Biodiversity and habitat offsets for freshwater fishes Enthusiastic, team oriented, and self-motivated students are encouraged to apply for a Ph.D. position to work on biodiversity offsets strategies for freshwater fisheries. Students will be under the supervision of Dr. Mark Poesch and will have the opportunity to develop novel research on freshwater fishes, and interact with team members and industry partners.
Biodiversity and habitat offsets remain an important component for mitigating anthropogenic impacts to aquatic systems. In Canada, Fisheries Protection Provisions in the 2012 revisions to the Fisheries Act (s 6.1) have deemed habitat and biodiversity offsets as a key component of Canadas fisheries regulation. When habitat that is deemed vital for commercial, recreational or Aboriginal (CRA) fisheries, is destroyed; habitat/biodiversity offsets are required to ensure No Net Loss in fisheries productivity. It is unclear as of yet which offsetting strategies will provide sustainability and ongoing productivity of CRA fisheries. This project will look at developing offsetting strategies In Albertas oil sands region. This area produces 70% of Canadas crude oil, and ranks third, after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, in terms of proven global crude oil reserves. This project will look at comparing current offsetting strategies and determining best practices and new approaches for fisheries productivity. Candidates must have an undergraduate and graduate degree (M.Sc.) in Biology, Ecology, Zoology, Evolutionary Biology, or a related field, with high overall GPA (especially in related courses). Modelling and field experience is considered an asset. Candidates interested in this position should send an email to Dr. Mark Poesch (poesch(at)ualberta.ca) with cover letter identifying research interests, CV, transcripts (unofficial accepted), and a writing sample; as well as the names of three references. To ensure full consideration, please forward your application material before January 31, 2014. The University of Alberta is consistently rated as one of the top 5 universities in Canada, and one of the top 100 universities worldwide. Located in Albertas capital city, Edmonton (population of 1.2 million people), the University of Alberta provides a dynamic mixture of a large research intensive university, urban culture and recreation. More than 39,000 students from across Canada and 144 other countries participate in nearly 400 programs and 18 faculties. Contact Information: Dr. Mark Poesch Assistant Professor, Conservation Ecology University of Alberta, Department of Renewable Resources 751 General Services Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H1 Ph: 780-492-4827 Email: Poesch(at)ualberta.ca URL: www.markpoesch.com
