Research Ecologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center's S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center in Turners Falls, MA
Human activities have caused extensive fragmentation of riverine corridors. Dams, culverts, and other barriers prevent migratory and riverine fishes from accessing key habitats. This is particularly problematic for diadromous fishes like Atlantic salmon and American shad that must transition between fresh- and saltwater habitats in order to complete their life cycles. Swimming performance and behavioral responses to hydraulic conditions (turbulence, velocity, etc.) are major interests, as is development of quantitative methods for identifying and characterizing barriers. This work has broad relevance, not only to stewardship and management of aquatic resources, but also to understanding fundamental aspects of the ecology and evolution of fishes. Some current projects include:
- Sprint-swimming performance of migratory and riverine species
- Effects of turbulence on swimming performance, biomechanics, and behavior
- Modeling fish passage through culverts
- Bioenergetics models of anadromous fish migration
Professional Experience
US Geological Survey (1995-present)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1992-1995)
Education and Certifications
PhD Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; University of Massachusetts Amherst (2002)
MS Wildlife Biology Washington State University (1991)
BA Colgate University (1987)
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 74
Effectiveness of a fish ladder for two Neotropical migratory species in the Paraná River
We evaluated fish ladder effectiveness at Porto Primavera Dam in the Upper Paraná River, for two Neotropical migratory fish species. Overall, 564 fish (448 Megaleporinus obtusidens and 116 M. piavussu) were PIT-tagged, released in upstream and downstream areas (on the left and right banks), and monitored continuously for 4 years. The fish performed two-way movements through the fish ladder, ascend
Authors
Carola Gutfreund, Sergio Makrakis, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Leandro Celestino, João Henrique Pinheiro Dias, Maristela Cavicchioli Makrakis
Influence of baffles on upstream passage of brook trout and brown trout in an experimental box culvert
There is much to learn about improving baffle designs to increase successful fish passage through culverts. A fish’s motivation to attempt entry into the culvert is essential. Upon entry, successful passage will largely depend on the physiological ability of the fish to navigate the entire culvert length. In this study, the motivation of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill, 1814)) and bro
Authors
Jason M. Duguay, R.W. Jay Lacey, Theodore R. Castro-Santos
The future of fish passage science, engineering, and practice
Much effort has been devoted to developing, constructing and refining fish passage facilities to enable target species to pass barriers on fluvial systems, and yet, fishway science, engineering and practice remain imperfect. In this review, 17 experts from different fish passage research fields (i.e., biology, ecology, physiology, ecohydraulics, engineering) and from different continents (i.e., No
Authors
Ana T. Silva, Martyn C. Lucas, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Christos Katopodis, Lee J. Baumgartner, Jason D. Thiem, Kim Aarestrup, Paulo S. Pompeu, Gordon C. O'Brien, Douglas C. Braun, Nicholas J. Burnett, David Z. Zhu, Hans-Petter Fjeldstad, Torbjorn Forseth, Nallamuthu Rajarathnam, John G. Williams, Steven J. Cooke
Environmental, anthropogenic, and dietary influences on fine-scale movement patterns of Atlantic salmon through challenging waters
Partial barriers to migration can affect migratory fish population dynamics and be influenced by many biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors, including nutritional deficiencies. We investigated how such variables (including a thiamine deficiency) impact fine-scale movement of landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) by treating returning spawners with thiamine and observing their attempts to c
Authors
Andrew B. Harbicht, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Dimitry Gorsky, D.M. Hand, D.J. Fraser, W.R. Ardren
Spatial mismatch between sea lamprey behaviour and trap location explains low success at trapping for control
Crucial to the management of invasive species is understanding space use and the environmental features affecting space use. Improved understanding of space use by invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) could help researchers discern why trap success in large rivers is lower than needed for effective control. We tested whether manipulating discharge nightly could increase trap success at a hydr
Authors
Andrew M. Rous, Adrienne R. McLean, Jessica Barber, Gale Bravener, Theodore Castro-Santos, Christopher M. Holbrook, Istvan Imre, Thomas C. Pratt, Robert L. McLaughlin
Swimming behaviour and ascent paths of brook trout in a corrugated culvert
Culverts may restrict fish movements under some hydraulic conditions such as shallow flow depths or high velocities. Although swimming capacity imposes limits to passage performance, behaviour also plays an important role in the ability of fish to overcome velocity barriers. Corrugated metal culverts are characterized by unsteady flow and existence of low‐velocity zones, which can improve passage
Authors
Elsa Goerig, Normand E. Bergeron, Theodore R. Castro-Santos
The effects of horizontally and vertically oriented baffles on flow structure andascent performance of upstream-migrating fish
Considerable effort has been expended to construct culverts and fishways that allow for fish
passage. However, the designs have seldom considered behaviour, energetics, and
biomechanics of fish. In this study, we performed controlled experiments, in which upstreammigrating
Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were allowed
to volitionally enter either one of two op
Authors
Eva Enders, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Jay Lacey
Downstream migration and multiple dam passage by Atlantic Salmon smolts
The purpose of this study was to investigate behavior and survival of radio-tagged wild and hatchery-reared landlocked Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar smolts as they migrated past three hydropower dams equipped with fish bypass solutions in the Winooski River, Vermont. Among hatchery-reared smolts, those released early were more likely to initiate migration and did so after less delay than those relea
Authors
D. Nyqvist, Stephen D. McCormick, L. Greenberg, W.R. Ardren, E. Bergman, O. Calles, Theodore R. Castro-Santos
Novel, continuous monitoring of fine‐scale movement using fixed‐position radiotelemetry arrays and random forest location fingerprinting
Radio‐tag signals from fixed‐position antennas are most often used to indicate presence or absence of individuals, or to estimate individual activity levels from signal strength variation within an antenna's detection zone. The potential of such systems to provide more precise information on tag location and movement has not been explored in great detail in an ecological setting.By reversing the r
Authors
Andrew B. Harbicht, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, William R. Ardren, Dimitry Gorsky, Dylan Fraser
Is motivation important to brook trout passage through culverts?
Culverts can restrict movement of stream-dwelling fish. Motivation to enter and ascend these structures is an essential precursor for successful passage. However, motivation is challenging to quantify. Here, we use attempt rate to assess motivation of 447 brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) entering three culverts under a range of hydraulic, environmental, and biological conditions. A passive inte
Authors
Elsa Goerig, Theodore R. Castro-Santos
Migratory behavior of adult sea lamprey and cumulative passage performance through four fishways
This article describes a study of PIT-tagged sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) ascending four fishways comprising three designs at two dams on the Connecticut River, USA. Migration between dams was rapid (median migration rate = 23 km·day−1). Movement through the fishways was much slower, however (median = 0.02–0.33 km·day−1). Overall delay at dams was substantial (median = 13.6–14.6 days); many fi
Authors
Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Xiaotao Shi, Alexander Haro
Reinforcement and validation of the analyses and conclusions related to fishway evaluation data from Bunt et al.: ‘Performance of fish passage structures at upstream barriers to migration’
Detailed re-examination of the datasets that were used for a meta-analysis of fishway attraction and passage revealed a number of errors that we addressed and corrected. We subsequently re-analysed the revised dataset, and results showed no significant changes in the primary conclusions of the original study; for most species, effective performance cannot be assured for any fishway type.
Authors
C.M. Bunt, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Alexander Haro
Science and Products
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 74
Effectiveness of a fish ladder for two Neotropical migratory species in the Paraná River
We evaluated fish ladder effectiveness at Porto Primavera Dam in the Upper Paraná River, for two Neotropical migratory fish species. Overall, 564 fish (448 Megaleporinus obtusidens and 116 M. piavussu) were PIT-tagged, released in upstream and downstream areas (on the left and right banks), and monitored continuously for 4 years. The fish performed two-way movements through the fish ladder, ascendAuthorsCarola Gutfreund, Sergio Makrakis, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Leandro Celestino, João Henrique Pinheiro Dias, Maristela Cavicchioli MakrakisInfluence of baffles on upstream passage of brook trout and brown trout in an experimental box culvert
There is much to learn about improving baffle designs to increase successful fish passage through culverts. A fish’s motivation to attempt entry into the culvert is essential. Upon entry, successful passage will largely depend on the physiological ability of the fish to navigate the entire culvert length. In this study, the motivation of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill, 1814)) and broAuthorsJason M. Duguay, R.W. Jay Lacey, Theodore R. Castro-SantosThe future of fish passage science, engineering, and practice
Much effort has been devoted to developing, constructing and refining fish passage facilities to enable target species to pass barriers on fluvial systems, and yet, fishway science, engineering and practice remain imperfect. In this review, 17 experts from different fish passage research fields (i.e., biology, ecology, physiology, ecohydraulics, engineering) and from different continents (i.e., NoAuthorsAna T. Silva, Martyn C. Lucas, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Christos Katopodis, Lee J. Baumgartner, Jason D. Thiem, Kim Aarestrup, Paulo S. Pompeu, Gordon C. O'Brien, Douglas C. Braun, Nicholas J. Burnett, David Z. Zhu, Hans-Petter Fjeldstad, Torbjorn Forseth, Nallamuthu Rajarathnam, John G. Williams, Steven J. CookeEnvironmental, anthropogenic, and dietary influences on fine-scale movement patterns of Atlantic salmon through challenging waters
Partial barriers to migration can affect migratory fish population dynamics and be influenced by many biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors, including nutritional deficiencies. We investigated how such variables (including a thiamine deficiency) impact fine-scale movement of landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) by treating returning spawners with thiamine and observing their attempts to cAuthorsAndrew B. Harbicht, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Dimitry Gorsky, D.M. Hand, D.J. Fraser, W.R. ArdrenSpatial mismatch between sea lamprey behaviour and trap location explains low success at trapping for control
Crucial to the management of invasive species is understanding space use and the environmental features affecting space use. Improved understanding of space use by invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) could help researchers discern why trap success in large rivers is lower than needed for effective control. We tested whether manipulating discharge nightly could increase trap success at a hydrAuthorsAndrew M. Rous, Adrienne R. McLean, Jessica Barber, Gale Bravener, Theodore Castro-Santos, Christopher M. Holbrook, Istvan Imre, Thomas C. Pratt, Robert L. McLaughlinSwimming behaviour and ascent paths of brook trout in a corrugated culvert
Culverts may restrict fish movements under some hydraulic conditions such as shallow flow depths or high velocities. Although swimming capacity imposes limits to passage performance, behaviour also plays an important role in the ability of fish to overcome velocity barriers. Corrugated metal culverts are characterized by unsteady flow and existence of low‐velocity zones, which can improve passageAuthorsElsa Goerig, Normand E. Bergeron, Theodore R. Castro-SantosThe effects of horizontally and vertically oriented baffles on flow structure andascent performance of upstream-migrating fish
Considerable effort has been expended to construct culverts and fishways that allow for fish passage. However, the designs have seldom considered behaviour, energetics, and biomechanics of fish. In this study, we performed controlled experiments, in which upstreammigrating Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were allowed to volitionally enter either one of two opAuthorsEva Enders, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Jay LaceyDownstream migration and multiple dam passage by Atlantic Salmon smolts
The purpose of this study was to investigate behavior and survival of radio-tagged wild and hatchery-reared landlocked Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar smolts as they migrated past three hydropower dams equipped with fish bypass solutions in the Winooski River, Vermont. Among hatchery-reared smolts, those released early were more likely to initiate migration and did so after less delay than those releaAuthorsD. Nyqvist, Stephen D. McCormick, L. Greenberg, W.R. Ardren, E. Bergman, O. Calles, Theodore R. Castro-SantosNovel, continuous monitoring of fine‐scale movement using fixed‐position radiotelemetry arrays and random forest location fingerprinting
Radio‐tag signals from fixed‐position antennas are most often used to indicate presence or absence of individuals, or to estimate individual activity levels from signal strength variation within an antenna's detection zone. The potential of such systems to provide more precise information on tag location and movement has not been explored in great detail in an ecological setting.By reversing the rAuthorsAndrew B. Harbicht, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, William R. Ardren, Dimitry Gorsky, Dylan FraserIs motivation important to brook trout passage through culverts?
Culverts can restrict movement of stream-dwelling fish. Motivation to enter and ascend these structures is an essential precursor for successful passage. However, motivation is challenging to quantify. Here, we use attempt rate to assess motivation of 447 brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) entering three culverts under a range of hydraulic, environmental, and biological conditions. A passive inteAuthorsElsa Goerig, Theodore R. Castro-SantosMigratory behavior of adult sea lamprey and cumulative passage performance through four fishways
This article describes a study of PIT-tagged sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) ascending four fishways comprising three designs at two dams on the Connecticut River, USA. Migration between dams was rapid (median migration rate = 23 km·day−1). Movement through the fishways was much slower, however (median = 0.02–0.33 km·day−1). Overall delay at dams was substantial (median = 13.6–14.6 days); many fiAuthorsTheodore R. Castro-Santos, Xiaotao Shi, Alexander HaroReinforcement and validation of the analyses and conclusions related to fishway evaluation data from Bunt et al.: ‘Performance of fish passage structures at upstream barriers to migration’
Detailed re-examination of the datasets that were used for a meta-analysis of fishway attraction and passage revealed a number of errors that we addressed and corrected. We subsequently re-analysed the revised dataset, and results showed no significant changes in the primary conclusions of the original study; for most species, effective performance cannot be assured for any fishway type.AuthorsC.M. Bunt, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Alexander Haro
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government