News

• 29/07/2019

  New PhD project : Environmental Contaminants, Body Condition and Photogrammetry of St. Lawrence Estuary Belugas

  
  Project Title Environmental Contaminants, Body Condition and Photogrammetry of St. Lawrence Estuary Belugas Project Synopsis The St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) beluga population has be...

  Project Title

  Environmental Contaminants, Body Condition and Photogrammetry of St. Lawrence Estuary Belugas

  Project Synopsis

  The St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) beluga population has been listed at risk of extinction in 2017 under the Species at Risk Act. This small population of about 900 individuals lives in a marine ecosystem that is strongly impacted by anthropogenic activities upstream. As a result, chronic exposure to environmental contaminants has been suggested as a factor that may affect the health of belugas in the SLE, and hence the recovery of this population. Exposure to a cocktail of contaminants via consumption of contaminated preys may interfere with lipid metabolism, and ultimately alter their body condition and survival. However, the effects of contaminants on lipid metabolism in SLE belugas are still unknown. The objective of this four-year PhD project is to investigate the linkages between exposure of SLE belugas to several organic contaminants and proxies of body condition including blubber tissue histology, metabolomic profile, expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism and activity of associated enzymes, and photogrammetry (body size measurements obtained from drone’s photographs). This project is a collaboration between UQAM (principal supervisor: Jonathan Verreault), UQAR (Zhe Lu), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Magali Houde), GREMM (Robert Michaud), and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Véronique Lesage).

  Additional Informations

  +PhD-level funding provided for 4 years.

  +Field and laboratory work.

  Requirements

  + Meet the basic admission requirements of the UQAM’s PhD program in biology;

  + B.Sc and/or M.Sc. in biochemistry, biology or a related discipline. Knowledge in ecotoxicology, marine mammal biology, and statistics is an asset;

  + Very good command of spoken and written English and French.

  To apply

  Send your CV and transcripts (B.Sc. and M.Sc.) before September 15th, 2019 to:

  Jonathan Verreault

  Département des sciences biologiques

  Université du Québec à Montréal

  Phone: 514-987-3000, ex. 1070

  E-mail: verreault.jonathan@uqam.ca

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• 27/06/2019

  The Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre is being expanded to accommodate three new skeletons!

  
  PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION Tadoussac, June 27, 2019 / The Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) welcomes the Government of Canada’s contributio...

  PRESS RELEASE
  FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

  Tadoussac, June 27, 2019 / The Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) welcomes the Government of Canada’s contribution – through Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions and Canadian Heritage – for the upgrading of its Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre in Tadoussac. The grants being offered by the Government of Canada total $730,710. Tourisme Côte-Nord is also earmarking $50,000 to participate in the funding.

  “Since 1991, we have been filling our Interpretation Centre with scientific knowledge that we acquired in the field and skeletons of whales recovered from our shores. Gradually, the Centre became home to these giants. But it’s getting a little crowded in there, so we must expand to make room for new giants!” explains Patrice Corbeil, GREMM’s Vice-President and Director of the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre.

  In this context, the Centre will see its showroom enlarged to accommodate three enormous skeletons: a juvenile humpback whale, a fin whale and a North Atlantic right whale. These three whales came to rest on the shores of the St. Lawrence and were recovered by our team. The three species complete the collection of skeletons on display, which is the most impressive of its kind in Canada. It is a reflection of the diversity of cetaceans that visit the St. Lawrence.

  In parallel with the expansion, the permanent exhibit will also be enhanced. “The renewed exhibit comes at a good time. We face tremendous challenges in terms of our cohabitation with whales, especially with the increase in shipping traffic. Our Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre reveals how fascinating whales are and the importance of protecting them,” adds GREMM’s President and Scientific Director, Robert Michaud.

  To complete the funding for this major project, GREMM needs to secure a further $200,000. “Help us get these skeletons out of the closet!” exclaims Patrice Corbeil. “For a donation of $1,000, we will post the names of the contributors or a short message on a plaque installed on the life-size blue whale outline on the path leading to the Interpretation Centre. Other funding tools will be announced in the near future.

  We would like to thank all our volunteers and collaborators who participated in carcass recovery, necropsies and skeleton cleaning. Our sincere gratitude also goes out to the 5 Étoiles farm in Sacré-Coeur for accommodating the skeletons in anticipation of their assembly before the expansion.

  Quick facts

  • Tadoussac’s Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre is managed by the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals.
  • The Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre was officially inaugurated in 1991.
  • Inauguration of the revamped Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre is scheduled for 2020, which coincides with GREMM’s 35^th

   

  To discover the stories of each of the three new skeletons due to join the collection: https://gremm.org/docs/The_Souffleur_2018.pdf

   

  For photos of the skeletons, the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre or the press conference:http://bit.ly/cimmtadoussac

   

  Sources

  Marie-Ève Muller, head of communications, Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM), 418 235-4701 (office) or 418-717-6061 (mobile), memuller@gremm.org.

   

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• 12/03/2019

  Job Opportunity: Director of Intervention Program

  
  DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network (QMMERN) is an umbrella group of organizations and institutions that work with marine mammals. The ...

  DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION

  The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network (QMMERN) is an umbrella group of organizations and institutions that work with marine mammals. The Network is responsible for organizing, coordinating and implementing measures aimed at reducing accidental mortality of marine mammals, rescuing animals in difficulty, and facilitating the acquisition of data from animals that have died in St. Lawrence waters.

  The Network receives over 500 calls and handles approximately 300 cases a year. It documents and monitors cases, evaluates whether or not a response is warranted, responds as needed, or provides assistance to specialized response teams. QMMERN revolves around a group of more than 150 volunteers to assist in various types of interventions. The Network contributes to a number of research projects, in addition to helping manage a national data bank.

  Coordinating the QMMERN and managing its call centre and new intervention program is the responsibility of the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM), a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific research and conservation education with a focus on the whales of the St. Lawrence and their habitat.

  JOB DESCRIPTION

  Beginning in 2019, the Network will launch an intervention program with mobile response units to cover all of southern Quebec. The selected candidate will be called upon to develop and implement this program, create intervention protocols and consolidate the network of partners and volunteers who can support response efforts. He or she will be responsible for training and coordinating teams and will participate in interventions.

  The future Director will be required to complete a number of trainings and workshops with various partners of the Network in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada in the first two years of his or her mandate.

  Primary Responsibilities

  Under the supervision of the scientific coordinator and in close collaboration with other team members, the individual should be capable of assuming many of the responsibilities outlined below. However, the position will be tailored according to the applicant’s strengths and complementarity with other members of the team.

  Development Phase

  • Develop and update procedures, protocols and response kits;
  • Develop the volunteer network and its training program;
  • Establish new partnerships.

  Field Interventions

  • Evaluate cases and determine appropriate interventions;
  • Supervise interventions performed by mobile response teams, volunteers and support teams;
  • Lend assistance to specialized response teams;
  • Participate in handling calls and emergency standby duty;
  • Prepare weekly debriefing meetings with call centre administrator.

  Management and Communication

  • Manage human resources associated with response teams (hiring, training, scheduling and meetings);
  • Assist coordinator in certain management/administrative tasks;
  • Assist coordinator of Canadian Marine Animal Response Alliance and various entities of Fisheries and Oceans Canada;
  • Support call centre administrator and head of communications in the production of various communication tools.

  REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION

   Experience

  • University degree in a relevant field (biology, veterinary medicine);
  • At least 3 years of experience in coordination, project management or similar position involving multidisciplinary teams;
  • Experience in crisis management and ability to work in the midst of an emergency.

  Skills

  • Excellent field work skills and physical ability to perform demanding work at sea and on land;
  • Team player with strong interpersonal skills;
  • Fluent in French and English (written and spoken);
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving capacity;
  • Sense of organization and planning;
  • Ability to work under pressure;
  • Versatile, resourceful and autonomous.

  Availability and Motivation

  • Highly flexible with regard to work schedule depending on the case(s) being handled;
  • Willingness to be on call evenings, weekends and holidays;
  • Motivated to fill position for at least two years.

  Added Advantages

  • Database management skills, knowledge of marine mammals, the marine environment, fisheries and eastern Quebec;
  • Experience working at sea and operating watercraft;
  • Knowledge of not-for-profit sector.

  WORKING CONDITIONS, SALARY AND BENEFITS

  • Full-time position;
  • Annual salary: $45,000 to $55,000;
  • Duration of position: preferably long term, with a six-month probation period;
  • Possibility of working either out of Québec City or Tadoussac, with occasional travel;
  • Mobile phone with plan provided;
  • Scheduled start date: as soon as possible, no later than May 1.

  Other benefits: friendly working atmosphere in an exciting sector offering the opportunity to work alongside researchers (marine mammals and related fields) and environmental education specialists with years of experience in stimulating projects, office at the Centre Culture et Environnement Frédéric-Back (Québec City) and a stone’s throw away from the Saguenay Fjord (Tadoussac), seasonal social activities, possibility of accompanying research teams at sea.

  TO APPLY

  Interested in this job offer? Email your CV and cover letter to reseau@gremm.org.

  Deadline: April 5, 2019

  We thank all applicants for their interest; only selected applicants will be contacted.

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• 04/02/2019

  If You Believe In Giants… Give Us a Whale of a Boost!

  
  Show your support for marine mammals on a plaque in front of the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre (CIMM) in Tadoussac. The plaques will be inlaid in one of 600 cobblestones co...

  Show your support for marine mammals on a plaque in front of the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre (CIMM) in Tadoussac. The plaques will be inlaid in one of 600 cobblestones composing the blue whale silhouette gracing the Jardin de la Grève. Each plaque represents a donation of $1,000.

  Objective: 200 plaques to welcome new giants in 2020

  Make your donation today by mailing a cheque in the amount of $1,000 to 108 rue de la Cale-Sèche, by phone at 418-235-4701, or make a donation online. We will contact you to confirm the inscription to appear on the plaque that will thank you for your donation. You can donate $ 1,000 by means of monthly donations, stock donations or a charitable bequest. A tax receipt will be issued.

  Your plaque will be placed in this life-size blue whale silhouette in the cobblestones leading to the Interpretation Centre.

  Read about the work on the skeletons here: My Week at the Whale Warehouse (Whales Online)

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• Master’s Degree Project on the Effects of Environmental Contaminants on Thyroid Functions of the St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga

  
  Project The St. Lawrence Estuary beluga population is considered as endangered since 2014. This small population of about 900 individuals lives in a marine ecosystem that is stron...

  Project

  The St. Lawrence Estuary beluga population is considered as endangered since 2014. This small population of about 900 individuals lives in a marine ecosystem that is strongly impacted by anthropogenic activities upstream. As a result, chronic exposure to environmental contaminants has been suggested as a factor that may affect the health of belugas in the St.Lawrence Estuary and the recovery of this population. In addition, exposure to contaminants that may interfere with thyroid functions such as flame retardants (e.g., PBDEs) has been suggested as a potential cause for the unusually high number of deaths of parturient female belugas and their calves. However, the effects of contaminants on belugas in the St. Lawrence estuary are still unknown. The objective of this project is to study the effects of certain contaminants on genomic markers (gene expression) and hormones involved in the regulation of the thyroid axis in belugas. This project is a collaboration between UQAM (principal supervisor: Jonathan Verreault), Université de Montréal (Stéphane Lair) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (Magali Houde).

  Additional information

  Master level funding for a period of two years.

  Field and laboratory work.

  Starting in May or September 2019

  Requirements

  • Meet the basic admission requirements for the UQAM’s Master’s in Biology program;

  • B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Biology or a related discipline. Knowledge in ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry is an asset;

  • Very good command of spoken and written English and French.

  To apply, send your CV and transcript (B.Sc.) before March 1st, 2019 to:

  Jonathan Verreault
  Département des sciences biologiques
  Université du Québec à Montréal
  Phone: 514‐987‐3000, ex. 1070
  E‐mail: verreault.jonathan@uqam.ca

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