Tommi Linnansaari

Academic interests

• Atlantic salmon
• Diadromous fishes
• Stream and River Ecology
• Hydropower
• Telemetry

Brief biography

Dr. Tommi Linnansaari is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biology and Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, where he holds the Atlantic Salmon Research Chair. He is also a member of the Canadian Rivers Institute and he is the Research Coordinator of the Collaboration for Atlantic Salmon Tomorrow (CAST).

He did his undergraduate and M.Sc. degrees at the Department of Fisheries and Limnology at University of Helsinki (2003), and received his Ph.D. in 2009 at the Dept. of Biology at UNB. Both his M.Sc. and PhD. theses examined the ecology of wild Atlantic salmon.

Dr. Linnansaari is a fish ecologist and his current work examines Atlantic salmon ecology, the effects of anthropogenic impacts on rivers related to climate change, hydropower and other manipulations of flow due to consumptive and non-consumptive uses. He is also interested in behavior and movements of other migratory fishes, such as striped bass and American eel, both in natural and in hydropower-impacted rivers.

With specific regard to Atlantic salmon, he has carried out research on this species in four different countries (Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland) and in addition to his work in academia, has worked specifically on Atlantic salmon in research institutes (SINTEF Energy Research in Norway, former Finnish Fish and Game Research Institute) and industry (Stantec Consulting).

Courses taught

• BIOL4773 River and Lake Ecosystems
• BIOL4981 Biology of Freshwater and Marine Fishes
• BIOL4746 Laboratory Studies in Fish Biology
• BIOL4211 Marine Research Experience
• FOR2113 Introduction to Forest Wildlife Ecology
• FOR4973 Forestry Field Camp
• ENVS6002 Biophysical Foundations of Ecosystem Management

Selected research

Corey E, Linnansaari T, Dugdale S, Bergeron N, Gendron J-F, Lapointe M, Cunjak RA (2019) Comparing the behavioural thermoregulation response to heat stress by Atlantic salmon parr (Salmo salar) in two rivers. Ecology of Freshwater Fish DOI: 10.1111/eff.12487

Wellband K, Mérot C, Linnansaari T, Elliott JAK, Curry RA, Bernatchez L (2019) Chromosomal fusion and life history-associated genomic variation contribute to within-river local adaptation of Atlantic salmon. Molecular Ecology 28, 1439-1459.

Wegscheider, B, MacLean HO, Linnansaari T, Curry RA (2019) Freshwater mussel abundance and species composition downstream of a large hydroelectric generating station. Hydrobiologia doi.org/10.1007/s10750-019-3954-3

Andrews SN, Wallace B, Gautreau M, Linnansaari T, Curry RA (2018) Seasonal movements of striped bass Morone saxatilis in a large tidal and hydropower regulated river. Environmental Biology of Fishes 101, 1549-1558. DOI 10.1007/s10641-018-0799-y