Jessica C Stanton, PhD
I use quantitative approaches and modeling to address conservation and management questions ranging from birds to invasive fish. I am interested in uncertainty and risk assessment and developing models and tools to help decision makers and managers.
I am a Quantitative Research Biologist at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) in La Crosse, Wisconsin, working within the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area. As a data analyst and population modeler I have worked on a range of different taxa and conservation and management concerns. I am interested in developing models, metrics, and tools to assess uncertainty, understand systems, manage risk, and assist managers and decision makers. I have worked on conservation challenges related to birds, bats, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and most recently, invasive fishes.
Science and Products
Invasive Carp Control: Acoustic Deterrents
Invasive carps including bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp ( H. molitrix), grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella), and black carp ( Mylopharyngodon piceus) are invasive fish species established throughout the Mississippi River Basin. The spread of these four species threatens the ecosystems of the Great Lakes and other major waterways. Substantial work has been done to...
Evaluation of a BioAcoustic Fish Fence at Barkley Lock and Dam
Barkley Lock and Dam, on the Cumberland River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky, has been identified as a strategic pinch-point navigational dam for controlling invasive carps including bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp ( H. molitrix), grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon Idella), and black carp ( Mylopharyngodon piceus). Fish must pass through the Barkley lock chamber to get upstream of...
Illinois River real-time telemetry and multi-state modeling
This project supports goals and objectives of the Illinois River Monitoring and Response Work Group (MRWG) by (1) providing a real-time network of acoustic receivers to detect movements and alert key management partners of invasive carp movements beyond normal ranges (i.e., above Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the Des Plaines River), (2) coordinating partner efforts to maintain a passive 69-kHz...
Deployment and Evaluation of an Underwater Acoustic Deterrent System at Lock and Dam 19
Previous studies and experience have demonstrated that some locks and dams operate as bottlenecks or pinch points for invasive carp populations and range expansion because of unique hydraulic conditions and operations at these dams. As compared to dams without these unique conditions, pinch-point dams restrict upstream fish passage to the lock chamber and result in limited (but not zero) upstream...
Modeling Overview at UMESC
Models seek to describe the natural world around us and how we interact with the world. For example, physical models might help Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) visitors understand landscapes, such as the Mississippi River or topology and water flow.
Database and web application for invasive carp telemetry data (FishTracks)
Four types of invasive carp fish species, are currently found in the United States: black, grass, silver, and bighead carps. These species are fast growing, prolific feeders that out-compete native fish species and drastically alter the natural ecosystems they invade. To prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, the multi-agency Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC)...
Decision-support tool for managing endangered species in the face of uncertainty
Along the Santa Clara River in California, populations of the federally and state-listed Least Bell's Vireo ( Vireo bellii pusillus) are recovering from near extirpation. Habitat protection and restoration, as well as reducing brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds ( Molothrus ater), are thought to be the primary drivers of this recovery. The challenge going forward is to find the right balance...
Science and Products
Invasive Carp Control: Acoustic Deterrents
Invasive carps including bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp ( H. molitrix), grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella), and black carp ( Mylopharyngodon piceus) are invasive fish species established throughout the Mississippi River Basin. The spread of these four species threatens the ecosystems of the Great Lakes and other major waterways. Substantial work has been done to...
Evaluation of a BioAcoustic Fish Fence at Barkley Lock and Dam
Barkley Lock and Dam, on the Cumberland River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky, has been identified as a strategic pinch-point navigational dam for controlling invasive carps including bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp ( H. molitrix), grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon Idella), and black carp ( Mylopharyngodon piceus). Fish must pass through the Barkley lock chamber to get upstream of...
Illinois River real-time telemetry and multi-state modeling
This project supports goals and objectives of the Illinois River Monitoring and Response Work Group (MRWG) by (1) providing a real-time network of acoustic receivers to detect movements and alert key management partners of invasive carp movements beyond normal ranges (i.e., above Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the Des Plaines River), (2) coordinating partner efforts to maintain a passive 69-kHz...
Deployment and Evaluation of an Underwater Acoustic Deterrent System at Lock and Dam 19
Previous studies and experience have demonstrated that some locks and dams operate as bottlenecks or pinch points for invasive carp populations and range expansion because of unique hydraulic conditions and operations at these dams. As compared to dams without these unique conditions, pinch-point dams restrict upstream fish passage to the lock chamber and result in limited (but not zero) upstream...
Modeling Overview at UMESC
Models seek to describe the natural world around us and how we interact with the world. For example, physical models might help Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) visitors understand landscapes, such as the Mississippi River or topology and water flow.
Database and web application for invasive carp telemetry data (FishTracks)
Four types of invasive carp fish species, are currently found in the United States: black, grass, silver, and bighead carps. These species are fast growing, prolific feeders that out-compete native fish species and drastically alter the natural ecosystems they invade. To prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, the multi-agency Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC)...
Decision-support tool for managing endangered species in the face of uncertainty
Along the Santa Clara River in California, populations of the federally and state-listed Least Bell's Vireo ( Vireo bellii pusillus) are recovering from near extirpation. Habitat protection and restoration, as well as reducing brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds ( Molothrus ater), are thought to be the primary drivers of this recovery. The challenge going forward is to find the right balance...