Ellika is studying the genetics of local cod populations
How can more knowledge about cod genetics contribute to healthier fish stocks? This is a question Ellika Faust addresses in her research. She is a new postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Marine Sciences. Most recently she comes from Switzerland, where she researched grayling and freshwater mussels and learned more about Indian cooking.
What will you be working on here?
“I will mainly be working with population genomics in fish. Right now, I am working with cod, but I also plan to work with other relevant food fish that we have along the Swedish coast, such as mackerel, but also herring and sprat. It is about trying to understand whether we have local populations that are unique in different ways and adapted to the environment we have here. And in that work, I use genetics as a tool. My focus is usually on conservation issues, preserving the fish stocks that are here and are local so that they are not overfished. It can be difficult to tell, for example, whether a cod comes from the Baltic Sea or the west coast. But if we look at the genetics, we can often see very large differences and that different stocks have not mixed with each other for a very long time. And if you fish all the fish in an area, it is not certain that you will be able to get them back, because they are so isolated. Much of this is also about providing information to the fishing industry, being able to provide good information about where the stocks are, what they are and how big the difference is between them."
What have you done before?
"I have focused on things underwater, especially marine life. But in recent years, I have been working as a postdoctoral researcher in Switzerland, where the focus has been on grayling and freshwater mussels. These are two freshwater species that are both endangered there. My work involved describing the stocks and evaluating how resistant the different populations are to climate change, based on their genetic biodiversity. I did my doctoral thesis at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, where I worked with wrasse. Several species of wrasse have long been used as cleaner fish in the salmon industry in Norway, and from 2010 onwards, their use increased significantly. We used genetic methods to identify fish from different populations. These fish are moved around a lot and then end up in the areas surrounding the salmon farms. They look exactly like the ones we have in Skagerrak, but genetically there are differences compared to the local stock. And that can be a problem because they are adapted to a completely different environment and spread genes that are less suitable for the environment they have been introduced to. Before that, I studied biology at the University of Gothenburg, and I'm originally from Åmål."
What do you do when you're not working?
"I enjoy being out in nature, and I have a dog, a Chodský pes, which is a working breed. Among other things, I train it in special search and rescue. It's a lot of fun. I also like to cook. I enjoy trying out recipes from different cultures, experimenting and learning about new flavours. In Switzerland, I had a close friend from India, and she inspired me a lot when it comes to spices and such. We cooked many different Indian dishes together, ones that you don't often see in restaurants. Otherwise, there's a lot of cheese, fondue and schnitzel in Switzerland, but what I brought home with me was more knowledge about Indian cooking. A little unusual, perhaps."
