Master’s Student
I am interested in studying comparative physiology of basal marine fish, specifically the Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii). Throughout my Master’s, I wish to research how these scavengers of the ocean floor control their internal pH through acid/base regulation. Particularly, I plan to characterize specific membrane transport proteins responsible for this regulation. Once completed, I will be able to compare the hagfish transport proteins to those of other fish, such as those of the Pacific spiny dogfish, higher on the vertebrate lineage. The second part of my project will be a toxicology study using the Pacific hagfish. Because hagfish are scavengers, consuming dead, decaying fish as their food source is common. However, I plan to study the effects of consuming dead fish contaminated with diluted bitumen (a product found in pipelines) on hagfish membrane transport proteins. My data collection for these experiments will take place at the Bamfield Marine Science Centre (BMSC), on the West side of Vancouver Island.