Alexander Haro, Ph.D.
Dr. Haro is a Fish Biologist with the Eastern Ecological Science Center at the S.O. Conte Research Laboratory in Turners Falls, MA, and serves as Section Leader of the Fish Passage Engineering Section.
His present work involves migratory fish behavior, design, engineering, and evaluation of fish passage structures, fish swimming performance, and ecology and management of American eels. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Conservation and serves as a major advisor for graduate students, as well as an instructor for courses in fisheries biology.
Professional Experience
1991-present: Ecologist and Section Leader, Fish Passage Engineering Section, S. O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, Biological Resources Division, U. S. Geological Survey, Turners Falls, Massachusetts
1991-present: Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology; Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts
1989-1990: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cooperative Institute for Marine Resource Studies, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Zoology, University of Maine 1989
M.Sc. Zoology, University of Rhode Island 1985
B. Sc. Biology, University of Michigan 1981
Affiliations and Memberships*
1985-present: American Fisheries Society Parent Society, Bethesda, MD
1985-present: American Fisheries Society Southern New England Chapter, Woods Hole, MA
1991-present: American Fisheries Society Bioengineering Section, Bethesda, MD
1992-present: University of Massachusetts, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Conservation, Amherst, MA
1996-present: Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, American Eel Management Plan Technical Committee, Fish Passage Working Group, Washington, DC
1996-present: Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (Fish Passage, Shad Studies Work Group, American Eel Subcommittee)
2000 – present: International Council for Exploration of the Seas (ICES) North American Eel Working Group
2012-present: Great Lakes Fisheries Commission Sea Lamprey Research Board; Trapping Task Force and Barriers Task Force
2010-present: American Society of Civil Engineers Environmental and Water Resources Institute - American Fisheries Society Bioengineering Section Committee on Fish Passage Fisheries Engineering Joint
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 39
Passage of downstream migrant American eels through an airlift-assisted deep bypass Passage of downstream migrant American eels through an airlift-assisted deep bypass
Traditional downstream guidance and bypass facilities for anadromous fishes (i.e., surface bypasses, surface guidance structures, and behavioral barriers) have frequently been ineffective for anguillid eels. Because eels typically spend the majority of their time near the bottom in the vicinity of intake structures, deep bypass structures with entrances near the bottom hold promise for...
Authors
Alexander J. Haro, Barnaby J. Watten, John Noreika
Derivation and application of the energy dissipation factor in the design of fishways Derivation and application of the energy dissipation factor in the design of fishways
Reducing turbulence and associated air entrainment is generally considered advantageous in the engineering design of fish passage facilities. The well-known energy dissipation factor, or EDF, correlates with observations of the phenomena. However, inconsistencies in EDF forms exist and the bases for volumetric energy dissipation rate criteria are often misunderstood. A comprehensive...
Authors
Brett Towler, Kevin Mulligan, Alexander J. Haro
Computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) modelling as an exploratory tool for assessing passability of riverine migratory challenge zones for fish Computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) modelling as an exploratory tool for assessing passability of riverine migratory challenge zones for fish
We developed two-dimensional computational fluid hydraulics-habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) models to identify and qualitatively assess potential zones of shallow water depth and high water velocity that may present passage challenges for five major anadromous fish species in a 2.63-km reach of the main stem Penobscot River, Maine, as a result of a dam removal downstream of the reach
Authors
Alexander J. Haro, Michael Chelminski, Robert W. Dudley
Accelerometer-derived activity correlates with volitional swimming speed in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) Accelerometer-derived activity correlates with volitional swimming speed in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)
Quantifying fine-scale locomotor behaviours associated with different activities is challenging for free-swimming fish. Biologging and biotelemetry tools can help address this problem. An open channel flume was used to generate volitional swimming speed (Us) estimates of cultured lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817) and these were paired with simultaneously recorded...
Authors
J.D. Thiem, J.W. Dawson, A.C. Gleiss, E.G. Martins, Alexander J. Haro, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, A. J. Danylchuk, R. P. Wilson, S. J. Cooke
Survival and behavioral effects of exposure to a hydrokinetic turbine on juvenile Atlantic salmon and adult American shad Survival and behavioral effects of exposure to a hydrokinetic turbine on juvenile Atlantic salmon and adult American shad
This paper describes a series of experiments designed to measure the effect of exposure to a full-scale, vertical axis hydrokinetic turbine on downstream migrating juvenile Atlantic salmon (N=75) and upstream migrating adult American shad (N=208). Controlled studies were performed in a large-scale, open-channel flume, and all individuals approached the turbine under volitional control...
Authors
Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Alex Haro
Migratory patterns of hatchery and stream-reared Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts in the Connecticut River, U.S.A. Migratory patterns of hatchery and stream-reared Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts in the Connecticut River, U.S.A.
The timing of downstream migration and detection rates of hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts and stream-reared smolts (stocked 2 years earlier as fry) were examined in the Connecticut River (U.S.A.) using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags implanted into fish and then detected at a downstream fish bypass collection facility at Turners Falls, MA (river length 192 km...
Authors
Stephen D. McCormick, Alexander Haro, Darren T. Lerner, Michael F. O’Dea, Amy M. Regish
Non-USGS Publications**
Haro, A. 2009. Population and habitat restoration. Pages 495-496 in: Haro, A. J., K. L. Smith, R. A. Rulifson, C. M. Moffitt, R. J. Klauda, M. J. Dadswell, R. A. Cunjak, J. E. Cooper, K. L. Beal, and T. S. Avery, editors. 2009. Challenges for Diadromous Fishes in a Dynamic Global Environment. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 69, Bethesda, Maryland. IP-012111
Brown, L., A. Haro, and T. Castro-Santos. 2009. Three-dimensional movement of silver-phase American eels in the forebay of a small hydroelectric facility. Pages 277-291 in: J. Casselman et al. editors. Eels at the Edge: Science, Status, and Conservation Concerns. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD. IP-008996
Bunt, C. M., T. Castro-Santos, and A. Haro. 2011. Performance of fish passage structures at upstream barriers to migration. River Research and Applications 28(4): 457-478. doi: 10.1002/rra.156. IP-031133
Haro, A. and T. Castro-Santos 2012. Passage of American shad: paradigms and realities. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 4(1): 252-261. doi: 10.1080/19425120.2012.675975. IP-037072
Haro, A., R. Dudley, and M. Chelminski. 2012. Development of computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability (CFD–HSI) models to identify potential passage-challenge zones for migratory fishes in the Penobscot River. USGS Fact Sheet 2012–3073; 2 pp. IP-036270
Franklin, A. E., A. Haro, T. Castro-Santos, and J. Noreika. 2012. Evaluation of nature-like and technical fishways for the passage of alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) at two coastal streams in New England. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141(3): 624-637. doi: 10.1080/00028487.2012.683469. IP-014329
Castro-Santos, T. and A. Haro. 2013. Survival and behavioral effects of exposure to a hydrokinetic turbine on juvenile Atlantic salmon and adult American shad. Estuaries and Coasts. doi:10.1007/s12237-013-9680-6. IP-049248
Haro, A. (ed.) 2013. Proceedings of a workshop on eel passage technologies. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Special Report No. 90. 32 p. IP-049129
Haro, A. 2014. Anguillidae. Pages 313-331 in: B. M. Burr and M. L. Warren, Jr., eds. Diversity of North American Freshwater Fishes: Natural History, Ecology, and Conservation. Johns Hopkins University Press. IP-039301
McCormick, S. D., A. Haro, D. T. Lerner, M. F. O'Dea and A. M. Regish. 2014. Migratory patterns of hatchery- and stream-reared Atlantic salmon smolts in the Connecticut River, USA. Journal of Fish Biology 85:1005 – 1022. doi:10.1111/jfb.12532. IP-054890
Theim, J.D., J.W. Dawson, A.C. Gleiss, E.G. Martins, A. Haro, T. Castro-Santos, A.J. Danylchuk, R.P. Wilson, S.J. Cooke. 2015. Accelerometer-derived activity correlates with volitional swimming speed in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fluvescens). Canadian Journal of Zoology 93: 645-654. doi:10.1139/cjz-2014-0271. IP-055359
Haro, A., M. Chelminski, and R. Dudley. 2015. Computational fluid dynamics – habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) modelling as an exploratory tool for assessing passability of riverine migratory challenge zones for fish. River Research and Applications 31: 526–537. doi:10.1002/rra.2911. IP-049212
Towler, B., K. Mulligan, and A. Haro. 2015. Derivation and application of the energy dissipation factor in the design of fishways. Ecological Engineering. 83: 208-217. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.06.014. IP-059508
T. Castro-Santos, X. Shi, and A. Haro. 2016. Migratory behavior of adult sea lamprey and cumulative passage performance through four fishways. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. doi:10.1139/cjfas-2016-0089. IP-060899
Haro, A., B. Watten, and J. Noreika. 2016. Passage of downstream migrant American eels through an airlift deep bypass system. Ecological Engineering 91(2016):545-552. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.02.028. IP-068556
Turek, J., A. Haro, and B. Towler. 2016. Federal interagency nature‐like fishway passage design guidelines for Atlantic coast diadromous fishes. USGS-USFWS-NMFS Interagency Technical Memorandum. 47 pp. IP-064934
Mulligan, K., B. Towler, A. Haro, and D.P. Ahlfeld. 2017. A computational fluid dynamics modeling study of guide walls for downstream fish passage. Ecological Engineering 99:324-332, doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.11.025. IP-080297
Miehls, S.M., N. S. Johnson, and A. Haro. 2017. Electrical guidance efficiency of downstream migrating juvenile Sea Lamprey decreases with increasing water velocity. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146(2): 299-307. doi: 10.1080/00028487.2016.1256834. IP-080796
Mulligan, K. B., B. Towler, A. Haro, and D. P. Ahlfeld. 2017. Sensitivity of the downward to sweeping velocity ratio to the bypass flow percentage along a guide wall for downstream fish passage. Ecological Engineering 109:10-14. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.08.012. IP-080644
Haro, A., K. Mulligan, T. P. Suro, J. Noreika, and A. McHugh. 2017. Hydraulic and biological passability analysis of the Blackwells Mills USGS gaging weir. USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5103. doi: 10.3133/sir20175103. IP-082637
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 39
Passage of downstream migrant American eels through an airlift-assisted deep bypass Passage of downstream migrant American eels through an airlift-assisted deep bypass
Traditional downstream guidance and bypass facilities for anadromous fishes (i.e., surface bypasses, surface guidance structures, and behavioral barriers) have frequently been ineffective for anguillid eels. Because eels typically spend the majority of their time near the bottom in the vicinity of intake structures, deep bypass structures with entrances near the bottom hold promise for...
Authors
Alexander J. Haro, Barnaby J. Watten, John Noreika
Derivation and application of the energy dissipation factor in the design of fishways Derivation and application of the energy dissipation factor in the design of fishways
Reducing turbulence and associated air entrainment is generally considered advantageous in the engineering design of fish passage facilities. The well-known energy dissipation factor, or EDF, correlates with observations of the phenomena. However, inconsistencies in EDF forms exist and the bases for volumetric energy dissipation rate criteria are often misunderstood. A comprehensive...
Authors
Brett Towler, Kevin Mulligan, Alexander J. Haro
Computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) modelling as an exploratory tool for assessing passability of riverine migratory challenge zones for fish Computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) modelling as an exploratory tool for assessing passability of riverine migratory challenge zones for fish
We developed two-dimensional computational fluid hydraulics-habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) models to identify and qualitatively assess potential zones of shallow water depth and high water velocity that may present passage challenges for five major anadromous fish species in a 2.63-km reach of the main stem Penobscot River, Maine, as a result of a dam removal downstream of the reach
Authors
Alexander J. Haro, Michael Chelminski, Robert W. Dudley
Accelerometer-derived activity correlates with volitional swimming speed in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) Accelerometer-derived activity correlates with volitional swimming speed in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)
Quantifying fine-scale locomotor behaviours associated with different activities is challenging for free-swimming fish. Biologging and biotelemetry tools can help address this problem. An open channel flume was used to generate volitional swimming speed (Us) estimates of cultured lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817) and these were paired with simultaneously recorded...
Authors
J.D. Thiem, J.W. Dawson, A.C. Gleiss, E.G. Martins, Alexander J. Haro, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, A. J. Danylchuk, R. P. Wilson, S. J. Cooke
Survival and behavioral effects of exposure to a hydrokinetic turbine on juvenile Atlantic salmon and adult American shad Survival and behavioral effects of exposure to a hydrokinetic turbine on juvenile Atlantic salmon and adult American shad
This paper describes a series of experiments designed to measure the effect of exposure to a full-scale, vertical axis hydrokinetic turbine on downstream migrating juvenile Atlantic salmon (N=75) and upstream migrating adult American shad (N=208). Controlled studies were performed in a large-scale, open-channel flume, and all individuals approached the turbine under volitional control...
Authors
Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Alex Haro
Migratory patterns of hatchery and stream-reared Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts in the Connecticut River, U.S.A. Migratory patterns of hatchery and stream-reared Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts in the Connecticut River, U.S.A.
The timing of downstream migration and detection rates of hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts and stream-reared smolts (stocked 2 years earlier as fry) were examined in the Connecticut River (U.S.A.) using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags implanted into fish and then detected at a downstream fish bypass collection facility at Turners Falls, MA (river length 192 km...
Authors
Stephen D. McCormick, Alexander Haro, Darren T. Lerner, Michael F. O’Dea, Amy M. Regish
Non-USGS Publications**
Haro, A. 2009. Population and habitat restoration. Pages 495-496 in: Haro, A. J., K. L. Smith, R. A. Rulifson, C. M. Moffitt, R. J. Klauda, M. J. Dadswell, R. A. Cunjak, J. E. Cooper, K. L. Beal, and T. S. Avery, editors. 2009. Challenges for Diadromous Fishes in a Dynamic Global Environment. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 69, Bethesda, Maryland. IP-012111
Brown, L., A. Haro, and T. Castro-Santos. 2009. Three-dimensional movement of silver-phase American eels in the forebay of a small hydroelectric facility. Pages 277-291 in: J. Casselman et al. editors. Eels at the Edge: Science, Status, and Conservation Concerns. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD. IP-008996
Bunt, C. M., T. Castro-Santos, and A. Haro. 2011. Performance of fish passage structures at upstream barriers to migration. River Research and Applications 28(4): 457-478. doi: 10.1002/rra.156. IP-031133
Haro, A. and T. Castro-Santos 2012. Passage of American shad: paradigms and realities. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 4(1): 252-261. doi: 10.1080/19425120.2012.675975. IP-037072
Haro, A., R. Dudley, and M. Chelminski. 2012. Development of computational fluid dynamics-habitat suitability (CFD–HSI) models to identify potential passage-challenge zones for migratory fishes in the Penobscot River. USGS Fact Sheet 2012–3073; 2 pp. IP-036270
Franklin, A. E., A. Haro, T. Castro-Santos, and J. Noreika. 2012. Evaluation of nature-like and technical fishways for the passage of alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) at two coastal streams in New England. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141(3): 624-637. doi: 10.1080/00028487.2012.683469. IP-014329
Castro-Santos, T. and A. Haro. 2013. Survival and behavioral effects of exposure to a hydrokinetic turbine on juvenile Atlantic salmon and adult American shad. Estuaries and Coasts. doi:10.1007/s12237-013-9680-6. IP-049248
Haro, A. (ed.) 2013. Proceedings of a workshop on eel passage technologies. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Special Report No. 90. 32 p. IP-049129
Haro, A. 2014. Anguillidae. Pages 313-331 in: B. M. Burr and M. L. Warren, Jr., eds. Diversity of North American Freshwater Fishes: Natural History, Ecology, and Conservation. Johns Hopkins University Press. IP-039301
McCormick, S. D., A. Haro, D. T. Lerner, M. F. O'Dea and A. M. Regish. 2014. Migratory patterns of hatchery- and stream-reared Atlantic salmon smolts in the Connecticut River, USA. Journal of Fish Biology 85:1005 – 1022. doi:10.1111/jfb.12532. IP-054890
Theim, J.D., J.W. Dawson, A.C. Gleiss, E.G. Martins, A. Haro, T. Castro-Santos, A.J. Danylchuk, R.P. Wilson, S.J. Cooke. 2015. Accelerometer-derived activity correlates with volitional swimming speed in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fluvescens). Canadian Journal of Zoology 93: 645-654. doi:10.1139/cjz-2014-0271. IP-055359
Haro, A., M. Chelminski, and R. Dudley. 2015. Computational fluid dynamics – habitat suitability index (CFD-HSI) modelling as an exploratory tool for assessing passability of riverine migratory challenge zones for fish. River Research and Applications 31: 526–537. doi:10.1002/rra.2911. IP-049212
Towler, B., K. Mulligan, and A. Haro. 2015. Derivation and application of the energy dissipation factor in the design of fishways. Ecological Engineering. 83: 208-217. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.06.014. IP-059508
T. Castro-Santos, X. Shi, and A. Haro. 2016. Migratory behavior of adult sea lamprey and cumulative passage performance through four fishways. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. doi:10.1139/cjfas-2016-0089. IP-060899
Haro, A., B. Watten, and J. Noreika. 2016. Passage of downstream migrant American eels through an airlift deep bypass system. Ecological Engineering 91(2016):545-552. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.02.028. IP-068556
Turek, J., A. Haro, and B. Towler. 2016. Federal interagency nature‐like fishway passage design guidelines for Atlantic coast diadromous fishes. USGS-USFWS-NMFS Interagency Technical Memorandum. 47 pp. IP-064934
Mulligan, K., B. Towler, A. Haro, and D.P. Ahlfeld. 2017. A computational fluid dynamics modeling study of guide walls for downstream fish passage. Ecological Engineering 99:324-332, doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.11.025. IP-080297
Miehls, S.M., N. S. Johnson, and A. Haro. 2017. Electrical guidance efficiency of downstream migrating juvenile Sea Lamprey decreases with increasing water velocity. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146(2): 299-307. doi: 10.1080/00028487.2016.1256834. IP-080796
Mulligan, K. B., B. Towler, A. Haro, and D. P. Ahlfeld. 2017. Sensitivity of the downward to sweeping velocity ratio to the bypass flow percentage along a guide wall for downstream fish passage. Ecological Engineering 109:10-14. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.08.012. IP-080644
Haro, A., K. Mulligan, T. P. Suro, J. Noreika, and A. McHugh. 2017. Hydraulic and biological passability analysis of the Blackwells Mills USGS gaging weir. USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5103. doi: 10.3133/sir20175103. IP-082637
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*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