USGS Alaska Science Center scientists Vanessa von Biela and Sarah Laske near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska departing for a day of field work in the nearshore Beaufort Sea to study fish community response to environmental conditions including sea ice, water temperature and salinity.
Ashley Stanek
Ashley is a Biologist with the Alaska Science Center.
Professional Experience
2019 - Present Biologist, USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2017 - 2018 Biological Science Technician, Glacier Bay National Park, NPS, Bartlett Cove, Alaska
2014 - 2016 Associate Director, Applied Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Anchorage
2010 - 2013 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage
2009 Refuge Ranger, Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife Refuges, USFWS, King Salmon, Alaska
Education and Certifications
M.S. 2014 University of Alaska Anchorage Biological Sciences
B.S. 2009 Humboldt State University Zoology
Science and Products
Fish and Aquatic Ecology
Does fish prey influence red-throated loon productivity?
Tracing Mercury Through Lake Food Webs
Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
Water Temperature, Electrical Conductivity, and Salinity of Lagoons in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 2017-2019
Gene Transcription and Heat Shock Protein 70 Abundance in Juvenile Hatchery Reared Coho Salmon and Chinook Salmon during a Manipulative Thermal Experiment, Anchorage, Alaska 2020-2021
Nearshore Fish Isotope Values, Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 2017-2019
Fish Communities of the Nearshore Beaufort Sea, Alaska, Across Three Decades, 1988-2019
Observations Documenting Premature Mortality Among Alaska's Pacific Salmon in 2019
USGS Alaska Science Center scientists Vanessa von Biela and Sarah Laske near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska departing for a day of field work in the nearshore Beaufort Sea to study fish community response to environmental conditions including sea ice, water temperature and salinity.
Differential heat shock protein responses in two species of Pacific salmon and their utility in identifying heat stress
Borealization of nearshore fishes on an interior Arctic shelf over multiple decades
Barrier islands influence the assimilation of terrestrial energy in nearshore fishes
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
- Science
Fish and Aquatic Ecology
Fish and aquatic habitats in Alaska support important commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries and provide forage fish that support wildlife populations. The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts interdisciplinary research to inform local, state, federal, and international policy makers regarding conservation of fish, aquatic species, and their habitats. We work collaboratively with hydrologists...Does fish prey influence red-throated loon productivity?
This study will evaluate the nearshore marine feeding areas of breeding adult red-throated loons and assess the response of loon reproductive success to differences in the relative abundance, composition, and nutritional content of nearshore fish communities that vary in space and time.Tracing Mercury Through Lake Food Webs
Mercury concentrations in fish likely reflect different energy sources in lake food webs. Species, populations, or individuals may contain higher and variable concentrations of mercury, which may relate directly to prey mercury content, diets of fish, and fish foraging strategies.Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
Nearshore systems provide habitat to a unique community of marine and diadromous (lives in both fresh and saltwater) fish and support high fish abundance. - Data
Water Temperature, Electrical Conductivity, and Salinity of Lagoons in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 2017-2019
This dataset contains a table with temperature (°C), raw electrical conductivity (μS/cm), and salinity (psu) measured in Beaufort Sea, Alaska, Lagoons during summers 2017-2019.Gene Transcription and Heat Shock Protein 70 Abundance in Juvenile Hatchery Reared Coho Salmon and Chinook Salmon during a Manipulative Thermal Experiment, Anchorage, Alaska 2020-2021
This dataset consists of two tables with the results from two manipulative thermal experiments with juvenile coho salmon (May 2021) and juvenile Chinook salmon (May 2020) and include 1) gene transcription results and heat shock protein 70 abundance in coho salmon and Chinook salmon and 2) water temperatures to which fish were exposed during the experiment.Nearshore Fish Isotope Values, Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 2017-2019
This dataset contains isotope results of stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) and radicoarbon (F14C) analyses of muscle tissue from fish collected in the nearshore Beaufort Sea, Alaska in summers 2017-2019.Fish Communities of the Nearshore Beaufort Sea, Alaska, Across Three Decades, 1988-2019
This dataset contains two tables comprising catch per unit effort (CPUE) data and length measurements from fish surveys conducted in the nearshore Beaufort Sea, Alaska, between 1988 and 2019. Historical data collected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) includes fish catch and fish length data (measured from a subset of the total catch) from two eras, 1988-1991 and 2003-2005, in the eastObservations Documenting Premature Mortality Among Alaska's Pacific Salmon in 2019
These data are a compilation of geographically widespread observations of premature mortality in Pacific salmon across their range in Alaska in 2019. Premature mortality observations primarily spanned an area of western and southcentral Alaska that is approximately one million km2 and included all five species of Pacific salmon. Observations were obtained and compiled in a single database from fou - Multimedia
USGS scientists Vanessa von Biela and Sarah Laske on shore near Prudhoe Bay, AlaskaUSGS scientists Vanessa von Biela and Sarah Laske on shore near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
USGS Alaska Science Center scientists Vanessa von Biela and Sarah Laske near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska departing for a day of field work in the nearshore Beaufort Sea to study fish community response to environmental conditions including sea ice, water temperature and salinity.
USGS Alaska Science Center scientists Vanessa von Biela and Sarah Laske near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska departing for a day of field work in the nearshore Beaufort Sea to study fish community response to environmental conditions including sea ice, water temperature and salinity.
- Publications
Differential heat shock protein responses in two species of Pacific salmon and their utility in identifying heat stress
Rapid and accelerating warming of salmon habitat has the potential to lower productivity of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus species) populations. Heat stress biomarkers can indicate where warming is most likely affecting fish populations; however, we often lack clear classifications that separate individuals with and without heat stress needed to make these tools operational. We conducted a heat expoAuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Amy M. Regish, Lizabeth Bowen, Ashley E. Stanek, Shannon C. Waters, Michael P. Carey, Christian E. Zimmerman, Jonathon Gerken, Daniel Rinella, Stephen D. McCormickBorealization of nearshore fishes on an interior Arctic shelf over multiple decades
Borealization is a type of community reorganization where Arctic specialists are replaced by species with more boreal distributions in response to climatic warming. The process of borealization is often exemplified by the northward range expansions and subsequent proliferation of boreal species on the Pacific and Atlantic inflow Arctic shelves (i.e., Bering/Chukchi and Barents seas, respectively).AuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Sarah M. Laske, Ashley E. Stanek, Randy J Brown, Kenneth H. DuntonBarrier islands influence the assimilation of terrestrial energy in nearshore fishes
We examined the relative importance of landscape features on estuarine fish trophic structure and dependence on terrestrial organic matter (OMterr) in four barrier island lagoon systems along the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast. Our study compared two relatively large lagoon systems characterized by high river discharge and relatively free ocean water exchanges (central region near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska)AuthorsAshley E. Stanek, Vanessa R. von Biela, Sarah M. Laske, Rebecca L. Taylor, Kenneth H. DuntonNon-USGS Publications**
Lewis, T.M., A.E. Stanek, and K.B. Young. (2020) Bears in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve: Sightings, human interactions, and research 2010–2017. Natural Resource Report NPS/GLBA/NRR—2020/2134. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. https://irma.nps.gov/Datastore/Reference/Profile/2274442Stanek A.E., Wolf N., Welker J.M., Jensen S. (2019) Experimentally derived incorporation rates and diet-to-tissue discrimination values for carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in gray wolves (Canis lupus) fed a marine diet. Canadian Journal of Zoology 97:1225–1230. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2019-0049Verbrugge L.A., A.E. Stanek, B. Mangipane. (2018) The gray wolf. Pages 153-165. In: C.A. Woody (ed.), Bristol Bay Alaska: Natural Resources of the Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems. J. Ross Publishing.
Stanek A.E., N. Wolf, G. Hilderbrand, B. Mangipane, D. Causey, J.M. Welker. (2017) Seasonal foraging strategies of Alaskan gray wolves (Canis lupus) in an ecosystem subsidized by Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 95:555-563. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2016-0203Stanek A.E. (2014) Dietary ecology of Alaskan gray wolves: seasonal foraging strategies in a salmon subsidized ecosystem. MS Thesis. University of Alaska Anchorage. http://www.depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/reports/J8W07100010_P10AC00483_Final_Report.pdf**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.