ASL Hires Chawarski as Biological Oceanographer

ASL Environmental Sciences Inc. announced the appointment of Julek Chawarski to the position of Biological Oceanographer. Chawarski contributes nearly a decade of experience in fisheries science, with expertise in forage fisheries and biological oceanography in coastal and deep ocean ecosystems. He will be responsible for developing consulting services for ASL's ocean monitoring clients and will develop new tools for hydroacoustic studies of aquatic ecosystems.

Previous to his appointment at ASL, Chawarski completed a Masters in Marine Biology at the University of Maine. During his studies he designed experiments to investigate the effects of marine protected areas (MPAs) on the recovery of groundfish stocks in the Gulf of Maine. He trained in acoustic analysis and provided new insights into the spatial distribution of herring spawning in inshore waters of Maine. Soon after completing his Masters, Chawarski attended Memorial University of Newfoundland where he is currently completing his doctorate in Fisheries Science.

His work over the last several years has focused on a range of topics including mesopelagic and Arctic fisheries. Before joining ASL he’s worked with industry, government and non-profit groups such as the Fish, Food & Allied Workers Union, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources.

His technical expertise in scientific echo sounders and passion for marine ecology has brought him to some of the far reaches of the ocean. From 2018-2020, Chawarski worked with DFO to develop studies in the Labrador Sea as a part of the Integrated Studies & Ecosystem Characterization of the Labrador Sea Deep Ocean (ISECOLD). His work helped advance methods of eDNA to detect deep-sea fishes and explore the mechanisms that form biogeographic boundaries for fish communities at high-latitudes. In 2019, he took part in a Swedish expedition to an uncharted glacial fjord in Northwest Greenland where the team uncovered new insights into fjord morphology and glacial melting dynamics. In 2022, he traveled by icebreaker to the North Pole to contribute his expertise in the European Fisheries Inventory of the Central Arctic ocean.

Chawarski brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to using echosounders, biological sampling and other innovative technologies to the studies of aquatic systems and is eager to develop new tools for monitoring the ocean’s health and its resources.