Joined LGL in 2006

Degrees & Diplomas

Research Interests

• Marine mammal behaviour
• Marine mammals and noise
• Marine mammal surveys
• Critical habitat assessment
• Marine mammal photo-identification
• Environmental effects monitoring
• Offshore oil and gas

Capsule Resume

Dr. Abgrall has over 10 years of marine mammal research experience. His initial work focused on pinnipeds while investigating geographic variations of Weddell seal underwater vocal repertoires around Antarctica. Dr. Abgrall spent a full year at Mawson, an Australian Antarctic station, collecting field data for this study. He also collaborated with the Australian Antarctic Division on sea-ice surveys and diet studies of Antarctic seals. Dr. Abgrall has since participated in a number of marine mammal surveys, both aerial and ship-based, with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Eastern Canada. These included aerial surveys of large whales off Newfoundland and Labrador in 2002, visual and acoustic ship-based surveys of northern bottlenose whales in the Gully, off the Scotian Shelf, in 2003, and harp seal aerial surveys off Newfoundland and Labrador in 2004. He has also participated in the teaching of various marine mammal biology field courses for university students since 2001 at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, and at Memorial University’s field station in Bonne Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. Dr. Abgrall completed B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Biology at McGill University and the University of New Brunswick respectively, and completed his Ph.D. at Memorial University of Newfoundland on the distribution of large whales relative to critical habitat in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Since joining LGL, Dr. Abgrall has participated in numerous environmental assessments of industrial activities in Canada, including environmental assessments of exploratory drilling, controlled source electromagnetic surveys, and seismic exploration for the Canadian Beaufort Sea, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Orphan Basin, and Grand Banks region of Canada. Dr. Abgrall has also been involved in the implementation of ship-based surveys of pinnipeds and cetaceans in the Canadian Beaufort Sea and Northwest Atlantic.