Mont-Joli, August 29, 2005 - The Maurice Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli has a new director. Ariane Plourde is taking over from Jean Boulva, who retired in the spring. She will be both Regional Science Director and Director of the Maurice Lamontagne Institute.

After obtaining a doctorate in agronomy, Ariane Plourde started her career in forest research and acquired experience in science management at the Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service (Natural Resources Canada). Until very recently, she worked there as Director of Research for the Forest Biology Program. She is also Chair of the Quebec Federal Council's (QFC) Science and Technology Committee, a vast interdepartmental network of the managers of Quebec-based federal laboratories and research institutes and centers.

A native of the Lower St. Lawrence, Ms. Plourde is now returning to the region where she was born to meet new challenges in an ecosystem which has always fascinated her, the marine portion of the St. Lawrence. “I have always been interested in natural resources and regional development,” she explains. “Oceans play a major role in the development of maritime regions of Quebec and I believe it is important to combine economic, social and environmental elements in order to achieve sustainable use of the marine environment. Moreover, the Maurice Lamontagne Institute has an important role to play in the Technopole maritime du Québec, in order to improve our understanding of aquatic ecosystems. ”

As she is joining the scientists of the Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Ariane Plourde hopes to maintain the excellence and expertise of the existing teams, as well as its leading position in marine science research in Quebec. “The scientific knowledge developed at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute is of the utmost importance to allow Fisheries and Oceans Canada to fulfill its many mandates,” she adds, “We must be proactive and visionary.”

The Maurice Lamontagne Institute was inaugurated in June 1987. Located in Mont-Joli, in the Lower St. Lawrence, it now numbers over 350 employees that work in different fields of marine science. It is one of the main francophone marine science research centers in the world.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Karina Laberge
Communications Adviser
Maurice Lamontagne Institute
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Quebec Region
(418) 775-0769

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