MISSISSAUGA, ON. -  For most Canadians a country pond best serves its purpose frozen, an imaginary arena where game seven winners find the five-hole and phantom Cups are hoisted to the sky.  For Mississauga native Andrew Drake, however, when the ice receded, the fires of imagination did not. 

"As a young boy,"  he explains, " my parents would take my brother and me on day trips to local conservation areas. During these visits, I was fascinated with pond insects, fish watching, fishing and nature in general."  It's  this early passion that prompted Andrew to pursue a career in the biological sciences.

In time Andrew's early fascination became a scholarly endeavour,  leading to a summer at the DFO's Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and, later, an honours degrees in both Physical Geography and Aquatic Ecology from the University of Waterloo.

Now pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, his research involves quantifying the likelihood of human-mediated movements of species using Ontario's baitfish pathway. Specific themes include fisheries bycatch, pathogen transport and spatial modeling of secondary AIS spread,  all efforts supported by CAISN. 

When it comes to his success, he gives credit to CAISN. 

"Being part of the CAISN network allowed me to interact with students, post-docs and professors whose AIS experience is incredible. The connections I made helped me refine my research methods and techniques.," he explains.

In addition, and like many of his counterparts, financial support from the network was critical to Andrew's research.

"if we are to preserve Canada's fisheries and aquatic resources, then entities like CAISN are not simply convenient, they're necessary,"  says Andrew.