Bio
Brad joined the Raby Lab in September of 2020 as an undergraduate honours thesis student co-supervised by Dr. Chris Wilson (OMNRF). The focus of his project was to monitor brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) embryo development and survival after adult exposure to electrofishing. He re-joined in 2023 to complete his Ph.D. and is co-supervised by Dr. Steven Cooke (Carleton University). The aim of his research is to refine, validate, and demonstrate the Innovasea Systems Inc. V3D predation tag and 307 kHz positioning system. His research focuses on studying predator-prey interactions using warmwater species to determine movement patterns that raise predation risk and how predation can be affected by behavioural syndromes and environmental conditions specifically.

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In 2023 he completed an M.Sc. in Bioscience, Technology, and Public Policy at the University of Winnipeg under the supervision of Dr. Caleb Hasler. His research focused on reflex impairment and physiological status of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) following recreational angling using techniques such as tri-axial accelerometry, behavioural assessment, and phlebotomy. Brad was also involved in numerous field programs conducted by Manitoba Fish & Wildlife including stocking programs, boat electrofishing, gamete collection, broodstock disease testing, and gillnetting in remote northern regions. In 2021, Brad completed his B.Sc.H. in Biology and Environmental & Resource Science at Trent University. During his degree he participated in an academic year abroad at the University of Highlands and Islands in Inverness, Scotland where he studied marine fisheries and completed a research project examining historical benthic macroinvertebrate presence in relation to hydropower dam schemes to explain recent shifts in salmonid abundance in the River Garry.

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Other stuff
Guest speaker on The Fisheries Podcast (Episode 222)

Elected Student Representative on the Executive Committee of CARS-AFS (2023 – present)

Member of the Student/ECR Committee of SCAS (2023 – present)

Peter A. Larkin Award for Excellence in Fisheries, M.Sc. level (2022)

Canadian Northern Scientific Training Program Award (2022) ($3000)

University of Winnipeg 3-Minuite Thesis People's Choice Award (2022)

Publications

DePasquale, S.W., Howell, B.E., Navarroli, G., Jeffries, K.M., Cooke, S.J., Wijenayake, S., Jeffrey, J.D., and C.T. Hasler. 2023. Are the effects of catch-and-release angling evident in changes to mRNA abundances related to metabolism, acid-base regulation, and stress in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) gills?. Conservation Physiology. (in press)
 

Howell, B.E., G. Navarroli, E.J. Mullen, S.J. Cooke, and C.T. Hasler. 2023. Lake trout reflex impairment and physiological status following ice-angling. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 00: 1–15
 

Howell, B.E., E.M.C. Stewart, V.R. Frasca, C.C. Wilson, and G.D. Raby. 2022. Capture of spawning brook trout by electrofishing does not impair embryo survival. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 42: 228–235.O