Cory O Brant, PhD

I rely on a wide range of approaches and disciplines as a scientist, from field studies and scientific surveys to oral histories, social, and archival science. I'm passionate about learning from history to help solve current and future Great Lakes conservation problems. I'm also a biological illustrator and very much enjoy drawing nature. 

One of my main projects at the USGS-GLSC involves a deep and systematic dive into archives and historical records to better understand where native coregonine fish populations once spawned, and where they spawn today, in the Great Lakes. I work with a team of experts in database development, archival theory, ecology, geospatial science, and both quantitative and qualitative methods for extracting data from historic sources. Together we hope to use the information we uncover to inform the science-based Coregonine Restoration Framework (CRF) for the Great Lakes that was developed by the USGS-GLSC and US Fish and Wildlife Service in coordination with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC). I'm also working with a team to develop and implement a methodology to conduct a gap analysis for the Great Lakes CRF, which is part of several core planning phases of the framework. My work at USGS-GLSC also includes fish morphology research and early life history studies related to coregonines (mainly ciscoes and whitefish) in the Great Lakes. Most of my coregonine early life history research is focused on Lake Huron through my involvement with the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI), a binational effort to provide lake and fishery managers with valuable science and monitoring information. We are focused on collecting and examining larval fishes throughout the lake to better understand early life history recruitment constraints these ecologically and economically important fishes may face.