Ambre Soszynski

Ambre Soszynski

PhD, OCF

Supervisor

William Cheung

Research Unit

Changing Oceans Research Unit

Degrees

MSc Marine Biodiversity and Conservation
BSc Biology of Organisms and Populations

Contact Information

Email: a.soszynski@oceans.ubc.ca

Thesis Topic

End-to-end ecological modelling of evolutionary dynamics on the West Coast of Canada under exploitation and climate change

Biography

My thesis at the IOF started after a number of years gaining experience both at sea and in the academic world.

After graduating from a BSc in biology and ecology in my hometown in Lyon, France, I studied abroad for my MSc degree. This international program allowed me to study in Portugal (University of Algarve), in Ireland (Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology). The courses offered in this program picked my interest for fisheries issues and management at a large scale, and I decided to do my master’s project on ecological models simulating different harvesting strategies, tackling mainly the fisheries discards issues in the Azores deep-sea ecosystem. The knowledge I acquired in the functioning of food webs, trophic modelling and the inclusion of anthropogenic pressures made me confident that these tools are promising, and that, if applied well, will help resolve environmental and socio-economic issues. Ceasing opportunities to work with international scientists and to intern in a number of institutes allowed me to discover the scientific community and slowly make my way in. In the meantime, my education at sea was done interning for dive guide and security onboard certificates, as well as conducting whale watching tours both in the Azores islands and in Iceland. The opportunity to spend days observing the oceans from above or below, and communicating this knowledge to the public made my respect for these precious threatened ecosystems and organisms grow indefinitely.

My research aims at understanding the functioning of ecosystems and their response to anthropogenic pressures in a changing world. The use of marine ecosystem models (Ecopath with Ecosim, OSMOSE) allows to study the marine environments from the individual to ecosystem levels and to forecast the future of biodiversity under fishing and climate change scenarios. My latest focus has been to include variability in the organisms’ response to environmental changes and their subsequent evolutionary potential, unravelling how crucial phenotypic and genotypic diversity can be for the functioning of natural systems.

Past and present collaborations:

Research Interests

Ecological Modelling, Impact Assessment, Biodiversity, Fisheries, Climate Change, Marine Ecosystem, Marine Governance, Ecopath with Ecosim and Ecospace, OSMOSE

Research Gate

Publications

Brito J., Soszynski A., Pham C.K., Giacomello E., Menezes G., Steenbeek J., Chagaris D., Morato T. (2023). Systematic evaluation of a spatially explicit ecosystem model to inform area-based management in the deep-sea, Ocean & Coastal Management, Volume 244, 106807, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106807

Depestele, J., Feekings, J., Reid, D. G., Cook, R., Gascuel, D., Girardin, R., Heath, M., Hernvann, P.-Y., Morato, T., Soszynski, A., & Savina-Rolland, M. (2019). The Impact of Fisheries Discards on Scavengers in the Sea. In The European Landing Obligation. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03308-8_7

Morato, T., Lemey, E., Menezes, G., Pham, C. K., Brito, J., Soszynski, A., Pitcher, T. J., & Heymans, J. J. (2016). Food-web and ecosystem structure of the open-ocean and deep-sea environments of the Azores, NE Atlantic. Frnontiers in Marine Science, Volume 3, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00245

João, M., Soszynski, A., Martins, A., Rauter, A. P., Neng, N. R., Nogueira, J. M. F., Varela, J., Barreira, L., & Custódio, L. (2015). Unravelling the antioxidant potential and the phenolic composition of different anatomical organs of the marine halophyte Limonium algarvense. Industrial Crops and Products, Volume 77, 315–322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.08.061

Depestele, J., Feekings, J., Reid, D. G., Cook, R., Gascuel, D., Girardin, R., Heath, M., Hernvann, P.-Y., Morato, T., Soszynski, A., & Savina-Rolland, M. (2019). The Impact of Fisheries Discards on Scavengers in the Sea. In The European Landing Obligation. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03308-8_7

Morato, T., Lemey, E., Menezes, G., Pham, C. K., Brito, J., Soszynski, A., Pitcher, T. J., & Heymans, J. J. (2016). Food-web and ecosystem structure of the open-ocean and deep-sea environments of the Azores, NE Atlantic. 3(December), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00245

João, M., Soszynski, A., Martins, A., Rauter, A. P., Neng, N. R., Nogueira, J. M. F., Varela, J., Barreira, L., & Custódio, L. (2015). Unravelling the antioxidant potential and the phenolic composition of different anatomical organs of the marine halophyte Limonium algarvense. 77, 315–322.

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Kasey Stirling

PhD,OCF

Supervisor

Andrea Reid

Research Unit

Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Degrees

BSc – Molecular Biology and Biochemistry – Simon Fraser University (2021)
MSc – Oceans and Fisheries Science, the University of British Columbia (2023)

Contact Information

Email: k.stirling@oceans.ubc.ca
Research Gate
Google Scholar

Social Media

Instagram: @Kasey.Stirling
Twitter: @kaseystirling

Thesis Topic

Understanding Fire and Fish: how changing wildfire conditions are impacting Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.)

Biography

Kasey M. Stirling is paternally Nłeʔkepmx, and maternally Mi’kmaq, and Acadienne. She is a status member of the Lower Nicola Indian Band in Merritt, BC, though she was raised in Williams Lake, the traditional territory of the T’exelcemc Nation (Williams Lake First Nation, Secwepemc Peoples). She works in the Southern Interior of BC in partnership with Indigenous communities.

For her PhD work at the Centre for Indigenous fisheries (CIF), she is investigating the impacts of changing wildfire conditions on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) genomics, as well as the history of the criminalisation of Indigenous cultural fire practices and its effects on how we understand wildfires today.

Previously, she worked in partnership with the First Nations Fisheries Legacy Fund for her MSc work with the CIF. That partnership produced the “Biocultural Indicator Manual: a guide for the development & implementation of biocultural indicator frameworks”.

Research Interests

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) genomics, Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing), wildfire ecology, environmental systems, Indigenous research methodologies.

Awards

NSERC Aquatic Sciences Supplement (2026)
NSERC PGSD (2026-2028)
Tim and Ann O’Riordan fellowship in Sustainable Development (2023-2027)
NSERC Indigenous Student Ambassadors (2022)
New Relationship Trust Foundation – Master’s Scholarship (2022, 2022-2023)
Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society – BC Indigenous Student Award (2021 & 2022)
Richard J. and Julia Krejsa Scholarship in Oceans and Fisheries (2021)
Indspire Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries, Scholarships, and Awards program (2021)

Selected Publications

Stirling KM, K Almack, N Boucher, AT Duncan, AM Muir, JWH Connoy, RJ Lauzon, KJ Mussett, C Nonkes, N Vojno, AJ Reid. 2023. “Experiences and Insights on Bridging Knowledge Systems between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Partners: Learnings from the Laurentian Great Lakes.” Journal of Great Lakes Research 49: S12–S21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2023.01.007.

S.E. Cannon, J.W. Moore, M.S. Adams, T. Degai, E. Griggs, J. Griggs, T. Marsden, A.J. Reid, N. Sainsbury, K.M. Stirling, Axdii A. Yee S. Barnes, R. Benson, D. Burrows, Gala’game R. Chamberlin, B. Charley, D. Dick, A.T. Duncan, Kung Kayangas M. Liddle, M. Paul, N. Paul Prince, C. Scotnicki, K. Speck, J. Squakin, C. Van Der Minne, J. Walkus, K. West, Kii’iljuus B. Wilson, and The Indigenous Data Sovereignty Workshop Collective. 2024. Taking care of knowledge, taking care of salmon: towards Indigenous data sovereignty in an era of climate change and cumulative effects. FACETS. 9(): 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2023-0135

Stirling, K. M. (2023). From ethics to genetics in aquatic ecology : process is key (T). University of British Columbia. Retrieved from https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0435564

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Guilherme Suzano Coqueiro

MSc, OCF

Supervisor

Amanda Vincent

Contact Information

Email: g.suzano@oceans.ubc.ca

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Dilan Sunthareswaran

M.Sc., EOAS

Thesis Topic

I am interested in how urbanization impacts the land-sea connections, including the nature of organic matter inputs and health of coastal marine food webs. My thesis research is apart of the Urban Oceans Project, led by the Pelagic Ecosystems Lab and in collaboration with the Tsleil Waututh Nation and Metro Vancouver. Between 2023 and 2024, I conducted monthly collections of mussels around Vancouver in sites ranging in urban intensity. Through fatty acid and stable isotope analysis, I estimated the diet of mussels and assessed their nutritional health.

Supervisor

Dr. Brian Hunt

Degrees

B.Sc., University of British Columbia, 2022

Research Unit

Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Awards

Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Graduate Scholarship
BPOC Graduate Excellence Award

Contact Information

Email: d.sunthareswaran@oceans.ubc.ca

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Colton Van Der Minne

MSc, OCF

Supervisor

Andrea Reid

Contact Information

Email: c.vanderminne@oceans.ubc.ca

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Aleah Wong


PhD, OCF

Supervisor

William Cheung

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Information

Email: a.wong@oceans.ubc.ca

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Han Zhang

Han Zhang

Visiting International Research Student (VIRS)

Supervisor

Rashid Sumaila

Research Unit

Fisheries Economics Research Unit

Biography

Han studies ocean sustainability and the resilience of marine social-ecological systems using computational and data-driven approaches, with a current focus on global fisheries systems and their responses to multiple disturbances.

Contact Information

Email: handiz@student.ubc.ca

Thesis Topic

Ocean sustainability and resilience of marine social-ecological systems

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Illustrated catalogue with local artwork showcases the Transient Killer Whales of Central and Northern California and Oregon – the ‘wolves of the sea’

Science is not just for scientists. Citizen science has been instrumental in helping us understand more about the elusive, but majestic, transient killer whales.

Although killer whales garner a lot of public attention and interest, scientific jargon often makes it hard to appreciate these creatures fully. A user-friendly identification catalogue and field guide is trying to change that by using pictures and artwork from whale watchers, fishermen, citizen scientists, and researchers; these collective efforts allowed transient (Bigg’s) killer whales to be observed as they navigated their way through the central coast of California, and the open waters off Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and even Alaska.

“This book is like a family album of killer whales. It has pictures that show when animals were born, how they’re related to each other,” said Dr. Andrew Trites, who oversees the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. “The field guide provides the backstories that give us some context of who these animals are, and why they matter. It makes science accessible, because scientists share information in a different format that the average person doesn’t have access to. This field guide has gone the extra step to synthesize all this knowledge and has put it in a format that is accessible to everybody.”

For the general naturalist, and people who are interested in seeing killer whales and understanding them, this new guide focuses on the behaviour of transient killer whales, field methods, social behaviour, and diet, as well as the identification of the different killer whales that are seen off the coast of California.

Nicknamed “wolves of the sea,” transient killer whales are fierce hunters who eat massive gray whales and all kinds of harbour seals, porpoises, dolphins, and sea lions. They live in small groups of 2-6 whales, with pods constantly breaking apart and re-forming over different periods of time. Individuals can be identified by their dorsal fin shapes (the upright fin on the top of the animal), post-ocular patch (the white shapes right behind their eyes), and any notches and scars on the dorsal fin and saddle patch (grey area by the fin).

From May 2006 to April 2020, data on transient killer whales was collected based on at-sea observations and sighting reports along the west coast of North America, with the catalogue using over 95,000 photographs to identify (and re-identify) individual killer whales based on their markings and changing scars and marks.

“Researchers keep an updated catalog, called a living catalog, and rely on them to keep track of the individuals. Much of what we know about killer whales has come because of our ability to identify individuals. And we can tell them apart and give them names, because they’ve got unique markings —in many ways, it’s like fingerprints,” said Trites. “Photographs are needed to keep the catalog up to date, but researchers can’t be on the water every day. However, whale watching boats are, and they become one of the big sources of images. Increasingly, it’s going to be citizen scientists, people who happen to be in the right spot at the right time, who provide these photographs.”

Transient killer whales have extremely large geographical distributions. Due to the crossing of country borders between Canada and the United States, a large community effort was needed to map the distribution of these whales, collect data and photographs, and identify the individuals as they make their up and down the coast. Many photographs and data were also collected through volunteer efforts from whale watchers, researchers, fisherman, lighthouse keepers, naturalists, and members of the communities up and down the coast. NOAA also supplied photographs.

“We actually created a Facebook page where people from the community could join it, and post their sightings,” said Josh McInnes, lead researcher and master’s student in the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. “We started to really learn that there’s more happening than what we thought before. As we got the information, we would ID the whales pretty much in real time. It’s exciting because we discovered new whales that are not part of our database or any database. So, we’re learning about new family groups and killer whales that are not known to science.”

“I hope people really enjoy using it [the field guide] and that it helps them understand these animals more,” said McInnes. “I hope people are able to contribute more photographs now that they know there’s a place where they can submit data. This guide is just an opportunity to give back to all the people in these communities. This was kind of our gift back as a thank you.”

NOAA technical memorandum NMFS-SWFSC; 644 Transient Killer Whales of Central and Northern California and Oregon: A Catalog of Photo-Identified Individuals was developed by McInnes, Josh D.; Mathieson, Chelsea R.; West-Stap, Peggy J.; Marcos, Stephanie L.; Wade, Victoria L.; Olson, Paula A.; Trites, Andrew W. for the United States. National Marine Fisheries Service.; Southwest Fisheries Science Center (U.S.);

Breaching transient killer whale, Monterey Bay, CA—photograph by Peggy West-Stap 2012 | NOAA NMFS permit 15621

Transient killer whale OCT077 (dorsal fin) with her two offspring (spyhopping) in Monterey Bay, CA—photograph by Peggy Stap 2013| NOAA NMFS permit 15621

Killer whale catapulting a harbor seal—photograph by Peggy West-Stap 2008 | NOAA NMFS permit 1094-1836

Transient killer whales hunting gray whales in Monterey Bay, CA—photograph by Peggy West-Stap 2005 | Photo usage approved by the Marine Mammal Laboratory and taken under MMPA Permit no. 782-1510 (Principal Investigator: Marilyn Dahlheim)


Depiction of a gray whale calf being hunted, then sinking to the sea floor where it provides nutrients to thousands of organisms—artwork by Selena Rivera

 
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UBC study analyzes the movements and dives of Hudson Bay ringed seals

Being a part of the Arctic food web means constantly moving around trying to avoid being eaten while looking for a snack yourself. This Q&A with Katie Florko, IOF PhD student, tells us more.

Observations of Hudson Bay ringed seals may lead to a better understanding of the correlation between foraging behaviour and prey density. A new UBC study tested the assumption that predators change their movement and behaviour according to the density of their preferred prey. Using satellites to detect the horizontal movement and dives of Hudson Bay ringed seals, a not-so picky, common predator in the Arctic waters this was explored.

Pusa hispida botnica Oulu, Estormiz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hudson Bay ringed seals, identified by small ring shapes scattered across their backs, are the most common pinniped in the Arctic. These furry mammals play an important role in the northern region by being an intermediary in the food chain where they are favoured prey for polar bears. They are also generalist predators, choosing to forage on any locally available prey, including Arctic cod, northern sand lance, capelin, and various invertebrates.

This makes them the perfect mammal to follow around the chilly waters of the Arctic.

We sat down to talk to Katie Florko, lead author of the study and a PhD student in the Statistical Ecology Research Unit at UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.

Why did you analyze the movement and behaviour of these Hudson Bay ringed seals?

The motivation for this one was actually from a previous chapter of my thesis, which looked at changes in fish distribution in the area. It turned out that fish we were looking at were the primary prey of ringed seals, so we did a big projection study, where we looked at what the future will look like for ringed seal prey in Hudson Bay. We made a bunch of maps of the differences in fish that we’d expect to see, the space, size, quantity, species composition, and all these kinds of things.

Ringed seals ©Katie Florko

What we found was this really big shift where the previous main species of fish prey, the Arctic cod, that was normally well-distributed, was retracting northwards, and all of these more temperate species were coming in. These more temperate species have a lower energetic food value, which means that there would be a bunch of consequences for fish. So, with this chapter, we looked at what this means for the ringed seals.

What are the changes happening with the fish?

There is reduced Arctic cod throughout the study area in Hudson Bay, and they appear to be moving north. It could be for a variety of reasons: environmental conditions; temperature; sea ice; salinity; pH; or even amount of oxygen in the water.

The new species coming in, they have, historically, always been in the area, but they are becoming a lot more prevalent, and they’re really increasing in the southern and coastal areas. These species are typically smaller, which means they have less food energy content. So, one Arctic cod equals a lot more of these little fish. This impacts the ringed seals.

How did you track the movements and behaviours of these seals?

We matched up the movement of the seals to the different fish that we had, and saw which areas they were using and what behaviours they were undertaking in different areas. We validated these models with diving behaviour, and also used what we call time depth recorders on the seals, so we could measure their dives. This provided us with all kinds of information.

Ringed seal foraging ©Katie Florko

What did you find?

What we found was kind of confusing. We typically use movement data where there is an area restricted search. This is where the movement of the animals becomes really convoluted: they’re turning angles with shorter, lower speeds. Historically, studies that used movement data assumed that area restricted search meant there was prey in that area. This means foraging for the seals. We took that apart using these prey layers and the ring seal movement and diving behaviour.

What we found was that it’s not always the case where area restricted search means more prey. And neither was diving behaviour. So, our study highlighted that these things are really complex, and we don’t know a whole lot about what ringed seals are actually doing.

What are you doing next?

We’ll have to talk again in a couple of months, because my next chapter incorporates polar bears as well. It turns out that when you look at like ringed seal movement with prey, there’s no relationship, it doesn’t make sense. But if you add in polar bears, it shows a super, crystal-clear pattern where the seals are avoiding prey because of predators or selecting for prey. They’re making compromises based on how risky their environment is. It’s really interesting.
 

Linking movement and dive data to prey distribution models: new insights in foraging behaviour and potential pitfalls of movement analyses was published in Movement Ecology.

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New FCRR: Comprehensive review of advances in life history knowledge for 35 seahorse species, drawn from community science

Short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus)
© Dennis Rabeling, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Marine ecosystems face unprecedented challenges from human activities and environmental changes. Gathering scientific information while engaging local management is crucial for marine conservation. Community science is a powerful tool for understanding marine species, with seahorses being ideal candidates for engaging diverse individuals.

In this Fisheries Centre Research Report the authors have undertaken an impressive task of synthesizing and analyzing data contributed to the iSeahorse community science project. iSeahorse, active from October 2013 to present, has enabled citizens from various backgrounds to actively participate in seahorse research and conservation.

The findings highlight the potential of community science for understanding seahorses. By comparing iSeahorse data with IUCN Red List assessments, the authors reveal significant insights. Updated geographic ranges for seven species, new habitat descriptions for 24 species, and observations beyond recorded depth ranges for 14 species emerged from the analysis.

One notable example is that of the Coleman’s pygmy seahorse, which showed a larger range (by thousands of km2) and more diverse habitats than previously known. Community science has a profound impact on understanding seahorses.

This report emphasizes the vital role of iSeahorse and community science initiatives in improving IUCN Red List assessments and seahorse conservation. It highlights the broader potential of community science for marine conservation, and how community engagement in scientific research unlocks knowledge and passion. This report encourages further exploration of community science for marine conservation.

All Fisheries Centre Research Reports

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