Brielle Comartin

The Ricciardians gather for our lab Christmas party. (Photo taken by @ecoinvasions.bsky.social) Note the secret hand sign. @tjcolvin.bsky.social @vanmierlo.bsky.social @ivanakomendic.bsky.social @emmaschubert.bsky.social @picard-m.bsky.social @briellecomartin.bsky.social @veronicagroves.bsky.social

Grad students assembling equipment on the receding shoreline of the St. Lawrence River.

Last week our field team investigated the effects of low water levels in the St Lawrence River. Shown left to right: @briellecomartin.bsky.social, @ivanakomendic.bsky.social & @tjcolvin.bsky.social
Joining them was @ecoinvasions.bsky.social. The land on which they're standing should be under water.

Freshwater mussels

Pink heelsplitter (Potamilus alatus)

Plain pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium)

Hickorynut (Obovaria oliviara), a species at risk in Canada

Sampled an incredibly diverse site of freshwater mussels in the St. Lawrence River! @ricciardilab.bsky.social

Zebra mussels on collector plates.

Zebra mussels on plastic macrophytes.

Lac Témiscouata.

Zebra mussels fouling on a unionid.

A great week at Lac Témiscouata for @ivanakomendic.bsky.social fieldwork investigating zebra mussel associations with different substrates & macrophytes

AFS Bioblitz Recap #BlitzTheGap
🎥🎥🎥🎥

Freshwater sponge on a rock.

Freshwater sponges on unionid mussels.

Was thrilled to find so many freshwater sponges during a practice dive in the St. Lawrence River, including some growing on unionid mussels! #freshwatersponges

Concordia is ready to represent the AFS...So many external rep applicants —we’re gonna need a bigger tank
Concordia est prête à représenter AFS...Tellement de candidats pour le poste de représentant externe —on va avoir besoin d’un plus grand aquarium 🐠

Crayfish traps in the Ottawa River.

Setting crayfish traps in the St. Lawrence River.

Measuring a spinycheek crayfish carapace length, caught from the Ottawa River.

Taking environmental variables from the St. Lawrence River.

Sampling in the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers for @vanmierlo.bsky.social’s fieldwork, targeting invasive spinycheek crayfish #invasivespecies #crayfish

Join us Saturday, July 19, 2025, for a day of biodiversity fun on Île Perrot to #BlitzTheGap with iNaturalist! 🌿🐟 We’ll be targeting understudied aquatic species—plus there’ll be prizes, food, and great company.

We hope to see you there!

The zebra mussel invaded the Richelieu River in the mid-1990s, despite a suboptimal calcium concentration (18 mg/L). After 25 yrs of exposure to fouling, unionid diversity & abundance have eroded to the same extent as in invaded calcium-rich habitats. See our paper: cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/...

Long-term biodiversity erosion: limited co-existence of the Eurasian zebra mussel and native mussels in a North American river after 25 years North American unionid mussel populations have experienced significant mortality due to competition and fouling by the Eurasian zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771). Habitats whose water c...

⭐Editor's Choice⭐
Long-term biodiversity erosion: limited co-existence of the Eurasian zebra mussel and native mussels in a North American river after 25 years | Zwarych et al, including @ecoinvasions.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1139/cjz-... Free access for this month

Great article to read before the upcoming #IAGLR25 conference!

@briellecomartin.bsky.social understands the spirit of what I'll be sharing in my improv workshop with this advice:

"DO: Present your research (poster or talk) with confidence
DON’T: Underestimate yourself"

The AFS community can rock more than waders and rubber boots! This year's symposium was a fashion show… and this isn’t even the whole look! More sneaky fits to come:)

Il est CLAIR que la communauté AFS peut porter autre chose que des cuissardes et des bottes en caoutchouc.

#AFSQCS2025

Wow, what an amazing event! 🎉

Huge thanks to all the presenters, attendees, and artists for making our 3rd annual symposium truly unforgettable.

It was incredible to see the fish community come together! 🐟💙 Stay tuned for more recaps, and share your moments with #AFSQCS2025! 🏆✨

Congratulations to my lab mate @ivanakomendic.bsky.social on passing her QE! 🍻🤍 #PhDcandidate

Follow our students for posts about invasive freshwater fish, crayfish & mussels:
(clockwise in photo below)
Victoria @vanmierlo.bsky.social
Kate @katest0rey.bsky.social
Brielle @briellecomartin.bsky.social
Emma @emmaschubert.bsky.social
Ty @tjcolvin.bsky.social
Ivana @ivanakomendic.bsky.social

🚨 Last call! 🚨

We love our last-minute folks—but only if it’s fashionably late 😉
Today’s the FINAL DAY to sign up for the symposium! 📢
Make sure to sign up using the link below so that you don't miss out!✨
#AFSQCS2025

linktr.ee/AFSQC

RING RING📞! The fish community is calling, and they’re not taking voicemail! 🐟 It’s the last week to sign up for the AFS conference—don’t flounder around and miss your chance to communicate with the current! 🌊
#AFSQCS2025

Can't wait to see you there:)

linktr.ee/AFSQC

Top panel shows the results of experiment 1 on the behavioural response to conspecific chemical cues. Disturbance cues elicited increased activity in shoals of Blackchin Shiner. Bottom panel shows the results of experiment 2 on the behavioural response to predator odours. Rock bass predator odour elicited increased shelter use in shoals of Blackchin Shiner.

New #OpenAccess paper on the use of #nonlethal chemical cues on minnow behaviour🐟 ➡️ onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy3.library.mcgill.ca/doi/full/10.... as part of my PhD research @biomcgill.bsky.social

Introducing our new director Professor Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social with a video and a message of some of his hopes for the future!

In light of this year's theme, we are asking McGill Biology students how they communicate science.

Regardez ce tik tok pour voir comment ils le font et inscrivez-vous à la conférence pour nous dire comment VOUS communiquez la science.

vm.tiktok.com/ZMkgFhK8W/

📢 Mark your calendars! The 2025 Symposium: Communicating the Current is happening on March 25th
Discover, learn, and connect with Quebec's vibrant aquatic research community
📅 Sign up now using the QR code below!
#AFSQCS2025 #CommunicatingTheCurrent

linktr.ee/AFSQC

Hello Blue-Sky!!🐟

We are the Quebec Subunit of the @amfisheriessoc.bsky.social! We are a group of students from various Quebec universities with a common goal of communicating, collaborating and promoting aquatic and fisheries science!

We are excited to share what we have been up to!🌊