Drivers of growth in strong year classes of the deepwater redfish (Sebastes mentella) population from the Gulf of St. Lawrence derived from otolith increment-based growth chronologies.

The case of the deepwater redfish (Sebastes mentella) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) is a compelling example of drastic fluctuations in annual recruitment strength, characteristic of spasmodic stocks. After three decades of low abundance, the emergence of three consecutive strong year classes in 2011-2013 resulted in an unprecedented increase in biomass.

Simulating the effects of long-distance dispersal and landscape heterogeneity on the eco-evolutionary outcomes of range expansion in an invasive riverine fish, Tench (Tinca tinca).

Predicting how quickly populations expand their range and whether they will retain genetic diversity when they are introduced to new regions or track environmental conditions suited to their survival is an important applied and theoretical challenge. The literature suggests that long-distance dispersal, landscape heterogeneity and the evolution of dispersal influence populations' expansion rates and genetic diversity. We used individual-based spatially explicit simulations to examine these relationships for Tench (Tinca tinca), an invasive fish expanding its geographical range in eastern North America since the 1990s.

Genetic diversity and structure of a recent fish invasion: Tench () in eastern North America.

Introduced and geographically expanding populations experience similar eco-evolutionary challenges, including founder events, genetic bottlenecks, and novel environments. Theory predicts that reduced genetic diversity resulting from such phenomena limits the success of introduced populations. Using 1900 SNPs obtained from restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing, we evaluated hypotheses related to the invasion history and connectivity of an invasive population of Tench (), a Eurasian freshwater fish that has been expanding geographically in eastern North America for three decades.

Trade-offs between reducing complex terminology and producing accurate interpretations from environmental DNA: Comment on "Environmental DNA: What's behind the term?" by Pawlowski et al., (2020).

In a recent paper, "Environmental DNA: What's behind the term? Clarifying the terminology and recommendations for its future use in biomonitoring," Pawlowski et al. argue that the term eDNA should be used to refer to the pool of DNA isolated from environmental samples, as opposed to only extra-organismal DNA from macro-organisms. We agree with this view.

Flowing down the river: Influence of hydrology on scale and accuracy of elemental composition classification in a large fluvial ecosystem.

Trace metals found in the calcified structures of fish (i.e. otolith, scales and vertebrae) serve as proxies for the ambient water composition at the time of mineralization, and these trace metals are increasingly used as a tool for assessing population structure and the migratory patterns of fish.

Past, present and future contributions of evolutionary biology to wildlife forensics, management and conservation.

Successfully implementing fundamental concepts into concrete applications is challenging in any given field. It requires communication, collaboration and shared will between researchers and practitioners. We argue that evolutionary biology, through research work linked to conservation, management and forensics, had a significant impact on wildlife agencies and department practices, where new frameworks and applications have been implemented over the last decades.

Supplementation stocking of Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in small boreal lakes: Ecotypes influence on growth and condition.

Supplementation stocking is a commonly used management tool to sustain exploited fish populations. Possible negative consequences of supplementation on local stocks are a concern for the conservation of wild fish populations. However, the direct impacts of supplementation on life history traits of local populations have rarely been investigated.