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[Lab news] Welcome to the team, Julie Pringle!

Posted on September 24, 2016July 7, 2017 by Hannes Baumann

In August 2016, Julie Pringle became the latest member of our lab by pursuing a Masters degree in Marine Science. Prior to coming to Avery Point, Julie graduated from Tufts University in 2014 and was a technician in the larval fish ecology lab of Joel Llopiz at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. At WHOI, she studied the trophodynamics of small pelagic fishes in the Western Atlantic. She will continue to work with forage fishes as a graduate student, investigating the growth and selective survival in Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia), using otolith microstructure analysis in combination with oceanographic data of our field site in Mumford Cove, CT.

Welcome to team the Julie, it’s great to have you.

NOAA announces funding for our research on sand lance

Posted on September 6, 2016October 29, 2018 by Hannes Baumann

NOAA and Sea Grant fund $800,000 in research to understand effects of ocean changes on iconic Northeast marine life

The Ocean & Atmospheric Research program (OAR) of NOAA and Sea Grant just announced the winners of its most recent round of research funding to better understand the consequences of ocean warming and acidification on key marine resources in U.S. Northeast coastal waters. We are happy and proud that our proposed work on the climate sensitivity of Northern sand lance (Ammodytes dubius) was one of the four projects selected for funding. This is particularly good news for Chris Murray, who for his PhD can now expand his experimental rearing expertise to this important species.
This work will be conducted collaboratively with colleagues from NOAA (David Wiley), USGS (Page Valentine), Boston University (Les Kaufman), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Scott Gallager).

You can read the official announcement as it appeared on 6 September 2016 on NOAA’s News site.

Chris RV Auk Sediment grab — Chris Murray checking for sand lance caught by the sediment grab. RV Auk (Photo credit: Jacob Snyder)

[Collaboration] Nina and Aryn visit from Cornell University

Posted on July 29, 2016July 29, 2016 by Hannes Baumann

On 19-20 July, our lab temporarily transformed into a genetics laboratory, as Nina Therkildsen and her post-doc Aryn Pierce Wilder visited us from Cornell University (Therkildsen Lab). Their lab also shares the fascination for the Atlantic silverside as a model organism and has set out to eventually assemble the fully annotated genome of this species.

During their visit, they could accompany us for our bi-weekly beach seining in Mumford Cove, where we collected juveniles born this year as well as the last few spawning ripe adults at the end of the season. It was a great summer morning and fun for everyone.

In the lab, Nina and Aryn went on dissecting different types of tissue (muscle, liver, spleen, gills, fins) from a few specimens destined for genetic analyses. In the Rankin lab, we tried a novel procedure on this species, i.e., making haploid embryos by fertilizing strip-spawned eggs with sperm that was UV-radiated before.

Thank you for visiting, Nina and Aryn, and we will see you back in fall, when Nina will give a Friday seminar on 11 November 2016. We’re looking forward to what she will have to report!

Some eggs could be fertilized with sperm that was UV-radiated before in order to make haploid embryos
On 19 July 2016, Nina dissects different tissues from adult silvesides for genetic analyses
Atlantic silversides from Mumford Cover swimming in a bucket
On 19 July 2016, Nina and Hannes pull the first of two seines in Mumford Cove
Aryn has clearly fun beach seining
A careful squeeze of a silversides belly reveals whether a male or female is in spawning condition
On 20 July 2016, Aryn prepares samples of silverside tissues for genetic analyses
On 19 July 2016, our lab took Nina and Aryn beach seining (left to right: Chris, Aryn, Wes, Hannes)
Juvenile and adult silverside captured by beach seine in Mumford Cove on 19 July 2016
On 19 July 2016, Chris and Aryn pull the beach seine ashore, while Wes and Hannes prepare for retrieving the bag
Hannes placing a bucket with water to collect silversides live
Chris and Aryn prepare to take the beach seine to the water

[Lab News] The new silverside generation is here!

Posted on July 11, 2016July 7, 2017 by Hannes Baumann

On a balmy July 1st the lab returned to Mumford Cove excited at the prospect of seining without dawning waders for the first time this year! Chris and Rafeed conducted the first seine while Jake remained on the beach and photographed the experience. On the second seine, Hannes accompanied Rafeed while Chris weighed the first sample. As expected the species richness and diversity of the seines were less than that of previous excursions. The abundance of silversides was down, while their sex ratio was skewed towards females. Despite a decline in mature silversides, several juveniles were caught, indicating a budding cohort. Perhaps more young silversides will find their way into the lab’s net in the future. Only time will tell!

New-silverside — The first of 2016. On July 1st, the beach seine is catching a few 35 mm silversides – the new generation.

Chris-HB-Mumford-Cove — On 1st July 2016, Chris and Hannes look carefully through the bag of the beach seine to find the first juveniles of this year

[Conference] Chris and Hannes present at the 40th Larval Fish Conference

Posted on June 25, 2016April 5, 2025 by Hannes Baumann

The 40th Larval Fish Conference of the American Fisheries Society‘s (AFS) Early life history section (ELHS) was held from 19 – 23 June 2016 at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, MD.

This small conference brought together approximately 150 international scientists to talk about larval fish growth, survival, maternal effects, dispersal, systematics to name just a few. It was held in special honor of Edward Houde, who over his long career has inspired generations of marine scientists.

While Chris was presenting last years data about growth consequences of high CO₂ exposure across life stages in our model species, the Atlantic Silverside, Hannes participated in the Early Career workshop and gave a talk about how to approach the writing of a scientific manuscript (PDF).

http://media.befel.marinesciences.uconn.edu/public_html/docs/Baumann-LFC-Writing_workshop_web.pdf

Thanks to all the colleagues and friends for the great time and conversations. See you next year in Austin (TX)!

LFC2016_group — All participants of the 2016 Larval Fish Conference in Solomons, MD

CBL_Pier — Thunderous clouds over Chesapeake Bay, view from CBL

ed_catriona_hb — Generations of scientists were inspired by the work of Ed Houde (middle, right: Catriona Clemessen)

CovePoint_Chris — Chris standing on the tip of Cove Point (Chesapeake Bay)

hb_workshop — Hannes trying to convey to early career scientist at the LFC that writing a scientific manuscript can be approached by breaking up the process into pieces …

[Lab News] Jake featured at UMM alumni news

Posted on June 2, 2016February 10, 2017 by Hannes Baumann

Jake reported back to his old undergraduate institution about his current research and how the University of Maine at Machias has inspired him to pursue a career in Marine Sciences.

This week’s Alumni Spotlight shines on Jake Snyder, UMM Class of 2014 with a degree in Marine Biology. Jake lives in Canterbury, Connecticut, and is a research assistant at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point.

Tell us a little bit about what you are doing now:

Currently, I am a research assistant at UConn Avery Point as part of my masters. I was accepted into the graduate program here in the fall of 2015, and I am now working towards my Masters in Biological Oceanography. Our lab is small, with myself, a doctoral student, and our advisor, but we’re ambitious. Our research is focused on the synergistic effects of ocean acidification, increased temperature, and decreased oxygen on the Atlantic Silverside (Menidia menidia), a near-shore schooling fish. We’ve also recently started working with the Northern Sandlance (Ammodytes dubius), a fish native to Stellwagen Bank. In addition to the lab-based research, I am also digitizing the ~40 year data set collected by Project Oceanology, and developing that into a searchable database as part of the LISICOS (Long Island Sound Integrated Coastal Observing System) system.

Read the whole feature here …