How to improve rearing conditions of salmon to re-stock natural populations

Petra Rodewald is currently defending her PhD thesis at the University of Helsinki. The thesis aims at improving rearing and release methods of salmons to improve the success of introduction of farmed salmon to re-stock natural stocks.

Link for the thesis: https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/40333/rodewald_dissertation.pdf?sequence=1

 

Bye-bye lab fish!

Re-post 10.2012

I just completed my experiment with Diplostomum sp. parasites and lab-reared sticklebacks. I took care of the fish during the last two years. A bit sad this period of my life ended but released it is over :)

Some nice pics of these spiny stuffs:

The game starts now

Re-post 09.2012

Now that I have got the Lymnea snails infected with the right species of parasites, I can make experimental infections of fish for my experiments. Let's start this!

On the door of the rearing room:

Looking for infected snails...

Re-post 07.2012

Looking for snails infected with diplostomid trematodes around Helsinki is fun!

The aquatic snails are individually placed in buckets and exposed to strong light to trigger the emergence of cercariae larvae of the parasite (upper left picture). Snail mucus is then collected and screened for parasites under the microscope (bottow right picture - the kind of white stripes).

Halloween with the lab!

Re-post 10.2011

At the entrance of a Halloween party with my lab - geek gathering - great time :)

Have I seen enough sticklebacks in my life already?

Re-post 8.2011

I have spent so much time looking for the parasites of sticklebacks under the microscope that every time I am asked to draw something, the first thing coming is a stickleback...My contribution to the night of arts 2011...

Can sticklebacks indicate water quality?

Re-post 07.2011

On the photo: massive deaths of sticklebacks due to pollution at Rauma - Finland.

It has recently been proposed that this fish could be used as indicator of water quality. For instance, heavy metals can accumulate in the body and alter physiological functions. The accumulation of metals in the fish is measurable and could be used to monitor pollution.

More here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb01747.x/abstract

Krok-monsieur!

Re-post 06.2011

Field work => Pressure + Tiredness => Weird humour... shit happens :D

Sticklebacks, sea horses and scorpionfish

Re-post 05.2013

We caught a fifteen-spined stickleback today. It looks very similar to pipefish we often catch during the samplings. Although sitcklebacks, seahorses and pipefishes were classified at first as close relatives, it appears sticklebacks are closer to scorpionfish. Spiny stuffs... :)

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasterosteiformes

Marine newts?

Re-post 05.2011

This is what I found in a pond at Rauma. The proximity to the sea (10m) leads me to believe the larvae might tolerate brackish water.

Fais ce que je dis, pas ce que je fais...

Re-post 05.2011

When supervising students on the field, you want to give them as many tips, warnings and indications as possible. For instance, I always tell my students to be careful when using the nets as the rocks are very slippery so they can fall and hurt themselves. Guess who felt into the water while waring the student...

Yep - I did...

Moving to the new webpage

Moving what was on my previous blog to the new one... Took a while to find some time and just do it but now it's done.