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
Inland capture fishery contributions to global food security and threats to their future Inland capture fishery contributions to global food security and threats to their future
Where the waters meet: sharing ideas and experiences between inland and marine realms to promote sustainable fisheries management Where the waters meet: sharing ideas and experiences between inland and marine realms to promote sustainable fisheries management
Timing is everything Timing is everything
Succeeding as a non-traditional graduate student: Building the right support network Succeeding as a non-traditional graduate student: Building the right support network
Finding that academic position Finding that academic position
Openness to the unexpected: Our Pathways to Careers in a Federal Research Laboratory. Openness to the unexpected: Our Pathways to Careers in a Federal Research Laboratory.
Recent changes in successional state of the deep-water fish communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and management implications Recent changes in successional state of the deep-water fish communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and management implications
Alewife in the Great Lakes: Old invader - New millennium Alewife in the Great Lakes: Old invader - New millennium
Managing inherent complexity for sustainable walleye fisheries in Lake Erie Managing inherent complexity for sustainable walleye fisheries in Lake Erie
Pacific salmonines in the Great Lakes Basin Pacific salmonines in the Great Lakes Basin
Recent changes in successional state of the deep-water fish communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and management implications Recent changes in successional state of the deep-water fish communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and management implications
Science and Products
Inland capture fishery contributions to global food security and threats to their future Inland capture fishery contributions to global food security and threats to their future
Where the waters meet: sharing ideas and experiences between inland and marine realms to promote sustainable fisheries management Where the waters meet: sharing ideas and experiences between inland and marine realms to promote sustainable fisheries management
Timing is everything Timing is everything
Succeeding as a non-traditional graduate student: Building the right support network Succeeding as a non-traditional graduate student: Building the right support network
Finding that academic position Finding that academic position
Openness to the unexpected: Our Pathways to Careers in a Federal Research Laboratory. Openness to the unexpected: Our Pathways to Careers in a Federal Research Laboratory.
Recent changes in successional state of the deep-water fish communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and management implications Recent changes in successional state of the deep-water fish communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and management implications
Alewife in the Great Lakes: Old invader - New millennium Alewife in the Great Lakes: Old invader - New millennium
Managing inherent complexity for sustainable walleye fisheries in Lake Erie Managing inherent complexity for sustainable walleye fisheries in Lake Erie
Pacific salmonines in the Great Lakes Basin Pacific salmonines in the Great Lakes Basin
Recent changes in successional state of the deep-water fish communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and management implications Recent changes in successional state of the deep-water fish communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and management implications
*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