Scott Bonar, PhD
Unit Leader - Arizona CRU. Scott's areas of expertise are desert fish management and biology, fisheries sampling methods, communications in natural resources, invasive species, habitat use and instream flow requirements for fishes. Scott served as President of the American Fisheries Society in 2019-2020; and is Past-President of the Western Division of the American Fisheries Society.
Research and Teaching Interests
- Desert fish management and biology
- Fisheries sampling methods
- Communication in natural resources
- Management of introduced species
- Fisheries Biology and Management
- Communication in Natural Resources
Scott is the lead editor and author on three books, one a North American standard fish sampling program for freshwater fishes involving hundreds of authors, data providers and sponsors from across North America and another that is the 2nd edition. Scott also authored a book on skills for working with people for natural resources professionals that the journal Ecology called a "must read." Scott presented and authored numerous presentations and publications. In 2022, he won the Award of Excellence from the Fish Management Section of the American Fisheries Society. Scott enjoys working with fish managers and administrators on practical problems in fisheries management or human dimensions.
Scott is originally from Mt. Vernon Indiana, attended University of Evansville in Indiana and University of Washington in Seattle. Scott managed the inland fish research program at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for almost 10 years before coming to the USGS Arizona CRU.
Professional Experience
Unit Leader, Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2000- current
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries program
Education and Certifications
Ph D University of Washington 1990
BS University of Evansville 1983
Honors and Awards
Award of Excellence, Fisheries Management Section, American Fisheries Society
Science and Products
Morphological characteristics and growth of northern pike in waters of the United States
An introduction to standardized sampling
Length frequency, condition, growth, and catch per effort indices for common North American fishes
Coldwater fish in small standing waters
Coldwater fish in wadeable streams
Warmwater fish in rivers
Warmwater fish in large standing waters
Coldwater fish in large standing waters
Warmwater fish in wadeable streams
Warmwater and coldwater fish in two-story stranding waters
Standardizing electrofishing power for boat electrofishing: chapter 14
Standard methods for sampling North American freshwater fishes
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 48
Morphological characteristics and growth of northern pike in waters of the United States
No abstract available.AuthorsY.G. Kuzmenko, T.B. Spesyviy, Scott A. BonarAn introduction to standardized sampling
It was probably one of the oddest riots in the history of the United States. In Erie, Pennsylvania during 1853. federal marshals were called to restore order during bloody uprisings. A mob of women, equipped with sledgehammers, was tearing up railroad rack to protest standardization of track width (Nesmith 1985). All across the United States, standardization of rail gauges was talking place to impAuthorsScott A. Bonar, Salvador Contreras-Balderas, Alison C. IlesLength frequency, condition, growth, and catch per effort indices for common North American fishes
One of the greatest advantages to using standard sampling is the ability of compare sample data to those data collected from an array of other populations over a wide geographic area using similar techniques. A biologist can then ascertain if the sampling data are within an expected range or are higher or lower than expected when compared to other populations.. When biologists collect data using dAuthorsMark J. Brouder, Alison C. Ilses, Scott A. BonarColdwater fish in small standing waters
This chapter describes standard techniques for sampling coldwater fishes in small standing waters. Within the context of this book, coldwater fish species are those that prefer water temperatures less than 15°C, and small standing waters are lakes and reservoirs where surface area is less than 200 ha. Chapter 7 of this book describes sampling coldwater fishes in large standing waters (i.e., surfacAuthorsNigel P. Lester, Paul E. Bailey, Wayne A. HubertColdwater fish in wadeable streams
Standardizing sampling methods for fish populations across large regions is important for consistent measurement of large-scale effects of climate or geography. In addition, pooling samples creates larger sample sizes and can facilitate data sharing among scientists and land managers. Sampling freshwater fish has largely not been standardized due to the diversity of fish and habitats. USGS aquaticAuthorsJason B. Dunham, Amanda E. Rosenberger, Russell F. Thurow, C. Andrew Dolloff, Philip J. HowellWarmwater fish in rivers
Large warmwater rivers are complex ecosystems and often contain numerous species and habitats. We loosely define a large river as having a drainage area greater than 50,000 km2 and a stream order great than six. Further, these rivers typically have mean discharges greater than 1,500 m3/s. Channel patterns are highly variable among and within large rivers, generally forming a meandering pattern. CuAuthorsChristopher S. Guy, P. J. Braaten, Mark P. Herzog, John Pitlo, R. Scott RogersWarmwater fish in large standing waters
Large standing waters are defined as those larger than 200 ha. Water temperature is a major determinant of fish assemblages in large standing water of North America (Matthews 1998 ). From a thermal perspective, eaters are broadly classified into coldwater (inhabited by trout and salmon) and warmwater (intolerable to trout and salmon). Warmwater fish assemblages follow latitudinal and altitudinal gAuthorsL.E. (Steve) Miranda, Jeff BoxruckerColdwater fish in large standing waters
Large coldwater lakes are defined here as standing freshwater bodies with surface area greater than 200 ha that support coldwater fishes such as trouts and salmons throughout the year. These large water bodies can be exposed to extensive wind fetch, which will affect the timing, mobility, and safety of personnel and gear. These considerations become important constraints for deploying, locating, aAuthorsDavid A. Beauchamp, Donna L. Parrish, Roy A. WhaleyWarmwater fish in wadeable streams
Both “warmwater” and “wadeable” are terms of convenience without precise definition and are used by biologists to describe streams that are generally too warm to have sustainable salmonid populations and can be safely traversed by walking (i.e., a section of stream should have the majority of its length less than 1 m deep, and it should be possible to cross in chest waders in nearly all areas). WaAuthorsCharles F. Rabeni, John J. Lyons, Norman Mercado-Silva, James PetersonWarmwater and coldwater fish in two-story stranding waters
Two-story fisheries occur in lakes or reservoirs characterized by two distinct spatial strata, warmwater and coldwater. These strata develop as the system begins to warm in the spring or summer in response to solar radiation and then separate into an upper warmwater stratum (epilimnion, hereafter referred to as the upper stratum) and a lower coldwater stratum (hypolimnion, hereafter referred to asAuthorsPhaedra E. Budy, Gary P. Thiede, Chris Luecke, Roger W. SchneidervinStandardizing electrofishing power for boat electrofishing: chapter 14
Standardization of electrofishing can help reduced the variability of survey data and potentially reduce injur of fish. Without standardization, differences among collections can be partially attributed to disparities in electrofishing methodology, intensity of the electrical field, and size of the electrical field rather than to disparities in fish abundance, population structure, or fish communiAuthorsL.E. (Steve) MirandaStandard methods for sampling North American freshwater fishes
This important reference book provides standard sampling methods recommended by the American Fisheries Society for assessing and monitoring freshwater fish populations in North America. Methods apply to ponds, reservoirs, natural lakes, and streams and rivers containing cold and warmwater fishes. Range-wide and eco-regional averages for indices of abundance, population structure, and condition forAuthorsScott A. Bonar, Wayne A. Hubert, David W. Willis