Anthony Fischbach
Applying wildlife biology tools, including satellite imagery interpretation and telemetry, to address Pacific walrus conservation problems.
Professional Experience
2022 - Present Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2004 - 2022 Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2003 - 2004 Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Kodiak, Alaska
1999 - 2003 Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Biological Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1998 - 1999 Wildlife Biologist, Marine Mammals Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska
1997 - 1999 (summers) Volunteer Wildlife Biologist, Tongass Bat Habitat Project, U.S. Forest Service, Thorne Bay, Alaska
1995 - 1998 Biological Technician / Walrus Harvest Monitor, Marine Mammals Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska
1994 - 1995 Volunteer, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Soldotna, Alaska
Education and Certifications
M.A. 1994 University of Texas, Austin, TX Ecology
B.S. 1989 University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI Molecular Biology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Reviewer: BioScience, Arctic, Marine Mammal Science, Progress In Oceanography, Polar Biology
Contributor: R-sig-geo
Honors and Awards
1989-1990 Fulbright Scholar, Bayreuth, Germany
Science and Products
Sex and Age Composition of Walrus Groups Hauled Out on Ice Floes in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 2013-2015
Metabarcoding of Feces of Pacific Walruses and Autosomal DNA Sequence Data of Marine Invertebrates, 2012-2015, Alaska
Pacific Walrus Behavior Data and Associated Chukchi Sea Ice Observations and Projections for use with Bioenergetics Models to Forecast Walrus Body Condition
Walrus used and available resource units for northeast Chukchi Sea, 2008-2012
Pacific Walrus Blubber Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Composition, St. Lawrence Island, 2007-2010
Pacific Walrus Seasonal Distribution from USGS Tracking Data, Chukchi and Bering Seas, 1987-2015
Walrus Haulout and In-water Activity Levels Relative to Sea Ice Availability in the Chukchi Sea: 2008-2014
ArcGIS Mapping Service for Pacific Walrus Coastal Haulouts
Pacific Walrus Coastal Haulout Database 1852-2016
Walrus Bayesian State-space Model Output from the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea, 2008-2012
Walrus haul-out and in water activity levels relative to sea ice availability in the Chukchi Sea
Collar temperature sensor data reveal long-term patterns in southern Beaufort Sea polar bear den distribution on pack ice and land
Space use of a dominant Arctic vertebrate: Effects of prey, sea ice, and land on Pacific walrus resource selection
A strategy for recovering continuous behavioral telemetry data from Pacific walruses
Pacific walrus coastal haulout database, 1852-2016— Background report
An evaluation of behavior inferences from Bayesian state-space models: A case study with the Pacific walrus
Rapid maturation of the muscle biochemistry that supports diving in Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) resource selection in the northern Bering Sea
Spatial genetic structure and asymmetrical gene flow within the Pacific walrus
Walrus distributional and foraging response to changing ice and benthic conditions in the Chukchi Sea
Walrus areas of use in the Chukchi Sea during sparse sea ice cover
Results and evaluation of a survey to estimate Pacific walrus population size, 2006
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 22
Sex and Age Composition of Walrus Groups Hauled Out on Ice Floes in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, 2013-2015
These data are in one table with age and sex composition counts of groups of walruses on ice floes in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas. Counts were collected by visual observations from boats.Metabarcoding of Feces of Pacific Walruses and Autosomal DNA Sequence Data of Marine Invertebrates, 2012-2015, Alaska
This data set describes nucleotide sequence data derived from 18S ribosomal DNA amplified in two fragments. A total of 87 feces from Pacific walrus and 57 marine invertebrates were examined for this study. Samples were collected from the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea, Alaska. Samples used in the study originated from feces or muscle samples collected in the field from ice floes or benthic van Veen grPacific Walrus Behavior Data and Associated Chukchi Sea Ice Observations and Projections for use with Bioenergetics Models to Forecast Walrus Body Condition
This data release comprises 3 datasets used to develop forecasts of autumn body condition for adult female Pacific walruses in the Chukchi Sea during mid and late century time periods. The activity dataset contains daily telemetry records for 218 adult female walruses tracked for periods of 7 to 104 days during 2008-2014, in the Chukchi Sea. Records include the number of hours the walrus was inWalrus used and available resource units for northeast Chukchi Sea, 2008-2012
Sea ice loss represents a stressor to the Pacific walrus, which feeds on benthic macroinvertebrates in the Bering and Chukchi seas. However, no studies have examined the effects of sea ice on foraging walrus space use patterns. Thus, we examined walrus foraging resource selection as a function of proximity to resting substrates and prey biomass with a matched use-availability design. We quantifPacific Walrus Blubber Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Composition, St. Lawrence Island, 2007-2010
This dataset contains lab-measured percent lipid and fatty acid composition data from Pacific walruses harvested in waters near Saint Lawrence Island. Each row indicates data from a single layer from a blubber core sample collected from one body site (flank, rump, or sternum) from one walrus harvested by Native Alaskans during the spring walrus hunts of 2007 - 2010. Blubber cores were divided intoPacific Walrus Seasonal Distribution from USGS Tracking Data, Chukchi and Bering Seas, 1987-2015
This data release includes two summary geospatial rasters in GeoTIFF format indicating the seasonal Pacific walrus distribution apparent from from ARGOS location tracking obtained from the temporary attachment of ARGOS transmitter tags to Pacific walruses between 1987 and 2015. We deployed tags on walruses at locations in the eastern and northern Bering Sea, the eastern Chukchi Sea, and southern cWalrus Haulout and In-water Activity Levels Relative to Sea Ice Availability in the Chukchi Sea: 2008-2014
An animal's energetic costs are dependent on the amount of time it allocates to various behavioral activities. For Arctic pinnipeds, the time allocated to active and resting behaviors could change with future reductions in sea ice cover and longer periods of open water. The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is a large Arctic pinniped that rests on sea ice or land between foraging tripArcGIS Mapping Service for Pacific Walrus Coastal Haulouts
ArcGIS web mapping service created for the Pacific walrus coastal haulout database for NOAA's use. We summarize available information on Pacific walrus haulouts from available reports, interviews with coastal residents and aviators, and personal observations of the authors. We provide this in the form of a georeferenced database that may be queried and displayed with standard geographic informatioPacific Walrus Coastal Haulout Database 1852-2016
We summarize Pacific walrus coastal haulout locations reported in published papers, reports, and personal communications from 1893 through 2014. We report haulout locations based on available reports, as well as the authors? personal knowledge of specific haulout locations and publicly available geo-referenced imagery (Digital Globe, Longmont, Colorado, USA) viewed through a virtual digital globeWalrus Bayesian State-space Model Output from the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea, 2008-2012
State-space models offer researchers an objective approach to modeling complex animal location datasets, and state-space model behavior classifications are often assumed to have a link to animal behavior. We evaluated the behavioral classification accuracy of a Bayesian state-space model in Pacific walruses using Argos satellite tags outfitted with sensors to detect animal behavior in real time. S - Multimedia
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Filter Total Items: 38
Walrus haul-out and in water activity levels relative to sea ice availability in the Chukchi Sea
An animal’s energetic costs are dependent on the amount of time it allocates to various behavioral activities. For Arctic pinnipeds, the time allocated to active and resting behaviors could change with future reductions in sea ice cover and longer periods of open water. The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is a large Arctic pinniped that rests on sea ice or land between foraging tripsAuthorsChadwick V. Jay, Rebecca L. Taylor, Anthony S. Fischbach, Mark S. Udevitz, William S. BeattyCollar temperature sensor data reveal long-term patterns in southern Beaufort Sea polar bear den distribution on pack ice and land
In response to a changing climate, many species alter habitat use. Polar bears Ursus maritimus in the southern Beaufort Sea have increasingly used land for maternal denning. To aid in detecting denning behavior, we developed an objective method to identify polar bear denning events using temperature sensor data collected by satellite-linked transmitters deployed on adult females between 1985 and 2AuthorsJay W Olson, Karyn D. Rode, Dennis L. Eggett, T. S. Smith, R. R. Wilson, George M. Durner, Anthony S. Fischbach, Todd C. Atwood, David C. DouglasSpace use of a dominant Arctic vertebrate: Effects of prey, sea ice, and land on Pacific walrus resource selection
Sea ice dominates marine ecosystems in the Arctic, and recent reductions in sea ice may alter food webs throughout the region. Sea ice loss may also stress Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), which feed on benthic macroinvertebrates in the Bering and Chukchi seas. However, no studies have examined the effects of sea ice on foraging Pacific walrus space use patterns. We tested a seriesAuthorsWilliam S. Beatty, Chadwick V. Jay, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Rebecca L. Taylor, Arny L. Blanchard, Stephen C. JewettA strategy for recovering continuous behavioral telemetry data from Pacific walruses
Tracking animal behavior and movement with telemetry sensors can offer substantial insights required for conservation. Yet, the value of data collected by animal-borne telemetry systems is limited by bandwidth constraints. To understand the response of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) to rapid changes in sea ice availability, we required continuous geospatial chronologies of foragingAuthorsAnthony S. Fischbach, Chadwick V. JayPacific walrus coastal haulout database, 1852-2016— Background report
Walruses are large benthic predators that rest out of water between foraging bouts. Coastal “haulouts” (places where walruses rest) are formed by adult males in summer and sometimes by females and young when sea ice is absent, and are often used repeatedly across seasons and years. Understanding the geography and historical use of haulouts provides a context for conservation efforts. We summarizeAuthorsAnthony S. Fischbach, Anatoly A. Kochnev, Joel L. Garlich-Miller, Chadwick V. JayAn evaluation of behavior inferences from Bayesian state-space models: A case study with the Pacific walrus
State-space models offer researchers an objective approach to modeling complex animal location data sets, and state-space model behavior classifications are often assumed to have a link to animal behavior. In this study, we evaluated the behavioral classification accuracy of a Bayesian state-space model in Pacific walruses using Argos satellite tags with sensors to detect animal behavior in real tAuthorsWilliam S. Beatty, Chadwick V. Jay, Anthony S. FischbachRapid maturation of the muscle biochemistry that supports diving in Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
Physiological constraints dictate animals’ ability to exploit habitats. For marine mammals, it is important to quantify physiological limits that influence diving and their ability to alter foraging behaviors. We characterized age-specific dive limits of walruses by measuring anaerobic (acid-buffering capacity) and aerobic (myoglobin content) capacities of the muscles that power hind (longissimusAuthorsShawn R. Norem, Chadwick V. Jay, Jennifer M. Burns, Anthony S. FischbachPacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) resource selection in the northern Bering Sea
The Pacific walrus is a large benthivore with an annual range extending across the continental shelves of the Bering and Chukchi Seas. We used a discrete choice model to estimate site selection by adult radio-tagged walruses relative to the availability of the caloric biomass of benthic infauna and sea ice concentration in a prominent walrus wintering area in the northern Bering Sea (St. LawrenceAuthorsChadwick V. Jay, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Anthony S. Fischbach, Trent L. McDonald, Lee W. Cooper, Fawn HornsbySpatial genetic structure and asymmetrical gene flow within the Pacific walrus
Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) occupying shelf waters of Pacific Arctic seas migrate during spring and summer from 3 breeding areas in the Bering Sea to form sexually segregated nonbreeding aggregations. We assessed genetic relationships among 2 putative breeding populations and 6 nonbreeding aggregations. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequence data suggest tAuthorsSarah A. Sonsthagen, Chadwick V. Jay, Anthony S. Fischbach, George K. Sage, Sandra L. TalbotWalrus distributional and foraging response to changing ice and benthic conditions in the Chukchi Sea
Arctic species such as the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) are facing a rapidly changing environment. Walruses are benthic foragers and may shift their spatial patterns of foraging in response to changes in prey distribution. We used data from satellite radio-tags attached to walruses in 2009-2010 to map walrus foraging locations with concurrent sampling of benthic infauna to examiAuthorsChadwick V. Jay, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Anthony S. FischbachWalrus areas of use in the Chukchi Sea during sparse sea ice cover
The Pacific walrus Odobenus rosmarus divergens feeds on benthic invertebrates on the continental shelf of the Chukchi and Bering Seas and rests on sea ice between foraging trips. With climate warming, ice-free periods in the Chukchi Sea have increased and are projected to increase further in frequency and duration. We radio-tracked walruses to estimate areas of walrus foraging and occupancy in theAuthorsChadwick V. Jay, Anthony S. Fischbach, Anatoly A. KochnevResults and evaluation of a survey to estimate Pacific walrus population size, 2006
In spring 2006, we conducted a collaborative U.S.-Russia survey to estimate abundance of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). The Bering Sea was partitioned into survey blocks, and a systematic random sample of transects within a subset of the blocks was surveyed with airborne thermal scanners using standard strip-transect methodology. Counts of walruses in photographed groups wereAuthorsSuzann G. Speckman, Vladimir I. Chernook, Douglas M. Burn, Mark S. Udevitz, Anatoly A. Kochnev, Alexander Vasilev, Chadwick V. Jay, Alexander Lisovsky, Anthony S. Fischbach, R. Bradley Benter - Software
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*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