Andrea.Perreault@mi.mun.ca

Michael Soares is a Masters student in the Food and Environment Safety Analytical (FESA) Lab studying the body condition of Atlantic cod and other groundfish species. His passion for biology inspired him to get a BS with honors in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Bioinformatics at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Michael’s advisors are Dr. Matthew Robertson and Dr. Noel Cadigan. Dr. Paul Regular is also on Michael’s committee, supporting this research. Michael’s research on body condition will help create new insights about the bottom-up processes involved in the stock collapse of Atlantic cod. After the collapse of the cod stock, recovery has been minimal, and this study will help explain what is stalling recovery.

“One of my goals in academia is to propel sustainability practices to help create a more eco-conscious collective. As overpopulation takes its toll on the ecosystems of the world, preserving diversity while supporting the needs of many people will continue to be a major topic of conversation. With good research, implementation of new practices, and indigenous knowledge I believe that we can start living with nature instead of living off it.”

Email: Michael.Soares@wave.mi.mun.ca