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
Diurnal stream habitat use of juvenile Atlantic salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout in winter
Influence of diet of double-crested cormorants on thiamine, lead, and mineral contents of their eggs
Spatial and temporal variation in distribution of larval lake whitefish in eastern Lake Ontario: signs of recovery?
Diel diet composition and feeding activity of round goby in the nearshore region of Lake Ontario
Influence of summer water-level variability on St. Lawrence River-wetland fish assemblages
Seasonal habitat use of brook trout and juvenile Atlantic Salmon in a Tributary of Lake Ontario
Double-crested cormorant studies at Little Galloo Island, Lake Ontario in 2008: Diet composition, fish consumption and the efficacy of management activities in reducing fish predation
Diet composition and feeding periodicity of wild and hatchery subyearling Chinook salmon in Lake Ontario
Diel periodicity of drift of larval fishes in tributaries of Lake Ontario
Comparative diets of subyearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) in the Salmon River, New York
Estimating the size of fish consumed by double-crested cormorants: Considerations for better understanding cormorant-fish interactions
Lake sturgeon spawning on artificial habitat in the St Lawrence River
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
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 85Diurnal stream habitat use of juvenile Atlantic salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout in winter
The diurnal winter habitat of three species of juvenile salmonids was examined in a tributary of Skaneateles Lake, NY to compare habitat differences among species and to determine if species/age classes were selecting specific habitats. A total of 792 observations were made on the depth, velocity, substrate and cover (amount and type) used by sympatric subyearling Atlantic salmon, subyearling browAuthorsJ. H. Johnson, K.A. DouglassInfluence of diet of double-crested cormorants on thiamine, lead, and mineral contents of their eggs
Throughout much of the Great Lakes basin, reproduction of several fish species is impaired by deficiency of thiamine in their eggs, an effect attributed to consumption of thiaminase-containing forage species, primarily alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus.) Because the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) nesting on islands in Lake Ontario is known to consume considerable amounts of alewife,AuthorsH. George Ketola, James H. Johnson, C.M. Adams, J.F. FarquharSpatial and temporal variation in distribution of larval lake whitefish in eastern Lake Ontario: signs of recovery?
The lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is one of the native Lake Ontario fishes that declined severely over the past century. Recent evidence of larval lake whitefish production in a historic spawning area (Chaumont Bay) might signal a recovery of this species in New York waters. We surveyed coastal and open water areas to evaluate densities and estimate total abundance of larval lake whitefiAuthorsJ.E. McKenna, J. H. JohnsonDiel diet composition and feeding activity of round goby in the nearshore region of Lake Ontario
Expansion of the invasive round goby Apollonia melanostoma (=Neogobius melanostomus) throughout the Great Lakes drainage has created considerable concern among fisheries management agencies. These concerns have led to several studies on the biology and impact of the goby in the basin. However, little information exists on diel patterns in food consumption of the round goby. We examined the diets oAuthorsJames H. Johnson, James E. McKenna, Christopher C. Nack, Marc A. ChalupnickiInfluence of summer water-level variability on St. Lawrence River-wetland fish assemblages
Water-level and associated variability are substantial influences on wetland and shallow aquatic communities. The Akwesasne Wetland Complex is an extensive St. Lawrence River system affected by water regulation. The responses of fish assemblages to short-term summer water-level variation were examined throughout this section of the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries. An influence of water-leveAuthorsJ.E. McKenna, J.L. Barkley, J. H. JohnsonSeasonal habitat use of brook trout and juvenile Atlantic Salmon in a Tributary of Lake Ontario
The seasonal habitat use of Salvelinus fontinalis (Brook Trout) and sub-yearling Salmo salar (Atlantic Salmon) was examined in Hart Brook, a tributary of Lake Ontario. Fish habitat use and available habitat were examined during summer and autumn. Interspecific differences in habitat use occurred as well as intraspecific seasonal differences. Overyearling Brook Trout were more selective in their haAuthorsJames H. JohnsonDouble-crested cormorant studies at Little Galloo Island, Lake Ontario in 2008: Diet composition, fish consumption and the efficacy of management activities in reducing fish predation
For almost two decades Little Galloo Island (LGI)has supported the largest colony of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the eastern basin of Lake Ontario. Cormorant nest counts on the island since the early 1990's have averaged about 5,000 per year reaching a high of 8,400 in 1996. Johnson et al. (2008) estimate that cormorants from LGI alone have consumed 400 million fish sinceAuthorsJames H. Johnson, Russell D. McCullough, James F. FarquharDiet composition and feeding periodicity of wild and hatchery subyearling Chinook salmon in Lake Ontario
Diel feeding periodicity, daily ration, and diet composition of wild and hatchery subyearling Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were examined in Lake Ontario and the Salmon River, New York. The diet of wild riverine salmon was composed mainly of aquatic invertebrates (63.4%), mostly ephemeropterans (25.8%), chiromomids (15.8%), and trichopterans (8.3%). The diet of riverine Chinook was moreAuthorsJ. H. JohnsonDiel periodicity of drift of larval fishes in tributaries of Lake Ontario
Diel patterns of downstream drift were examined during mid-June in three tributaries of Lake Ontario. Larval fishes were collected in drift nets that were set in each stream for 72 consecutive hours and emptied at 4-h intervals. Fantail darter (Ethostoma flabellare) and blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atractulus) were the two most abundant native stream fishes and were two of the three species collectAuthorsJ. H. Johnson, J.E. McKennaComparative diets of subyearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) in the Salmon River, New York
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) have established naturalized populations throughout the Great Lakes. Young-of-year of these species occur sympatrically for about one month in Lake Ontario tributaries. This study examined the diets of subyearling Chinook salmon and steelhead relative to available food in the Salmon River, New York. Terrestrial invertebrates and tAuthorsJ. H. JohnsonEstimating the size of fish consumed by double-crested cormorants: Considerations for better understanding cormorant-fish interactions
We measured 926 smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), 6,935 yellow perch (Perca flavescens), 6,416 rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), and 4,852 pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) otoliths recovered from double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) pellets to determine the sizes (total lengths) of these fish consumed by cormorants. Otoliths were recovered from cormorant pellets collected from 199AuthorsJames H. Johnson, Robert M. Ross, James E. McKenna, Graham E. LewisLake sturgeon spawning on artificial habitat in the St Lawrence River
In 1996, lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning was documented for the third consecutive year on an artificially placed gravel bed in the St Lawrence River. Two distinct spawning periods were observed in 1996. Spawning initially commenced on 17 June, when water temperature reached 15°C. A second spawning event was documented from 28 June to 1 July (16°C). Sturgeon egg densities were monitorAuthorsJ. H. Johnson, S. R. LaPan, R.M. Klindt, A. SchiavoneNon-USGS Publications**
Johnson, J. H. and D. S. Dropkin. 1994. Biology of subyearling carp (Cyprinus carpio) in the Juniata River, Pennsylvania. Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 68:34-36.Rottiers, D. V. and J. H. Johnson. 1993. Gastric evacuation rates of larval American shad by two species of cyprinids. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2:147-151.Johnson, J. H. and D. S. Dropkin. 1993. Diel variation in diet composition of a riverine fish community. Hydrobiologia 149-158.Johnson, J. H. and D. S. Dropkin. 1992. Piscivory by the central stoneroller Campostoma anomalum (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae). Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 66:90-91.Johnson, J. H. and D. S. Dropkin. 1992. Predation on recently stocked American shad larvae in the Susquehanna River basin. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 12:504-508.Johnson, J. H., D. S. Dropkin, and P. G. Shaffer. 1992. Habitat use by a headwater stream fish community in North Central Pennsylvania. Rivers 3:69-79.Johnson, J. H., A. A. Nigro, and R. O. Temple. 1992. Evaluating enhancement of striped bass in the context of potential predation on anadromous salmonids in Coos Bay, Oregon. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 12:103-108.Johnson, J. H. and D. S. Dropkin. 1991. Summer food habits of spotfin shiner, mimic shiner, and juvenile fallfish in the Susquehanna River. Journal Freshwater Ecology 6:35-42.Sheppard, J. D. and J. H. Johnson. 1985. Probability-of-use for depth, velocity and substrate type by subyearling coho salmon and steelhead trout in Lake Ontario tributaries. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 5:277-282.Marsh, J. H. and J. H. Johnson. 1985. The role Stevens Treaty tribes in the management of anadromous fish runs in the Columbia Basin. Fisheries 10:2-5.Johnson, J. H. and P. A. Kucera. 1985. Summer-autumn habitat utilization of sub-yearling steelhead trout in tributaries of the Clearwater River, Idaho. Canadian Journal of Zoology 63:2283-2290.Johnson, J. H. 1985. Diel feeding ecology of the nymphs of Aeshna multicolor and Lestes unquiculatus (Odonata). Freshwater Biology 15:749-755.Johnson, J. H. 1985. Comparative diets of Paiute sculpin, speckled dace, and subyearling steelhead trout in tributaries of the Clearwater River, Idaho. Northwest Science 59:1-9.Johnson, J. H. and E. Z. Johnson. 1984. Comparative diets of subyearling redbreast sunfish and northern redbelly dace in an Adirondack Lake. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 2:587-591.Johnson, J. H. 1983. Summer diet of juvenile fishes in the St. Lawrence River. New York Fish and Game Journal 30:91-99.Johnson, J. H. 1983. Food habits of recently stocked subyearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Lake Ontario. New York Fish and Game Journal 30:115-116.Johnson, J. H. 1983. Diel food habits of two species of setipalpian stoneflies (Plecoptera) in tributaries of the Clearwater River, Idaho. Freshwater Biology 13:105-111.Ringler, N. H. and J. H. Johnson. 1982. Diet composition and diel feeding periodicity of some fishes in the St. Lawrence River. New York Fish and Game Journal 29:65-74.Johnson, J. H. and E. Z. Johnson. 1982. Observations on the eye-picking behavior of the cutlips minnow, Exoglossum maxillinqua. Copeia 1982:711-712.Johnson, J. H. and E. Z. Johnson. 1982. Diel foraging in relation to available food in an Adirondack Mountain stream fish community. Hydrobiologia 96:97-104.Johnson, J. H. 1982. Summer feeding ecology of blacknose dace, Rhinichthys atratulus, in a tributary of Lake Ontario. Canadian Field-Naturalist 96:282-286.Johnson, J. H. 1982. Diet composition and prey selection of Cordulegaster maculata Sel. Larvae (Anisoptera: Cordulegasteridae). Notulae Odonatologicae 1:151-152.Johnson, J. H. 1982. Comparative diets of planted rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) in a prairie impoundment in North Central Idaho. Proceedings West. Assoc. Fish and Wildlife Agencies 62:611-618.Johnson, J. H. 1981. The summer diet of the cutlips minnow, Exoglossum maxillinqua, in a central New York stream. Copeia 1981:484-487.Johnson, J. H. 1981. Predation on the eggs of steelhead trout by stream salmonids in a tributary of Lake Ontario. Progressive Fish-Culturist 43:36-37.Johnson, J. H. 1981. Food interrelationships of coexisting brook, brown, and yearling rainbow trout in tributaries of the Salmon River, New York. New York Fish and Game Journal 28:88-99.Johnson, J. H. 1981. Comparative food selection of subyearling coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and rainbow trout in a tributary of Lake Ontario. New York Fish and Game Journal 28:150-161.Johnson, J. H. 1981. Food habits and dietary overlap of perlid stoneflies (Plecoptera) in a tributary of Lake Ontario. Canadian Journal of Zoology 59:2030-2037.Johnson, J. H. and E. Z. Johnson. 1981. Feeding periodicity and diel variation in diet composition of subyearling coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) in a small stream during summer. Fisheries Bulletin, U.S. 79:370-376.Johnson, J. H. and N. H. Ringler. 1981. Predation on immature midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) by recently emerged coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch). New York Fish and Game Journal 28:121.Johnson, J. H. and N. H. Ringler. 1981. Natural hybridization of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) with notes on meristic variation. Copeia 1981:720-721.Johnson, J. H. and N. H. Ringler. 1981. Natural reproduction and juvenile ecology of Pacific salmon and rainbow trout in tributaries of the Salmon River, New York. New York Fish and Game Journal 28:49-60.Johnson, J. H. and N. H. Ringler. 1980. Diets of juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) relative to prey availability. Canadian Journal of Zoology 58:553-558.Johnson, J. H. 1980. Production and growth of subyearling coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) and steelhead (Salmo gairdneri) in Orwell brook, tributary of the Salmon River, New York. Fisheries Bulletin, U.S. 78:549-554.Johnson, J. H. and N. H. Ringler. 1979. The occurrence of blow-fly larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on salmon carcasses and their utilization as food by juvenile salmon and trout. Great Lakes Entomologist 12:137-140.Johnson, J. H. and N. H. Ringler. 1979. Predation on Pacific salmon eggs by salmonids in a tributary of Lake Ontario. Journal of Great Lakes Research 5:177-181.**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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Data releases by this scientist