David "Bo" Bunnell is a Research Fishery Biologist based in 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
Science pages by this scientist
Evaluating How Changing Climate and Water Clarity Can Affect Restoration of Native Coregonine Fish in Midwestern Lakes
Understanding and Forecasting Potential Recruitment of Lake Michigan Fishes
Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change on Fish Growth and Production to Enable Sustainable Management of Diverse Inland Fisheries
The U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): A Database and Interactive Tool for Inland Fisheries Management and Research
Evaluating Future Effects of Climate and Land Use on Fisheries Production in Inland Lakes
Webinar: Predicted Climate Change Effects on Fisheries Habitat and Production in the Great Lakes
Forecasting Climate Change Induced Effects on Recreational and Commercial Fish Populations in the Great Lakes
Historical Spawning Sites for Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and Cisco (Coregonus artedi) in Lake Ontario and Connecting Channels, 1860-1970
2010-2017 zooplankton data from whole water-column tows in Lakes Michigan and Huron
Zooplankton, Benthos, Mysis, and fish diet data from northern Lake Huron in 2012
Bottom-trawl and gill-net data from the Upper Great Lakes, collected by R/V Cisco, 1952?1962
2017 Zooplankton Data from Lake Huron
1930-1932 Gill net data from Lake Michigan
Morphological differences between wild and hatchery-reared Bloater (Coregonus hoyi) from Lake Michigan, USA
Evidence for the importance of invasive Dreissena veligers as a novel prey item for larval fish in Lake Huron
A science and management partnership to restore coregonine diversity to the Laurentian Great Lakes
Distributions of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) in the upper Great Lakes in the mid-twentieth century, when populations were in decline
Predicting physical and geomorphic habitat associated with historical lake whitefish and cisco spawning locations in Lakes Erie and Ontario
Predicting larval alewife transport in Lake Michigan using hydrodynamic and Lagrangian particle dispersion models
Seasonal variability of invertebrate prey diet and selectivity of the dominant forage fishes in Lake Huron
Slimy sculpin depth shifts and habitat squeeze following the round goby invasion in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Metal accumulation in Lake Michigan prey fish: Influence of ontogeny, trophic position, and habitat
Developing an understanding of factors that influence the accumulation and magnification of heavy metals in fish of the Laurentian Great Lakes is central to managing ecosystem and human health. We measured muscle tissue concentrations of heavy metals in Lake Michigan prey fish that vary in habitat use, diet, and trophic position, including alewife, bloater, deepwater sculpin, round goby, rainbow s
Consequences of changing water clarity on the fish and fisheries of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Status and trends of pelagic and benthic prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2020
Spatial and temporal distributions of Dreissena spp. veligers in Lake Huron: Does calcium limit settling success?
News about this scientist
Science and Products
- Science
Science pages by this scientist
Evaluating How Changing Climate and Water Clarity Can Affect Restoration of Native Coregonine Fish in Midwestern Lakes
Coregonines are a sub-family of freshwater fishes within the well-known Salmonidae family. In the upper midwestern U.S., these fishes have provided a key food source to Native Americans for millennia and immigrants for the last several centuries. Since the mid-20th century, however, their diversity and abundance has declined owing to several anthropogenic stressors including overfishing, decliningUnderstanding 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 oQuantifying 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 fThe 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 surveyEvaluating 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 changesWebinar: 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.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 - Data
Historical Spawning Sites for Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and Cisco (Coregonus artedi) in Lake Ontario and Connecting Channels, 1860-1970
The following data release contains coordinates for suspected historical spawning locations of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and cisco (Coregonus artedi) across the Lake Ontario basin, including the Niagara River and St. Lawrence River. These data were gathered from published and unpublished sources cited in the Atlas of the Spawning and Nursery Areas of Great Lakes Fishes (Goodyear et a2010-2017 zooplankton data from whole water-column tows in Lakes Michigan and Huron
This data release includes zooplankton data collected from a collaborative effort for Environmental Protection Agency’s Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI). Zooplankton surveys were conducted during the growing season, from late April to early November, in two Lake Michigan transects in 2010, two Lake Huron transects in 2012, eight Lake Michigan transects in 2015, and nine Lake HuZooplankton, 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 SpBottom-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 inc2017 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 o1930-1932 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 - Publications
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Morphological differences between wild and hatchery-reared Bloater (Coregonus hoyi) from Lake Michigan, USA
Coregonines (ciscoes and whitefishes) are economically, ecologically, and culturally important fishes that are distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, coregonines declined throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and managers have prioritized their restoration. A key restoration tool is reintroduction via stocking. However, hatchery-reared coregonines can dispAuthorsAndrew Edgar Honsey, Yu-Chun Kao, Christopher Olds, David BunnellEvidence for the importance of invasive Dreissena veligers as a novel prey item for larval fish in Lake Huron
The establishment of invasive dreissenid mussels Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis in the Laurentian Great Lakes has affected multiple aspects of the ecosystem. However, the effects of their larvae (veligers) on lower trophic levels are relatively unknown. Previous research has documented that some larval fishes consume veligers, but it is unclear if they select for veligersAuthorsEllary C Marano, David Bunnell, Patricia Dieter, Karen M. AlofsA science and management partnership to restore coregonine diversity to the Laurentian Great Lakes
Similar to many freshwater ecosystems, the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America have undergone numerous anthropogenic stressors resulting in considerable loss of biodiversity and habitat. Among Great Lakes fishes, the coregonine sub-family has endured the most extensive declines, including extinction of several species (Coregonus johannae, C. alpenae, and C. kiyi orientalis) and at least 10 insAuthorsDavid Bunnell, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Karen M Alofs, Cory Brant, Charles R. Bronte, Randall M. Claramunt, John M. Dettmers, Andrew Edgar Honsey, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Andrew M. Muir, Victor Santucci, David R. Smith, Russell M. Strach, John A. Sweka, Brian C. Weidel, William Mattes, Kurt R. NewmanDistributions of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) in the upper Great Lakes in the mid-twentieth century, when populations were in decline
The restoration of the once abundant Cisco (Coregonus artedi) is a management interest across the Laurentian Great Lakes. To inform the restoration, we (1) described historical distributions of Cisco and (2) explored whether non-indigenous Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) and Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) played a role in the decline of Cisco populations across the upper Great Lakes (i.e., Lakes SuAuthorsYu-Chun Kao, Renee Elizabeth Renauer, David Bunnell, Owen Gorman, Randy L. EshenroderPredicting physical and geomorphic habitat associated with historical lake whitefish and cisco spawning locations in Lakes Erie and Ontario
The Great Lakes basin was historically populated by multiple, coevolved coregonine species, but much of that diversity has been lost. In Lakes Erie and Ontario, both lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and cisco (Coregonus artedi) occurred in high numbers before habitat degradation, overfishing, invasive species, and other factors caused significant declines. There is growing interest in restoAuthorsHannah M Schaefer, Andrew Edgar Honsey, David Bunnell, Brian C. Weidel, Robin DeBruyne, James S. Diana, Dimitry Gorsky, Edward F. RosemanPredicting larval alewife transport in Lake Michigan using hydrodynamic and Lagrangian particle dispersion models
Several species of fish in large lakes and marine environments have a pelagic larval stage, and are subject to variable transport that can ultimately regulate survival and recruitment success. Alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, are subject to transport by complex coastal currents during their pelagic larval stage (~ 30 d). We assessed backward-trajectory simulations, consisting of a Lagrangian particlAuthorsMark D Rowe, Sara E Prendergast, Karen M Alofs, David Bunnell, Edward S. Rutherford, Eric J. AndersonSeasonal 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) aAuthorsPatricia M Dieter, David Bunnell, David M. WarnerSlimy 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 haAuthorsShea L. Volkel, Kelly F. Robinson, David Bunnell, Michael J. Connerton, Jeremy P. Holden, Darryl W. Hondorp, Brian C. WeidelMetal accumulation in Lake Michigan prey fish: Influence of ontogeny, trophic position, and habitat
Developing an understanding of factors that influence the accumulation and magnification of heavy metals in fish of the Laurentian Great Lakes is central to managing ecosystem and human health. We measured muscle tissue concentrations of heavy metals in Lake Michigan prey fish that vary in habitat use, diet, and trophic position, including alewife, bloater, deepwater sculpin, round goby, rainbow s
AuthorsWhitney M. Conard, Brandon S. Gerig, Lea M. Lovin, David Bunnell, Gary A. LambertiConsequences 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 populaAuthorsDavid Bunnell, Stuart A. Ludsin, Roger L. Knight, Lars G. Rudstam, Craig E. Williamson, Tomas O. Hook, Paris D. Collingsworth, Barry M. Lesht, Richard P. Barbiero, Anne E. Scofield, Edward S. Rutherford, Layne Gaynor, Henry A. Vanderploeg, Marten A. KoopsStatus 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 speciAuthorsRalph William Tingley, David Bunnell, David Warner, Charles P. Madenjian, Patricia DieterSpatial 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 trAuthorsDarren S. Kirkendall, David Bunnell, Patricia Dieter, Lauren A. Eaton, Anett S Trebitz, Nicole M Watson - News
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