Strait Talk Episode 5

Episode 5 of Strait Talk takes place at the Marine Research which is located at the Petit de Grat campus of Universite Sainte-Anne.

The Marine Research Centre works to help rural fishing industries adapt to changes in the sector through innovation and community education programs.

The first person we spoke with was Michelle Theriault, the Director of the Marine Research Centre, who talked about their new lab and the fact they didn't have renovations for the past 14 years. With the new space, Theriault said they have more access to water, they have more lab equipment, it's climate controlled, and they have more lighting. Theriault said the lab allows them to expand on the services they provide for the fishing industry and show the public what they're working on.

Next Marine Biologist Victoria Tobin demonstrated how the new equipment works. Tobin did some water quality testing on their new tanks, checking for things like ammonia and nitrate levels to ensure the tanks are of good quality for keeping lobsters alive during prolonged storage periods.

After that, we went to the wet lab portion of the facility with Theriault where research projects are conducted and various species (including mussels, shrimp, snow crab, lobster, and kelp) are held for prolonged periods to see how they react. The wet lab also contains a small-scale hatchery for sugar kelp, which they will extract and store in the fall.

Then Marine Biologist Alesha David demonstrated quality tests on the body of a lobster they are holding to see how it reacts to prolonged storage, stress, and handling.

Using a microscope screen, Theriault talked about the importance of the moulting process for lobsters and how they check when that process is about to start. She said this is important for seasonal fisheries like those in Richmond County.

As part of the renovations, Theriault talked about a new section which is separate from the wet lab for other tests and projects like the collection of wild scallop spat.

Also part of the renovations, David took Telile on a tour of the new pump housing station which allows for the constant flow of sea water into the facility.

Finally, Theriault talked about some of their plans for the future, including a tourism component of the operation which conducts tours of the facility and offers demonstrations. 

We intend to return in the fall to check out the sugar kelp project.