James H Johnson, PhD
James Johnson is a Scientist Emeritus based in Cortland, NY.
My professional interests span both fisheries management and research which I attribute to a career spent working in both areas. On the management side, I especially enjoy working with Native American Tribes in helping them develop their fisheries programs. From a research perspective, I am particularly interested in the restoration of native fishes.
My interest in fisheries traces back to my early years spent on the St. Lawrence River with my great grandfather who fished commercially for lake sturgeon and other species near Ogdensburg, NY. I remember spending hours at a time in his live fish enclosure where he kept his catch, most likely annoying the heck out of the 4 – 6 ft sturgeon I was chasing around while American eels slithered around my legs. This was of course pre-Seaway, and now both of these species have greatly declined in the river and throughout much of their native range. I have been fortunate to be able to work on the restoration of both lake sturgeon and American eel, as well as other St. Lawrence River species as a member of the Fish Advisory Committee that oversees the fish mitigation funds for the upper river that came about from the FERC re-licensing process for the operation of the main stem dam at Massena, NY. My other interest in native fish restoration involves salmonids and heralds back to the decade I spent in the Pacific Northwest with the Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho and the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife knee deep in issues associated to the restoration of Pacific salmon and steelhead. My tour with the Nez Perce also began what has become over three decades of work with tribes, spanning coast – to – coast, helping them develop their fisheries programs.
Professional Experience
January 1998-Present – Eastern Great Lakes Branch Chief, USGS-Cortland, NY
July 1994-December 1997 – Laboratory Director, Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science, USGS-Cortland, NY
September 1989-July 1994 – Fish Ecology Section Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wellsboro, PA
July 1984-September 1989 – Freshwater Program Manager, Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Portland, OR
June 1980-July 1984 – Director, Fisheries Dept., Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho, Lapwai, ID
February 1978-May1980 – Senior Aquatic Ecologist, New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY
September 1973-June 1976 – Fish Biologist, Lake Ontario Environmental Laboratory, Oswego, NY
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. (Fisheries Science) SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 1993
M.S. (Fisheries Science) SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 1978
B.S. (Fisheries Management) University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, 1973
Science and Products
Publications by this scientist
Examination of the influence of juvenile Atlantic salmon on the feeding mode of juvenile steelhead in Lake Ontario tributaries
Seasonal drift and feeding periodicity during summer of the amphipod, Gammarus psuedolimnaeus
Habitat use by subyearling Chinook and coho salmon in Lake Ontario tributaries
Diet composition and fish consumption of double-crested cormorants from three St. Lawrence River colonies in 2013
Double-crested Cormorant studies at Little Galloo Island, Lake Ontario in 2013: Diet composition, fish consumption and the efficacy of management activities in reducing fish predation
Habitat use of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York
Diel variation in summer habitat use, feeding periodicity, and diet of subyearling Atlantic salmon in the Salmon River Basin, New York
Interactions between invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomous) and fantail darters (Etheostoma flabellare) in a tributary of the St. Lawrence River, New York, USA
Habitat use and diet composition of juvenile Atlantic salmon in a tributary of Lake Ontario
Fall diel diet composition of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York, USA
Diel feeding periodicity of Ephemera simulans nymphs in summer and winter
Movement and feeding ecology of recently emerged steelhead in Lake Ontario tributaries
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.
Data releases by this scientist
Science and Products
Publications by this scientist
Examination of the influence of juvenile Atlantic salmon on the feeding mode of juvenile steelhead in Lake Ontario tributaries
Seasonal drift and feeding periodicity during summer of the amphipod, Gammarus psuedolimnaeus
Habitat use by subyearling Chinook and coho salmon in Lake Ontario tributaries
Diet composition and fish consumption of double-crested cormorants from three St. Lawrence River colonies in 2013
Double-crested Cormorant studies at Little Galloo Island, Lake Ontario in 2013: Diet composition, fish consumption and the efficacy of management activities in reducing fish predation
Habitat use of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York
Diel variation in summer habitat use, feeding periodicity, and diet of subyearling Atlantic salmon in the Salmon River Basin, New York
Interactions between invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomous) and fantail darters (Etheostoma flabellare) in a tributary of the St. Lawrence River, New York, USA
Habitat use and diet composition of juvenile Atlantic salmon in a tributary of Lake Ontario
Fall diel diet composition of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York, USA
Diel feeding periodicity of Ephemera simulans nymphs in summer and winter
Movement and feeding ecology of recently emerged steelhead in Lake Ontario tributaries
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.
Data releases by this scientist