Foreword
Investing in new technology is part of normal business in marine science. However, getting
involved in flow cytometry at a time of fiscal restraint and reduced capital expenditures took
a lot of talking and convincing by Serge Demers. He did such a good job of it that the
Maurice Lamontagne Institute (MU) , a new research center of the Canadian Ministry of
Fisheries and Oceans, rapidly became a strong supporter of this promising tool that is opening
new frontiers in the study of individual cells and particles.
When Serge came to see me a few years ago to examine the possibility of holding a major
workshop on this topic, he received a warm response and encouragement to proceed with the
project. In retrospect, I must admit that allowing Serge to assume the responsability of
organizing an international meeting in Italy, while he had no such prior experience was
worrying me a bit. I am delighted that the meeting was a great success, owing to the
dynamism of the participants and the energy of those who organized it (see Preface).
The Maurice Lamontagne Institute is proud to have been associated with such a success. MU
is a young organization, having opened its doors in December 1986. We are located in MontJoli, 350 km to the North-East of Quebec City, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence
Estuary. Our activities cover marine biology, physics, and chemistry, and hydrography, with
a major emphasis on inland seas under strong estuarine influence. These encompass the
Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence in eastern Canada as well as James, Hudson and Ungava
Bays, and Foxe Basin in the Canadian Arctic.
Our major thrusts of research include the study of marine food chains, fish stock assessments,
marine mammals, aquaculture, aquatic pollution, remote sensing and movement of water
Investing in new technology is part of normal business in marine science. However, getting
involved in flow cytometry at a time of fiscal restraint and reduced capital expenditures took
a lot of talking and convincing by Serge Demers. He did such a good job of it that the
Maurice Lamontagne Institute (MU) , a new research center of the Canadian Ministry of
Fisheries and Oceans, rapidly became a strong supporter of this promising tool that is opening
new frontiers in the study of individual cells and particles.
When Serge came to see me a few years ago to examine the possibility of holding a major
workshop on this topic, he received a warm response and encouragement to proceed with the
project. In retrospect, I must admit that allowing Serge to assume the responsability of
organizing an international meeting in Italy, while he had no such prior experience was
worrying me a bit. I am delighted that the meeting was a great success, owing to the
dynamism of the participants and the energy of those who organized it (see Preface).
The Maurice Lamontagne Institute is proud to have been associated with such a success. MU
is a young organization, having opened its doors in December 1986. We are located in MontJoli, 350 km to the North-East of Quebec City, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence
Estuary. Our activities cover marine biology, physics, and chemistry, and hydrography, with
a major emphasis on inland seas under strong estuarine influence. These encompass the
Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence in eastern Canada as well as James, Hudson and Ungava
Bays, and Foxe Basin in the Canadian Arctic.
Our major thrusts of research include the study of marine food chains, fish stock assessments,
marine mammals, aquaculture, aquatic pollution, remote sensing and movement of water