Research Interests:I am interested in the ecology of Pacific salmon and trout and how populations track changes in the environment. This interest relates to how populations (or individuals, group of populations, ESU, species, community) persist and how constraints on the ability of fish to track change limit the ability of the organizational unit to persist. My current field research focuses on steelhead populations in small stream systems along the Big Sur coast of California. Of particular interest are the dynamics of the local population(s), anadromy versus non-anadromy within basins, and interaction among adjacent basins that allows the O. mykiss populations in this region of the California coast to track changes in the environment. Various field techniques being used include PIT tagging (mobile and fixed antenna), mark-recapture, genetics, and age/growth analysis. Additional research interests include development of monitoring approaches for Pacific salmonids, understanding fish–habitat associations, understanding population response to changes in habitat, and coastal cutthroat trout. Other activities include serving and chairing technical recovery teams and biological review teams for Pacific salmonids and serving as science liaison between the Fisheries Ecology Division of SWFSC and the Southwest Regional Office NMFS on issues related to Pacific salmonids. |