Abigail J. Lynch, Ph.D.
Abigail (Abby) J. Lynch is a Research Fish Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Climate Adaptation Science Center. Abby conducts science and science synthesis on the impacts of global change to inland fishes at local, national, and global scales. Her work aims to inform conservation and sustainable use and assist fishers, managers, and other practitioners adapt to change.
Biography
Abby is adjunct/affiliate faculty at Michigan State University, New Mexico State University, and North Carolina State University.
She serves as the coordinator for the international 'InFish' research network and a steward for the Fish and Climate Change Database (FiCli).
Abby is also a member of the IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, the International Steering Committee for the UN International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022, the 2021 World Fisheries Congress International Program Committee, and the American Fisheries Society International Fisheries Section Executive Committee.
She recently served as a fellow and author for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Global Assessment and an Advisory Board member and speaker for the FAO International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability.
Abby received her Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University on climate impacts to Great Lakes Lake Whitefish, M.S. in marine science on Atlantic Menhaden population genetics at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, and B.S. in biology and B.A. in English literature from the University of Virginia. She also served as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Fisheries Program.
Science and Products
Fish and Climate Change (FiCli) Database: Informing climate change adaptation and management actions for freshwater fishes
Inland fishes provide important ecosystem services to communities worldwide and are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Fish respond to climate change in diverse and nuanced ways, which creates challenges for practitioners of fish conservation, climate change adaptation, and management. Although climate change is known to affect fish globally, a comprehensive online, public...
Fish Habitat Restoration to Promote Adaptation: Resilience of Sport Fish in Lakes of the Upper Midwest
Many Midwestern lakes are experiencing warming water temperatures as a result of climate change. In general, this change is causing coldwater fish species such as cisco and coolwater species such as walleye to decline. Meanwhile, warmer water species such as largemouth and smallmouth bass are increasing as temperatures warm. However, some fish populations are more vulnerable to these changes...
Assessing 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,...
Developing 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...
Estimating 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-...
Improving National Estimates of Inland Recreational Harvest Using State Angler Survey Data
Recreational fishing dominates inland fisheries in the United States. In 2016 alone, more than 30.1 million Americans identified as freshwater anglers and spent nearly $30 billion on freshwater fishing trips. While recreational freshwater fishing can be catch-and-release, a large portion is consumptive. In fact, evidence suggests that recreational fisheries yield more than ten times that of...
State of the Science on Ecosystem Transformation
Recent changes in climate are having profound effects on many fish and wildlife species, and projections suggest that those trends are likely to continue. Changing climate conditions have the potential to transform ecosystems, which impacts not only fish and wildlife but also human communities, which rely on ecosystems for important goods and services such as food and water filtration....
Understanding Climate Impacts on Native and Invasive Fish for Conservation, Management, and Economic Goals in the Northern Rockies
As the origin of three major basins that drain the Columbia, Missouri, and Saskatchewan rivers, Montana is the hydrologic apex for North America. The Northern Rocky Mountain region is home to some of the last remaining interconnected habitats for many native fishes, including the threatened bull trout and native westslope cutthroat trout. The Northern Rockies are also experiencing rapidly...
Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review
Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some species and...
Impacts 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...
Making an Invisible Resource Visible: Integrating Inland Fisheries into the Sustainable Development Goals
Inland fisheries make up more than 50% of all food fish in the world. Sustainable inland fisheries can support global economic development by providing food for billions and livelihood for millions of people worldwide. However, it can be difficult to quantitatively track and evaluate the services that inland fisheries provide to communities, which ultimately means that the contributions of...
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...
Do empirical observations support commonly-held climate change range shift hypotheses? A systematic review protocol
Background Among the most widely anticipated climate-related impacts to biodiversity are geographic range shifts, whereby species shift their spatial distribution in response to changing climate conditions. In particular, a series of commonly articulated hypotheses have emerged: species are expected to shift their distributions to higher...
Rubenstein, Madeleine A.; Weiskopf, Sarah R.; Carter, Shawn; Eaton, Mitchell; Johnson, Ciara; Lynch, Abigail; Miller, Brian W.; Morelli, Toni Lyn; Rodriguez, Mari Angel; Terando, Adam; Thompson, Laura Bending the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss: An emergency recovery plan
Despite their limited spatial extent, freshwater ecosystems host remarkable biodiversity, including one-third of all vertebrate species. This biodiversity is declining dramatically: Globally, wetlands are vanishing three times faster than forests, and freshwater vertebrate populations have fallen more than twice as steeply as terrestrial or marine...
Tickner, David ; Opperman, Jeff ; Abell, Robin ; Acreman, Mike ; Arthington, Angela ; Bunn, Stuart E. ; Cooke, Steven J. ; Darwall, Will ; Edwards, Gavin ; Harrison, Ian ; Hughes, Kathy ; Jones, Tim ; Leclere, David ; Lynch, Abigail; Leonard, Philip ; McClain, Mike ; McIntyre, Pete ; Muruven, Dean ; Olden, Julian D. ; Ormerod, Steve ; Robinson, James ; Tharme, Rebecca ; Thieme, Michele ; Tockner, Klement ; Wright, Mark ; Young, Lucy Examining progress toward achieving the Ten Steps of the Rome Declaration on Responsible Inland Fisheries
Inland capture fisheries provide food for nearly a billion people and are important in the livelihoods of millions of households worldwide. Although there are limitations to evaluating many of the contributions made by inland capture fisheries, there is growing recognition by the international community that these services make critical...
Lynch, Abigail; Bartley, Devin M.; Beard, Douglas; Cowx, Ian. G.; Funge-Smith, Simon; Taylor, William W.; Cooke, Steve J. Speaking the same language: Can the Sustainable Development Goals translate the needs of inland fisheries into irrigation decisions?
Irrigated agriculture and inland fisheries both make important contributions to food security, nutrition, livelihoods, and well-being. Typically, in modern irrigation systems, these components operate independently. Some practices, commonly associated with water use and intensification of crop production, can be in direct conflict with and have...
Lynch, Abigail; Baumgartner, Lee J.; Boys, Craig A.; Conallin, John; Cowx, Ian. G.; Finlayson, C. Max; Franklin, Paul A.; Hogan, Zeb; Koehn, John D.; McCartney, Matthrew P.; O'Brien, Gordon C.; Phouthavong, Kaviphone; Silva, Luiz G. M.; Tob, Chann Aun; Valbo-Jorgensen, John; Vu, An Vi; Whiting, Louise; Wibowo, Arif; Duncan, Phil An integrated framework for ecological drought across riverscapes of North America
Climate change is increasing the severity and extent of extreme droughts events, posing a critical threat to freshwater ecosystems, particularly with increasing human demands for diminishing water supplies. Despite the importance of drought as a significant driver of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, current understanding of drought...
Kovach, Ryan; Dunham, Jason B.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert; Snyder, Craig; Beever, Erik A.; Pederson, Gregory T.; Lynch, Abigail; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Konrad, Christopher P.; Jaeger, Kristin; Rea, Alan H.; Sepulveda, Adam J.; Lambert, Patrick M.; Stoker, Jason M.; Giersch, J. Joseph; Muhlfeld, Clint C. Fishing for conservation of freshwater tropical fish in the Anthropocene
1. Biodiversity and fisheries are two important assets of freshwater ecosystems that are currently at risk from external threats. Establishing an equitable resolution to these threats is a major challenge of the Anthropocene. 2. This is particularly pertinent in developing nations where hotspots for biodiversity converge with rapid, and often...
Phang, Sui Chian; Cooperman, Michael S.; Lynch, Abigail; Steel, Ashley; Elliott, Vittoria; Murchie, Karen J.; Cooke, Steven J.; Dowd, Scott; Cowx, Ian G. Long-term streamflow trends in Hawai‘i and implications for native stream fauna
Climate change has fundamentally altered the water cycle in tropical islands, which is a critical driver of freshwater ecosystems. To examine how changes in streamflow regime have impacted habitat quality for native migratory aquatic species, we present a 50‐year (1967–2016) analysis of hydrologic records in 23 unregulated streams across the five...
Clilverd, H. M.; Tsang, Y.-P.; Infante, D. M.; Lynch, Abigail; Strauch, A. M. Hypotheses from recent assessments of climate impacts to biodiversity and ecosystems in the United States
Climate change poses multiple threats to biodiversity, and has already caused demonstrable impacts. We summarize key results from a recent national assessment of observed climate change impacts to terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems in the United States, and place results in the context of commonly articulated hypotheses about ecosystem...
Filho, Walter Leal; Barbir, Jelena; Preziosi, Richard; Carter, Shawn L.; Lynch, Abigail J.; Myers, Bonnie; Rubenstein, Madeleine A.; Thompson, Laura M. New global high-resolution centerlines dataset of selected river systems
We present the first high resolution (1:20,000) river centerlines shapefiles from 50 large rivers across the world. Rivers were selected based on the criteria of having more than 1000 km length and which have been reported to have a significant contribution to global fishery production. Since large rivers often span multiple countries, the degree...
Basher, Zeenatul; Lynch, Abigail; Taylor, William W. Assessing the global distribution of river fisheries harvest: A systematic map protocol
No abstract available.
Romulo, Chelsie; Basher, Zeenatul; Lynch, Abigail; Kao, Yu-Chun; Taylor, William W. Early-career experts essential for planetary sustainability
Early-career experts can play a fundamental role in achieving planetary sustainability by bridging generational divides and developing novel solutions to complex problems. We argue that intergenerational partnerships and interdisciplinary collaboration among early-career experts will enable emerging sustainability leaders to contribute fully to a...
Lim, Michelle; Lynch, Abigail J.; Fernández-Llamazares, Alvaro; Balint, Lenke; Basher, Zeenatul; Chan, Ivis; Jaureguiberry, Pedro; Mohamed, A.A.A.; Mwampamba, Tuyeni H.; Palomo, Ignacio; Pliscoff, Patricio; Salimov, R.A.; Samakov, Aibek; Selomane, Odirilwe; Shrestha, Uttam B.; Sidorovich, Anna A. Inland fisheries – Invisible but integral to the UN Sustainable Development Agenda for ending poverty by 2030
The United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development defines the formidable challenge of integrating historically separate economic, social, and environmental goals into a unified ‘plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity.’ We highlight the substantial contribution inland fisheries can make towards preventing increased poverty...
Lynch, Abigail; Cowx, I.G.; Fluet-Chouinard, Etienne; Glaser, S. M.; Phang, Sui C.; Beard, T. Douglas; Bower, S. D.; Brooks, J.L.; Bunnell, David B.; Claussen, Julie; Cooke, S.J.; Kao, Yu-Chun; Lorenzen, Kai; Myers, Bonnie; Reid, Andrea J.; Taylor, J. J.; Youn, S.
Job Opportunity: NCASC "Scientific Programmer/Data Analyst (Fisheries)" Position
The National CASC is seeking to hire a student or recent graduate to assist in the compilation, summarization, and management of national and global datasets that will be used to analyze threats to fishery resources. This position will be coordinated with USGS Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) which provides critical data, services, and capabilities to USGS, DOI, and other organizations....
Inland Fisheries are a Key Ingredient to Reaching Sustainable Development Goals
Inland fisheries could make substantial contributions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations’ blueprint for achieving a more sustainable future. Learn more about the important role of inland fisheries in this blog post by National CASC research fish biologist Abby Lynch.
Bending the Curve of Global Freshwater Biodiversity Loss: An Emergency Recovery Plan
A new study published in BioScience outlines a global framework for safeguarding global freshwater biodiversity. This first-of-its-kind framework was developed by a global team of scientists from various scientific and environmental organizations and academic institutions....
Job Opportunity: National CASC Seeking Recreational Fishing Database Manager
The National CASC is seeking to hire a full-time student or recent graduate to manage a recreational fishing database.
Abigail Lynch Receives Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Abigail (Abby) Lynch, Research Fish Biologist with the National CASC, was recently awarded an Outstanding Young Alumni Award from Michigan State University's College of Agriculture & Natural Resources.
USGS and AFS Host Capitol Hill Roundtable on Extreme Events
Inland fish are found in lakes, rivers, streams, canals, reservoirs, and other landlocked waters. Inland fish are vulnerable to a range of threats, including overharvesting, pollution, and changes in water conditions as the climate changes.
Inland Fisheries Are a Vital but Overlooked Tool for Ending Poverty
Inland fisheries are critical for preventing poverty and ensuring sustainable livelihoods – but their contributions are often overlooked, say USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center researchers and partners in a new perspective paper.
High Temps, Low Water - Inland Fish Face an Uncertain Future
Warming waters are already affecting where inland fish across North America reproduce, grow, and where they live. Scientists are working hard to provide needed information to resource managers to help protect the country’s precious fish and habitats.
In Hot Water: Climate Change is Affecting North American Fish
Climate change is already affecting inland fish across North America -- including some fish that are popular with anglers. Scientists are seeing a variety of changes in how inland fish reproduce, grow and where they can live.
Why is Genetic Diversity Important?
Learn more about how genetic diversity can minimize risk and buffer species from climate change impacts.