F ∙ L ∙ E ∙ D ∙ G ∙ E
Freshwater Fishes ∙ Lampreys ∙ Evolution ∙ Diversity ∙ Genetics ∙ Environmental DNA

Fledge = “to rear until ready for flight or independent activity”

What We Do

We use genetic technologies to answer questions related to the conservation, management, and evolution of freshwater fishes while helping
train the next generation of fisheries and aquatic scientists for their careers in academia, government, industry, and NGOs.

Click here to learn more about our research.

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Two people at side of river with automated eDNA sampler
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Kasidy Harder filtering water for Carmine Shiner environmental DNA analysis
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International Lamprey Genomics Workshop (October 8–10, 2019)

Back: P. Grayson, H. Parker, G. Evanno, C. Garroway, D. Ferreira Martins, K. Jeffries, J. Robinson, J. Smith; Middle: I. Transcoso, E. Karachaliou, M. Lawrence, R. Manzon, S. Good, N. Timoshevskaya, A. Khan, D. McCauley; Front: C. Baker, J. Hess, J. Ogden, M. Mahoney, N. Ajmani, M. Docker, A. Wright, T. Yasmin, C. Amemiya

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Jessie (Sea Lamprey) and Meghan (Lake Trout, with Sea Lamprey wounds) ready for Halloween
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Jessie Ogden with an anadromous Sea Lamprey at the USGS S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish
Research Center
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Youyang Li (MSc 2014) with a chestnut lamprey, one of three lamprey species native to Manitoba
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Cam Brown (right) and the Sea Lamprey Control Centre team geared up for electrofishing for larval Sea Lamprey
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Dr. Judy Anderson (former Head, Department of Biological Sciences) presenting Tim Gingera with the 2016 Undergraduate Paper Award from the Canadian Council of University Biology Chairs (CCUBC)
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Claire Risbey and Lauren Verhaeghe at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), filtering water for environmental DNA analysis on Lake 375
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SLCC Crew with OSMOS
Sea Lamprey Control Centre crew filtering water for Sea Lamprey environmental DNA analysis
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Cam Electrofishing
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CCUBC Anderson Gingera
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SLCC Crew with OSMOS
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Recent News

The Fisheries Podcast: 254 – A 25 Year Mystery: Sex Determination in Sea Lamprey and A Special Edition on Native Fishes, with Dr. Margaret Docker on Apple Podcasts

Lampreys in the News: Documentary Portrait of Cameron Brown

New Paper from the Docker Lab helps make a great leap forward in solving the long-standing mystery of sex determination in lampreys: Yasmin, T., P. Grayson, M.F. Docker, and S.V. Good. 2022. Pervasive male-biased expression throughout the germline-specific regions of the sea lamprey genome supports key roles in sex differentiation and spermatogenesis. Communications Biology 5: 434.

Coming Up

Upcoming Conference Presentations

June

  • Brown, C.D., R. Hanner, B. Philipps, M. Steeves, L. Sumner, and M.F. Docker* (2024) Environmental DNA surveillance of a legacy invader: using eDNA for sea lamprey larval assessment. International Congress on the Biology of Fish (ICBF), Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  • Docker, M.F., C.J. Garroway, P.D. Grayson, S.V. Good, A.E. Wright, and T. Yasmin (2024) Sex determination in an ancient fish: The sea lamprey story. International Congress on the Biology of Fish (ICBF), Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Meet Dr. Margaret Docker!

Dr. Docker is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Her research interests include conservation genetics of fishes (particularly lampreys and underappreciated freshwater fishes in Manitoba), the genetic basis of parallel phenotypic evolution (particularly the evolution of non-parasitism in lampreys), sex determination and sex differentiation in lampreys, and the use environmental DNA (eDNA) for monitoring of aquatic organisms. She teaches BIOL 2210 The Chordates and BIOL 4212 Systematics and Biogeography of Fishes.

In addition to teaching and research, Margaret serves as the co-chair of the Freshwater Fishes Subcommittee of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Sea Lamprey Research Board, and as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes. She is a part of the GEN-FISH (Genomic Network for Fish Identification, Stress and Health) team of researchers, professionals, and community members who are working to develop and validate genetic tools to cost-effectively assess the location, abundance, and health of Canada’s freshwater fishes, and FishCAST, an NSERC CREATE program committed to training the next generation of fisheries and aquatic science leaders.

Land Acknowledgement

The Docker Lab resides on Treaty 1 territory which encompasses the original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. We are grateful for the opportunities to sample water on Treaties 1, 2, 3, and 8.  We respect the lands on which we walk and are committed to environmental stewardship and reciprocity.