Alexander Haro, Ph.D.
Dr. Haro is a Scientist Emeritus (Fish Biologist) at the EESC USGS S.O. Conte Research Laboratory at Turners Falls, Massachusetts
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.
Professional Experience
2024-present: Scientist Emeritus (Fish Biologist) , S. O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, Biological Resources Division, U. S. Geological Survey, Turners Falls, Massachusetts
1991-2024: 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*
American Fisheries Society Southern New England Chapter
Honors and Awards
2022: Career Achievement Award, AFS-BES/ASCE-EWRI Joint Committee on Fisheries Engineering and Science
2021: Recognition of Appreciation Award, Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission
2013: Distinguished Project in Fisheries Engineering and Ecohydrology (Uniform Acceleration Bypass Weir)
2000: Coastal America Partnership Award (Little Falls Dam notch design)
1996: Special Achievement Award: American Fisheries Society, Southern New England Chapter
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 39
Behavior and passage of silver-phase American eels, Anguilla rostrata (LeSueur), at a small hydroelectric facility Behavior and passage of silver-phase American eels, Anguilla rostrata (LeSueur), at a small hydroelectric facility
No abstract available.
Authors
Alex Haro, Ted Castro-Santos, Jacques Boubee
Effect of slope and headpond on passage of American shad and blueback herring through simple Denil and deepened Alaska steeppass fishways Effect of slope and headpond on passage of American shad and blueback herring through simple Denil and deepened Alaska steeppass fishways
Passage and transit time of adult upstream-migrant American shad Alosa sapidissima and blueback herring A. aestivalis were investigated in standard Denil and Alaska steeppass fishways with variable slope and headpond under semicontrolled conditions. Percent of American shad passed per unit time (percent passage) increased with temperature, while time required to ascend from the fishway...
Authors
Alexander J. Haro, Mufeed Odeh, Theodore Castro-Santos, John Noreika
A passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag system for monitoring fishways A passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag system for monitoring fishways
An application of passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology was used to monitor movements of adult American shad (Alosa sapidissima), blueback herring (A. aestivalis) and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) in two experimental fishways. Tag reading efficiency was between 88–96%, detection ranges were 50–100 cm from orifices of 3100–9600 cm2, and read rates were 5–7 Hz. The system...
Authors
Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Alexander Haro, S. Walk
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
Behavior and passage of silver-phase American eels, Anguilla rostrata (LeSueur), at a small hydroelectric facility Behavior and passage of silver-phase American eels, Anguilla rostrata (LeSueur), at a small hydroelectric facility
No abstract available.
Authors
Alex Haro, Ted Castro-Santos, Jacques Boubee
Effect of slope and headpond on passage of American shad and blueback herring through simple Denil and deepened Alaska steeppass fishways Effect of slope and headpond on passage of American shad and blueback herring through simple Denil and deepened Alaska steeppass fishways
Passage and transit time of adult upstream-migrant American shad Alosa sapidissima and blueback herring A. aestivalis were investigated in standard Denil and Alaska steeppass fishways with variable slope and headpond under semicontrolled conditions. Percent of American shad passed per unit time (percent passage) increased with temperature, while time required to ascend from the fishway...
Authors
Alexander J. Haro, Mufeed Odeh, Theodore Castro-Santos, John Noreika
A passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag system for monitoring fishways A passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag system for monitoring fishways
An application of passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology was used to monitor movements of adult American shad (Alosa sapidissima), blueback herring (A. aestivalis) and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) in two experimental fishways. Tag reading efficiency was between 88–96%, detection ranges were 50–100 cm from orifices of 3100–9600 cm2, and read rates were 5–7 Hz. The system...
Authors
Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Alexander Haro, S. Walk
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