Andrea Frommel

Andrea Frommel is an Assistant Professor in Applied Biology and Chair in Sustainable Aquaculture at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Land and Food Systems. She leads research at the intersection of climate change, fisheries science, and sustainable aquaculture practices, with particular emphasis on early life stages of commercial fish species.

Her educational background includes a BSc from the University of California at Santa Cruz, an MSc from the University of Southern Denmark, and a PhD from the Hemholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany. This international training has informed her interdisciplinary approach to aquatic research.

Dr. Frommel's research focuses on three interconnected areas: the effects of climate change (particularly ocean acidification and warming) on commercial fish species; the development of alternative sustainable feeds for aquaculture; and optimizing fish welfare practices in aquaculture systems. Her work examines species-specific and life-stage-specific responses to environmental stressors, with implications for both wild fisheries management and aquaculture production.

Her recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on understanding how combined climate change stressors affect fish physiology during critical life stages, particularly during the transition from freshwater to seawater in salmonids. She has made significant contributions to understanding how fish species vary in their resilience to ocean acidification, with important implications for stock assessment models and aquaculture production management.

Dr. Frommel actively collaborates with the Hakai Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, local NGOs, government agencies, industry partners, and international research institutions. She welcomes graduate students interested in projects related to sustainable aquaculture, climate change impacts on fisheries, and fish physiology under changing environmental conditions.

She directs the Aquaculture and Climate Change Lab, which investigates how environmental stressors affect commercial fish populations and develops mitigation strategies to enhance the sustainability of aquaculture operations. Current projects include examining how kelp can mitigate ocean acidification effects, researching alternative feed ingredients, and studying local variability in coastal systems that may provide resilience to climate change.