We learned with sadness the death from our colleague and friend Gaston Desrosiers, professor at the Institute of the Marine Science of Rimouski (ISMER-UQAR). The death occurred in the night of May 5th, 2006, as a result of a cancer.

During nearly thirty years of career, Gaston devoted himself entirely to teaching and research. During this period, he supervised around fifty from Master to PhD students and ten post-doctoral associates.

As researcher, he was an internationally recognized expert in benthic ecology, having published more than one hundred of scientific articles in specialized journals. Recently, he developed the use of the Cat-Scan technology to study and quantify the sedimentary biogenic structures in relation with the functional structure of the macrobenthic community of the Saint-Lawrence River. He is the one who inspired the creation of the Nereis Park association and was involved in the committee of its first Conference in 2004.

Kind-hearted man and excellent teacher, he was liked and respected by his students and colleagues.

Its premature departure represents an immense loss for the ISMER-UQAR and the scientific community, and a source of great sadness for his colleagues and students.

He leaves in mourning his wife, Gisèle, and his two daughters, Anne and Marion, to which we address our deep sympathies.