Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

David B Bunnell, PhD

David "Bo" Bunnell is a Research Fishery Biologist based out of Ann Arbor, MI. 

I am a Research Fishery Biologist at the Great Lakes Science Center, and Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of Michigan.  I am the Principal Investigator (PI) for multiple projects that study community and ecosystem-level processes within the Great Lakes and at the global scale.  In short, my research seeks to understand the ecological factors (e.g., resources, climate, predation) that can explain or predict fish biomass, consistent with an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries science and management. 

Professional Experience

  • October 2004 – present.  Research Fishery Biologist, USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan

  • August 2003 – October 2004.  Assistant Research Scientist, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, Maryland

  • August 2002 – August 2003.  Post-doctoral researcher, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wheatley, Ontario

  • July 1997 – December 2002.  Graduate Research Associate, Ohio State University, Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Columbus, Ohio

  • July 1995 – May 1997.  Graduate Research Associate, Clemson University Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson, SC

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D.       2002.  The Ohio State University; Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Columbus, OH

  • M.S.        1997.  Clemson University; Fisheries Biology, Clemson, SC

  • B.S.          1995.  Centre College, Magna cum laude; Biology, Danville, KY

Science and Products

link
Lake Michigan near Grand Haven, Michigan

Understanding and Forecasting Potential Recruitment of Lake Michigan Fishes

Yellow perch and alewife are ecologically, economically, and culturally important fish species in Lake Michigan whose populations support recreational and commercial fisheries. However, both of these species’ populations have been in decline for over 20 years. This project seeks to understand the factors affecting variability in offspring survival of yellow perch and alewife in Lake Michigan in o
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Understanding and Forecasting Potential Recruitment of Lake Michigan Fishes

Yellow perch and alewife are ecologically, economically, and culturally important fish species in Lake Michigan whose populations support recreational and commercial fisheries. However, both of these species’ populations have been in decline for over 20 years. This project seeks to understand the factors affecting variability in offspring survival of yellow perch and alewife in Lake Michigan in o
Learn More
link
Curious smallmouth bass following behind scuba divers in Sparkling Lake, Vilas County, Wis. Photographer: Gretchen Hansen, Wisco

Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change on Fish Growth and Production to Enable Sustainable Management of Diverse Inland Fisheries

Fisheries managers in Midwestern lakes and reservoirs are tasked with balancing multiple management objectives to help maintain healthy fish populations across a landscape of diverse lakes. As part of this, managers monitor fish growth and survival. Growth rates in particular are indicators of population health, and directly influence the effectiveness of regulations designed to protect spawning f
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change on Fish Growth and Production to Enable Sustainable Management of Diverse Inland Fisheries

Fisheries managers in Midwestern lakes and reservoirs are tasked with balancing multiple management objectives to help maintain healthy fish populations across a landscape of diverse lakes. As part of this, managers monitor fish growth and survival. Growth rates in particular are indicators of population health, and directly influence the effectiveness of regulations designed to protect spawning f
Learn More
link
Kokanee below culvert in Boise River Basin.

The U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): A Database and Interactive Tool for Inland Fisheries Management and Research

Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular past-time in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler-survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler survey
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

The U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): A Database and Interactive Tool for Inland Fisheries Management and Research

Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular past-time in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler-survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler survey
Learn More
link
Rocky Mountain National Park, photo taken near Many Parks Overlook

Evaluating Future Effects of Climate and Land Use on Fisheries Production in Inland Lakes

Inland fisheries are critical for global food security and human well-being. However, fish production may be threatened by changes in climate and land use. Understanding this threat is crucial to effectively manage inland fisheries in the future. To address this need, this project will identify which types of lakes across the globe are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate and land use changes
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Evaluating Future Effects of Climate and Land Use on Fisheries Production in Inland Lakes

Inland fisheries are critical for global food security and human well-being. However, fish production may be threatened by changes in climate and land use. Understanding this threat is crucial to effectively manage inland fisheries in the future. To address this need, this project will identify which types of lakes across the globe are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate and land use changes
Learn More
link
Image: Beach of the Great Lakes

Webinar: Predicted Climate Change Effects on Fisheries Habitat and Production in the Great Lakes

View this webinar to learn more about fisheries management in the Great Lakes.
link

Webinar: Predicted Climate Change Effects on Fisheries Habitat and Production in the Great Lakes

View this webinar to learn more about fisheries management in the Great Lakes.
Learn More
link
Lake Michigan near Grand Haven, Michigan

Forecasting Climate Change Induced Effects on Recreational and Commercial Fish Populations in the Great Lakes

Great Lakes fishery managers and stakeholders have little information regarding how climate change could affect the management and conservation of fish populations, including those of high recreational and commercial value. Scientists from the US Geological Survey (USGS) worked closely with state management agencies and the National Wildlife Federation to complete several objectives that provide k
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Forecasting Climate Change Induced Effects on Recreational and Commercial Fish Populations in the Great Lakes

Great Lakes fishery managers and stakeholders have little information regarding how climate change could affect the management and conservation of fish populations, including those of high recreational and commercial value. Scientists from the US Geological Survey (USGS) worked closely with state management agencies and the National Wildlife Federation to complete several objectives that provide k
Learn More

Zooplankton, Benthos, Mysis, and fish diet data from northern Lake Huron in 2012

These data consist of a multi-trophic, day vs. night, nearshore to offshore transect approach for data collection for this Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative effort at two northwestern Lake Huron sites near Hammond Bay and Thunder Bay, Michigan. Zooplankton and Mysis samples were collected monthly from April-October while benthos and prey fish samples were collected seasonally during Sp
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Bottom-trawl and gill-net data from the Upper Great Lakes, collected by R/V Cisco, 1952?1962

The data release includes part of the bottom-trawl and gill-net survey data collected between 1952 and 1962 from the research vessel R/V Cisco. The bottom-trawl dataset includes tables for fishing operations and effort (BT_OP.csv), fish catch (BT_Catch.csv), and individual length-weight-sex-maturity (LWSM) records (BT_Fish.csv) for only a subset of species (details below). The gill-net dataset inc
By
Great Lakes Science Center

2017 Zooplankton Data from Lake Huron

This data release includes zooplankton data collected with a 64-micron mesh net from 9 transects in Lake Huron between April and August 2017. At each transect, data were collected at up to three sites, ranging in bottom depths from 18 to 82 m. The volume sampled at each site was estimated with a flowmeter. Micro- and macro- crustaceans were identified, enumerated, and measured using a dissecting o
By
Great Lakes Science Center

1930-1932 Gill net data from Lake Michigan

These data describe the catch and biological data from 363 bottom-set gill-net lifts distributed throughout Lake Michigan (including main basin and Green Bay) between April and November in 1930?1932. Data collected from the R/V Fulmar were recorded in notebooks and are now archived at the U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes Science Center. Each lift included 1?7 gangs of linen gill nets. Each gan
By
Great Lakes Science Center
Filter Total Items: 88

Seasonal variability of invertebrate prey diet and selectivity of the dominant forage fishes in Lake Huron

Predators can shift their diets and even selectivity in response to changing environmental conditions. Since the early 2000s, Lake Huron experienced major food-web shifts that have caused changes in the prey availability and quality for consumers at multiple trophic levels. Previous studies have reported declining energetic condition for key planktivorous fishes, such as bloater (Coregonus hoyi) a
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

Slimy sculpin depth shifts and habitat squeeze following the round goby invasion in the Laurentian Great Lakes

The collapse of Diporeia spp. and invasions of dreissenid mussels (zebra, Dreissena polymorpha; quagga, D. bugensis) and round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) have been associated with declines in abundance of native benthic fishes in the Great Lakes, including historically abundant slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). We hypothesized that as round goby colonized deeper habitat, slimy sculpin avoided ha
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

Consequences of changing water clarity on the fish and fisheries of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Human-driven environmental change underlies recent changes in water clarity in many of the world’s great lakes, yet our understanding of the consequences of these changes on the fish and fisheries they support remains incomplete. Herein, we offer a framework to organize current knowledge, guide future research, and help fisheries managers understand how water clarity can affect their valued popula
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

Status and trends of pelagic and benthic prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2020

Lakewide acoustic (AC) and bottom trawl (BT) surveys are conducted annually to generate indices of pelagic and benthic prey fish densities in Lake Michigan. The BT survey had been conducted each fall from 1973 through 2019 using 12-m trawls at depths ranging from 9 to 110 m and included 70 fixed locations distributed across seven transects; this survey estimates densities of seven prey fish speci
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

Spatial and temporal distributions of Dreissena spp. veligers in Lake Huron: Does calcium limit settling success?

The larval stage of invasive Dreissena spp. mussels (i.e., veligers) are understudied despite their seasonal numerical dominance among plankton. We report the spring and summer veliger densities and size structure across the main basin, North Channel, and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, and seek to explain spatiotemporal variation. Monthly sampling was conducted at 9 transects and up to 3 sites per tr
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

A synthesis of the biology and ecology of sculpin species in the Laurentian Great Lakes and implications for the adaptive capacity of the benthic ecosystem

The Laurentian Great Lakes have experienced recent ecosystem changes that could lead to reductions in adaptive capacity and ultimately a loss of biodiversity and production throughout the food web. Observed changes in Great Lakes benthic communities include declines of native species and widespread success of invasive species like dreissenid mussels in all but Lake Superior. Understanding the ecol
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

A century of intermittent eco‐evolutionary feedbacks resulted in novel trait combinations in invasive Great Lakes alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Species introductions provide opportunities to quantify rates and patterns of evolutionary change in response to novel environments. Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) are native to the East Coast of North America where they ascend coastal rivers to spawn in lakes and then return to the ocean. Some populations have become landlocked within the last 350 years and diverged phenotypically from their anc
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

Piscivory in recovering Lake Michigan Cisco (Coregonus artedi): The role of invasive species

Contemporary conditions in Lake Michigan where cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations are expanding are vastly different from those encountered by the historic fish community. Invasive species introductions have substantially altered the Lake Michigan ecosystem in the last half century. Successful management efforts for cisco in Lake Michigan hinge on our ability to understand their contemporary eco
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

Effects of climate and land-use changes on fish catches across lakes at a global scale

Globally, our knowledge on lake fisheries is still limited despite their importance to food security and livelihoods. Here we show that fish catches can respond either positively or negatively to climate and land-use changes, by analyzing time-series data (1970–2014) for 31 lakes across five continents. We find that effects of a climate or land-use driver (e.g., air temperature) on lake environmen
By
Cooperative Research Units

InFish: A professional network to promote global conservation and responsible use of inland fish

Inland fishes and fisheries make substantial contributions to individuals, society, and the environment in a changing global landscape that includes climate, water allocations, and societal changes. However, current limitations to valuing the services provided by inland fish and their fisheries often leaves them out of key decision‐making discussions. InFish is a voluntary professional network wit
By
Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Cooperative Research Units

Describing historical habitat use of a native fish-Cisco (Coregonus artedi)-In Lake Michigan between 1930 and 1932

With the global-scale loss of biodiversity, current restoration programs have been often required as part of conservation plans for species richness and ecosystem integrity. The restoration of pelagic-oriented cisco (Coregonus artedi) has been an interest of Lake Michigan managers because it may increase the diversity and resilience of the fish assemblages and conserve the integrity of the ecosyst
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center

Describing historical habitat use of a native fish-Cisco (Coregonus artedi)-In Lake Michigan between 1930 and 1932

With the global-scale loss of biodiversity, current restoration programs have been often required as part of conservation plans for species richness and ecosystem integrity. The restoration of pelagic-oriented cisco (Coregonus artedi) has been an interest of Lake Michigan managers because it may increase the diversity and resilience of the fish assemblages and conserve the integrity of the ecosyst
By
Ecosystems, Great Lakes Science Center
link

Understanding How Lower Trophic Level Changes Impact Lake Huron's Fisheries

USGS Scientists Participate in Great Lakes Fishery Commission Science Transfer Program

Read Article
link

Bunnell interviewed on Lake Michigan smelt fishery

Lake Michigan Smelt Fishery

Read Article
link

Bunnell speaks at Lake Michigan Illinois DNR public meeting

The Effect of Environmental Changes on Prey Fish in Lake Michigan.

Read Article
link

Changing Tides: Lake Michigan Could Best Support Lake Trout and Steelhead

Invasive mussels and less nutrients from tributaries have altered the Lake Michigan ecosystem making it more conducive to the stocking of lake trout...

Read Article

Science and Products