Connectivity of fish populations is a crucial question for fisheries conservation and the development of spatial management plans. Both adult and larval movement define the extent and direction of ecological and evolutionary overlap between geographic regions and, therefore, how we define stocks for management purposes. Within that context, my work...
Black Rockfish are important commercial and recreational species and understanding their biology is useful in developing best management practices. A common means to assess diet in both freshwater and marine fishes is stomach content analysis, which can determine diet composition and infer foraging behaviors. We conducted a stomach content analysis...
The effects of Marine protected areas (MPAs) on adult fish populations depend on the degree of protection provided, which is partly a function of MPA size and the spatial extent of fish movements. The Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve (RRMR) and MPA, located on the south coast of Oregon near Port...
Estuaries, which provide viable habitat for a plethora of fish and invertebrate species, are being increasingly impacted by anthropogenic and natural forces. Estuaries are important nursery habitat for young-of-the-year (YOY) Pacific rockfish (Sebastes spp.). Yaquina Bay, a marine-dominated estuary on the central Oregon Coast, served as a study site for...
Recent studies suggest that competition from brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis; EBT) may have negative effects (e.g. displacement) on Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi; LCT). Results from these studies have failed to elucidate the responsible mechanisms and have not examined if changing environmental conditions result in competitive/subordinate role reversals. The...
The goal of this research was to characterize thermal habitat requirements for juvenile redband steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) in the South Fork John Day River (SFJD), Oregon using physiological indicators of fish condition. Physiological indices of fish condition measured were whole body lipid content and heat shock proteins, specifically...
The goal of this research was to characterize thermal habitat requirements for juvenile redband steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri) in the South Fork John Day River (SFJD), Oregon using physiological indicators of fish condition. Physiological indices of fish condition measured were whole body lipid content and heat shock proteins, specifically...
Recent emphasis on linkages between essential fish habitat and fish stock productivity has raised concerns about the management of fishing activities such as trawling, which have the potential to impact fish habitat. Knowing specifically where and how intensively trawl effort has occurred over time provides ecologists with the necessary background...
The red sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, is one of the three species of strongylocentroids found on the west coast of North America between Baja California and Kodiak, Alaska. It belongs to the phylum Echinodermata, and it is one of the largest species of sea urchins. Since 1970, red sea urchins...