EDUCATION
Ph.D. Biology – current

Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick (Saint John)

Thesis: Forecasting and understanding fisheries recruitment of American lobster in Atlantic Canada

 

M.Sc. Biology – 2022

Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick (Saint John)

Thesis: Forecasting American lobster fishery recruitment in Atlantic Canada using benthic recruitment densities

 

B.Sc. First Class Honours Marine Biology – 2018

Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick (Saint John)

Thesis: Contribution of variability in embryo development rate and status at hatch to the protracted hatch period of female American Lobster Homarus americanus

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PUBLICATIONS

Peer Reviewed

White, L.M., Sainte-Marie, B., Lawton, P., and Rochette, R. 2024. Using benthic recruitment densities to forecast fisheries recruitment of American lobster in Atlantic Canada. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.: cjfas-2023-0277. doi:10.1139/cjfas-2023-0277.

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Technical reports

White, L. and Rochette, R. 2024. Summer 2022 and 2023 lobster embryo sampling update. Report prepared for collaborators in the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association.

White, L. and Rochette ,R. 2022. Summer 2021 lobster embryo sampling update. Report prepared for collaborators in the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association and Homarus Inc. (Maritime Fishermen’s Union).

White, L. and Rochette, R. 2021. Summer 2020 lobster embryo sampling update. Report prepared for collaborators in the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association and Homarus Inc. (Maritime Fishermen’s Union).

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Other publications

Goode, A. and White, L. 2024. American Lobster Settlement Index Update 2023. Commercial Fisheries News. 51(12): 24-25.

White, L. and Rochette, R. 2019. Preservation of pleopods for future molt staging in American lobster Homarus americanus. The Lobster Newsletter. 32(1): 15-18. https://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/rock_lobster/the_lobster_newsletter/lobster_newsletter_v32_no1.pdf

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SELECT AWARDS & HONOURS

2024-2027 – Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral (CGS-D) – National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

2024 – New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) Graduate Merit Award

2023 – Paul Kanciruk Student Travel Award – The International Conference and Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and Management, Freemantle, Western Australia

2023 – Marguerite and Murray Vaughan Graduate Fellowship – University of New Brunswick

2023 – Gordon Research Conference Early-Career Award – Predictive Ecology Gordon Research Conference, Boston, MA.

2021 – NBIF Graduate Merit Award – University of New Brunswick

2020 – R3 Research Student Pitch Competition Runner-up – New Brunswick Innovation Foundation

2018 – Theirry Chopin Award for Graduate Coastal Studies – University of New Brunswick

2018 – NBIF STEM and Social Innovation Award – University of New Brunswick

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CONFERENCE ACTIVITY

Select conference presentations

2024 – Using benthic recruitment densities to forecast fisheries recruitment of American lobster in Atlantic Canada. Canadian Society of Zoologists Meeting, May 2024. Oral presentation.

*Awarded the Cas C. Lindsey Prize for Best Oral Presentation in the Integrative Ecology and Evolution Section

2023 – Using benthic recruitment densities as an indicator of future fisheries recruitment of American lobster in Atlantic Canada. 12th International Conference and Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and Management, October 2023. Oral presentation.

2023 – Three decades of unprecedented landings and northward shifting abundances: An updated review of American lobster (Homarus americanus) landing trends in the Northwest Atlantic, 1947-2021. 12th International Conference and Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and Management, October 2023. Oral presentation.

2021 – Can we use American lobster settlement density to predict future fishery recruitment in Atlantic Canada? World Fisheries Congress. September 23, 2021. Oral presentation.

2018 – Contribution of variability in embryo development rate and status at hatch to the protracted hatch period of individual female American lobsters Homarus americanus. Science Atlantic Aquaculture & Fisheries Conference. March 11, 2018. Oral presentation.

 

Conference attendee and discussant

2023 – Gordon Research Conference on Predictive Ecology. June 4 – 9, 2023. Boston, MA.

2019 – ComSciConCAN (Communicating Science Conference Canada). July 18 – 20, 2019. Hamilton, ON.

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SELECT INVITED PRESENTATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS

2024 – Update on lobster settlement sampling in 2023 for the southwest Bay of Fundy. American Lobster Settlement Index (ALSI) Annual Meeting. April 25, 2024. Invited presenter.

2024 – American lobster fishery in Canada: Updates on landings and recruitment forecasting. National Science Foundation (NSF) Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) Lobster Researchers Team Meeting. April 11, 2024. Invited presenter.

2024 – Coast-wide Landings Synthesis. American Lobster Data Workshop - Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). February 15, 2024. Invited presenter.

2023 – Update on lobster settlement sampling in 2022 for the southwest Bay of Fundy. Invited presenter. American Lobster Settlement Index (ALSI) Annual Meeting. April 12, 2023.

2020 – Using settlement densities to forecast fisheries recruitment in Atlantic Canada. American Lobster Settlement Index (ALSI) Annual Meeting. April 14, 2020. Invited presenter.

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CONSULTATION AND EXPERT ADVISING

2024 – Expert knowledge holder. Biological Population/Stock Assessment Methods for the Passamaquoddy Bay/SW Bay of Fundy/NW Gulf of Maine Lobster Fisheries. University of Guelph Marine Biology and Oceanography Field Course. July 7, 2024.

2024 – Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) All Hands Meeting. Invited expert consultant. Walpole, Maine. May 17, 2024.

2024 – Changes in American Lobster Landings. Invited expert panelist. U.S.-Canada Lobster Town Meeting. Moncton, New Brunswick. January 18, 2024.

2023 – Invited external expert reviewer for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans regional peer review of the stock assessment framework and stock status of Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Lobster (LFAs 23, 24, 25, 26A, 26B) American Lobster (Homarus americanus). March 22-23, 2023.

2023 – “Shifting distributions & movements in a changing climate”. Invited expert panelist. U.S.-Canada Lobster Town Meeting. Portland, Maine. February 3, 2023.

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Statistical Associate. CovarsaDx. (2023 - present).

Graduate Research Assistant. University of New Brunswick, Saint John (2018 - present).

2020-present: At-sea sampling and data processing lead on American lobster embryo sampling in collaboration with Fundy North Fishermen’s Association.

2018-present: At-sea sampling lead on American lobster plankton tow sampling in the Bay of Fundy.

Graduate Teaching Assistant. University of New Brunswick, Saint John (2018 - present).

Undergraduate Research Assistant. University of New Brunswick, Saint John (2016-2018).

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant. University of New Brunswick, Saint John (2018).

Lobster Technician. Cape Breton Fish Harvesters (previously LFA 27 Management Board) (2016)

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TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Graduate teaching assistantships

University of New Brunswick, Saint John

Marine Semester (Fall 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Biometrics (Winter 2024)

Fisheries Ecology (Winter 2022, Winter 2024)

Biological Oceanography (Winter 2023)

Applications in Biology, Part II (Winter 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

Introductory Chemistry Laboratory II (Winter 2021)

Marine Behavioural Ecology (Winter 2020)

General Physical and Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory (Winter 2020)

Biological Principles, Part I (Fall 2018, 2019)

Introduction to Ecology (Fall 2018)

Introductory Chemistry Laboratory I (Fall 2018)

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Undergraduate mentorship

University of New Brunswick, Saint John

Honours Thesis Project Mentor: Jonathan Kubelka, July 2021 – April 2022. Thesis: In-situ validation of lobster embryo hatch time based on presence and abundance of stage 1 larvae.

Honours Thesis Project Mentor: Alaina Pyde, September 2019 – April 2020. Thesis: Molt staging using pleopods in American lobster (Homarus americanus): quantifying repeatability of assessments and impact of freezing.

Honours Thesis Project Mentor: Kaitlin Casey, July 2018 – April 2019. Thesis: Predicting development of American lobster (Homarus americanus) embryos from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.

 

Invited Guest Lectures

2024 - "Is limiting catch worth the effort? Comparisons of demographic trends in quota- vs non-quota controlled marine fisheries." – Science and Management of Marine Fisheries.  University of New Brunswick, Saint John.

2023 - "Impacts of biophysical processes on early lobster survival and subsequent fisheries recruitment" - Biological Oceanography. University of New Brunswick, Saint John.

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Undergraduate teaching assistantships

University of New Brunswick, Saint John

Introductory Chemistry Laboratory II (Winter 2018)

 

DEPARTMENTAL/UNIVERSITY SERVICE

Co-chair for the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee 2021 – present. University of New Brunswick Saint John.

Member of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee 2019 – 2021. University of New Brunswick Saint John.

Member of the Student Technology Fee Committee 2018 – 2023. University of New Brunswick Saint John.

Graduate Student Representative for the Department of Biological Sciences 2019 – 2020. University of New Brunswick Saint John.

Member of the Applied Ecology Program Committee 2019-2020. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick Saint John.

 

EXTRACURRICULAR UNIVERSITY SERVICE

Secretary for the Union of Graduate Student Workers at UNB (Public Service Alliance of Canada DCL 60550) 2018 – 2020.

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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/OUTREACH

2020 – Saint John City Co-ordinator, Pint of Science Canada.

2019 – present - Participant in Skype-a-Scientist.

2019 – 2020 - Letters to a Pre-Scientist Pen-pal

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MEDIA COVERAGE

January 18, 2023 – “Researcher’s Model Predicts Lobster Catches”. Interviewed by Mike Landry for AllNewBrunswick, Article.

April 25, 2019 – “Saint John Grad Student Awarded Prestigious Spot in Development Workshop”. Written by Kyle Hampsey for The Gradosphere (UNB School of Graduate Studies), Article.