About Dominique
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My research interests include fisheries oceanography, pelagic ecology and fish population dynamics. I am particularly interested in the factors driving variability in the distribution and recruitment of exploited marine fish stocks. I was appointed as Canada Research Chair in Fisheries Ecology at Université du Québec à Rimouski in the fall of 2016, after holding a Research Scientist position with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University. Over the years, I have developed a dynamic research program carried out in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the fishing industry.

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Postdoc: Kyoto University, Japan, 2008-2009
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Ph.D. Oceanography, Université Laval, Canada, 2008
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B.Sc. Biology, Université Laval, Canada, 2002
Current Team (click here for Alumni)
Contact
Dominique Robert
Canada Research Chair
in Fisheries Ecology
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Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER)
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Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)
300 allée des Ursulines
P.O. Box 3300
Rimouski (Québec)
G5L 3A1
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Phone.
418.723.1986 ext.1043
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Fax.
418.724.1842
Email.
PhD Students
Benjamin Gosselin (UQAR-ISMER: 2018- )
Ben is originally from the eastern Townships, QC, and recently completed his Master's thesis at UQTR on the influence of the anthropogenic soundscape on the behaviour of yellow perch under the seasonal ice cover. His PhD thesis focuses on the spatio-temporal variability in environmental associations of Atlantic halibut in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Co-supervisors: Hugues Benoît (DFO) and Arnault Le Bris (MUN)
Corinne Burns (UQAR-ISMER: 2018- )
Corinne is originally from NY and obtained her B.A. in Marine science (honors) at Boston University and her MSc from University of Texas, where she studied the effects of maternal investments on larval southern flounder performance. Her PhD thesis is focused on the links between larval throphodynamics and recruitment of redfish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Co-supervisors: Stéphane Plourde (DFO) and Pascal Sirois (UQAC)
Sarah Brown Vuillemin (UQAR-ISMER: 2018- )
Sarah is originally from France and completed her undergraduate and Master degrees at Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale, where she studied the feeding ecology of various marine fish species. Using a combination of visual, physiological and molecular techniques, her PhD research aims to determine the role of redfish in the food web of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Co-supervisors: Pascal Sirois (UQAC) and Réjean Tremblay (UQAR-ISMER)
Lola Coussau (UQAR-ISMER: 2018- )
Lola is from Southwestern France and completed her undergraduate and Master degrees at Université de Bordeaux, where she studied Indian Ocean fish postlarvae and juvenile otolith microstructure. Her PhD thesis under the supervision of Pascal Sirois (UQAC) and Dominique (co-supervisor) is focused on the origin, connectivity and migrations through ontogeny of redfish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Daigo Kamada (MUN: 2013- )
Daigo obtained his bachelors of science at Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay and his masters in biology at the University of Manitoba focusing on zooplankton community dynamics in Lake Winnipeg. He is now pursuing a PhD thesis on the feeding ecology of Newfoundland capelin through its ontogeny, combining field sampling and historic data by multivariate analysis. Co-supervisors: Jonathan Fisher (MUN) and Fran Mowbray (DFO)
MSc Students
Henrique Peres (UQAC: 2018- )
Originally from Brazil, Henrique obtained his BSc from Universidade de São Paulo. Under the supervision of Pascal Sirois (Dominique co-supervisor), his MSc thesis is focusing on the dynamics of size-dependent winter mortality of striped bass in the St. Lawrence Estuary, and its implication for recruitment to the adult population. Size-selective mortality will be derived from the comparison of the otolith growth trajectories of juvenile striped bass captured at several sequential life stages.
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Valérie de Carufel (UQAR: 2018- )
After completing her BSc degree at UQAR, Valérie traveled to Nuuk, Greenland, where she is collecting data for her Master's research. Valérie is sampling larval sand lance throughout the Arctic winter and spring in fjords that remain free of ice in order to detail for the first time the phenology and early growth (using otolith microstructure) of this key forage species. Co-supervisors: Christian Nozais (UQAR) and Caroline Bouchard (GINR)
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Pauline Fortin (UQAR-ISMER: 2017- )
Originally from France, Pauline completed a BSc degree in biology at UQAR. Through her Master's thesis, she examines the throphodynamics of larval sand lance in the St. Lawrence estuary to gain knowledge on the potential environment drivers of recruitment in the most important prey of the endangered beluga population of the Saguenay River. Co-supervisor: Gesche Winkler (UQAR-ISMER)
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Safouane Khamassi (UQAR-ISMER: 2016- )
Safouane is originally from Tunisia, where he completed a national engineering degree in fisheries and environment. The main purpose of his Masters at UQAR-ISMER is to evaluate the link between early life growth dynamics and survival of Atlantic mackerel using otoliths from YOY prey regurgitated by the Northern gannet, an important avian predator. Co-supervisor: Magella Guillemette (UQAR)
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Liang Zhu (MUN: 2016- )
Liang recently completed his undergraduate degree in biology at Queen’s University, where he developed an interest in ecological responses to climate change. His Master’s research under the supervision of Jonathan Fisher and Dominique (co-supervisor) will assess the diet and population dynamics of silver hake, a species responding to warming oceanographic conditions, within the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
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Master II students
Joan Lamare (Université de Perpignan: 2018)
During his final French Master's internship, Joan is conducting fatty acid analyses to determine how the diet of redfish (Sebastes mentella) from the Gulf of St. Lawrence varies through ontogeny. Results are expected to complement the more traditional stomach content analysis by integrating a longer period. Co-supervisor: Réjean Tremblay (UQAR-ISMER)
Undergraduate students
Félix Lauzon (Université de Montréal: 2018)
Félix was awarded an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award for a summer internship focusing on mezooplancton taxonomy, as well as the determination of diet composition and prey selectivity in larval redfish.
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