Hillary began her MSc in Biology at the University of Waterloo in spring of 2018 following the completion of her Environmental Biology undergraduate degree from Queen’s University in spring of 2017. Her research concerns Lake Erie’s commercial and recreational walleye fishery, which is the largest of the Great Lakes. It is important to protect and restore the life history requirements of walleye populations to sustain a healthy and diverse fishery. The riverine walleye stock of the Grand River in Lake Erie’s eastern basin is considered a priority management area due to the compounding impacts of habitat degradation and restricted access to spawning grounds by a low-head dam. Hillary’s graduate research study will use stable isotope analyses of nitrogen and carbon to test for changes the trophic ecology of young-of-the-year walleye between different habitat zones in the southern Grand River. She will also use acoustic telemetry methods to identify the movement patterns and spawning habitat of mature spring spawning walleye. The project will be a two-year experimental study with both field and laboratory methods. Hillary’s research will aid in advancing monitoring and management practices that protect and enhance both the health of the southern Grand River and the Lake Erie walleye fishery. Hillary was co-supervised by Rebecca Rooney, Biology. She has now moved to a Biologist position with Minnow Environmental.
