SUNY Brockport- Department of Environmental Science and Ecology

09/09/2026

Jack Gall (MS), Griffin Meyer (MS), and several of our alumni, Lilian Denecke (BS’20), Aaron Heisey (MS’22) and Kylee Wilson (MS’22), presented their research at the 156th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, held in Columbus, Ohio, from August 30 to September 3.

The AFS Annual Meeting is an excellent opportunity for fisheries professionals, researchers, students, and alumni from across the country to come together to share research, exchange ideas, build professional connections, and strengthen collaborations within the fisheries community. It was particularly great to see some of our alumni continuing to make important contributions to fisheries science and conservation!

Oral Presentations:

Kylee (PhD student at The Ohio State University): Invasive Bythotrephes’ impacts on Yellow Perch feeding habits in western Lake Erie.

Aaron (Fish Biologist at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center): Variation in Blueback Herring spawning migration strategies in the Connecticut River. Poster presentations:

Lillian (MS student at Central Michigan University): Determining Lake Michigan coho salmon natal origins using otolith microchemistry.

Jack: Applying otolith microchemistry to determine Lake Erie’s New York steelhead origins.

Griffin: Assessing the impact of thiamine deficiency on cardiac morphology and function in salmonines.

Jack and Griffin are advised by Dr. Jacques Rinchard.

09/08/2026

Dr. Jacques Rinchard received a $70,922 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to study the impact of egg fatty acid signatures on embryo viability in wild and domesticated cisco.

The research will investigate how fatty acid composition in cisco eggs influences embryo viability and early development. By comparing wild and domesticated cisco, the project will provide valuable information about the nutritional and physiological factors that may affect reproductive success and survival. An important component of the project will be the involvement of SUNY Brockport students, who will have opportunities to participate in different aspects of the research and gain valuable hands-on experience in fisheries science, laboratory techniques, sample preparation, and data analysis.

The grant is administered by The Research Foundation for SUNY under the Scholarship, Research, and Sponsored Programs (SRSP) Office.

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

Jack Gall (MS) recently traveled to the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) at the University of Windsor to conduct laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses of Lake Erie steelhead trout otoliths. As part of his graduate thesis research, this work will allow him to determine the hatchery or stocked origin of steelhead trout captured in New York waters. The results will provide valuable information on the contribution and distribution of different stocking sources to New York’s Lake Erie steelhead fishery and will help inform future stocking strategies and fishery management decisions.

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

Faculty, staff, and students gathered in Lennon Hall this afternoon to celebrate the start of the fall 2026 semester (and eat ice cream!). 🍦

09/01/2026

September Student Spotlight: Maddox Tonner

Maddox is a senior in the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology with a concentration in Fisheries and Aquatic Ecology. Over the past two years, Maddox has worked in Dr. Jacques Rinchard’s laboratory on multiple research projects and has completed two undergraduate summer research experiences. In 2025, he investigated how population density and food availability influence larval sea lamprey, with a particular focus on fatty acid composition. He presented the results of this research at the New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting. This summer, Maddox evaluated the behavior of lake trout and steelhead trout embryos affected by thiamine deficiency. Through these research experiences, he has gained valuable skills in experimental design, laboratory techniques, fish husbandry, data collection and analysis, and scientific communication. Outside of the laboratory and classroom, Maddox enjoys fly fishing for steelhead trout along Lake Ontario and Lake Erie tributaries, including Oak Orchard, Sandy Creek, and Elk Creek. When he is not on the water, you can find him lifting weights or enjoying live concerts.

Nominated by Jacques Rinchard

08/31/2026

Griffin Meyer (MS) and Owen Hazard (BS/MS) spent two weeks in Alaska sampling Chinook salmon at several hatcheries, including the SSRAA Whitman Lake Hatchery in Ketchikan, the NSRAA Medvejie Hatchery in Sitka, and the DIPAC Macaulay Salmon Hatchery in Juneau. Their work was part of a collaborative project led by Dr. Rinchard and his colleagues investigating how multiple stressors contribute to thiamine deficiency and declines in Pacific salmonid populations. The project is funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) of the U.S. Department of Defense.

As part of his MS thesis, Griffin collected heart tissue to investigate whether thiamine status is associated with adverse cardiac remodeling in Chinook salmon. Owen collected salmon eggs as part of the broader thiamine monitoring program along the West Coast, which includes sampling from California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.

It was two weeks of great work, hands-on research, and plenty of fun and discovery along the way. Beyond the samples and data collected, the trip provided Griffin and Owen with a unique opportunity to experience Alaska, explore new places, and gain valuable field-research experience while contributing to an important collaborative research effort. Their hard work, enthusiasm, and curiosity made this a truly memorable and productive research adventure.

08/30/2026

Congratulations to Daria Sparks on defending her thesis last Friday! 🎉

08/26/2026

Dr. Jacques Rinchard coauthored a peer-reviewed paper in Ecology and Evolution.

The paper, led by Kurt Heim from the US Fish and Wildlife - Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, describes an innovative long-term effort in Lake Champlain to develop an Atlantic salmon broodstock that is more resilient to thiamine deficiency complex.

This work provides an example of how genetics, fish physiology, and conservation can be combined to address an important factor limiting Atlantic salmon restoration.

We introduce efforts to develop a potentially thiamine deficiency complex (TDC) tolerant Atlantic salmon broodstock via selective breeding, as well as control broodstock with higher genetic diversity...