Intro
Scott George is a biologist in the Watersheds Research Section of the USGS New York Water Science Center in Troy, NY. He recently completed a master's degree at the State University at Albany (SUNY) in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology on the impact of severe flooding on lotic biota. Scott's current research is aimed at better understanding riverine fish, benthic macroinvertebrate, and periphyton communities and the disturbances that impact them. Specific ongoing projects include monitoring the expansion of Round Goby towards the Hudson River using environmental DNA and other methods, studying the recovery of fish assemblages in acid-impacted Catskill Mountain streams, and evaluating the toxicity of sediments to benthic macroinvertebrates in Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
EDUCATION:
- M.S., State University of New York, Albany, NY; Major – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 2014
- M.A., State University of New York, Albany, NY; Major – Social Studies, 2010
- B.A. (Magna Cum Laude), Siena College, Loudonville, NY; Major – History Education, 2008
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
- American Fisheries Society
- New York State Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
- Society For Freshwater Science
- Trout Unlimited
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
- Biologist; U.S. Geological Survey, Troy, NY; 2011-present: Coordinates projects and provides field support and data analysis to other ongoing projects concerning: acidification, extreme hydrologic events, flow-modification, trout population dynamics, water temperatures, and other stressors in stream ecosystems.
- Intern; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Stream Biomonitoring Unit (SBU), Troy, NY; 2010-2011: Processed benthic macroinvertebrate kick samples, locating and identifying organisms to the ordinal level. Conducted literature review of present lake biomonitoring methods for future integration into SBU Standard Operating Procedure.
Science and Products
Response of fish assemblages and habitat to stream restoration in the Ashokan Watershed
Areas of Concern: 18 Mile Creek AOC - Fish Community Characterizations
Areas of Concern: Niagara River
Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern Fish Community Assessment
Status of American Eel populations in the Mohawk River Basin
Contaminants in fish tissues from AOCs in New York State: The Niagara River AOC
Niagara River AOC-wide Benthos BUI Assessment
Quantitative Fish Surveys of Mohawk River Tributaries
Long-term trends in Rainbow Trout growth and naturalized populations in the Ashokan Basin
Monitoring the Status and Expansion of Round Goby Populations in the Mohawk River/Barge Canal System
Contaminants in fish tissues from AOCs in New York State: The Buffalo River AOC 2-year post remediation
New York Statewide Fish Collection: Contaminants in fish from the Buffalo River AOC
Environmental DNA data for Round Goby from the Champlain Canal
Organic and Metal Contaminants in Fish Tissue Collected from the Niagara River Area of Concern, New York, 2018
Adirondack and Catskill stream-fish survey dataset (ver. 4.0, March 2022)
Environmental DNA and electrofishing data for American eel in the Mohawk and Hudson River Watersheds
Macroinvertebrate community and sediment toxicity data from the Niagara River Area of Concern, New York
Data for Assessing the Status of Macroinvertebrate Communities and Sediment Toxicity in the Buffalo River Area of Concern, New York
Data from historic and contemporary fish community surveys in streams of the Adirondack Region
Fish community and substrate data from tributaries to the Mohawk River
Environmental DNA (eDNA) and fish capture data from Round Goby screening surveys on the Eastern Erie Canal, New York
Organic and metal contaminants in fish tissue collected from the Buffalo River Area of Concern, 2017
Data for assessing the status of resident fish communities in the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern, New York
Brook trout toxicity data from bioassays conducted in Western Adirondack Streams, 2001-03 and 2015-17
Condition of macroinvertebrate communities in the Buffalo River Area of Concern following sediment remediation
The Biscuit Brook and Neversink Reservoir Watersheds: Long-term investigations of stream chemistry, soil chemistry, and aquatic ecology in the Catskill Mountains, New York, USA, 1983 to 2020
Survey of fish assemblages in the upper Neversink River and upper Rondout Creek, New York, 2017–19
Considerations of variability and power for long-term monitoring of stream fish assemblages
Eastward expansion of Round Goby in New York: Assessment of detection methods and current range
Biological and chemical recovery of acidified Catskill Mountain streams in response to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
Decreases in aluminum toxicity and mortality of caged brook trout in Adirondack Mountain Streams
Condition of resident fish communities in the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern, New York
Mercury in fish from streams and rivers in New York State: Spatial patterns, temporal changes, and environmental drivers
Predictive relations between acid-base chemistry and fish assemblages in streams of the Adirondack Mountains
Response of water chemistry and young-of-year brook trout to channel and watershed liming in streams showing lagging recovery from acidic deposition
Resilience of benthic macroinvertebrates to extreme floods in a Catskill Mountain river, New York, USA: Implications for water quality monitoring and assessment
Pre-USGS Publications
Science and Products
- Science
Filter Total Items: 24
Response of fish assemblages and habitat to stream restoration in the Ashokan Watershed
Background: Streams are ecologically, culturally, and economically important systems that are subject to impacts from a large array of human activities. There has been a relatively recent increase in efforts to manage, protect, and restore streams that have experienced physical, chemical, and biological degradation. Unfortunately, interest in any single restoration effort tends to be relatively shAreas of Concern: 18 Mile Creek AOC - Fish Community Characterizations
The downstream-most section of Eighteen Mile Creek (also listed as the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) superfund site EIGHTEENMILE CREEK LOCKPORT, NY), a tributary to the south shore of Lake Ontario in New York, was designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) because water quality and bed sediments were contaminated by past industrial and municipal discharges, waste disposal, and pesticide...Areas of Concern: Niagara River
USGS scientists participated in several projects supporting work in the Niagara River Area of Concern including: 1) Evaluating toxicity in Benthos Sediment, 2) Tracking PCB Sources in the AOC, and Identifying Source Areas Contributing to Contaminants Found in Fish Tissue.Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern Fish Community Assessment
Background: Eighteenmile Creek was designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1985 because water quality and bed sediments were contaminated by past industrial and municipal discharges, waste disposal, and pesticide usage. Five Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) were identified in the Eighteenmile Creek AOC, including BUI #3 - the degradation of fish and wildlife populations. The remedial action comStatus of American Eel populations in the Mohawk River Basin
Background: The waters of the Mohawk River basin are inhabited by one of the richest fish communities on the East Coast. The American Eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a unique member of this community, exhibiting a catadramous (maturing in fresh water and spawning in salt water) life history. Like many migratory fish, the American Eel has suffered a general decline across the East Coast largely attribContaminants in fish tissues from AOCs in New York State: The Niagara River AOC
DEC collaborators collect fish from a Niagara River tributary using an electrofishing boat The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Department of Health (NYSDOH), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are gathering data on chemical contaminants in fish from multiple Areas of Concern (AOCs) in New York State and plan to use this information to evaluate fish cons...Niagara River AOC-wide Benthos BUI Assessment
A USGS biologist prepares to collect a sediment sample using a petit ponar dredge. Background:The Niagara River forms the boundary between the United States and Canada and was designated as a binational Area of Concern (AOC) in 1987 because past industrial discharges and hazardous waste sites had caused extensive degradation of aquatic habitats. Within the United States (eastern) portion of the AOQuantitative Fish Surveys of Mohawk River Tributaries
Background Fish communities of the mainstem Mohawk River and Barge Canal have been well-documented (Carlson, 2015; George et al., 2016) but comparatively less information is available regarding the current status of fish communities in tributaries to the Mohawk River. This information gap is problematic because long-term shifts in species distributions or abundances due to climate change, eutrophiLong-term trends in Rainbow Trout growth and naturalized populations in the Ashokan Basin
Background: Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have thrived in the Esopus Creek since their introduction in the 1880s. The construction of the Ashokan Reservoir in 1915 changed the fishery by providing a stable lentic environment where adult trout could grow large and find refuge during periods when stream conditions become stressful. Although many adult Rainbow Trout spend time in the reservoirMonitoring the Status and Expansion of Round Goby Populations in the Mohawk River/Barge Canal System
Background: The waters of the Mohawk River and its tributaries are inhabited by some of the most diverse fish communities in the Northeast. The construction of the Erie Canal in 1825, and later the Barge Canal in 1918, enabled the westward expansion of fishes from the Hudson River drainage as well as the eastward expansion of fishes indigenous to the Great Lakes drainage. Today, almost half of theContaminants in fish tissues from AOCs in New York State: The Buffalo River AOC 2-year post remediation
Background The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Department of Health (NYSDOH), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) plan to obtain data on chemical contaminants in fish from multiple Areas of Concern (AOCs) in New York State and use this information to evaluate fish consumption advisories, which are a critical component of most removal criteria for “RestrictiNew York Statewide Fish Collection: Contaminants in fish from the Buffalo River AOC
Background: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) plan to obtain data on chemical contaminants in fish from multiple Areas of Concern (AOCs) in New York State and use this information to evaluate fish consumption advisories, which are a critical component of most removal criteria for “Restriction on Fish and Wildlife Consumption - Data
Filter Total Items: 17
Environmental DNA data for Round Goby from the Champlain Canal
The dataset is composed of two tables containing environmental DNA (eDNA) data and site location information from round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) surveys conducted on parts of the Champlain Canal and upper Hudson River in New York during spring 2022.Organic and Metal Contaminants in Fish Tissue Collected from the Niagara River Area of Concern, New York, 2018
Fish tissue from 203 samples collected at five locations in the Niagara River Area of Concern in 2018 were analyzed for a wide range of analytes including Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides (E1 and E2), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), organochlorine and other persistent organic compounds, metals, lipid and moisture. Over 230 analytes were analyzed in the tissue samples, includingAdirondack and Catskill stream-fish survey dataset (ver. 4.0, March 2022)
The dataset is composed of two data tables containing information from electrofishing surveys conducted in the Catskill and Adirondack regions. The first data table contains fish collection information and the second data table contains information on the sampled reaches. First posted September 25, 2018, ver. 1.0 Revised July 2019, ver. 2.0 Revised November 2020, ver. 3.0 Revised March 2022, ver.Environmental DNA and electrofishing data for American eel in the Mohawk and Hudson River Watersheds
The dataset is composed of five tables containing environmental DNA (eDNA) and electrofishing data from American eel (Anguilla rostrata) surveys conducted on parts of the Mohawk River watershed and tributaries to the Hudson River in New York. The dataset includes (a) eDNA data from 36 sites in the Mohawk River watershed and adjacent areas including parts of the Eastern Erie Canal, Mohawk River, anMacroinvertebrate community and sediment toxicity data from the Niagara River Area of Concern, New York
A data release containing information on macroinvertebrate communities and sediment toxicity in the Niagara River and associated areas collected during 2019 and 2020. Sediment toxicity tests were conducted at 60 sites in the Niagara River, 5 sites on Smoke Creek, and 6 sites on Hoyt Lake using two test species, Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca, following USEPA test methods 100.2 and 100.1, rData for Assessing the Status of Macroinvertebrate Communities and Sediment Toxicity in the Buffalo River Area of Concern, New York
Data from 10-day sediment toxicity tests of bed sediments from the Buffalo River Area of Concern (AOC) and reference reaches on the Buffalo River upstream of the AOC, Erie County, New York, respectively. Specifically, the data was used to compare the survival and growth of two macroinvertebrate species in sediments from study sites and laboratory controls. Results are from 10-day sediment exposureData from historic and contemporary fish community surveys in streams of the Adirondack Region
The dataset is composed of two data tables containing information from electrofishing surveys conducted in streams of the Adirondack region. The first data table contains information on the sampled reaches and the second data table contains fish collection information. Historical data (1979-1999) were collected by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and contemporary data (2Fish community and substrate data from tributaries to the Mohawk River
The dataset is composed of three data tables containing information from electrofishing and pebble count surveys conducted in tributaries to the Mohawk River in central and eastern New York during 2019. The first table contains information on the sampled reaches, the second table contains fish collection data, and the third table contains pebble count data.Environmental DNA (eDNA) and fish capture data from Round Goby screening surveys on the Eastern Erie Canal, New York
The dataset is composed of two tables containing data collected during screening surveys for invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) on the Eastern Erie Canal in New York. Environmental DNA using water samples and traditional fish surveys using benthic trawling, seining, and trapping were conducted twice annually at 12 sites on the Eastern Erie Canal between Oneida Lake and the Hudson River fOrganic and metal contaminants in fish tissue collected from the Buffalo River Area of Concern, 2017
Fish tissue from 159 samples collected at four locations in the Buffalo River Area of Concern in 2017 were analyzed for a wide range of analytes including Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine and other persistent organic compounds, metals, lipid and moisture. Over 230 analytes were analyzed in the tissue samples, including 160 PCB congenersData for assessing the status of resident fish communities in the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern, New York
The dataset is composed of two data tables containing information from boat electrofishing surveys of two tributaries to Lake Ontario, Eighteenmile Creek and Oak Orchard Creek during June 2019. The first data table contains fish collection information and the second data table contains information on the sampled reaches.Brook trout toxicity data from bioassays conducted in Western Adirondack Streams, 2001-03 and 2015-17
This dataset is composed of a single data table containing survival data and ancillary measurements for brook trout bioassays conducted in streams of the Western Adirondack Mountains during 2001-03 and 2015-17. At each stream site, 4 replicate bottles, each containing five young-of-year brook trout, are exposed to ambient stream waters for approximately one month during spring. - Publications
Filter Total Items: 34
Condition of macroinvertebrate communities in the Buffalo River Area of Concern following sediment remediation
The lower 10 km of the Buffalo River, a tributary to Lake Erie, was designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1987 through the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement because sediment contamination and habitat alteration from past industrialization caused several Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs). Extensive remediation efforts conducted between 2011 and 2015 removed approximately 688,100 cubic metersThe Biscuit Brook and Neversink Reservoir Watersheds: Long-term investigations of stream chemistry, soil chemistry, and aquatic ecology in the Catskill Mountains, New York, USA, 1983 to 2020
This data note describes the Biscuit Brook and Neversink Reservoir watershed Long-Term Monitoring Data that includes: 1) stream discharge, (1983 – 2020 for Biscuit Brook and 1937 – 2020 for the Neversink Reservoir watershed), 2) stream water chemistry, 1983-2020, at 4 stations, 3) fish survey data from 16 locations in the watershed 1990-2019, 4) soil chemistry data from 2 headwater sub-watersheds,Survey of fish assemblages in the upper Neversink River and upper Rondout Creek, New York, 2017–19
Streams in the Catskill Mountains region of New York provide many important ecological and economic services, including recreational angling and serving as a drinking water supply to New York City. Many streams in this region were adversely affected by acid deposition during the late 20th century, impairing water quality and aquatic ecosystems. More recently, the level of acid deposition has decliConsiderations of variability and power for long-term monitoring of stream fish assemblages
Little attention has been given to optimizing statistical power for monitoring stream fish assemblages. We explored the relationship between temporal variability and statistical power using 34 metrics from fish community data collected annually at six sites over 10 years via electrofishing. Metric variability differed by the life stage and group of species considered, use of abundance or mass dataEastward expansion of Round Goby in New York: Assessment of detection methods and current range
The Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus has spread rapidly around the Great Lakes region since its introduction to North America in 1990. In 2014, a specimen was captured in the New York State Canal System west of Utica, prompting concerns that Round Goby would soon reach the ecologically and economically valuable watersheds of Lake Champlain and the Hudson River estuary. The establishment of RoundBiological and chemical recovery of acidified Catskill Mountain streams in response to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
Decades of acidic deposition have adversely affected aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in acid-sensitive watersheds in parts of the eastern United States. The national Acid Rain Program (Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments - CAAA) helped reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) and resulted in sharp decreases in the acidity of atmospheric deposition. The decreaDecreases in aluminum toxicity and mortality of caged brook trout in Adirondack Mountain Streams
Mortality of juvenile brook trout and water chemistry were characterized in six western Adirondack streams in northern New York State during spring 2015, 2016, and 2017 and compared with results from comparable tests done between 1980 and 2003 in many of the same streams to assess temporal changes in inorganic monomeric aluminum (Ali) concentrations, Ali-toxicity, and the role of Ali-exposure duraCondition of resident fish communities in the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern, New York
The lower 3.5 km of Eighteenmile Creek, a tributary to Lake Ontario in New York, was designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) in 1985 under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement due to extensive contamination of bed sediments by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other toxicants. Five beneficial use impairments (BUIs) have been identified in this AOC, including degraded fish and wildlife populatMercury in fish from streams and rivers in New York State: Spatial patterns, temporal changes, and environmental drivers
Mercury (Hg) concentrations in freshwater fish across the state of New York frequently exceed guidelines considered harmful to humans and wildlife, but statewide distribution and temporal changes are not well known for the state’s streams and rivers. We analyzed existing data to describe recent spatial patterns, identify key environmental drivers, and assess temporal changes. Size classes within sPredictive relations between acid-base chemistry and fish assemblages in streams of the Adirondack Mountains
Surface waters across much of New York State’s Adirondack Mountains were acidified in the late 20th century but began to recover following the 1990 Title IV Amendments to the Clean Air Act. Previous assessments of acidification recovery in the Adirondacks have generally been based on surface water chemistry data and inferred relationships to fish and other aquatic biota. Little data, however, hasResponse of water chemistry and young-of-year brook trout to channel and watershed liming in streams showing lagging recovery from acidic deposition
Reductions in sulfur emissions have initiated chemical recovery of surface waters impacted by acidic deposition in the Adirondack region of New York State. However, acidified streams remain common in the region, which limits recovery of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations. To investigate liming as a method to accelerate recovery of brook trout, the channels of two acidified streams werResilience of benthic macroinvertebrates to extreme floods in a Catskill Mountain river, New York, USA: Implications for water quality monitoring and assessment
Changes in the timing, magnitude, frequency, and duration of extreme hydrologic events are becoming apparent and could disrupt species assemblages and stream ecosystems across the Northeastern United States. Between August 28 and 29 of 2011, an average of 31 cm of rain from Tropical Storm Irene fell across Eastern New York State in less than 24 h and caused historic flooding in numerous streams ofPre-USGS Publications
George, S.D., Baldigo, B.P., Smith, A.J. and Robinson, G.R. (2015). Effects of an Extreme Flood on Aquatic Biota in a Catskill Mountain River. Summary report #15-08. Prepared for New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. - News