Dr. Thiem and Dr. Cooke after Jason’s defense
Congratulations are in order for Jason Thiem, who successfully defended his Ph.D. on November 5th, 2013.
Jason left his native Australia four years ago to pursue a Ph.D. degree with Dr. Steven Cooke in the Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology lab at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. At that time, Jason had been working in the fisheries field and had some experience with telemetry and was searching for an applied project with a scientist at the forefront of this field. Awarded a President’s Doctoral Fellowship from Carleton, Jason’s thesis focused on lake sturgeon reproductive behaviour and fishway passage.
Lake sturgeon are a coolwater migratory fish that have been extirpated in certain parts of Canada from overfishing. One of the primary threats to lake sturgeon population recovery is dams that act as barriers to fish that swim upstream in search of spawning habitat. Jason’s research on lake sturgeon was integral to NSERC HydroNet, a national research network whose focus was to promote sustainable hydropower and healthy aquatic ecosystems in Canada. To conduct his research, Jason spent approximately 2.5 months/year in the field for three years, primarily in Quebec on the Richelieu River, where he caught and tagged more than 500 lake sturgeon. His results have shed light on many aspects of lake sturgeon behaviour.
One of the unique opportunities of working in the Cooke Lab was the range of experience Jason gained by mentoring students and assisting with projects based in different parts of Canada and the United States. As a result of his dedication and collaboration Jason has a wide breadth of publications. When asked what the highlights of his Ph.D. experience were, Jason automatically refers to all of the travel he was lucky enough to experience for research or conference purposes, including visiting Japan, Puerto Rico, the Rockies, Bahamas, and Australia.
As his time in Canada draws to a close, Jason is preparing for a move back to Australia with his wife Sally, where he has been offered a position as a Riverine Fisheries Scientist with the state government agency in Narrandera. His work will be part of a 5-year project assessing fish movement and recruitment in relation to environmental flow release from hydropower dams. Specific aspects of the project will include using acoustic telemetry on a variety of species and evaluating the connectivity between the floodplain and main river channel.
Needless to say Jason has accomplished an incredible amount during his Ph.D. tenure here and his contributions to the lab and the field of sturgeon research have been invaluable. He will be missed greatly, but we send the newly titled Dr. Thiem off with only the best wishes and look forward to working with him in the future!
