[04.2012] Kai Logemann et al have paper accepted for discussion at Ocean Science

MARICE members Kai Logemann and Guðrún Marteinsdóttir have a paper accepted for discussion in the journal Ocean Science.  The paper is entitled "The circulation of Icelandic waters - a modelling study" and can be found here.

[04.2012] Fraser Cameron begins field work in Stöðvarfjörður

Fraser is collecting blood samples and morphological data daily from cod kept in netpens outside Stöðvarfjörður in the east fjords. The aim of this work is to sample the population throughout the spawning period.

[04.2012] Sushi: the global catch

MARICE members Jed MacDonald and Will Butler collaborated with Loft hostel to bring an exclusive screening of Sushi: the global catch to Reykjavik. The documentary examines the tradition of sushi, its global expansion and the strain it has put on fish resources worldwide, particularly bluefin tuna. Jed and Will led a post-film discussion focusing on topics raised in the film, and increasing awareness at the consumer level.

[03.2012] Guðrún Marteinsdóttir has a three month sabbatical at SARDI, Adelaide

Guðrún is staying at the South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre (division of SARDI) in Adelaide for three months. The sabbatical will be used, amongst other things, to explore and compare ideas and current research on the effects of hydrodynamic variability on behaviour and distribution of marine organisms. One of the aims is to assess the feasibility of constructing and implementing a coupled bio- and hydrodynamic Information System for the North Atlantic as well regions in the southern ocean.

[02.2013] Klara Jakobsdóttir successfully defends her PhD thesis

MARICE member Klara Björg Jakobsdóttir successfully defended her PhD thesis "The historical genetic variation in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) in Icelandic waters". Congratulations Klara!

[01.2013] Register now for the University of Iceland Graduate summer program in Marine & Fisheries Science

The University of Iceland will be running three graduate courses in May to July 2012: Data Analysis for Scientists using R, Fisheries Ecology - Management and Conservation of Resources in a Changing Ocean, and Studying Marine Mammals in the Wild.

The program aims to provide graduate students a one of a kind, immersive experience in fisheries ecology, marine resource management and marine conservation within the perspective of climate change. Courses and hands-on fieldwork are conducted at various locations in Iceland. All lectures are conducted in English by professors and researchers at the University of Iceland. Additional lectures are conducted by invited guest speakers internationally recognized for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields.

Courses vary in size from 4-8 ECTs and each lasts a period of 1-3 weeks. The courses consists of a mixture of formal lectures, discussion groups, field or laboratory exercises, and computer modeling.

Students must be registered at a university to be eligible for the courses. Information about the program can be found on the Marine Education in Iceland website, or in the student guidelines available here. Deadline for registration is 26th February 2013.

[12.2012] MARICE says goodbye to Elena

Elena Guijarro works at the Spanish Oceanography Institute in Vigo and has been a MARICE guest for the past three months. During this period, she worked on the Spanish survey data collected annually in the tail of the Grand Bank of Newfoundland. Her project aimed to find links among the state of the cod stock in the area over the past 18 years and a number of environmental (bottom temperature variability, food availability) and anthropogenic (accidental catches, fishing disturbance) factors. Her work has been funded by International Campus of Excellence Campus do Mar. It's been great having Elena at MARICE the last three months and we hope to have further collaborations in the future.

[12.2012] New paper on cod spawning habitat and behaviour in Icelandic waters

Tim Grabowski (MARICE alumni) has published a paper in PLOS ONE entitled "Characterization of Atlantic Cod Spawning Habitat and Behavior in Icelandic Coastal Waters", Bruce McAdam (MARICE alumni) and Guðrún Marteinsdóttir are coauthors. Using DIDSON sonar and ROV, benthic habitat structures and cod spawning behaviour were observed and analysed. The findings suggest suggest that cod do not choose spawning locations indiscriminately despite the fact that it is a broadcast spawning fish with planktonic eggs. The paper can be found here.

[10.2012] MARICE welcomes two new PhD students, Fraser and Jed

Two new PhD students started at MARICE recently, Fraser Cameron and Jed Macdonald.

Fraser's project is entitled 'Cod lunacy: Assessing the entrainment and adaptive significance of environmental cycles on the timing of Atlantic cod reproduction'. Fraser will be looking to confirm recent observations of cyclical spawning behaviour in Atlantic cod, and assessing its adaptive significance and potential effects on cod mating systems. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with the University of Iceland's Department of Physiology, Hafró and Texas Tech University.

Jed's PhD is entitled 'Hydrodynamic Information Systems'. He will be developing a "Fish Finding Tool" which will link the physical environment (CODE) with life-history-behaviour  (LBE) to create catch predictions for target species. This project is a collaboration between MARICE and Hafró.

Welcome Fraser and Jed!