Dr. Ramon Filgueira

About

Ramón Filgueira grew up in Galicia, Spain, where seafood has dominated the economy, culture and diet of the Galician people for centuries. He completed his undergraduate degree in Marine Sciences at the University of Vigo in Spain. He then went on to complete a Master diploma in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development at the University of Valencia. Ramón obtained his PhD in Marine Sciences from University of Vigo on the ecophysiology of mussels. In 2008, he came to Canada for a postdoctoral fellowship in ecosystem modelling at Dalhousie University. In 2012, Ramón began a postdoctoral fellowship at the Gulf Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. There he developed ecosystem models of aquaculture sites that could be used for marine management decision-making. Ramón joined the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University in March 2016. Since then, Ramón has expanded the scope of his research to cover aquaculture from an interdisciplinary perspective, fully embracing an “ecosystem approach to aquaculture.” 

Latest Honours

Prix d’Excellence 2015
Fisheries and Oceans Canada

The Prix d'Excellence is Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s most prestigious award
honouring individuals and teams who have made exemplary contributions to the department. I received this award in 2015 as a member of the “Aquaculture Carrying Capacity Team” (Gulf Fisheries Centre) in the category of “Excellence in Policy and / or Science”. This award is a recognition of our ecosystem modelling work in Atlantic Canada and its application to assessing and improving the sustainability of shellfish aquaculture sites.

Research Interests

Ramón’s research goal is to promote the sustainable management of coastal aquaculture sites. His primary research tool is ecosystem modelling, which he uses to study aquaculture-environment interactions, explore ecosystem functioning, and establish precautionary management approaches. Ramón uses modelling tools such as scenario building and optimization to generate alternative and objective management strategies that can be used to inform marine spatial planning. Furthermore, Ramón recognizes the social-ecological nature of aquaculture, and accordingly, his research interests cover ecological, social and economic aspects. This interdisciplinary prism is fundamental for improving aquaculture, and coastal management in general, according to an ecosystem approach.

Selected Publications (*indicates student author)

Thinking outside the box: embracing social complexity into aquaculture carrying capacity estimations Kluger L, Filgueira R ICES Journal of Marine Science https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa063 (2020)

Key players in the Grieg NL Placentia Bay Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Project: a social network analysis Maxwell R*, Filgueira R Marine Policy 113:103800 (2020)

The evolution and application of carrying capacity in aquaculture: towards a research agenda Weitzman J*, Filgueira R Reviews in Aquaculture https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12383 (2019)

Mussels or tunicates: that is the question. Evaluating efficient and sustainable resource use by low-trophic species in aquaculture settings Filgueira R, Strople LC*, Strohmeier T, Rastrick S, Strand, Ø Journal of Cleaner Production 231:132-143 (2019)

Using media analysis to scope priorities in social carrying capacity assessments: a global perspective Kluger L., Filgueira R, Byron C Marine Policy 99:252-261 (2019)

Bivalve aquaculture environment interactions in the context of climate change Filgueira R, Guyondet T, Comeau LA, Tremblay R Global Change Biology 22:3901-3913 (2016)