Teaching

Three undergraduate courses: BIOL3005, AQUA3000, AQUA4000.
Post-graduate module (AGRI5710): Animal Photoperiodism

BIOL3005 Physiology of Aquatic Animals. Fall Semester.
Three 1h lectures and 1 three-hour lab.class per week. Provides 3rd year aquaculture degree students the fundamentals needed to understand how fish work and how to optimize their survival and growth in culture. Course is divided into eight sub-sections: Physics of gas and water. Respiration. Osmoregulation. Energy metabolism. Muscle, movement and locomotion. Growth. Reproduction. Early-life history stages.

AQUA3000 Fish Health.
Winter Semester. Three 1h lectures and 1 three-hour lab.class per week.This course outlines concepts of disease with special reference to fish. Diseases of various etiological types are considered, with emphasis on those in the aquaculture environment. The relationships of management and economics to disease in cultured fish are detailed and public health concerns are addressed. Diagnostic, prophylactic, and treatment methods are outlined and practised. Course is divided into three sub-sections: 1) Environment (water quality and nutrition); 2) Internal defence mechanisms; 3) Pathogens.

AQUA4000 Finfish Production
Fall Semester. Three 1h lectures and 1 three-hour lab.class per week. Aspects of breeding and genetics, fish management, financial management, economics, marketing, housing systems, and water management are presented in an integrated approach to provide a sound understanding of this aspect of aquaculture. Management of finfish throughout the life cycle is presented. Course includes week-end field trip to commercial aquaculture sites.

AGRI5710 Animal Photoperiodism. Post-graduate module
Module will focus on how and why animals synchronize their behaviour and physiology to daily changes in light intensity and seasonal changes in photoperiod. A comparative approach will be taken, drawing on examples from insects to mammals. Light reception, neural integration, entrainment of biological clocks, neuro-hormonal signaling and the physiological/behavioural response to light will be carefully considered. Applied aspects: how agriculture/aquaculture techniques manipulate light to improve production efficiency of fish, birds and sheep.