"Acadia students are the driving force behind my research program."

Canada’s Ocean Supercluster has announced the Fishless Marine Microbial Fish Oil Project, which aims to develop a sustainable, algae-based nutritional oil that duplicates or complements fish oil supplements. This will reduce the harvest of wild fish currently used to produce fish oil for human and animal consumption.

Acadia’s partnership in the project is led by Dr. Allison Walker, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology. While Dr. Walker teaches a variety of courses including Introductory Biology and DNA Barcoding, her research focus is marine mycology, and she brings a wealth of experience to the project from her doctorate in Coastal Sciences (University of Southern Mississippi) and previous work with Agriculture Canada and the USDA. Together, Dr. Walker and her students are working to discover new strains of microbes in the Bay of Fundy that hold potential as nutritional supplements.

The project has already been a positive experience for multiple students who have participated as part of their Co-op placements or Honours programs. “Acadia students are the driving force behind my research program,” explains Dr. Walker. “Their research has been instrumental to the success of this exciting and innovative research collaboration.”

Learn more and watch the announcement at Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, or follow Dr. Walker on twitter at @fungaldreamteam