James E McKenna, Jr., PhD
James E McKenna, Jr. is a Research Ecologist based in Cortland, NY.
Dr. McKenna is a Research Ecologist with the Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science in Cortland, NY. For the past 28 years, he has conducted research on Great Lakes ecosystems, including tributary watersheds and the St. Lawrence River. His research topics range from native fish population restoration to ecosystem function and threats evaluation. Much of his work focuses on applied ecology of fish communities in the Great Lakes Region to support natural resource manager decision-making. His work often involves development of new analytical tools and methods to address complex ecological questions about how biodiversity and ecosystem function and adaptability is maintained (or repairable) in the face of continuing human activities. The methods have been applied to simplify the complex relationships among more than 100 fish species and their habitats into salient interpretations of fish communities that managers may use to address conservation and restoration objectives for Great Lakes ecosystems. This includes characterization of the best potential of any aquatic habitat to support the various fish species and associated biodiversity. Recent research has revealed habitat conditions (both locally and globally) most influential to fish communities in the Great Lakes proper and identified the inherent suitability (or unsuitability) of each of the millions of 30-m habitat units within a Great Lake. The research demonstrates how the natural suitability of habitat conditions varies by species and is affected by anthropogenic disturbances, including climate change. One research project, supporting native American tribal interests, provides managers and scientists with a detailed understanding of biodiversity and fish communities in rivers and streams throughout a large region of the St. Lawrence River valley, highlighting the abundance and distributions of threatened and endangered species, and characterizing their habitats. Restoration research has included work with the thousands of Atlantic Salmon, Ciscos, and Bloaters raised at the Tunison laboratory to support reintroduction of these native species to historically occupied habitats, and has shown how native prey fish (e.g., Cisco and other Coregonine species) can be raised in hatcheries in large numbers, transported to a Great Lake, and released successfully. The work also demonstrates how to mark the fish and their tolerance for use of advance technology, like acoustic telemetry, to track their movement and survival after release into the wild. This research advances our ability to understand threats to fish populations and aquatic communities at scales from stream reaches and small open lake locations to entire watersheds and whole Great Lake basins, and supports cost-effective management decisions about Great Lakes fishes and restoration or conservation of their habitats.
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, October 2022 to present, US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science, Cortland, NY
Supervisory Research Ecologist, Acting Director July 2017 to September 2022, US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science, Cortland, NY
Research Ecologist, March 1995 to March 2014, US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science, Cortland, NY
Associate Research Scientist, October 1992 to March 1995, Florida Marine Research Institute, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, St. Petersburg, FL. Analyst in Fisheries Statistics and Fisheries Independent Monitoring Departments
Assistant Research Scientist, May 1990 to October 1992, Florida Marine Research Institute, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, St. Petersburg, FL. Analyst in Fisheries Statistics Department
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. (1990) in Biological Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography. Dissertation: Ecology of an exploited Antarctic fish community
M.S. (1987) in Biological Oceanography from U. of Rhode Island, Oceanography School: An Analysis of Food Limitation in the Benthic Communities of Narragansett Bay Using a Numerical Simulation Model
B.S. with Distinction in Marine Science from Richard Stockton State College (1981)
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society
International Association of Great Lakes Researchers
Managing Editor, Northeastern Naturalist
Abstracts and Presentations
McKenna, J.E.,Jr. and P. Kocovsky. 2020. Habitat Characterization and Species Distribution Model of the only Large Lake Population of the Endangered Silver Chub. 150st Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Columbus, OH, September 2021.
McKenna, J.E.,Jr., and M.T. Slattery. 2020. Seasonal Responses of Walleye Abundance to Changes in Ecological Flow. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Feb 2020
McKenna, J.E.,Jr., J.H. Johnson, S. Lapan, M. Chalupnicki, G. Mackey, M. Millard, K. Loftus, M. Connerton, C. Legard, B. Weidel, D. Gorsky. 2021. Rehabilitating Native Lake Ontario Coregonine Fishes: Tunison et al. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Feb 2021.
McKenna, J.E.,Jr., C. Riseng, and K. Wehrly. 2021. Evaluation of relative benefits in various restoration areas of the Great Lakes nearshore zone based on fish perception of disturbed conditions. 151st annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Baltimore, MD, November 2021.
Woda, Joshua, Neil Terry, James E. McKenna, Jr., John Williams, Scott Prindle, Michael Connerton. 2021. Mapping Temperature-dependent Fish Habitat in the Salmon River, NY. 151st annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society, November 2021.
Brown, T. et al. 2022. Distributions of sympatric cisco and lake whitefish larvae in Lake Ontario embayments. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Grand Rapids, MI 16 May 2022.
Heisey A., A. Beezel, B. Weidel, B. Lantry, B. O’Malley, D. Yule, M. Vinson, B. Ray, M. Seider, M. Chalupnicki, J. McKenna Jr., D. Gorsky, M. Connerton. 2022. An evaluation of coregonine egg deposition between Lake Superior and Lake Ontario. 152nd Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. Spokane, WA. August 2022.
Koeberle, A., S.A. Sethi, M.A. Chalupnicki, B. Hammers, J.E. McKenna, Jr., D.P. Mulhall, W. Pearsall, M. Bartron, A. Maloy, C. Rees, L. Atkins. 2022. Novel Acoustic Telemetry to Evaluate Survival of Re-introduced Native Cisco (Coregonus artedi) at a Whole-lake Level in the Finger Lakes, New York. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Grand Rapids, MI 16 May 2022.
Kraus, R.T., M. Faust, M. Rowe, J. Markham, C. Vandergoot, T. MacDougall, J.D. Schmitt, J.E. McKenna, Jr. 2022. Synergisms from collaborative research – merging water quality modeling and fisheries science in Lake Erie. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Grand Rapids, MI 16 May 2022.
Legard, C. et al. 2022. Bloater re-introduction in Lake Ontario. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Feb 2022.
McKenna, J.E.,Jr. 2022. Conservation decision-support for Silver Chub habitat in Lake Erie. Northeast Natural History Conference, April 2022.
Le Tarte L., M. Chalupnicki, J.E. McKenna, Jr., A. Gatch, M. Nguyen, S. LaSalle, B.C. Weidel. 2023. Sodus Bay Coregonines: Past, Present, Future. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Feb 2023.
McKenna, J.E., Jr., R.S. Cornman, and A. David. 2023. Biodiversity and Distribution Estimates in a Tributary to the St. Lawrence River Using eDNA and Conventional Collection Methods. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Feb 2023.
McKenna, J.E.,Jr. 2023. The Laurentian Great Lakes: Restoration Research. Conservation Biology Seminary Series, State University of New York at Cortland, 23 February 2023.
Moore, J., M. Chalupnicki, J.E. McKenna, Jr., and D.E. Dittman. 2023. Multi-year Assessment of Walleye Spawning in the Black River. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Feb 2023.
Rubenstein S., J.E. McKenna, Jr., J.H. Johnson. 2023. Phototaxic response of Cisco larvae. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Feb 2023.
Skrotzki, J. M., M. A. Chalupnicki, J. E. McKenna Jr., and J. H, Johnson. 2023. Dace Hybridization and Diet Comparison. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Feb 2023.
Taylor, T.L., M.A. Chalupnicki, J.E. McKenna, Jr., and J.H. Johnson. 2023. Diel Diet of Swallowtail Shiner in Little York Lake. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.
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Publications by this scientist
A spatial classification and database for management, research, and policy making: The Great Lakes aquatic habitat framework
Diel resource partitioning among juvenile Atlantic Salmon, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout during summer
Comparison of fishes in nearshore areas of the St. Lawrence River, New York over 35 years
Development of a spatially universal framework for classifying stream assemblages with application to conservation planning for Great Lakes lotic fish communities
Developing and testing temperature models for regulated systems: a case study on the Upper Delaware River
Model distribution of Silver Chub (Macrhybopsis storeriana) in western Lake Erie
Broad-scale patterns of Brook Trout responses to introduced Brown Trout in New York
Predicting locations of rare aquatic species’ habitat with a combination of species-specific and assemblage-based models
Interactions between invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomous) and fantail darters (Etheostoma flabellare) in a tributary of the St. Lawrence River, New York, USA
Fall diel diet composition of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York, USA
Hybrid seine for full fish community collections
Thermal and hydrologic suitability of Lake Erie and its major tributaries for spawning of Asian carps
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.
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Filter Total Items: 71A spatial classification and database for management, research, and policy making: The Great Lakes aquatic habitat framework
Managing the world's largest and most complex freshwater ecosystem, the Laurentian Great Lakes, requires a spatially hierarchical basin-wide database of ecological and socioeconomic information that is comparable across the region. To meet such a need, we developed a spatial classification framework and database — Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Framework (GLAHF). GLAHF consists of catchments, coastalAuthorsLizhu Wang, Catherine M. Riseng, Lacey Mason, Kevin Werhrly, Edward Rutherford, James E. McKenna, Chris Castiglione, Lucinda B. Johnson, Dana M. Infante, Scott P. Sowa, Mike Robertson, Jeff Schaeffer, Mary Khoury, John Gaiot, Tom Hollenhurst, Colin N. Brooks, Mark CoscarelliDiel resource partitioning among juvenile Atlantic Salmon, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout during summer
Interspecific partitioning of food and habitat resources has been widely studied in stream salmonids. Most studies have examined resource partitioning between two native species or between a native species and one that has been introduced. In this study we examine the diel feeding ecology and habitat use of three species of juvenile salmonids (i.e., Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar, Brown Trout Salmo tAuthorsJames H. Johnson, James E. McKennaComparison of fishes in nearshore areas of the St. Lawrence River, New York over 35 years
Fishes of the nearshore waters of the St. Lawrence River provide forage for valuable sport fisheries and are important biological indicators of condition and change. This fish community differs slightly among various reaches of the St. Lawrence River from New York to Quebec (Carlson et al. 2006, Eckert and Hanlon 1977, Kapuscinski 2011, LaViolette et al. 2003, Mandrak et al. 2006, McKenna et al. 2AuthorsDouglas M. Carlson, James E. McKennaDevelopment of a spatially universal framework for classifying stream assemblages with application to conservation planning for Great Lakes lotic fish communities
Classifications are typically specific to particular issues or areas, leading to patchworks of subjectively defined spatial units. Stream conservation is hindered by the lack of a universal habitat classification system and would benefit from an independent hydrology-guided spatial framework of units encompassing all aquatic habitats at multiple spatial scales within large regions. We present a syAuthorsJames E. McKenna, Jeffrey S. Schaeffer, Jana S. Stewart, Michael T. SlatteryDeveloping and testing temperature models for regulated systems: a case study on the Upper Delaware River
Water temperature is an important driver of many processes in riverine ecosystems. If reservoirs are present, their releases can greatly influence downstream water temperatures. Models are important tools in understanding the influence these releases may have on the thermal regimes of downstream rivers. In this study, we developed and tested a suite of models to predict river temperature at a locaAuthorsJeffrey C. Cole, Kelly O. Maloney, Matthias Schmid, James E. McKennaModel distribution of Silver Chub (Macrhybopsis storeriana) in western Lake Erie
Silver Chub (Macrhybopsis storeriana) was once a common forage fish in Lake Erie but has declined greatly since the 1950s. Identification of optimal and marginal habitats would help conserve and manage this species. We developed neural networks to use broad-scale habitat variables to predict abundance classes of Silver Chub in western Lake Erie, where its largest remaining population exists. ModelAuthorsJames E. McKenna, Chris CastiglioneBroad-scale patterns of Brook Trout responses to introduced Brown Trout in New York
Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis and Brown Trout Salmo trutta are valuable sport fish that coexist in many parts of the world due to stocking introductions. Causes for the decline of Brook Trout within their native range are not clear but include competition with Brown Trout, habitat alteration, and repetitive stocking practices. New York State contains a large portion of the Brook Trout's nativeAuthorsJames E. McKenna, Michael T. Slattery, Kean M. CliffordPredicting locations of rare aquatic species’ habitat with a combination of species-specific and assemblage-based models
Aim: Rare aquatic species are a substantial component of biodiversity, and their conservation is a major objective of many management plans. However, they are difficult to assess, and their optimal habitats are often poorly known. Methods to effectively predict the likely locations of suitable rare aquatic species habitats are needed. We combine two modelling approaches to predict occurrence and gAuthorsJames E. McKenna, Douglas M. Carlson, Molly L. Payne-WynneInteractions between invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomous) and fantail darters (Etheostoma flabellare) in a tributary of the St. Lawrence River, New York, USA
The initial, rapid expansion of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) throughout the Great Lakes drainage was largely confined to lentic systems. We recently observed round gobies ascending two tributaries of the St. Lawrence River. The expansion of gobies into small lotic environments may place ecologically similar species at risk. Fantail darter (Etheostoma flabellare) is one of the sAuthorsRoss Abbett, Emily M. Waldt, James H. Johnson, James E. McKenna, Dawn E. DittmanFall diel diet composition of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York, USA
American eel (Anguilla rostrata), a once common species, is now in decline throughout much of its native range in North America. There is little information on the role of American eel in river food webs. A better understanding of the diet and ecological role of American eel will help in the conservation of this important species. During autumn 2009, eel and aquatic invertebrate samples were colleAuthorsEmily M. Waldt, Ross Abbett, James H. Johnson, Dawn E. Dittman, James E. McKennaHybrid seine for full fish community collections
Seines are simple and effective fish collection gears, but the net mesh size influences how well the catch represents the fish communities. We designed and tested a hybrid seine with a dual-mesh bag (1/4″ and 1/8″) and compared the fish assemblage collected by each mesh. The fine-mesh net retained three times as many fish and collected more species (as many as eight), including representatives ofAuthorsJames E. McKenna, Emily M. Waldt, Ross Abbett, Anthony David, James SnyderThermal and hydrologic suitability of Lake Erie and its major tributaries for spawning of Asian carps
Bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, silver carp H. molitrix, and grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (hereafter Asian carps) have expanded throughout the Mississippi River basin and threaten to invade Lakes Michigan and Erie. Adult bighead carp and grass carp have been captured in Lake Erie, but self-sustaining populations probably do not exist. We examined thermal conditions within Lake ErieAuthorsPatrick M. Kocovsky, Duane Chapman, James E. McKennaNon-USGS Publications**
McKenna J.E.Jr. 1991. Trophic relationships of Antarctic demersal fish through gut content analysis. Fishery Bulletin. 89:643-654McKenna J.E.Jr. 1993. Spatial structure and temporal continuity of the South Georgian Antarctic fish community. Fishery Bulletin 91:475-490McKenna J.E.Jr., Saila S.B. 1989. Results of Fish Stock Assessment Survey, South Georgia, December 1987 - January 1988. Selected Publications of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, vol. II (SC-CAMLR-VII/BG/23).McKenna J.E.Jr., Saila S.B. 1991. Application of an objective method for detecting changes in fish communities: Samar Sea, the Philippines. Asian Fisheries Science. 4:201-210.McKenna J.E.Jr., Saila S.B. 1991. Shifts in the Antarctic demersal fish community of South Georgia. Fisheries Research. 12:109-124.**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.
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government