Research

Currently, I am evaluating the population structure of Antarctic Silverfish, Pleuragramma antarcticum, by using otolith microchemistry.  These fish are a vital food source for many different species of seals, whales, birds, and other fish along the shelf waters of Antarctica.  Despite there importance, very little is known about the ecology and population dynamics of these fish. 

For my project, I will be using the chemical markers imprinted in the nucleus of silverfish to make comparisons between fish sampled from the Ross Sea, Weddell Sea, and the West Antarctic Peninsula.  These chemical markers found within the nucleus of fish serve as natural tags and represent the chemistry of the water in which they inhabited when they were hatchlings.  Therefore, fish hatched from one region would have a different chemical makeup in their nucleus than those hatched in another region.  By comparing the chemical makeup of silverfish from each sampling region, I will be able to determine whether Pleuragramma are composed of a single population with a common spawning site, or are composed of multiple populations with local spawning sites.