Amy Regish
Biography
Amy Regish is a Research Physiologist at the S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Laboratory in Turners Falls, MA. Her research has focused on the physiological response of fish species to natural and anthropogenic alterations of aquatic ecosystems. Some of the many challenges faced by fish species are from warming temperatures due to climate change, stream acidification, of cold water streams, man made impediments to migration, and contaminant exposure. The impact of these perturbations on osmoregulation, stress physiology, and thermal stress is of particular concern in the conservation and restoration efforts directed towards anadromous and cold-water fish species such as salmon, shad, river herring, brook trout, sturgeon, and lamprey in their native ranges.
Education:
- Bachelor of Science: University of Vermont, 1988. Major: Animal Science
- Masters of Science: University of Massachusetts, Department of Forestry and Wildlife, 2001. Major: Aquatic Toxicology
Professional Experience:
- 2000 to present Research Physiologist, Physiology Section, S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Laboratory, Turners Falls, MA
- 1999-2000 Research Technician, Physiology Section, S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Laboratory, Turners Falls, MA
- 1990-1995 Research Technician III, University of Washington, Department of Biochemistry, Seattle, WA
- 1988-1990 Senior Research Technician, Repligen Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Science and Products
Sockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
The physiological challenge for anadromous fish to migrate upriver to spawn and complete their life cycle is influenced by river temperature.
Assessing heat stress in migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon
We will examine evidence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using heat shock proteins and gene expression.
Effects of long-term cortisol treatment on growth and osmoregulation of Atlantic salmon and brook trout
Cortisol is the final product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis and acts as a gluco- and mineralo-corticoid in fish. Long-term elevations of cortisol have been linked to reduced growth in fishes, but the mechanism(s) and relative sensitivities of species are still unclear. We carried out experiments to examine the relative...
Vargas-Chacoff, Luis; Regish, Amy M.; Weinstock, A.; Bjornsson, B Th; McCormick, Stephen D. Cortisol is an osmoregulatory and glucose-regulating hormone in Atlantic sturgeon, a basal ray-finned fish
Our current understanding of the hormonal control of ion regulation in aquatic vertebrates comes primarily from studies on teleost fishes, with relatively little information on more basal fishes. We investigated the role of cortisol in regulating seawater tolerance and its underlying mechanisms in an anadromous chondrostean, the Atlantic sturgeon...
McCormick, Stephen D.; Taylor, Meghan L.; Regish, Amy M. Transcriptomic response to elevated water temperatures in adult migrating Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) declines are widespread and may be attributed, at least in part, to warming river temperatures. Water temperatures in the Yukon River and tributaries often exceed 18°C, a threshold commonly associated with heat stress and elevated mortality in Pacific salmon. Untangling the complex web of direct and...
Bowen, Lizabeth; von Biela, Vanessa R.; McCormick, Stephen D.; Regish, Amy M.; Waters, Shannon C.; Durbin-Johnson, Blythe; Britton, Monica; Settles, Matt; Donnelly, Daniel S.; Laske, Sarah M.; Carey, Michael P.; Brown, Randy J; Zimmerman, Christian E. Evidence of prevalent heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon
Migrating adult Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are sensitive to warm water (>18 °C), with a range of consequences from decreased spawning success to early mortality. We examined the proportion of Yukon River Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) exhibiting evidence of heat stress to assess the potential that high temperatures contribute to...
von Biela, Vanessa R.; Bowen, Lizabeth; McCormick, Stephen D.; Carey, Michael P.; Donnelly, Daniel S.; Waters, Shannon C.; Regish, Amy M.; Laske, Sarah M.; Brown, Randy J; Larson, Sean; Zuray, Stan; Zimmerman, Christian E. Cortisol regulates insulin-like growth-factor binding protein (igfbp) gene expression in Atlantic salmon parr
The growth hormone (Gh)/insulin-like growth-factor (Igf)/Igf binding protein (Igfbp) system regulates growth and osmoregulation in salmonid fishes, but how this system interacts with other endocrine systems is largely unknown. Given the well-documented consequences of mounting a glucocorticoid stress response on growth, we hypothesized that...
Breves, Jason P.; Springer-Miller, R.H.; Chenoweth, D A; Paskavitz, A L; Chang, A Y H; Regish, Amy M.; Einarsdottir, I E; Bjornsson, Bjorn; McCormick, Stephen D. How repeatable is CTmax within individual brook trout over short- and long-time intervals?
As stream temperatures increase due to factors such as heated runoff from impervious surfaces, deforestation, and climate change, fish species adapted to cold water streams are forced to move to more suitable habitat, acclimate or adapt to increased thermal regimes, or die. To estimate the potential for adaptation, a (within individual) repeatable...
O'Donnell, Matthew J.; Regish, Amy M.; McCormick, Stephen D.; Letcher, Benjamin H. Upper thermal tolerance and heat shock protein response of juvenile American shad (Alosa sapidissima)
Juvenile American shad (Alosa sapidissima) experience a wide range of temperatures in rivers before migrating to the ocean. Temperatures in these freshwater environments can vary greatly spatially, seasonally, year-to-year, and can be impacted by anthropogenic factors such as power plant discharge or climate change. Currently, there is uncertainty...
Bayse, Shannon Michael; Shaughnessy, Ciaran A; Regish, Amy M.; McCormick, Stephen D. Energy depletion and stress levels of Sockeye Salmon migrating at the northern edge of their distribution
The physiological challenge for anadromous fish to migrate upriver is influenced by river temperature, but the impacts of river temperature can be difficult to predict due to an incomplete understanding of how temperature influences migration costs, especially in high‐latitude (>60°N) ecosystems. To assess temperature influences on migrating...
Carey, Michael P.; Keith, Kevin D.; Schelske, Merlyn; Lean, Charlie; McCormick, Stephen D.; Regish, Amy M.; Zimmerman, Christian E. The evolutionary consequences for seawater performance and its hormonal control when anadromous Atlantic salmon become landlocked
Populations of anadromous fish have become landlocked in relatively recent geological history (<14,000 years), but the evolutionary impacts of this altered lifecycle on traits underlying seawater performance have not been established. In order to examine the effects of relaxed selection on seawater traits, anadromous and landlocked Atlantic...
McCormick, Stephen D.; Regish, Amy M.; Ardren, William R.; Björnsson, Björn Thrandur; Bernier, Nicholas J. Effects of elevated temperature on osmoregulation and stress responses in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts in freshwater and seawater
Smolting in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar is a critical life‐history stage that is preparatory for downstream migration and entry to seawater that is regulated by abiotic variables including photoperiod and temperature. The present study was undertaken to determine the interaction of temperature and salinity on salinity tolerance, gill...
Vargas-Chacoff, Luis; Regish, Amy M.; Weinstock, Andrew; McCormick, Stephen D. Effects of ocean acidification on salinity tolerance and seawater growth of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts
Human activity has resulted in increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), which will result in reduced pH and higher levels of CO2 in the ocean, a process known as ocean acidification. Understanding the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on fishes will be important to predicting and mitigating its consequences. Anadromous species such as...
McCormick, Stephen D.; Regish, Amy M. Shifts in the relationship between mRNA and protein abundance of gill ion-transporters during smolt development and seawater acclimation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Smolting Atlantic salmon exhibit a seasonal increase in seawater tolerance that is associated with changes in the abundance of major gill ion-transporter transcripts and proteins. In the present study, we investigate how the transcript and protein abundance of specific ion-transporter isoforms relate to each other during smolt...
Christensen, Arne K.; Regish, Amy M.; McCormick, Stephen D.