As our access to aquatic resources become increasingly complex, my research aims to provide managers with the knowledge to make wise and informed decisions. My investigations are focused on understanding fish population dynamics through field observations and robust mathematical modeling.
I work at the Klamath Falls Field Station as a Research Fish Biologist. My current work focuses on the challenges of recovering the endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers in the Upper Klamath River Basin, through monitoring their population dynamics and investigating potential barriers to recruitment. My postdoctoral studies included analyzing the effects of hypoxia on the shrimp fishery of the Gulf of Mexico, and using telemetry to estimate mortality within the cobia fishery, an important recreational species in the Southeast Atlantic. For my doctoral research project, I spent six years determining the sources, magnitude, and timing of weakfish mortality across the Atlantic Coast using telemetry, conventional tagging, and predator-prey models. I developed an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for prairie streams of South Dakota for my Master’s thesis, and have been involved in coral reef monitoring on the island of Grenada, lake management plans to mitigate invasive aquatic plants in the Midwest, and maintaining Lake Michigan’s power plants’ compliance to EPA’s 316 (b) mandate.
Research interests:
I enjoy conducting applied fisheries research that informs sound management decisions. I am interested in learning about established methods used in fisheries management, such as mark-recapture and population indices, and am always keen to improve on existing knowledge. I frequently work with collaborators across multiple institutions to address topics of interest in both marine and freshwater environments.
My skillset includes using telemetry, conventional tagging, experimental research designs, and interpreting long-term monitoring data, to better understand the abiotic and biotic barriers to fish population recovery. In addition to traditional field observations, I am experienced in quantitative analysis, including hierarchical models across multiple statistical frameworks, mark-recapture, predator-prey interactions, simulations, and writing R code.
Professional Experience
2021 to Present – Research Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Klamath Falls, OR
2020 – 2021 - Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Klamath Falls, OR
2019 – 2020 - NRC Postdoctoral Researcher, NOAA Fisheries Science Center, Beaufort, NC
2019 – Postdoctoral Researcher, North Carolina State University, Morehead City, NC
2013 – 2019 – Doctoral student, North Carolina State University, Morehead City, NC
2013 – Biological Science Technician, Contractor for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Milwaukee, WI
2010 – 2013 – Graduate Student, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
2000 – 2010 – General Worker, Smokey’s Bait Shop, Pewaukee, WI
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2019. Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
M.Sc. 2013. Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
B.Sc. 2009. Biology, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI
Science and Products
PIT Tags Encountered by Klamath Falls Field Station Equipment in the Upper Klamath Basin 1993-2023 (ver. 2.0, August 2023)
Detections, Physical Captures, Water Quality, and Fish Health associated with Endangered Suckers in Three Net Pens in Upper Klamath Lake, 2020
PIT Tags Encountered by Klamath Falls Field Station Equipment in the Upper Klamath Basin
Data from 2022 Mark-Recapture Analysis on Water and Endangered Fish in the Klamath River Basin: Do Upper Klamath Surface Elevation and Water Quality Affect Adult Lost River and Shortnose Sucker survival?
Does release size into net-pens affect survival of captively reared juvenile endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake?
Water and endangered fish in the Klamath River Basin: Do Upper Klamath Lake surface elevation and water quality affect adult Lost River and Shortnose Sucker survival?
Potential direct and indirect effects of climate change on a shallow natural lake fish assemblage
A generalized model for estimating the energy density of invertebrates
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
- Data
PIT Tags Encountered by Klamath Falls Field Station Equipment in the Upper Klamath Basin 1993-2023 (ver. 2.0, August 2023)
Data were collected as part of a long-term capture-recapture program to assess the status and dynamics of populations of two long-lived, federally endangered catostomids in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon and Clear Lake Reservoir, California. Lost River suckers (LRS; Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (SNS; Chasmistes brevirostris) have been captured and tagged with passive integrated transponderDetections, Physical Captures, Water Quality, and Fish Health associated with Endangered Suckers in Three Net Pens in Upper Klamath Lake, 2020
To determine how initial length affects survival of captively-reared juvenile suckers, we introduced Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tagged juvenile suckers into three net pens in Upper Klamath Lake. The suckers originated from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Sucker Assisted Rearing Program in Klamath Falls, Oregon, which rears suckers collected as larvae in Upper Klamath Lake includingPIT Tags Encountered by Klamath Falls Field Station Equipment in the Upper Klamath Basin
Data were collected as part of a long-term capture-recapture program to assess the status and dynamics of populations of two long-lived, federally endangered catostomids in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon and Clear Lake Reservoir, California. Lost River suckers (LRS; Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (SNS; Chasmistes brevirostris) have been captured and tagged with passive integrated transponderData from 2022 Mark-Recapture Analysis on Water and Endangered Fish in the Klamath River Basin: Do Upper Klamath Surface Elevation and Water Quality Affect Adult Lost River and Shortnose Sucker survival?
The data provided were used in a mark-recapture analysis conducted in 2022. Environmental covariates included water quality and Upper Klamath Lake surface elevation. Raw data were downloaded from the USGS Oregon Water Science Center for multiple sampling sites (422622122004000_MDNL_2021-1-14.csv, 422622122004003_MDNU_2021-1-14.csv, 422042121513100_RPT_2021-1-14.csv, 422719121571400_WMR_2021-1-14.c - Publications
Does release size into net-pens affect survival of captively reared juvenile endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake?
ObjectiveHigh juvenile mortality prevents recruitment into the adult populations of endangered Shortnose Sucker Chasmistes brevirostris and Lost River Sucker Deltistes luxatus in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. To address the lack of recruitment, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service implemented the Sucker Assisted Rearing Program (SARP). Managers developing the rearing program lack information about howAuthorsJohn Michael Caldwell, Summer M. Burdick, Jacob Richard Krause, Alta C. HarrisWater and endangered fish in the Klamath River Basin: Do Upper Klamath Lake surface elevation and water quality affect adult Lost River and Shortnose Sucker survival?
In the western United States, water allocation decisions often incorporate the needs of endangered fish. In the Klamath River basin, an understanding of temporal variation in annual survival rates of Shortnose Suckers Chasmistes brevirostris and Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus and their relation to environmental drivers is critical to water management and sucker recovery. Extinction risk is hAuthorsJacob Richard Krause, Eric C. Janney, Summer M. Burdick, Alta C. Harris, Brian S. HayesPotential direct and indirect effects of climate change on a shallow natural lake fish assemblage
Much uncertainty exists around how fish communities in shallow lakes will respond to climate change. In this study, we modelled the effects of increased water temperatures on consumption and growth rates of two piscivores (northern pike [Esox lucius] and largemouth bass [Micropterus salmoides]) and examined relative effects of consumption by these predators on two prey species (bluegill [Lepomis mAuthorsJason J. Breeggemann, Mark A. Kaemingk, T.J. DeBates, Craig P. Paukert, J. Krause, Alexander P. Letvin, Tanner M. Stevens, David W. Willis, Steven R. ChippsA generalized model for estimating the energy density of invertebrates
Invertebrate energy density (ED) values are traditionally measured using bomb calorimetry. However, many researchers rely on a few published literature sources to obtain ED values because of time and sampling constraints on measuring ED with bomb calorimetry. Literature values often do not account for spatial or temporal variability associated with invertebrate ED. Thus, these values can be unreliAuthorsDaniel A. James, Isak J. Csargo, Aaron Von Eschen, Megan D. Thul, James M. Baker, Cari-Ann Hayer, Jessica Howell, Jacob Krause, Alex Letvin, Steven R. ChippsNon-USGS Publications**
Byrd, B.L., A.A. Hohn, and J.R. Krause. 2020. Using the otolith sulcus to aid in prey identification and improve estimates of prey size in diet studies of a piscivorous predator. Ecology and Evolution, 10(8): 3584-3604. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6085.Krause, J.R., J.E. Hightower, J.A. Buckel, J.T. Turnure, T.M. Grothues, J.P. Manderson, J.E. Rosendale, and J.P. Pessutti. 2020. Using acoustic telemetry to estimate weakfish survival rates along the U.S. east coast. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 12(5): 241-257. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10095.Krause, J.R., J.E. Hightower, S.J. Poland, and J.A. Buckel. 2020. An integrated tagging and catch-curve model reveals high and seasonally-varying natural mortality for a fish population at low stock biomass. Fisheries Research, Vol. 232, 105725. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105725.Matli, V.R.R., A. Laurent, K. Fennel, K. Craig, J. Krause, and D.R. Obenour. 2020. Fusion-based hypoxia estimates: Combining geostatistical and mechanistic models of dissolved oxygen variability. Environmental Science and Technology, 54(20): 13016-13025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c03655.Scheffel, T.K., J.E. Hightower, J.A. Buckel, J.R. Krause, and F.S. Scharf. 2020. Coupling acoustic tracking with conventional tag returns to estimate mortality for a coastal flatfish with high rates of emigration. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 77, Article 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0174.Breeggemann, J. J., C. A. Hayer, J. R. Krause, L. D. Schultz, K. N. Bertrand, and B. D. S. Graeb. 2014. Estimating the ages of mountain sucker Catostomus platyrhynchus from the Black Hills: precision, maturation, and growth. Western North American Naturalist, Vol. 74: No. 3, Article 4, p. 299-310. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24644406Kafle, A., N.H. Troelstrup, Jr., J.R. Krause, and K.N. Bertrand. 2013. Assemblage structure of Chironomidae (Diptera: Insecta) from wadeable streams of the Northern Glaciated Plains, South Dakota, USA. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science, 92: 31-49. https://sdaos.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/2013/31-49.pdf.Krause, J.R., K.N. Bertrand, A. Kafle, and N.H. Troelstrup Jr. 2013. A fish index of biotic integrity for South Dakota’s northern glaciated plans ecoregion. Ecological Indicators, 34: 313-322. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2013.05.011.**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.