FRI Research

The newest member of the Caribou team is Gaurav! His first focus is developing movement models for the Moose Research Initiative. After work Gaurav will most likely be playing sports, cooking, or reading. Welcome to Hinton!

In case you missed them, Tyler and Bijaya also recently joined the Caribou Program. Read about their work and interest on friresearch.ca

One of our collaborations with the Swan River First Nation is a survey of Arctic grayling in the watershed south of Lesser Slave Lake. Jesse and Hailey wrote about the experience, each in their own style.

Read about the ups and downs in Rags to Fishes, and watch as Jesse hauls in an "absolute lunker": https://friresearch.ca/news/rags-to-fishes

And read about the victories and casualties of a campaign that required a lot of bushwhacking in hip waders: https://friresearch.ca/news/two-shifts-five-phones-150-fish

Join host, summer 2026 Science Communication intern, Brianna Lyman, as she talks to interesting staff about all things interesting. All Things fRI Research is a podcast miniseries that explores:

All Things Caribou: Dr. Laura Finnegan explains how the Caribou Program uses new and shared data to understand how linear features influence predator-prey dynamics, directly impacting the survival of Caribou.

All Things GIS: Julie Duval lead of GIS services provides an overview of GIS and gives examples of how its applications and capabilities have evolved over the years at fRI Research.

&

All Things Grizzly Crew: Kirsty McFayden shares her experiences as a Grizzly Bear Biologist on a close-knit crew. Her wild and descriptive stories about fieldwork and trail cameras show how rewarding fieldwork can be.

Streaming only on our website, link below!

https://friresearch.ca/search/?frisearchable_posts%5BhierarchicalMenu%5D%5Btaxonomies_hierarchical.publication_type.lvl0%5D%5B0%5D=Audio-Visual&frisearchable_posts%5BhierarchicalMenu%5D%5Btaxonomies_hierarchical.publication_type.lvl0%5D%5B1%5D=Podcasts%20and%20Radio

When non-native fish are released into lakes and rivers, one tool officials have for predicting the impact on native species is an equation called the Propagule Pressure Index. In many cases, it gives a good idea of how much competition and predation the new population brings to a stream, and how much hybridization may occur with native species. In a new paper, Lothian and Kissinger suggest some enhancements to the equation that let it predict how impacts change over time, and more realistically incorporate fish mortality and how fish use lakes as habitat. Without these inclusions, the original equation tends to overestimate the impacts of introduced fish when mortality is high or when a larger proportion of fish take up residence in a lake rather than a connecting stream. The adjusted equation can be used to help environmental managers perform stocking assessments and aid in allocating resources for targeted removals from historic stocking. The paper is a collaboration between the Water and Fish Program and the University of Calgary.

Adjusting the Riverine Propagule Pressure Index for Fish Introduction Events in Lakes: A Theoretical Framework The Propagule Pressure Index (PPI) is commonly used in riverine systems to understand the environmental impacts of non-native species introductions. As not all introduction events are equal, we propo...

There’s no doubt our research can get a little, well, GROSS!

From spending hours filtering cows blood to create an animal attractant elixir.

To scooping up caribou f***s in the cold Alberta snow.

And who can forget the exciting potential of using slimy, slippery, fish mucus to monitor bull trout stress?

Let us know your grossest science experience below👇🤢

The deadline to apply is tomorrow!

Be part of a team conducting applied research on aquatic ecosystems in Alberta. Build models, publish and present findings, and make a difference for threatened fish species in Alberta. Closing date: July 31, 2026. Full details on our website.

https://friresearch.ca/news/job-opportunity-fisheries-scientist

"The day started with the raising of a tipi, followed by a traditional pipe ceremony and sweat lodge ceremony, along with plenty of time to get to know community members. Afterwards, we were rewarded with a delicious meal of goose chili and fresh bannock. It was a fantastic day full of new experiences for most of us, and we all left feeling very thankful to the great folks at Swan River for so graciously welcoming us into their community and traditional lands."

Javier and Landon tell us about what made a shift memorable: experiencing the hospitality of Swan River First Nation, 6 am swims in Lesser Slave Lake and, inevitably, the woes of rough roads.

Data by Day, Slave Lake Always - fRI Research Data by Day, Slave Lake Always Darko, Austin and Javier in matching swimwear. Photo: Skylar Shepherd By Javier Puac and Landon Bick I never truly believed in bad luck until June 25, 2026. That morning before heading out to our sites, I noticed a four leaf clover sitting on top of the dashboard. Abou...

"Long days in the field, shared meals after work, and those campfire conversations that create memories that can last a lifetime."

Zach Burns talks about what the crew like to do – and the incredible-sounding meals they make – when they get back to camp.

Life at Camp - fRI Research Life at Camp Double rainbow at a remote camp in northern Alberta. Photo: Zach Burns By Zach Burns Life at camp in the trailers can be pretty interesting at times. Sharing small trailers and working long days in the field inspires us to cook up some real elaborate meals such as beef barbacoa grilled....