Blueback herring and alewife (river herring) are two species of anadromous fish that are important in Northeast coastal rivers.
Allison Roy, PhD
Unit Leader - Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Research Interests
Allison's research broadly revolves around characterizing anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems and identifying conservation strategies for effectively protecting and restoring watersheds. The growing human population continues to constrain biotic assemblages in a variety of ways, and understanding the mechanisms by which urbanization and its associated stressors result in degraded fish assemblages is an overarching challenge of her research program. She is interested in examining effects of altered hydrology, temperature, habitat, water quality, and food resources on stream fishes; quantifying sublethal (e.g., behavior, physiology) responses of fishes to urbanization; and assessing potential for management (e.g., forested riparian buffers, green infrastructure, dam removal) to restore fish assemblages.
Teaching Interests
At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Allison teaches Research Concepts for first-year graduate students and Aquatic Ecology for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. In the past, she has taught graduate classes in Stream Ecology and Watershed Theory & Management, and undergraduate classes in the areas of Ecology, Conservation Biology, and Environmental Science.
Science and Products
Carbon in Urban River Biogeochemistry Project
The Issue: In aquatic ecosystems, dissolved organic carbon represents the largest flux of carbon in streams and it is a primary energy source in aquatic food webs. There is limited understanding of how human activities related to urban development influence the timing and scale of carbon cycling in aquatic ecosystems. How USGS will help: The USGS is working with university partners to assess how...
Quality Assessment of Past Spawning Mark Estimations from a Long-Term Survey in the Connecticut River Watershed
For this report, we assessed the bias and precision of paired reader estimations of spawning marks on scales of Blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) collected in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife (USFWS) Annual Adult River Herring Stock Assessment for the lower Connecticut River basin.
Watershed selection to support freshwater mussel restoration: an open-loop decision guide
USGS researchers at the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are using an open-loop decision guide to help practitioners when selecting potential watersheds for population restoration. The questions follow an open-loop process in a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ format, whereby the options are to either proceed to the next question if the disturbance in question is negligible to mussel...
Restoring aquatic habitats through dam removal
USGS researchers at the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit investigated restoring aquatic habitats through dam removal.
Framework for Protecting Aquatic Biodiversity in the Northeast Under Changing Climates
Aquatic ecosystems provide habitat and migration corridors to a myriad of species, including plants, fishes, amphibians, birds, mammals, and insects. These ecosystems typically contain relatively higher biodiversity than their terrestrial counterparts; yet, aquatic biodiversity loss in North America is occurring at a rate five times faster than in terrestrial ecosystems. One of the major...
Increasing Tribal Climate Adaptive Capacity for Coastal Resources in the Northeast
Fish that migrate between fresh and salt waters, called diadromous fishes, are integral to coastal Tribal cultures as subsistence foods. Throughout their Northeast range, diadromous fish populations have shown strong declines over recent decades due to the combined impacts of habitat loss, pollution, overfishing, and climate change. These changes have led to decreasing access to...
Rethinking Lake Management for Invasive Plants Under Future Climate: Sensitivity of Lake Ecosystems to Winter Water Level Drawdowns
Small lakes are important to local economies as sources of water supply and places of recreation. Commonly, lakes are considered more desirable for recreation if they are free of the thick weedy vegetation, often comprised of invasive species, that grows around the lake edge. This vegetation makes it difficult to launch boats and swim. In order to reduce this vegetation, a common...
Projecting the Future of Headwater Streams to Inform Management Decisions
There is growing evidence that headwater stream ecosystems are especially vulnerable to changing climate and land use, but managers are challenged by the need to address these threats at a landscape scale, often through coordination with multiple management agencies and landowners. This project sought to provide an example of cooperative landscape decision-making by addressing the...
River herring in a measuring device
Blueback herring and alewife (river herring) are two species of anadromous fish that are important in Northeast coastal rivers.
Science and Products
Carbon in Urban River Biogeochemistry Project
The Issue: In aquatic ecosystems, dissolved organic carbon represents the largest flux of carbon in streams and it is a primary energy source in aquatic food webs. There is limited understanding of how human activities related to urban development influence the timing and scale of carbon cycling in aquatic ecosystems. How USGS will help: The USGS is working with university partners to assess how...
Quality Assessment of Past Spawning Mark Estimations from a Long-Term Survey in the Connecticut River Watershed
For this report, we assessed the bias and precision of paired reader estimations of spawning marks on scales of Blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) collected in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife (USFWS) Annual Adult River Herring Stock Assessment for the lower Connecticut River basin.
Watershed selection to support freshwater mussel restoration: an open-loop decision guide
USGS researchers at the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are using an open-loop decision guide to help practitioners when selecting potential watersheds for population restoration. The questions follow an open-loop process in a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ format, whereby the options are to either proceed to the next question if the disturbance in question is negligible to mussel...
Restoring aquatic habitats through dam removal
USGS researchers at the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit investigated restoring aquatic habitats through dam removal.
Framework for Protecting Aquatic Biodiversity in the Northeast Under Changing Climates
Aquatic ecosystems provide habitat and migration corridors to a myriad of species, including plants, fishes, amphibians, birds, mammals, and insects. These ecosystems typically contain relatively higher biodiversity than their terrestrial counterparts; yet, aquatic biodiversity loss in North America is occurring at a rate five times faster than in terrestrial ecosystems. One of the major...
Increasing Tribal Climate Adaptive Capacity for Coastal Resources in the Northeast
Fish that migrate between fresh and salt waters, called diadromous fishes, are integral to coastal Tribal cultures as subsistence foods. Throughout their Northeast range, diadromous fish populations have shown strong declines over recent decades due to the combined impacts of habitat loss, pollution, overfishing, and climate change. These changes have led to decreasing access to...
Rethinking Lake Management for Invasive Plants Under Future Climate: Sensitivity of Lake Ecosystems to Winter Water Level Drawdowns
Small lakes are important to local economies as sources of water supply and places of recreation. Commonly, lakes are considered more desirable for recreation if they are free of the thick weedy vegetation, often comprised of invasive species, that grows around the lake edge. This vegetation makes it difficult to launch boats and swim. In order to reduce this vegetation, a common...
Projecting the Future of Headwater Streams to Inform Management Decisions
There is growing evidence that headwater stream ecosystems are especially vulnerable to changing climate and land use, but managers are challenged by the need to address these threats at a landscape scale, often through coordination with multiple management agencies and landowners. This project sought to provide an example of cooperative landscape decision-making by addressing the...
River herring in a measuring device
Blueback herring and alewife (river herring) are two species of anadromous fish that are important in Northeast coastal rivers.
Blueback herring and alewife (river herring) are two species of anadromous fish that are important in Northeast coastal rivers.