The CASC Fish Research Program is a dynamic group of federal researchers and early-career scientists working together to explore the impacts of climate and other stressors on fish and aquatic systems to inform conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable use.
About Us
The CASC Fish Research Program is made up of a dynamic team of federal scientists, student contractors, fellows, and interns. We work collaboratively with programs within the Department of the Interior, other federal agencies, universities, management agencies, and conservation practitioners to conduct science and science synthesis at local, national, and global scales.
Our goal is to better understand global change impacts to these important resources and help stakeholders strategically conserve and adapt to changing conditions.
Research Themes
The CASC Fish Research team explores a wide variety of science topics relating to fish and climate change, including:
-
Aquatic ecosystems
-
Food web / trophic dynamics
-
Novel communities
-
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
-
Climate adaptation
-
Invasive aquatic species
-
Policy and management
-
Coastal management
-
Fisheries management
-
Sustainable development
-
Sustainable seafood
-
Research with On-The-Ground Impacts
The CASC Fish Research Team works closely with a diverse group of partners and stakeholders to ensure their research can be directly used by resource managers and conservation practitioners to inform fisheries management. They include partners and stakeholders in every stage of the scientific process, specifically designing their projects to address pressing management challenges and to fill in knowledge gaps. They work with everyone from individual anglers up to large professional networks, purposefully collaborating with diverse voices to create new and innovative approaches. They are often asked to present their research to Federal leadership through Congressional briefings and in-person presentations.
The CASC Fish Research Team lead diverse, cutting-edge research on the effects of climate change on fish populations around the world. Learn more about their research projects below or check out our Project Explorer to see all the work the CASCs do on fish.
Project Highlight: Boston Harbor Islands
CASC researchers are partnering with the National Park System to inventory to intertidal biodiversity in the Boston Harbor Islands to support future coastal adaptation projects.
Project Highlight: Phenology
This project explored the effects of shifting phenology on marine ecosystems. They found that marine species had complex phenological responses to climate-linked variables, but that there are potential adaptive strategies that can help minimize these effects.
Project Highlight: NE Tribal Fisheries
CASC researchers partner with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to inform efforts to develop sustainable fisheries in light of climate change.
Increasing Tribal Climate Adaptive Capacity for Coastal Resources in the Northeast
Estimating Global Inland Recreational Consumption to Adapt to Global Change
A Pilot Biodiversity Inventory and Monitoring Protocol in Support of Coastal Adaptation Projects in Tidal and Nearshore Subtidal Habitats of Boston Harbor Islands
The U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): A Database and Interactive Tool for Inland Fisheries Management and Research
Estimating Global River Fisheries Harvest Potential
Developing Adaptation Strategies for Recreational and Tribal Fisheries in the Upper Midwest
Assessing the State of Global Inland Fisheries
Impacts of Global Change on Biotic Resistance, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services in Caribbean Fish Assemblages, Fisheries, and Aquatic Ecosystems
Identifying Critical Thresholds and Tipping Points for Priority Coastal Species in a Changing Future
How and Why is the Timing and Occurrence of Seasonal Migrants in the Gulf of Maine Changing Due to Climate?
Assessing the Impact of Future Climate on Hawai‘i’s Aquatic Ecosystems
How and Why is the Timing and Occurrence of Seasonal Migrants in the Gulf of Maine Changing Due to Climate?
The CASC Fish Research Team is highly prolific and has published almost 100 academic articles. Check out a selection of their publications below.
Special Issue
The CASC Fish Team is leading a special issue in the journal Fisheries Management and Ecology on applying the Resist-Adapt-Direct (RAD) Framework to fish and fisheries conservation and management.
CASC Fish Team Publications
The CASC Fish Team publishes more and more papers every year, from their first publication in 2012 to their 95th publication in 2021 (23 in 2021 alone!).
Check out these interactive narratives describing some of our favorite CASC Fish research projects.
Fish and Climate Change Database
Learn how to use the Fish and Climate Change database, FiCli (pronounced fick-lee) to explore how climate change impacts inland fish around the world.
Inland Fisheries Across the World
Learn about the threats to inland fisheries that resource managers around the world are thinking about.
COVID-19 and Freshwater Fisheries
Learn about the hidden impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on freshwater fish and fisheries around the world.
- Overview
The CASC Fish Research Program is a dynamic group of federal researchers and early-career scientists working together to explore the impacts of climate and other stressors on fish and aquatic systems to inform conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable use.
About Us
The CASC Fish Research Program is made up of a dynamic team of federal scientists, student contractors, fellows, and interns. We work collaboratively with programs within the Department of the Interior, other federal agencies, universities, management agencies, and conservation practitioners to conduct science and science synthesis at local, national, and global scales.
Our goal is to better understand global change impacts to these important resources and help stakeholders strategically conserve and adapt to changing conditions.
Research Themes
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. Visit Media to see details.The CASC Fish Research team explores a wide variety of science topics relating to fish and climate change, including:
-
Aquatic ecosystems
-
Food web / trophic dynamics
-
Novel communities
-
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
-
Climate adaptation
-
Invasive aquatic species
-
Policy and management
-
Coastal management
-
Fisheries management
-
Sustainable development
-
Sustainable seafood
-
Research with On-The-Ground Impacts
The CASC Fish Research Team works closely with a diverse group of partners and stakeholders to ensure their research can be directly used by resource managers and conservation practitioners to inform fisheries management. They include partners and stakeholders in every stage of the scientific process, specifically designing their projects to address pressing management challenges and to fill in knowledge gaps. They work with everyone from individual anglers up to large professional networks, purposefully collaborating with diverse voices to create new and innovative approaches. They are often asked to present their research to Federal leadership through Congressional briefings and in-person presentations.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.The CASC Fish Team participates in a meeting of ‘InFish’ (http://infish.org/), a professional network seeking to address challenges facing inland fish through novel approaches and international collaborations.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.The CASC Fish Team presents an informational briefing on the documented impacts of climate change on inland fish and fisheries to Capitol Hill lawmakers. -
- Science
The CASC Fish Research Team lead diverse, cutting-edge research on the effects of climate change on fish populations around the world. Learn more about their research projects below or check out our Project Explorer to see all the work the CASCs do on fish.
Project Highlight: Boston Harbor Islands
CASC researchers are partnering with the National Park System to inventory to intertidal biodiversity in the Boston Harbor Islands to support future coastal adaptation projects.
Project Highlight: Phenology
This project explored the effects of shifting phenology on marine ecosystems. They found that marine species had complex phenological responses to climate-linked variables, but that there are potential adaptive strategies that can help minimize these effects.
Project Highlight: NE Tribal Fisheries
CASC researchers partner with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to inform efforts to develop sustainable fisheries in light of climate change.
Filter Total Items: 15Increasing Tribal Climate Adaptive Capacity for Coastal Resources in the Northeast
Fish that migrate between fresh and salt waters, called diadromous fishes, are integral to coastal Tribal cultures as subsistence foods. Throughout their Northeast range, diadromous fish populations have shown strong declines over recent decades due to the combined impacts of habitat loss, pollution, overfishing, and climate change. These changes have led to decreasing access to traditional subsisEstimating Global Inland Recreational Consumption to Adapt to Global Change
Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular past-time which can provide substantial contributions to human consumption which are often overlooked at global scales. Here, we aim to establish a baseline of national inland recreational consumption estimates with species specificity to identify the nutritional composition and total use value ofA Pilot Biodiversity Inventory and Monitoring Protocol in Support of Coastal Adaptation Projects in Tidal and Nearshore Subtidal Habitats of Boston Harbor Islands
The Northeast U.S. coast is experiencing some of the fastest rates of sea level rise in the world. The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is particularly at risk from sea level rise and coastal storm impacts. Erosion and storm impacts have already led to the degradation of shoreline habitats and protective structures (e.g., sea walls), as well as direct impacts to historic landmarks onThe U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): A Database and Interactive Tool for Inland Fisheries Management and Research
Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular past-time in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler-survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler surveyEstimating Global River Fisheries Harvest Potential
Fish that are harvested from rivers and lakes play an important role in ensuring global food security. However, data on river fisheries is not collected in any standardized format globally. Although targeted analyses have been conducted on certain river systems, the approaches used, such as intensive field sampling, are not feasible at a global scale. Most river fish are harvested by small-scale oDeveloping Adaptation Strategies for Recreational and Tribal Fisheries in the Upper Midwest
Fisheries in the glacial lakes region of the upper Midwest are culturally, economically, and recreationally beneficial. Walleye, for instance, represent an important subsistence food source for some Wisconsin tribal nations and are also popular among recreational anglers. However, predicted ecological changes to these aquatic communities, such as an increase in invasive fish species, a decrease inAssessing the State of Global Inland Fisheries
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) documents the status and trends of marine fish stocks that represent approximately 80% of global marine catch. These stocks are routinely monitored, and the FAO assessment describes the extent of exploitation against different reference points - such as underfished, sustainable fished, or overfished. Although inland fisheries, whichImpacts of Global Change on Biotic Resistance, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services in Caribbean Fish Assemblages, Fisheries, and Aquatic Ecosystems
Extreme events not only affect people but can have detrimental impacts on natural resources, such as fish and freshwater habitats. Impacts of extreme events, like hurricanes, tornadoes, and extreme flooding, have immediate consequences, but also have the ability to alter habitats and animals far in the future by providing opportunities for exotic species to colonize new areas. Some fish communitieIdentifying Critical Thresholds and Tipping Points for Priority Coastal Species in a Changing Future
A large portion of the U.S. population lives in coastal areas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and the Caribbean; however, our coasts are also home to many fish, wildlife, and plant species that are important for recreation, tourism, local economies, biodiversity, and healthy coastal ecosystems. Coastal habitats also provide protective ecosystem services to human communities, which are increasinHow and Why is the Timing and Occurrence of Seasonal Migrants in the Gulf of Maine Changing Due to Climate?
Plants and animals undergo certain recurring life-cycle events, such as migrations between summer and winter habitats or the annual blooming of plants. Known as phenology, the timing of these events is very sensitive to changes in climate (and changes in one species’ phenology can impact entire food webs and ecosystems). Shifts in phenology have been described as a “fingerprint” of the temporal an...Assessing the Impact of Future Climate on Hawai‘i’s Aquatic Ecosystems
The stream systems of Hawai‘i are unique and home to many rare species, including five native fish and five native shellfish. These native species have amphidromous life cycles, meaning that they spend part of their lives in the ocean and part in freshwater streams. Stream flow serves as a vital natural pathway, connecting saltwater and freshwater habitats so that these animals can migrate between...How and Why is the Timing and Occurrence of Seasonal Migrants in the Gulf of Maine Changing Due to Climate?
Plants and animals undergo certain recurring life-cycle events, such as migrations between summer and winter habitats or the annual blooming of plants. Known as phenology, the timing of these events is very sensitive to changes in climate (and changes in one species’ phenology can impact entire food webs and ecosystems). Shifts in phenology have been described as a “fingerprint” of the temporal an... - Publications
The CASC Fish Research Team is highly prolific and has published almost 100 academic articles. Check out a selection of their publications below.
Special Issue
The CASC Fish Team is leading a special issue in the journal Fisheries Management and Ecology on applying the Resist-Adapt-Direct (RAD) Framework to fish and fisheries conservation and management.
CASC Fish Team Publications
The CASC Fish Team publishes more and more papers every year, from their first publication in 2012 to their 95th publication in 2021 (23 in 2021 alone!).
- Web Tools
Check out these interactive narratives describing some of our favorite CASC Fish research projects.
Fish and Climate Change Database
Learn how to use the Fish and Climate Change database, FiCli (pronounced fick-lee) to explore how climate change impacts inland fish around the world.
Inland Fisheries Across the World
Learn about the threats to inland fisheries that resource managers around the world are thinking about.
COVID-19 and Freshwater Fisheries
Learn about the hidden impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on freshwater fish and fisheries around the world.
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