Senior Advisor of the North and South American Chapter
Dr. Lavoie’s involvement with aquaculture started in 1971 when he took charge of the research required for the management of wild oyster stocks in the three Maritime provinces of Canada. Soon after, the close relationship between wild and cultivated oyster populations brought him responsibility for shellfish leasing and oyster culture research.
He is the longest serving Co-Chair of the Fisheries and Oceans Canada-Nova Scotia Memorandum of Understanding Committee on aquaculture. In 1983, he was part of the group which founded the Aquaculture Association of Canada, a charter member and director. He has written the chapter on Oyster culture for both editions of the book entitled, “Cold Water Aquaculture in Atlantic Canada”. His services have been retained as expert consultant on fisheries research and aquaculture in the Caribbean, Asia and Africa.
Dr. Lavoie regularly represents the Maritimes Sciences Branch on the Council of the Atlantic Provinces Inter-University Council on the Sciences (APICS) and was a founding member of its Aquaculture Committee. He continues to foster cooperation with international organizations like IFREMER (France), universities and First Nations.
He is currently Manager of the Invertebrates Fisheries Division, Science Branch, Maritimes Region for Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography.