Abigail J. Lynch, Ph.D.
Abigail (Abby) J. Lynch is a Research Fish Biologist with the USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center. Abby conducts science and science syntheses 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 to help fishers, managers, and other practitioners adapt to change.
Collaborative Networks
Abby leads the National CASC's aquatics program and co-leads the CASC Fish Research Team. She is adjunct/affiliate faculty at Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, the University of Florida, and the University of Missouri.
She serves as the coordinator for the international 'InFish' research network, a steward for the Fish and Climate Change Database (FiCli) and the U.S. Inland Creel & Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat), an Associate Editor for Fisheries Management and Ecology, and an Editorial Board member for Sustainability Science.
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.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University
M.S. in Marine Science, College of William & Mary
B.S. in Biology, University of Virginia
B.A. in English, University of Virginia
Affiliations and Memberships*
IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group; IUCN Fisheries Expert Group
IPBES Global and Nexus Assessments (Fellow, Lead Author, Programmatic Review Panelist)
2024 World Fisheries Congress International Program Committee (Co-chair)
UN International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (International Steering Committee)
FAO International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability (Advisory Board Member)
American Fisheries Society International Fisheries Section (Past-President)
Honors and Awards
Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Michigan State University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Science and Products
Estimating Global Inland Recreational Consumption to Adapt to Global Change
Connecting Ecosystems from Mountains to the Sea in a Changing Climate
One from Many: Combining State Creel Data to Estimate Regional Harvest
Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change on Fish Growth and Production to Enable Sustainable Management of Diverse Inland Fisheries
Impacts of Extreme Events on the Native and Nonnative Aquatic Species of Hawaiʻi Stream Ecosystem
Fish Habitat Restoration to Promote Adaptation: Resilience of Sport Fish in Lakes of the Upper Midwest
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation induces escape hatching of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) embryos Exposure to ultraviolet radiation induces escape hatching of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) embryos
Exposure, sensitivity, or adaptive capacity? Reviewing assessments that use only two of three elements of climate change vulnerability Exposure, sensitivity, or adaptive capacity? Reviewing assessments that use only two of three elements of climate change vulnerability
Adaptive capacities of inland fisheries facing anthropogenic pressures Adaptive capacities of inland fisheries facing anthropogenic pressures
Lake temperature and morphometry shape the thermal composition of recreational fishing catch Lake temperature and morphometry shape the thermal composition of recreational fishing catch
Taylorisms: The wit and witticisms of Professor William W. Taylor Taylorisms: The wit and witticisms of Professor William W. Taylor
Life on land needs fresh water (SDG 15) Life on land needs fresh water (SDG 15)
Science and Products
Estimating Global Inland Recreational Consumption to Adapt to Global Change
Connecting Ecosystems from Mountains to the Sea in a Changing Climate
One from Many: Combining State Creel Data to Estimate Regional Harvest
Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change on Fish Growth and Production to Enable Sustainable Management of Diverse Inland Fisheries
Impacts of Extreme Events on the Native and Nonnative Aquatic Species of Hawaiʻi Stream Ecosystem
Fish Habitat Restoration to Promote Adaptation: Resilience of Sport Fish in Lakes of the Upper Midwest
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation induces escape hatching of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) embryos Exposure to ultraviolet radiation induces escape hatching of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) embryos
Exposure, sensitivity, or adaptive capacity? Reviewing assessments that use only two of three elements of climate change vulnerability Exposure, sensitivity, or adaptive capacity? Reviewing assessments that use only two of three elements of climate change vulnerability
Adaptive capacities of inland fisheries facing anthropogenic pressures Adaptive capacities of inland fisheries facing anthropogenic pressures
Lake temperature and morphometry shape the thermal composition of recreational fishing catch Lake temperature and morphometry shape the thermal composition of recreational fishing catch
Taylorisms: The wit and witticisms of Professor William W. Taylor Taylorisms: The wit and witticisms of Professor William W. Taylor
Life on land needs fresh water (SDG 15) Life on land needs fresh water (SDG 15)
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government