My research programme is a mix of applied and theoretical questions in aquatic ecology with a focus on fish and freshwaters. The brook trout or charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) are a major focus of my research. We are studying the ecology of anadromous forms using biotelemetry, analyses of strontium in bone structures, microsatellite DNA, and stable isotopes. My students are developing models of brook trout production in streams using GIS, and the flux and fate of mercury in lakes inhabited by brook trout. We are using infrared images of rivers to detect potential thermal refugia for trout and Atlantic salmon. We are working define and identify critical habitats, and developing models of landscape features that predict the occurrence of these critical thermal habitats. Other research in my group includes biological connectivity in large rivers such as the Saint John River and ranging from the sub-Arctic Koroc River to the Almendares River, Havana, Cuba. We are working on a water classification model based on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in river types for New Brunswick as well as defining Canada’s river types. Some other species we are studying are smallmouth bass, muskellunge, striped bass, rainbow smelt, Arctic charr, and the coral reef fishes of Cuba.

Curry, R.A. 2010. Fishes of the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone. Pages 1-13, Assessment of Species Diversity in the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone. Edited by D.F. McAlpine and I.M. Smith. NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Canada. (In press). Wyn, B., K.A. Kidd, N.M. Burgess, R.A. Curry. 2010. Mercury biomagnification in the food webs of acidic lakes in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Nova Scotia. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. (In press). Monk, W.A. and R.A. Curry. 2009. Ecological significance of spatial and temporal variability in stream temperatures across north-eastern North America. Challenges for Diadromous Fishes in a Dynamic Global Environment. American Fisheries Society Symposium 69:215-230. González-Sansón, G., C. Aguilar, I. Hernández, Y. Cabrera1, and R.A. Curry. 2009. Factors influencing fish assemblages of coral reefs along the Northwestern Cuban shelf. Gulf Coast Research 21:13-21. Aguilar, C., G. González-Sansón, I. Faloh, and R.A. Curry. 2008. Spatial variation of stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) in marine fishes along the coast of Havana City: Evidence of human impacts from harbor and river waters. Journal of Coastal Research 24:1281–1288. Hubert N., R. Hanner, E. Holm, N. Mandrak, N. Laviolette, E. Taylor, M. Burridge, D. Watkinson, A. Curry, P. Bentzen, J. Zhang, J. April, and L. Bernatchez. 2008. Identifying Canadian freshwater fishes through DNA barcodes. PLOS One 3:e2490 Jardine, T.D., E. Chernoff, and R.A. Curry. 2008. Maternal transfer of carbon and nitrogen to progeny of sea-run and resident brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 65:2201–2210. Chernoff, E. and R.A. Curry. 2007. First summer growth predetermined in anadromous and resident brook charr. J. Fish Biol. 70:334-346. Curry, R.A., C. Doherty, S. Currie, and T.J. Jardine. 2007. The movements and diet of introduced muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) in the Saint John River, New Brunswick. Env. Biol. Fish. 79:49-60. Curry, R.A. 2007. Late glacial impacts on dispersal and colonization of Atlantic Canada and Maine by freshwater fishes. Quaternary Research. 67:225-233. Courtemanche, D., F.G. Whoriskey, Jr., and R.A. Curry. 2006. Assessing anadromy of brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) using scale microchemistry. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 63:995-1006. Curry, R.A., J. van de Sande, J., and F.G. Whoriskey. 2006. Temporal and spatial habitats of anadromous brook charr in the Laval River and its estuary. Env. Biol. Fish. 76:361-370 Jardine, T.D. and R.A. Curry. 2006. Unique perspectives on the influence of size and age on consumer δ15N from a rainbow smelt complex. Journal of Fish Biology 69:215-223 Munkittrick, K.R., R.A. Curry, J.M Culp, R.A. Cunjak, D.L. MacLatchy, K.A. Kidd, S. Dalton, D.J. Baird and R. Newbury. 2006. A framework for integrated watershed management for the Saint John River, New Brunswick, Canada. Water and Ecosystems: Water Resources Management in Diverse Ecosystems and Providing for Human Needs, UNU-INWEH, Hamilton, Canada. Courtemanche, D., F.G. Whoriskey, Jr., and R.A. Curry. 2005. A non-lethal approach using strontium in scales to distinguish periods of marine and freshwater residency of anadromous species. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.62:2443–2449 Curry, R.A. 2005. Assessing the reproductive contributions of sympatric anadromous and freshwater-resident brook trout. J. Fish Biol. 66:741-757. Curry, R.A., S.L. Currie, S.A. Arndt, and A. Bielak. 2005. Winter survival of age-0 smallmouth bass in northeastern lakes. Env. Biol. Fish. 72:111-122. Curry, R.A. and K.R. Munkittrick. 2005. Fish community responses to multiple stressors along the Saint John River, New Brunswick, Canada. In (J.N. Rinne, R. Calamusso, and R. Hughes, eds.) Historical Changes in Large River Fish Assemblages of the Americas. American Fisheries Society Symposium 45: 505-521. Doherty, C.A., B. Galloway, R.A. Curry, and K.R. Munkittrick. 2005. Performance of white sucker populations along the Saint John River main stem, New Brunswick, Canada: an example of effects-based cumulative effects assessment. Water Quality Research Journal of Canada 40:361-373. Gray, M.A., R.A. Curry, and K.R. Munkittrick. 2005. Impacts of non-point inputs from potato farming on populations of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 24: 2291-2298. Jardine, T., R.A. Curry, K.S. Heard, and R.A. Cunjak. 2005. High fidelity: Stream Invertebrate tissue and stomach content isotope ratios, and the effects of diet quality. J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 24:290–299. Skinner, M., Courtenay, S., Parker, W.R., and Curry, R. A. 2005. Site fidelity of mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) in an Atlantic Canadian estuary. Water Quality Research Journal of Canada 40:288-298. Skinner, M., Courtenay, S., Parker, W.R., and Curry, R. A. 2005. Evaluation of techniques for the marking of mummichogs with emphasis on Visible Implant Elastomer. North American Journal of Cunjak, R.A., R.A. Curry, K. Clarke and D.A. Scruton. 2004. Fish-forestry studies in Atlantic Canada. Pages 439-462, Fishes and Forests: an Approach to Fish-Forestry Interaction (Northcote, T.G. and G.F. Hartman, eds.). Blackwell Science. Oxford. Curry, R.A. and S. MacNeill. 2004. Population-level responses to sediment during early life in brook trout. J. N. Am. Benth. Soc. 23:140-150