Beneath the Surface, with Dr. Jory Cabrol

I grew up in a tiny village in southern France, not far from the beach. I completed a two-year technical degree called a DUT in biological engineering. After that, I pivoted toward marine sciences and completed both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree at Aix-Marseille University. I earned a scholarship, which brought me to the Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (UQAR) for a year. When I went back to Aix-Marseille to pursue my PhD, they refused to grant me my grade equivalencies. So, I packed my bags and headed back to Quebec!

How did you get started studying marine mammals?

I met a truly extraordinary person at UQAR, Gesche Winkler (in French), who specializes in zooplankton. She said to me, “Jory, I have a master’s project for you.” Toward the end of my master’s, Gesche told me she had secured significant funding and gave me free rein to develop my own research project. That was in 2014. While completing my thesis in 2019-2020, I focused on the trophic ecology of krill. Later, I attended a conference organized for the anniversary of the Marine Park, which is where I met Véronique Lesage (in French). She mentioned that she had some data sets and asked if I’d like to get involved in her project. That’s how my path shifted toward marine mammals!

It depends on the project. I use a number of methods—primarily stable isotope analysis—which allow for a wide range of applications, such as quantifying diets. We cut open teeth and perform laser ablation analyses to examine specific elements and how they vary over time. We hope to go back as far as the 1940s and ‘50s. We aim to study the animals’ exposure to environmental conditions, as well as aspects of their diet and migration patterns.

How does one go about publishing a scientific paper?

It’s an extremely long process! Collecting and analyzing samples already takes a great deal of time. Then there’s the statistical work, the writing, and the publication process—all of which take time as well. The typical timeframe varies depending on the specific paper and the type of laboratory analysis that’s involved. If you want to study something, you can’t just tell yourself, “I’ll be ready to submit this in three months.” Sometimes, the lab analysis alone can take over a year! What I like to keep in mind is that the papers we produce will provide better information for people who work in management roles.