Unique group - Ottawa Catholic School Board

One of the unique groups that visit the Huntsman is the Ottawa Catholic School Board group.  For over 20 years students and teachers within this board have participated in week-long field courses at the Huntsman.  The trip originally started with one school and then expanded to include several schools within the board.  Over the years they have included a second week to accommodate all the students who wish to participate. 

This is just one of the unique methods that have been employed by schools and teachers to allow students to participate in the hands-on Huntsman field courses.  Want more information?  Visit our website, www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/education.html.

2010 students ready to explore the intertidal zone

2010 students on the Fundy Spray

2011 students whale watching in the Bay of Fundy...

they had a great day!

University Marine Biology Field Courses

Every year the Huntsman hosts a number of undergraduate university courses.  Students stay on campus and are instructed by visiting professors.   Below is the selection of courses for 2012.

Marine Mammals and Seabirds

University of Waterloo, July 22 – August 4, Instructor: Dr. P. DeHart

Marine Biology and Oceanography

University of Guelph, August 4 – 18, Instructor: Dr. Todd Gillis

Marine Mammals

McGill University, August 12 – 25, Instructor: Dr. Catherine Hood

Marine Biology

University of Western Ontario, Aug 20 – Sept 3, Instructors: Dr. J. Staples and Dr. M. D. Owen

For more information on these courses and how to register visit www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/university_courses.html.

Charting the course

Seals

Two humpbacks in the Bay of Fundy

Shearwater

Keeping watch.

Scallops

Scallops are a tasty treat, even raw as the brave students that have participated in Huntsman field courses can tell you!  But what is a deep-sea scallop’s (Placopecten magellanicus) life like before it ends up on your plate? 

·         They are filter feeders, consuming microscopic food.

·         While usually stationary they can move short distances by opening and closing their shell rapidly, expelling water and propelling themselves forward.  Students sometimes find this out the hard way when they get squirted by a scallop anxious to escape!

·         When the shell is partially open you can see rows of black spots along the upper and lower edge.  These “eyes” enable scallops to detect motion and sense light.

·         The portion that you eat is called the adductor muscle.  The silvery outer edge of the muscle closes the shell and the soft centre keeps it closed.

The scallop drag for collecting scallops and other invertebrates from the seabed.

Did you notice the black "eyes"?

A treat for those onboard the research vessel!

Filter feeding in a tank in the lab.

Lab – Plankton

One of the activities that we do with every school group participating in a Huntsman field course is a plankton lab.  This lab allows students to gain an understanding of the base of the marine food chain and to learn how to use compound microscopes.  Students are given some introductory information about plankton, i.e. they are drifters in the ocean, there are two types of plankton, phytoplankton the plants and zooplankton the animals.  After the introduction the students use the microscopes to view the plankton they collected while on our research vessel.  Depending on the age and focus of the students they will either play plankton bingo (and win marine stickers!) or draw the plankton they are viewing.  This lab allows students to view a world most of them didn’t even know existed. 

An interesting fact that usually blows students away: phytoplankton produce 65-75% of the world’s oxygen!

Our plankton samples.

Observing the samples in the lab.

View through the microscope.

A copepod

Our mascot in the lab

Tour Tuesday – St. Croix Island

The area around the Huntsman is rich in history and occasionally students attending field courses get a history lesson mixed in with the marine biology.  The most frequent lesson is about St. Croix Island, which students view while heading upriver on our research vessel.  The story goes:

The French were looking to establish a year-round settlement in North America between the 40^th and 46^th parallels, the territory they called l’Acadie.  In 1604 Pierre Dugua and his team including, Samuel de Champlain, a mapmaker set out on an expedition to do this.  The expedition arrived in the area in late June.  De Mons named the island, I’île Sainte-Croix and decided it would be the settlement.  The ship dropped off the 79 male settlers and headed back to France.  The settlers were unprepared for a North American winter.  Due to ice floes they became cut off from the mainland and its source of firewood, fresh water and meat.  As a result 35 of the men died.  After the harsh winter they decided to move the settlement to the shores of Nova Scotia where Port Royal was established.  From there the French went on to settle Quebec City. 

St. Croix Island is remembered as one of the earliest European settlements in North America, which lead to a lasting French presence on this continent.  It is of great historical significance to all North Americans but especially those of French heritage. 

The island from the US side of the river.

The island from our research vessel.