Hitt, N.P. and M. Hendryx. 2010. Ecological integrity of streams linked to human cancer mortality rates. EcoHealth 7:91-104.
Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD
Biography
Dr. Nathaniel (Than) P. Hitt is a Research Fish Biologist at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center in Kearneysville, West Virginia. He holds a B.A. in Biology from the College of Wooster, an M.S. in Organismal Biology and Ecology from the University of Montana, and a Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from Virginia Tech. Dr. Hitt’s research investigates freshwater fish ecology and community ecotoxicology from a landscape perspective, focusing on stream ecosystems in the Appalachian highlands. His research includes:
- Modeling fish habitat and population/community responses to environmental change
- Forecasting effects of climate change for fish habitat in headwater streams
- Effects of stream flow and temperature on fish population dynamics
Education
- 2007 PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
- 2002 MS, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, Division of Biological Sciences, Organismal Biology and Ecology
- 1996 BA, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH Biology, Honors
Professional experience
- 2009-present: Research Fish Biologist, US Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center
- 2018-present: Adjunct Associate Professor, Natural Resource Ecology & Management, Oklahoma State University
- 2015-present: Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University
- 2008-2009: Postdoctoral Researcher, US Geological Survey, Leetown Science Center
- 2007-2008: Postdoctoral Researcher, Virginia Tech, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
- 2002-2007: Graduate Research Assistant, Virginia Tech, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
- 1999-2002: Graduate Research Assistant, University of Montana, Division of Biological Sciences
Science and Products
Date published: October 15, 2020
Status: Completed Effects of introduced species on native brook trout: a guide to the scientific literature
Issue: Native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are of great ecological, cultural, and economic importance in eastern North America, and their restoration is a focus of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Introduced, non-native species can jeopardize native brook trout, and more information on these effects are needed.
Contacts: Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: May 7, 2020
Status: Active Enabling AI for citizen science in fish biology
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing ecology and conservation by enabling species recognition from photos and videos. Our project evaluates the capacity to expand AI for individual fish recognition for population assessment. The success of this effort would facilitate fisheries analysis at an unprecedented scale by engaging anglers and citizen scientists in imagery collection. This...
Date published: April 20, 2020
Status: Active Enabling AI for citizen science in fish ecology
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing ecology and conservation by enabling species recognition from photos and videos. Our project evaluates the capacity to expand AI for individual fish recognition for population assessment. The success of this effort would facilitate fisheries analysis at an unprecedented scale by engaging anglers and citizen scientists in imagery collection.This...
Attribution: Community for Data Integration (CDI)
Date published: April 2, 2020
Status: Active Changing Freshwater Flows Affect Fish Populations in the Potomac River
Issue: Millions of people rely on the Potomac River for drinking water and recreational opportunities. The Potomac is Maryland’s most popular freshwater fishing destination, and the second largest river that enters the Chesapeake Bay. Restoring fisheries is also an important goal for the Chesapeake Bay Partnership restoration efforts.
Contacts: Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD, Josh Henesy, John Mullican
Attribution: Core Science Systems, Chesapeake Bay Activities
Date published: January 1, 2020
Status: Active Brook Trout Population Responses to Climate Variation Across the Southeast USA
Brook trout are the only native fish from the salmon family in the southeastern United States. Despite their recreational and cultural significance, human activities, such as habitat degradation and introduction of non-native species, have led to serious declines of brook trout populations in the region. Stream temperature and flow alterations from climate change are projected to impact this...
Contacts: Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD, Benjamin H Letcher
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: May 16, 2019
Status: Active Assessing native fish restoration potential in Catoctin Mountain Park
Native species conservation is a fundamental purpose of National Parks. Catoctin Mountain Park (CATO) in Maryland supports a prized trout fishery and a healthy community of native fishes, with one exception: native Blue Ridge Sculpin (Cottus caeruleomentum) appear to have been extirpated from Big Hunting Creek above Cunningham Falls. Infection by a fungal-like protist ...
Contacts: Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD
Date published: May 15, 2019
Status: Active Project eTrout—Linking Research and Education with Virtual Reality
In the Chesapeake Bay headwaters, native brook trout are economically and culturally important and require high-quality, cold-water habitats. Project eTrout, led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), explores the use of crowdsourcing and virtual reality (VR) to estimate the abundance of brook trout in headwater streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Project eTrout engages students, anglers,...
Contacts: Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD, Scott Phillips
Date published: April 23, 2019
Status: Active Brook trout vulnerability to drought: eastern component of USGS national integrated ecohydrological research and monitoring plans
There is a growing and urgent need to develop and implement innovative strategies to research, monitor, and manage freshwater resources as societal demands escalate simultaneously with climate-driven changes in water availability. Over the past several years, many regions have experienced extreme droughts, fueled by prolonged periods of reduced precipitation and exceptionally warm temperatures...
Date published: April 16, 2019
Status: Active A hydrological framework to improve precision of Vital Signs metrics in the Appalachian highlands
Stream flow is a fundamental driver of ecological structure and function, but its influence on bioassessment measures is poorly understood. Although extreme flow conditions (e.g., floods and droughts) have long been known to play a central role in structuring stream communities, a mechanistic understanding of the linkages between flow variables, landscape and local physical characteristics,...
Date published: December 10, 2018
Status: Active Project eTrout
Welcome to Project eTrout [instructional video]!
Click here to begin.
Click here for a summary of results.
Virtual reality (VR)...
Contacts: Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD
Date published: June 2, 2014
Status: Completed USGS Expands Studies of Brook Trout
The USGS has established an experimental stream lab in the Leetown Science Center.
Contacts: Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD
Date published: January 1, 2012
Status: Completed Bringing People, Data, and Models Together – Addressing Impacts of Climate Change on Stream Temperature
This study set out to answer the question: “What data and modeling frameworks are needed to provide scientists reliable, climate-informed, water temperature estimates for freshwater ecosystems that can assist watershed management decision making?” To accomplish this, the study gathered existing stream temperature data, identified data gaps, deployed stream temperature monitoring devices, and...
Contacts: Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Year Published: 2021
Comparative morphology of freshwater sculpin inhabiting different environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters
We compared body morphology of two freshwater sculpin taxa that inhabit distinct environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed of eastern North America: Potomac sculpin (C. girardi, Robins; PS) and checkered sculpin (C. sp. cf. girardi; CS). Both taxa are endemic to the study area, but PS are more broadly distributed than CS...
Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Kessler, Karmann G.; Macmillan, Hannah Eisemann; Rogers, Karli M; Raesly, Richard L.
Year Published: 2021
Heed the data gap: Guidelines for using incomplete datasets in annual stream temperature analyses
Stream temperature data are useful for deciphering watershed processes important for aquatic ecosystems. Accurately extracting signal trends from stream temperature is essential for predicting responses of environmental and ecological indicators to change. Missing data periods are common for various reasons, and pose a challenge for scientists...
Johnson, Zachary C.; Johnson, Brittany G.; Briggs, Martin A.; Snyder, Craig D.; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Devine, Warren
Year Published: 2020
Assessing native fish restoration potential in Catoctin Mountain Park
Biological conservation is a fundamental purpose of the National Park system, and Catoctin Mountain Park (CATO) supports high-quality habitat for native fishes in the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in eastern North America. However, native Blue Ridge sculpin (Cottus caeruleomentum) have been extirpated in Big Hunting Creek above...
Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Kessler, Karmann G.; Kelly, Zachary A.; Rogers, Karli M.; Macmillan, Hannah E.; Walsh, Heather L.Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities, Leetown Science Center
View Citation
Hitt, N.P., Kessler, K.G., Kelly, Z.A., Rogers, K.M., Macmillan, H.E., and Walsh, H.L., 2020, Assessing native fish restoration potential in Catoctin Mountain Park: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1137, 17 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201137.
Year Published: 2020
Modeling occupancy of rare stream fish species in the upper Cumberland and Kentucky River Basins
Biological conservation often requires an understanding of how environmental conditions affect species occurrence and detection probabilities. We used a hierarchical framework to evaluate these effects for several Appalachian stream fish species of conservation concern: Chrosomus cumberlandensis (BSD; blackside dace), Etheostoma sagitta (CAD;...
Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Rogers, Karli M.; Kessler, Karmann; Macmillan, Hannah E.Attribution: Leetown Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Ecosystems, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
View Citation
Hitt, N.P., Rogers, K.M., Kessler, K., and Macmillan, H., 2020, Modeling occupancy of rare stream fish species in the upper Cumberland and Kentucky River Basins: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1100, 22 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201100.
Year Published: 2020
Comparison of underwater video with electrofishing and dive‐counts for stream fish abundance estimation
Advances in video technology enable new strategies for stream fish research. We compared juvenile (age‐0) and adult (age 1+) Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis abundance estimates from underwater video with backpack electrofishing and dive‐count methods across a series of stream pools in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (n = 41)....
Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Rogers, Karli M; Snyder, Craig D.; Dolloff, C. Andrew
Year Published: 2020
Paired air-water annual temperature patterns reveal hydrogeological controls on stream thermal regimes at watershed to continental scales
Despite decades of research into air and stream temperature dynamics, paired air-water annual temperature signals have been underutilized to characterize watershed processes. Annual stream temperature dynamics are useful in classifying fundamental thermal regimes and can enhance process-based interpretation of stream temperature controls,...
Johnson, Zachary C.; Johnson, Brittany G.; Briggs, Martin; Devine, Warren; Snyder, Craig D.; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Hare, D.; Minkova, T.Attribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2020
Spatial and temporal trends in Potomac River fish abundance linked to species traits
Analysis of species abundance trends can inform an understanding of the underlying mechanisms. We evaluated spatial and temporal trends in fish species abundance in the non-tidal Potomac River (USA) from a dataset comprising 2841 seine-hauls with > 250,000 individual fish records across 10 sites and 43 years (1975-2017). The dataset contained...
Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Rogers, Karli; Kelly, Zachary A.; Henesy, Josh; Mullican, John E.
Year Published: 2019
Distribution and status of trout and char in North America
No abstract available.
Budy, Phaedra; Rogers, Kevin B.; Kanno, Yoichiro; Penaluna, Brooke E; Hitt, Nathaniel; Thiede, Gary P.; Dunham, Jason; Mellison, Chad; Somer, William; DeRito, JamesAttribution: Cooperative Research Units
Year Published: 2019
Individual behaviour and resource use of thermally stressed brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis portend the conservation potential of thermal refugia
Individual aggression and thermal refuge use were monitored in brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis in a controlled laboratory to determine how fish size and personality influence time spent in forage and thermal habitat patches during periods of thermal stress. On average, larger and more exploratory fish initiated more aggressive...
White, Shannon L.; Kline, B.C.; Hitt, Nathaniel; Wagner, Tyler
Year Published: 2019
An integrated framework for ecological drought across riverscapes of North America
Climate change is increasing the severity and extent of extreme droughts events, posing a critical threat to freshwater ecosystems, particularly with increasing human demands for diminishing water supplies. Despite the importance of drought as a significant driver of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, current understanding of drought...
Kovach, Ryan; Dunham, Jason B.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert; Snyder, Craig; Beever, Erik A.; Pederson, Gregory T.; Lynch, Abigail; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Konrad, Christopher P.; Jaeger, Kristin; Rea, Alan H.; Sepulveda, Adam J.; Lambert, Patrick M.; Stoker, Jason M.; Giersch, J. Joseph; Muhlfeld, Clint C.
Year Published: 2019
State-space analysis of power to detect regional brook trout population trends over time
Threats to aquatic biodiversity are expressed at broad spatial scales, but identifying regional trends in abundance is challenging owing to variable sampling designs, and temporal and spatial variation in abundance. We compiled a regional dataset of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis counts across their southern range representing 326 sites from...
Pregler, Kasey C.; Hanks, R. Daniel; Childress, Evan S.; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Hocking, Daniel J.; Letcher, Benjamin H.; Kanno, Yoichiro
Year Published: 2018
Inferring watershed hydraulics and cold-water habitat persistence using multi-year air and stream temperature signals
Streams strongly influenced by groundwater discharge may serve as “climate refugia” for sensitive species in regions of increasingly marginal thermal conditions. The main goal of this study is to develop paired air and stream water annual temperature signal analysis techniques to elucidate the relative groundwater contribution to stream water and...
Briggs, Martin A.; Johnson, Zachary C.; Snyder, Craig D.; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Kurylyk, Barret L.; Lautz, Laura K.; Irvine, Dylan J.; Hurley, Stephen T.; Lane, Jr., John W.View Citation
Briggs, M.A., Johnson, Z.C., Snyder, C.D., Hitt, N.P., Kurylyk, B., Lautz, L.K., Irvine, D.J., Hurley, S., and Lane, J.W., 2018, Inferring watershed hydraulics and cold-water habitat persistence using multi-year air and stream temperature signals, Science of the Total Environment, 636, 1117-1127doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.344.
Pre-USGS Publications
Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2008. River-stream connectivity affects fish bioassessment performance. Environmental Management 42:132-150.
Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2008. Evidence for fish dispersal from spatial analysis of stream network topology. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 27:304-320.
Hitt, N.P. and B.R. Murphy. 2007. An inquiry-based case study for conservation biology. Journal of Virginia Science Education 2:43-50.
Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2006. Effects of adjacent streams on local fish assemblage structure in western Virginia: implications for biomonitoring. American Fisheries Society Symposium 48:75-86.
Vignieri, S.N., E.M. Hallerman, B.J. Bergstrom, D.J. Hafner, A.P. Martin, P. Devers, P. Grobler and N.P. Hitt. 2006. Mistaken view of taxonomy undermines conservation of an evolutionarily distinct mouse: a response to Ramey et al. Journal of Animal Conservation 9:237-243.
Allendorf, F.W., R. Leary, N.P. Hitt, K. Knudsen, M. Boyer and P. Spruell. 2005. Cutthroat trout hybridization and the U.S. Endangered Species Act: one species, two policies. Conservation Biology 19:1326-1328.
Hitt, N.P. and C.A. Frissell. 2004. A case study of surrogate species in aquatic conservation planning. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 14:625-633.
Allendorf, F.W., R. Leary, N.P. Hitt, K. Knudsen, L. Lundquist, and P. Spruell. 2004. Intercrosses and the U.S. Endangered Species Act: should hybridized populations be included as westslope cutthroat trout? Conservation Biology 18: 1203-1213.
Hitt, N.P., C.A. Frissell, C.C. Muhlfeld and F.W. Allendorf. 2003. Spread of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, and non-native rainbow trout, O. mykiss. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 60:1440-1451.
Hitt, N.P. 2003. Immediate effects of wildfire on stream temperature. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 18:171-173.
Date published: November 16, 2016
USGS Study Reveals Interactive Effects of Climate Change, Invasive Species on Native Fish
A new USGS study shows non-native Brown Trout can place a burden on native Brook Trout under the increased water temperatures climate change can cause.
Date published: July 1, 2014
Fish Populations Down Due to Mountaintop Mining
Appalachian streams impacted by mountaintop mining have less than half as many fish species and about a third as many fish as non-impacted streams, according to U.S. Geological Survey research published this week in the journal Freshwater Science.
Attribution: