For my BSc Honours Project in 2005-2006, I sampled two Gatineau Park lakes for the presence of an invasive species, northern pike, and assessed its impact on the endemic species of the lakes.
Several years before, my thesis supervisor, François Chapleau, learned that fishermen in the area had introduced northern pike in two small lakes, presumably for sport fishing purposes. This is a phenomenon that is all too common and can caused major disruptions to native fish populations. Having such a predator be suddenly introduced to this ecosystem caused an imbalance, and lead to certain species being extirpated (i.e. extinct from those lakes).
My thesis project involved sampling for northern pike using gill nets in the fall (09/2005 to 11/2005). This involved a lot of rigorous field work, hiking, going out many evenings and weekends on a motorboat or paddle boat to lay out the nets, and later returning to collect them. We collected as many specimens of this invasive species as possible, then brought them back to our lab for analysis. We were able to determine the age of the specimens by examining their otoliths (a bone near their gills), similar to counting rings on a tree. After taking a series of morphological measurements, such as total length, weight, girth, etc, we were ready to analyze the results. Using this data, we were able to plot the growth of each specimen and observe how being introduced to a new ecosystem impacted their growth. Based on the relative age of the specimens, we were able to determine that the total population increased dramatically in the first few years following their introduction. This coincided with a distinct drop in population of other endemic species of the lakes, and the complete extirpation of two of them.
Throughout this project, I learned much about the scientific process, conducting field work, developing a methodology, analyzing data, and discussing results. This was my first real crack at research and evaluation, and I found I enjoyed it and developed a taste for it.
This eventually lead to an interest in pursuing a Masters of Science Biology with this same supervisor, which in turn was an important stepping stone in my journey as a professional.