Peter Esselman, PhD, is a Research Fishery Biologist based in Ann Arbor, MI.
I am PhD scientist with 25 years of experience in freshwater ecological research and conservation. My research extends the theory and approaches of landscape ecology into large lake and river contexts to support natural resource decision making from local to continental scales. Since joining USGS in 2014, I have worked to apply emerging technologies and analytical approaches to the description of large-scale spatiotemporal variation in forage fish abundances and habitats that underpin Great Lakes commercial and recreational fisheries. I am also actively engaged in the detection, measurement and modeling of invasive and nuisance species distributions and abundances to support the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. I am a strong advocate for modernization of data collection methods, aquatic remote sensing, and improving bathymetric and habitat maps for the Great Lakes. Toward that end, I co-Chair a bi-national network of scientists and resource managers collaborating under the auspices of the Great Lakes Bottom Mapping Working Group. Prior to joining USGS I worked extensively in Central America where I studied tropical river ecosystems and supported local conservation organizations. I have specialties in fish community ecology, landscape ecology, biological assessment, applications of machine learning models to ecological problems, field methods, and spatial planning.
Professional Experience
Research Fish Biologist, US Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center (2014-present)
Assistant Professor, Michigan State University Dept of Zoology (2011-2014)
Consultant to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2012-2015)
Research Associate, Michigan State University Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife and Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS) (2009-2011)
Consultant, The World Bank (2008-2009)
Consultant, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Global Freshwater Team (2006-2009)
Consultant, City of Knowledge Foundation (2006-2007)
Consultant to TNC Belize Country Program (2001-2002; 2003; 2008)
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. (Aquatic Resource Ecology and Management) University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources & Environment, 2009
M.Sc. (Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development) University of Georgia, Institute of Ecology, 2001
B.A. (Environmental Studies/Anthropology minor) Connecticut College, 1994
Science and Products
Publications by this scientist
Great Lakes spatial priorities study
Status and trends of the Lake Huron prey fish community, 1976-2019
Status and trends of the Lake Huron prey fish community, 1976-2020
The species–area relationship for a highly fragmented temperate river system
Hydrogeomorphological controls on reach‐scale distributions of cichlid nest sites in a small neotropical river
Outsized nutrient contributions from small tributaries to a Great Lake
Status and trends of pelagic prey fish in Lake Huron, 2018
A conceptual framework for the identification and characterization of lacustrine spawning habitats for native lake charr Salvelinus namaycush
A comparison of chlorophyll a values obtained from an autonomous underwater vehicle to satellite-based measures for Lake Michigan
Seasonal fluxes of dissolved nutrients in streams of catchments dominated by swidden agriculture in the Maya Forest of Belize, Central America
Status and trends of pelagic prey fish in Lake Huron, 2017
Landscape drivers and social dynamics shaping microbial contamination risk in three Maya communities in southern Belize, Central America
Science pages by this scientist
Use of Advanced Technologies to Improve Fisheries Assessments on Lake Superior
Development and application of a robot-assisted computer vision system to map Great Lakes bottom habitats and biology
Data releases by this scientist
High-resolution bathymetry and backscatter data collected near the Stamp Sands of Lake Superior in 2021
Habitat and fish assemblages along four river mainstems in Ontario, Canada, 1997 to 2001, with supporting spatial data
Bee-Gap: Ecology, Life-History, and Distribution of Bee Species in the United States 2017
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Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 15Great Lakes spatial priorities study
Spatial data about the bathymetry, habitat characteristics, underlying geology, and other features of the ocean and inland seas are essential for decision-making. Marine research and management organizations use these data to help ensure safe navigation, promote sustainable fisheries, extract energy, and protect marine habitats in the coastal and ocean waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EStatus and trends of the Lake Huron prey fish community, 1976-2019
The USGS Great Lakes Science Center has assessed annual changes in the offshore prey fish community of Lake Huron since 1973. Assessments are based on a bottom trawl survey conducted in October of each year and an acoustics-midwater trawl survey, which began in 2004 and is conducted in September-October. Both surveys were completed in their entirety in 2019. Prey fish biomass in Lake Huron in 2019Status and trends of the Lake Huron prey fish community, 1976-2020
The USGS Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) has assessed annual changes in the offshore prey fish community of Lake Huron since 1973. Assessments are based on a bottom trawl survey conducted in October and an acoustics-midwater trawl survey conducted in September-October. In 2020, USGS-GLSC vessels were not permitted to cross into Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so prey fish surveys sampledThe species–area relationship for a highly fragmented temperate river system
Despite the importance of species–area relationships (SARs) to conservation, SARs in human‐fragmented rivers have received little attention. Our aim was to test for the presence and strength of SARs for littoral fish assemblages of an extensively dammed river in south‐central Ontario, Canada, and to examine long‐running hypotheses for the drivers of SARs. Twenty‐six navigational dams with locks buHydrogeomorphological controls on reach‐scale distributions of cichlid nest sites in a small neotropical river
The Cichlidae are among the most diversified families of fish in the Neotropics and represent an important component of aquatic biodiversity. Understanding cichlid nest‐site selection is important for assemblages facing uncertain futures due to species invasions and environmental change. This information could be used to predict how inter‐ and intraspecific competition for reproductive space may aOutsized nutrient contributions from small tributaries to a Great Lake
Excessive nutrient inputs from tributary streams and rivers contribute to harmful algal blooms and coastal ecosystem degradation worldwide. However, the role that small tributaries play in coastal nutrient dynamics remains unknown because most monitoring and regulatory efforts focus only on the largest tributaries. We combined a 6-d sampling effort with discharge modeling to characterize nutrientStatus and trends of pelagic prey fish in Lake Huron, 2018
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center conducted integrated acoustic and mid-water trawl surveys of Lake Huron annually from 2004-2018. The 2018 survey was conducted during September and included transects in Lake Huron’s main basin, Georgian Bay, and North Channel. Mean lake-wide pelagic fish density was 1532 fish/ha and mean pelagic fish biomass was 4151 g/ha inA conceptual framework for the identification and characterization of lacustrine spawning habitats for native lake charr Salvelinus namaycush
Lake charr Salvelinus namaycush are endemic to the formerly glaciated regions of North America and spawn primarily in lakes, unlike most other Salmoninae. Spawning habitats for lake charr are thought to be characterized by relatively large substrate particle sizes which provide sufficient interstitial spaces for egg incubation, but little is known about the physical processes that create or maintaA comparison of chlorophyll a values obtained from an autonomous underwater vehicle to satellite-based measures for Lake Michigan
Accurate methods to track changes in lake productivity through time and space are critical to fisheries management. Chlorophyll a is the most widely studied proxy for ecosystem primary production, and has been the topic of many studies. The main sources of chlorophyll a measurements are ship-based measures or multi-spectral satellite data. Autonomous underwater vehicles can survey large spatial exSeasonal fluxes of dissolved nutrients in streams of catchments dominated by swidden agriculture in the Maya Forest of Belize, Central America
The biogeochemistry of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in tropical streams and rivers is strongly regulated by the pronounced seasonality of rainfall and associated changes in hydrology. Land use and land cover change (LULCC) can also be a dominant driver of changes in stream biogeochemistry yet responses are not fully understood and vary across different LULCC scenarios. We measured dissolved andStatus and trends of pelagic prey fish in Lake Huron, 2017
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center conducted integrated acoustic and mid-water trawl surveys of Lake Huron in 1997 and annually from 2004-2017. The 2017 survey was conducted during September and included transects in Lake Huron’s main basin, Georgian Bay, and North Channel. Mean lake-wide pelagic fish density was 1582 fish/ha and mean pelagic fish biomass was 1Landscape drivers and social dynamics shaping microbial contamination risk in three Maya communities in southern Belize, Central America
Land transformation can have cascading effects on hydrology, water quality, and human users of water resources, with serious implications for human health. An interdisciplinary analysis is presented, whereby remote-sensing data of changing land use and cover are related to surface hydrology and microbial contamination in domestic use areas of three indigenous Maya communities in Belize, Central Am - Science
Science pages by this scientist
Use of Advanced Technologies to Improve Fisheries Assessments on Lake Superior
The mission brings together state, federal, tribal, Canadian provincial, private, and non-profit partners using advanced fishery research approaches to enhance fishery assessment methods.Development and application of a robot-assisted computer vision system to map Great Lakes bottom habitats and biology
Lake bottom environments are critical zones of interface between geology and biological processes that support health ecosystems and human well-being. Over the past thirty years, Great Lake food webs have become dominated by bottom dwelling invasive species and nuisance algae, that are poorly mapped and understood. USGS is developing a suite of new technologies to map habitat, invasive mussels and... - Data
Data releases by this scientist
High-resolution bathymetry and backscatter data collected near the Stamp Sands of Lake Superior in 2021
The erosion and active transport of legacy mine tailings (called “stamp sands”) are impacting native fish species and aquatic habitats on a shallow water rocky reef complex along the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan called Buffalo Reef. Stamp sands are spreading from an old mill site at the Town of Gay and settling on the reef. Multiple surveys have documented the underwater migration of toxic, metaHabitat and fish assemblages along four river mainstems in Ontario, Canada, 1997 to 2001, with supporting spatial data
This dataset includes information about valley segment and catchment summaries, valley characteristics, instream habitat, and fish for valley segments, sites, and transects along four river mainstems in Ontario, Canada. Moving west to east, the rivers include the Grand River which ends in Lake Erie at Port Maitland, the Ganaraska River which ends in Lake Ontario at Port Hope, the Trent River whichBee-Gap: Ecology, Life-History, and Distribution of Bee Species in the United States 2017
Bee-Gap describes the ecology, life-history, and distribution of 3,925 bee species in the United States that have geographical data and verified taxonomy. The database was constructed by compiling information from a broad range of internet sources and peer-reviewed journal articles. The 10 traits included in the database are: native status (native versus exotic/introduced), state and territory pre - Multimedia
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