Publications

COVID-19 has affected almost every aspect of society including freshwater fisheries fieldwork. Our study quantified the effects of the pandemic on fisheries fieldwork in the United States. We administered a survey to fisheries chiefs in all 50 states to assess the pandemic’s impact on fisheries fieldwork. Of the 37 participants, 91% reported the pandemic affected their fieldwork and 92%...

“Bartram’s Bass” Micropterus sp. cf. coosae is endemic to the upper Savannah River basin of the southeastern United States and is threatened by hybridization with invasive Alabama Bass Micropterus henshalli. Bartram’s Bass have been functionally extirpated from reservoirs, and hybrid individuals have been detected in several tributaries. However, the extent of introgression in...

Overharvest has led to marine ecosystem degradation and declining fishery catches in many tropical communities. To allow stocks to recover and provide increased flows of food and income, reductions in fishing effort are necessary. The development of Alternative Income Generating Activities can help to reduce the economic reliance of coastal communities on fishing, potentially reducing...

Invasive Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush have altered the once-pristine Yellowstone Lake ecosystem through top-down effects by consuming Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri. To conserve Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and restore the ecosystem, a Lake Trout gillnetting program was implemented to suppress the invasive population. We evaluated the spatial structure of...

Stocking of Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss commonly provides seasonal or mitigation fisheries; however, these fish are usually small and ecosystem effects are spatially or temporally limited. Yet agencies receive requests to stock Rainbow Trout in relatively natural settings (i.e., not tailwater or mitigation fisheries), where introductions may have greater ecosystem consequences. The...

Wildlife responses to infectious disease can be influenced by environmental stressors that alter host-pathogen dynamics. We investigated how livestock grazing, climatic variation, and breeding phenology influence disease prevalence and annual survival in boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) populations challenged with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen implicated in...

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) rearing in lakes and reservoirs above dams have been known to become heavily infected with an ectoparasitic copepod (Salmincola californiensis). Little is known about the factors that affect the parasite infection prevalence and intensity. However, previous research suggests that the parasite may negatively affect the fitness and survival of the host...

The regeneration process is a sensitive period within life cycles of floodplain tree species and can strongly influence forest community composition. Yet, fundamental information remains limited on the relationship between regeneration processes and the flood disturbances that, together, construct floodplain forest landscapes. In a controlled greenhouse experiment we tested the effects...

Recent stand-replacing wildfires in late-successional and old-growth (LSOG) forests have increased land manager interest in fire refugia, which could provide vital habitat for threatened and endangered species during a time of rapid change. The overall goal of this project was to model, map, and share information essential for the conservation of LSOG forest ecosystems in the U.S...

Climate change threatens global biodiversity. Many species vulnerable to climate change are important to humans for nutritional, cultural, and economic reasons. Polar bears Ursus maritimus are threatened by sea-ice loss and represent a subsistence resource for Indigenous people. We applied a novel population modeling-management framework that is based on species life history and accounts...

We provide detailed rearing methods and describe green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) gonadal development and histological differentiation for both sexes. Developing in-depth aquaculture protocols and describing the gonadal differentiation of green sunfish could facilitate strategies to control nuisance populations, enhance stocking programs, and provide information for this species' use in...

Spatio-temporal movement patterns of aquatic organisms drive many ecological processes. However, dams block migrations and alter the hydrologic and thermal regimes influencing movement behaviour of freshwater fishes. In North America, many recovering southern Lake Sturgeon populations occur in rivers with hydroelectric dams, but few studies have examined the impact of hydrologic...