We are gearing up to launch a new project looking to exploit AI image analysis capabilities to help streamline biofouling and antifouling research. Dr. Robin Cappaert, who just received his PhD from the University of Tasmania, will be joining the lab as a post-doctoral researcher in the fall. The project is another collaboration with GIT Coatings, and has received support from the new Ear to the Ground program from Research Nova Scotia. Looking forward to having Robin join the lab!
This year’s Canadian Society of Zoology conference was in Ottawa. James Hanlon presented his honours research, which was an analysis of lobster aggresssion and whether it was modulated by the quality of bait used to attract the lobster. Answer: apparently not. Lauren Pictou presented a poster showcasing her honours project describing the cholinergic neuroanatomy of pond snails. Answer: hundreds of cells in the snail’s brain use acetylcholine as their neurotransmitter. And Russell presented the work that Aidan McGowan has spent a bunch of time on, suggesting the lobster behaviors are relatively unaffected by the few other species that are attracted to the bait used to catch lobsters. Oh, and the band at the end-of-conference banquet was awesome.
Congrats to both Lauren Pictou and James Hanlon, would presented their work at both Science Atlantic and StFX Student Research Night (just Lauren).
Post-doctoral Position #1: Foraging behaviour of American Lobster and development of alternative baits for the fishery
This project aims to better understand foraging responses of the American lobster to both natural prey and baits used in the lobster fishery. The lobster fishery has been thriving, but it crucially depends on the bait placed in traps. The sustainability of the bait supplies for the fishery are thus a critical issue for long-term sustainability of the lobster fishery as whole. We have developed a system that uses Baited Remote Underwater Video to document lobster responses to both natural prey items and bait, without the complicating factor of traps. There are three possible next steps for this research:
All three projects are related, but require very different types of experience: marine field work and boats and fisheries, ethological and video analysis, and image segmentation and AI tools. Experience collaborating with the fishing industry would be beneficial for all three projects. The focus of the two or three-year post-doc will depend on expertise and funding.
Note: All three projects are pending funding approval. Time lines are short for one of the funding options, so applications will begin being considered immediately.
Interested candidates should have (or be about to receive) a PhD degree, with expertise in at least one of the project areas. To apply, send an email to Russell Wyeth with a cover letter explaining your interest and relevant experience. Please also indicate your nationality. Also include transcripts (unofficial are fine initially), a CV, and contact information for 3 references.
Post-doctoral Position #2: AI-based quantification of biofouling community growth and diversity
A key problem for many analyses of marine macrofouling is the laborious measurement of images or video. Whether tracking invasive species, testing prototype antifouling coatings, or monitoring growth on aquaculture equipment, there is frequently a need to quantify the heterogenous community of organisms that grow on submerged surfaces. This project aims to develop an AI-based solution to the biofouling analysis problem. The proliferation of publicly available AI models presents an opportunity to streamline the assessment and analysis of biofouling image data. In particular, our goal is to automate the extraction of both the identity (i.e., species) and amount (counts and coverage) of biofouling. A range of machine-learning tools have been developed for biological image analysis in general as well as specific tools for analysis of biofouling images or video. However, none has yet achieved widespread adoption. Importantly, though, none have yet been built around modern multimodal AI models that have undergone massive development over the last few years. This three-year post-doc will focus on using multimodal AI models to develop easily shared and implemented workflows for analysis of marine macrofouling.
Note: The project is pending funding approval. Time lines are short for one of the funding options, so applications will begin being considered immediately.
Interested candidates should have (or be about to receive) a PhD degree, with expertise in AI-based image analysis and segmentation. Experience with marine biofouling is a not a requirement, although would be an asset alongside image analysis experience. To apply, send an email to Russell Wyeth with a cover letter explaining your interest and relevant experience. Please also indicate your nationality. Also include transcripts (unofficial are fine initially), a CV, and contact information for 3 references.
Congratulations to Miranda Dennis, who completed their PhD in Mike Hart’s lab at SFU and Ka’ala Estores Pacheco who completed their MSc with Ángel Valdés at California Polytechnic, Pomona.
The overall finding from the research was that the two North American species of Hermissenda do not interbreed. Miranda’s work was based on genetic sequences that showed both that the two species were distinct and there was little or no gene flow between the two populations. Ka’ala’s work was focused on lab observations of mating behaviour – members of each species were happy to mate with each other, but when pairs were from opposite species, no mating was observed.
Dennis, M.T., Ka’ala Estores‐Pacheco, A.L., Williams, K., Wyeth, R.C., Valdés, Á., Mooers, A.Ø., and Hart, M.W. 2026. Demographic Models and Behavioral Assessments Uncover Distinct Species Histories in the Pseudocryptic Nudibranch Genus Hermissenda. Ecology and Evolution 16(2): e73045. doi:10.1002/ece3.73045.
At the start of November, both Russell and Grace presented talks and both Grace and Ryan presented a poster each as well at the the inaugural North American Lobster Science Symposium. The talks have been share online, so here they are, along with Ryan’s poster.
Grace Walls – Biotic and abiotic influences on American lobster, Homarus americanus, response to bait.
[Video Not Available… ]
Grace Walls – Does the American lobster fishery need a bait testing service to
facilitate change in bait use?
Russell Wyeth, – Influences of prey type on American lobster agonistic behaviours
Ryan Bergman – Juvenile Lobster in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence – A Baseline Density & Behavioural
Survey
Huge congratulations to Grace Walls for getting the first publication from her PhD done. And past students Rachel Webber, Laura Brady, and Michelle Hodgson and many others members of the lobster team as well as all the harvesters who helped with boat time for the project all get a share in the credit.
Published in Fisheries Management and Ecology, this is the first of several planned publications from our lobster bait project. Grace shows that Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) is a viable method to assess baits for lobster fishery. This is important, because it provides a method for refining alternative bait development in advance of testing new baits in the fishery. Our hope is this will contribute to the fishery shifting towards a more sustainable approach to bait use.
One of our local community TV stations interviewed Russell about the work and the larger issue of sustainable bait in the lobster fishery.
Walls, L.G., Webber, R., Brady, L., Hodgson, M., McGaw, I.J., and Wyeth, R.C. 2025. Assessment of a baited remote underwater video method to evaluate American Lobster (Homarus americanus) response to baits in nature. Fisheries Management and Ecology. doi:10.1111/fme.70026.
Exploring more sustainable baits for the lobster fishery was on the local radio – XFM.
And Kieran Murphy and Russell were consulted on the prospects of growing the tunicate Ciona as alternative source of protein!
Our more applied science on lobster baits and behaviour and low toxicity antifouling has gotten a special profile on the StFX website. It part of a series showcasing all sorts of cool research done here. Shout out to Yulia who took the great photo at Tor Bay.
High schoolers from around the province arrived at StFX for a day of hands-on STEM-related activities, including stops in human kinetics, biology, math, nursing, and psychology. Thanks to Mike who ran a biofouling activity and Ryan and Aidan who ran a juvenile lobster foraging activity (with candies!).
Wyeth Lab 