NC1189: Understanding and managing scale and connectivity in inland and marine fisheries as coupled human and natural systems

(Multistate Research Project)

Status: Active

Project Menu

SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[01/24/2024] [07/20/2025] [04/26/2026]

Date of Annual Report: 01/24/2024

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 08/18/2023 - 08/18/2023
Period the Report Covers: 10/01/2022 - 12/31/2023

Participants

Dennis DeVries, Auburn University;
Mazeika Sullivan, Clemson University;
Peter McIntyre, Cornell University;
Tommy Detmer, Cornell University;
Mike Weber, Iowa State University;
Richard "Max" Melstrom, Loyola University Chicago;
Alison Coulter, South Dakota State University;
Travis Seaborn, North Dakota State University;
Suzanne Gray, Ohio State University;
Andrew Carlson, University of Florida;
Mike Kinnison, University of Maine;
Gayle Zydlewski, University of Maine;
Allison Pease, University of Missouri;
Rafaela Schinegger, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria;
Melissa Wuellner, University of Nebraska;
Abigail Bennett, Michigan State University;
Kyle Brumm, Michigan State University;
Dana Infante, Michigan State University;

Participants Attachment:

NC1189 In-Person Meeting Notes - 18 Aug 2023.docx.pdf

Brief Summary of Minutes

Broadly, the purpose for this meeting was to allow project participants to get to know one another and to plan for efforts to address our project goal and objectives in the coming years, which includes determining how fisheries function as coupled human and natural systems (CHANS). Because membership of the current project team includes individuals who were members of the previous NC1189 team (engaged before 2022) along with multiple new members, we began the meeting by reviewing the goal and objectives of our proposal. This was followed by short lightning talks from each member so that we could learn about members' research expertise and interests. Following those talks, Andrew Carlson provided an overview of the CHANS framework and discussed the various components of CHANS (scale, heterogeneity, feedback loops, time lags and legacy effects, nonlinear dynamics with thresholds, surprises). We then had a discussion led by Mazeika Sullivan and Gayle Zydlewski which described previous efforts to incorporate the perspective of Native American tribes into the work as well as the challenges and opportunities of doing so in our current efforts. We then began discussing details of a survey that would be sent to natural resource professionals that would in part assess their understanding of fisheries as CHANS and also serve as an education tool. The meeting concluded with a short discussion on identifying some funding opportuntiies for our project.

Minutes Attachment:

NC1189 In-Person Meeting Notes - 18 Aug 2023.docx.pdf

Accomplishments

SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES We are collaborating with several different angling groups to quantify the impact of angling practices on individual fish and fish populations with hope of improving regulations that sustain healthy fisheries, particularly in the future when considering climate change. We are collaborating with state and federal agencies to develop a risk assessment tool for invasive species range expansion via a network of rivers, streams, irrigation canals, and other connection points in the Great Plains that is building a compendium of physical connections among waterways, early detection data from eDNA, and human management practices that facilitate connections. We are working with the National Park Service to develop an early detection and rapid response (EDRR) framework for aquatic ecosystems in the agency’s Midwestern region. In this region, increased air and water temperatures and intensifying drought risk will likely accelerate the rate of native species decline, opportunistically favoring invasive species. We are working with the US Geological Survey Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program to identify a set of streams and lakes to monitor that are optimal for establishment of aquatic invasive species based on habitat characteristics of those waterbodies. OUTPUTS In our proposal, we identified multiple outputs that we expected to achieve through this effort.  These are listed below. <ol> <li>Research framework</li> </ol> Our team is developing a survey focused on fisheries as CHANS to send throughout our professional community.  This survey will assess respondents' understanding of fisheries as CHANS, and, based on responses, we expect that it will expand our own understanding and inform additional investigations. We are developing a framework to link creel survey and mobile device-generated data to inland fisheries conditions, which will allow us to link human activity to fish assemblages, invasive species, water quality, and climate. It will be able to draw on the database described in output #3. This framework is a collaboration between social and fisheries scientists and piloted with data on reservoir fishing. We are developing a framework for understanding factors associated with resilience and transformation of social-ecological systems, and it will be tested on fisheries case studies. We are conducting a comprehensive, structured literature review supplemented by key informant interviews about climate change impacts and adaptations in freshwater systems (fisheries as well as aquaculture), the results of which will inform the development of a framework for studying climate impacts and adaptations in freshwater fisheries and aquaculture systems. We are mining historical self-reported creel data for brook trout fisheries in the Adirondack Park to assess how angling efforts and outcomes have shifted over the last 50 years.  In this region, warming in the summer has reduced trout angling during the period of peak park visitation, and displaced both effort and catch into the spring and fall.  This limits overall angling opportunities as a reflection of intersections between ecosystem changes, fish behavior, and angler responses.  Warming may also be facilitating species invasions and shifts in angling targets in this landscape. We are looking at the response of native and invasive aquatic plants (fish habitat) to carp removal and alum treatments to improve water clarity and how this affects or requires additional plant management. We are also looking at the decision-making processes and integration across disciplines in managing these systems which have been impacted by climate change and human development. We are assessing the effects of harvest, escapement, and environmental conditions on reservoir sportfish populations across a range of reservoirs with various water control structures. We are developing ecological and social–ecological models to advance knowledge of Florida fisheries as coupled human and natural systems (e.g., Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Smalltooth Sawfish, Bluenose Shiner) in the context of stressors such as land-use change, species invasion, and groundwater withdrawal. Over a decade of data are being aggregated and synthesized to empirically characterize factors affecting survival, reproduction, and population trends of diadromous coastal and inland species - particularly dam removal. Data continue to be collected from individual fish that are carrying long-lived (10 year) tags. These data are being used in species management as well as informing the framework development for the multi-state coupled human and natural systems research that are beyond the specific local fisheries research in Maine. <ol start="2"> <li>Best practices</li> </ol> We have defined how different angling practices across temperatures can impact fish populations, identifying situations where water conditions may be exceeding the tolerable limits for certain fishes, suggesting the need for management intervention. We have created co-developed decision-support, including integration of spatial data into an interactive map to serve as a knowledge base and creation of a central data repository for non-spatial information to inform coastal development, with a focus on tidal power and fisheries. <ol start="3"> <li>Database</li> </ol> Stream fish data have been acquired from state agencies across the US.  These data have been integrated into an existing dataset to characterize assemblages sampled in a consistent manner at tens of thousands of locations in the US. We and collaborators are developing a database of aquatic plant point intercept surveys in Minnesota and Wisconsin and another data base of watermilfoil genotypes and known responses to herbicide treatments.  These data could be linked to or accessed from project data base or project members We are working to connect coastwide datasets on Shortnose and Atlantic Sturgeon populations on the east coast of the US. <ol start="4"> <li>Data needs</li> </ol> Nothing to report yet. <ol start="5"> <li>Assessment</li> </ol> Using information on characteristics of locations where aquatic invasive species have established previously across the US, we have modeled the likelihood of invasions by a set of new species to aid in developing watch lists for state and federal agencies.  This was also described as a short-term outcome but will form the basis of a larger assessment focused on invasive species. <ol start="6"> <li>Synthesis comments</li> </ol> We are conducting a comprehensive, structured literature review supplemented by key informant interviews about climate change impacts and adaptations in freshwater systems (fisheries as well as aquaculture), the results of which will inform the development of a framework for studying climate impacts and adaptations in freshwater fisheries and aquaculture systems. <ol start="7"> <li>Meetings and workshops</li> </ol> We held our first NC-1189 meeting on August 18, 2023 in East Lansing, Michigan.  Some members of the team were able to join in person while others attended virtually. We hosted a workshop in October 2023 with MSU, FAO, and world experts on ecosystems restoration, with the goal of exploring guidelines for doing ecosystems restoration that supports livelihoods and food security, among other social objectives. The framework described in output #1 will be presented at the World Fisheries Congress, March 3-7 in Seattle, Washington. We are organizing a symposium on the physiological control of invasive species at the Fish Physiology meeting (International Congress on the Biology of Fishes), June 23-27, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We are in the process of planning for a symposium to occur at the American Fisheries Society 2024 annual meeting to highlight work showcasing fisheries as CHANS. 8. Publications and presentations Peer-reviewed journal articles See following section. Research reports Weaver, M. E., and R. M. Newman. 2023. Aquatic Plant Community of Lakes Riley, Susan and Staring within the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed: Annual Report for 2022. Report to the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District. 59 pages. Yu, H., A. R. Cooper, J. Ross, A. McKerrow, D. J. Wieferich, and D. M. Infante. 2023, Developing fluvial fish species distribution models across the conterminous United States—A framework for management and conservation: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2023–5088, 41 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20235088. Professional presentations Bieber, J.F., S. Macdougall-Shackleton, M. J. Louison, C. D. Suski.  2023.  Behavior and environment overlap to predict capture of Muskie. 83rd Midwest Fish and Wildlife 2023, Overland Park, Kansas. Bonvechio, K. I. and A. K. Carlson. 2023. Using surveys as part of a multifaceted monitoring program evaluation. Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Graduate Student Symposium, University of Florida, February 2023, Gainesville, Florida. Bonvechio, K. I., R. Paudyal, C. Crandall, and A. K. Carlson. 2023. Survey evaluation of Florida’s Freshwater Fisheries Long-Term Monitoring Program. Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society Meeting, February 1-5, 2023, Norfolk, Virginia. Brumm, K. J., G. Whelan, and D. M. Infante. 2023. Documenting barriers to climate adaptation among state fisheries management agencies. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 20-24, 2023, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Coleman, T. S., M. Vilchez, B. C. Thompson, and A. K. Carlson. 2023. Assessing a newly created fishery using a volunteer angler data program. Florida Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, May 9-11, 2023, St. Augustine, Florida. Hembre, K. M. and R. Newman. 2023. Native and invasive aquatic plant species response to water quality conditions after alum treatments. 63rd Annual Meeting of the Aquatic Plant Management Society, July 25, 2023. Indianapolis, Indiana. Pfaff, P., D. P. Coulter, B. J. Schall, T. Davis, and A. A. Coulter. 2023. Modeling watershed boundary connectivity to mitigate the spread of invasive carp. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 20-24, 2023, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mounsdon, R., P. Pfaff, M.A. Kaemingk, C. Goble, M. Fincel, and A.A. Coulter. 2023. Optimization of fish stocking to increase license sales: Can it be done? . Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 20-24, 2023, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Poster. Mulligan, H., B. J. Schall, T. Davis, A. Gerber, M. Kaemingk, and A. A. Coulter. 2023. Small but risky: Non-native fish introductions via the live bait trade. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 20-24, 2023, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pease, A.A. 2023. Flow alteration effects on trophic structure of fish assemblages in temperate and tropical rivers. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 20-24, 2023, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Siller, M., D.P. Coulter, S.R. Chipps, M.A. Kaemingk, T. Mahmood, M. Maldonado, M. Neal, and A.A. Coulter. 2023. Development of fish classifications based on lake characteristics to inform fisheries management. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 20-24, 2023, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Poster. Vilchez, M., T. S. Coleman, and A. K. Carlson. 2023. Volunteer angler data reveal social-ecological responses to habitat manipulation in a new water management area. Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society Meeting, February 1-5, 2023, Norfolk, Virginia. Weaver, M. E., and R. M. Newman. 2023. Aquatic macrophyte community response to carp removal and invasive macrophyte management in Staring Lake, Minnesota. 63rd Annual Meeting of the Aquatic Plant Management Society, July 25, 2023, Indianapolis, Indiana. Wolfe, A., R. A. Thum, and R. Newman. 2023. A centralized database of watermilfoil strains across the United States: Initial insights, and utility for stakeholder communication. 43rd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society, March 2023, Grand Rapids, MI. Yu, H., W. Daniel, D. M. Infante, A. Cooper, and J. Ross. 2023. Predicting freshwater fish invasion hotspots by combining habitat suitability and climate match in the conterminous U.S. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 20-24, 2023, Grand Rapids, Michigan. MILESTONES In the next project year, we anticipate conducting the survey of fisheries professionals to gauge their understanding of fisheries as CHANS, including consideration of similarities and differences in understanding by profession and region.  We anticipate that this survey will clarify additional areas that we could work in to better understand relationships between fisheries and human systems, and we expect that this survey will provide a baseline of information for more clearly developing an overarching framework (refer to Output 1). We are also organizing a session for the American Fisheries Society meeting in September 2024.  In this session, participants will present on their respective research projects but will be asked to incorporate the emphasis of the fishery or system that they work on using a CHANS framework. We have been having near monthly calls with the project team, and on our next call in February 2024, we will begin discussions to plan our next in-person meeting.

Publications

In Press Carlson, A. K., N. J. Leonard, M. Munawar, and W. W. Taylor. In press. Assessing and implementing the concept of Blue Economy in Laurentian Great Lakes fisheries: Lessons from Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS). Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management. Hughes, R. M., R. C. Gardner, P.D. Shirey, S. M. P. Sulliván, S. A. R. Colvin, and D. B. Winters. In press. Waters of the United States: an urgent call for action by fisheries and aquatic ecologists. Fisheries. DOI: 10.1002/fsh.11001 2023 Bieber, J. F., M. J. Louison and C.D. Suski. 2023. Capture is predicted by behavior and size, not metabolism, in Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy). North American Journal of Fisheries Management. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. DOI: 10.1002/nafm.10852 Bieber, J.F., S. A. MacDougall‐Shackleton, and C. D. Suski, 2023. Food availability influences angling vulnerability in muskellunge. Fisheries Management and Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/fme.12657 Bohenek, J.R., D. M. P. Sulliván, and S. M. Gray. 2023. Habitat and nutrients, but not artificial lighting at night, drive fish assemblage composition in urban streams. Urban Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-023-01409-w Brumm, K., D. M. Infante, A. R. Cooper. 2023. Functional biogeography of fluvial fishes across the conterminous USA: assessing the generalizability of trait-environment relationships over large regions. Freshwater Biology. DOI: 10.1111/fwb.14064 Cooke, S. J., M. L. Piczak, E. A. Nyboer, F. Michalski, A. Bennett, A. A. Koning, ... and W. W. Taylor. 2023. Managing exploitation of freshwater species and aggregates to protect and restore freshwater biodiversity. Environmental Reviews. DOI: 10.1139/er-2022-0118 Dean, E. M., D. M. Infante, H. Yu, A. R. Cooper, L. Wang, and J. Ross. 2023. Cumulative effects of dams on migratory fishes across the conterminous United States:  Regional patterns in fish responses to river network fragmentation. River Research and Applications. DOI: 10.1002/rra.4173 Harrison. S., and S. M. Gray. Effects of light pollution on Bluegill foraging behavior. 2023. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. DOI: 10.1002/tafs.10451 Marafino, Zydlewski, Jansujwicz. 2023. Applying knowledge co-production to improve information uptake: a case study in Downeast Maine. Maine Policy Review 32(2). Mulligan, H., B. J. Schall, T. Davis, and A. A. Coulter. 2023. Opportunities for regional collaboration and prevention: Assessing the risk of the live bait trade as a pathway of invasive species. Biological Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110342 Montesanto, F., L. M. Ohlman, and M. A. Pegg. 2023.  Survival and growth assessment after reintroduction of the pocketbook mussel, Lampsilis cardium Rafinesque, 1820 among three streams in Nebraska (USA).  Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3942 Rice, E. D., A. E. Bennett, P. Muhonda, S. P. Katengeza, P. Kawaye, L. S. O. Liverpool-Tasie, D. M. Infante, and D. L. Tschirely. 2023. Connecting gender norms and economic performance reveals gendered inequities in Malawian small-scale fish trade. Maritime Studies DOI: 10.1007/s40152-023-00337-x Stevens, J. R., J. M. Jech, G. B. Zydlewski, and D. C. Brady, 2023. Response of estuarine fish biomass to restoration in the Penobscot River, Maine. Estuaries and Coasts. DOI: 10.1007/s12237-023-01292-w Sulliván, S.M.P. and R.C. Gardner. 2023. US Supreme Court opinion harms watersheds. Science 381: 385. DOI:10.1126/science.adj0227  Sylvia, A., M. J. Weber, and T. Froman. 2023. Do jaw deformities adversely affect Largemouth Bass? Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management. DOI: 10.3996/JFWM-21-096 Turner, T.F., H. Bart, F. McCormick, … A. A. Pease, et al. 2023. Long-term ecological research in freshwaters enabled by regional biodiversity collections, stable isotope analysis, and environmental informatics. BioScience. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad039 Ublacker, M. M., D. M. Infante, A. R. Cooper, W. M. Daniel, S. Schmutz, and R. Schinegger. 2023.  Cross-continental evaluation of landscape-scale stressors to fluvial fishes:  Understanding stressor configuration, frequency and severity to improve fish conservation in Europe and the U.S. Science of the Total Environment. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165101 Werner, J. P., Q. J. Dean, M. A. Pegg, and M. J. Hamel. 2023. Patterns in spatial use and movement of Silver Carp among tributaries and main-stem rivers: Insight from otolith microchemistry analysis. Biological Invaders. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02927-y Zydlewski, J., S. Coghlan, C. Dillingham, G. Figueroa-Muñoz, C. Merriam, S. Smith, ... and G. Zydlewski. 2023. Seven dam challenges for migratory fish: insights from the Penobscot River. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1253657 2022 Boonstra, W. J., N. Boucquey, A. K. Carlson, L. Drakopulos, J. Fly, S. Joosse, S. Panchang, M. N. Marjadi, A. Rieser, and H. C. Wernersson. 2022. Urban fishing reveals underrepresented diversity. Nature Food. DOI: s43016-022-00501-2 Carlson, A. K., W. W. Taylor, D. R. DeVries, C. P. Ferreri, M. J. Fogarty, K. J. Hartman, D. M. Infante, M. T. Kinnison, S. A. Levin, R. T. Melstrom, R. M. Newman, M. L. Pinsky, D. I. Rubenstein, S. M. P. Sullivan, P. A. Venturelli, M. J. Weber, M. R. Wuellner, G. B. Zydlewski. 2022. Stepping up: A U.S. perspective on the Ten Steps to Responsible Inland Fisheries. Fisheries. DOI: 10.1002/fsh.10695 Carlson, A. K., W. J. Boonstra, S. Joosse, D. I. Rubenstein, S. A. Levin. 2022. More than ponds amid skyscrapers: Urban fisheries as multiscalar human-natural systems. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management. DOI: 10.14321/aehm.025.01.49 Tigchelaar, M., J. Leape, F. Micheli, E. H. Allison, X. Basurto, A. Bennett, ... and C. C. Wabnitz, C. C. 2023. The vital roles of blue foods in the global food system. Global Food Security. DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2022.100637

Impact Statements

Our primary impact for our first project year includes our efforts to frame the importance of fisheries as CHANS for more effective management and conservation

Date of Annual Report: 07/20/2025

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 09/13/2024 - 09/13/2024
Period the Report Covers: 01/01/2024 - 12/31/2024

Participants

Kyle Brumm, Michigan State University
Andrew Carlson, US Geological Survey
Alison Coulter, South Dakota State University
Dave Coulter, South Dakota State University
Tommy Detmer, Cornell University
Dana Infante, Michigan State University
Mike Kinnison, University of Maine
Pete McIntyre, Cornell University
Ray Newman, University of Minnesota
Mark Pegg, University of Nebraska
Cori Suski, University of Illinois
Travis Seaborn, North Dakota State University
Melissa Wuellner, University of Nebraska
Michael Weber, University of Iowa

Brief Summary of Minutes

Objectives for this meeting included reconnecting members with one another and learning more about the diverse expertise and skills of group members along with the various projects that people have been working on. We also reviewed our project objectives and timeline and spent substantial time discussing preliminary feedback provided through a pilot group on our survey intendend to better understand how fishery professionals understand fisheries as coupled human and natural systems (CHANS). Because we spent most of the meeting working on the survey, our meeting notes are limited. Our meeting occurred a few days before the beginning of the Annual Meeting of the American Fishery Society (AFS), and we were working to roll out the final version of the survey at a session organized to explore fisheries as CHANS during AFS. We discussed other professional societies and networks that we would engage to ensure that more diverse perspectives were included in the survey (e.g., Society for Freshwater Science, InFish network). We also discussed some ideas that could build on the survey once it was complete, including organzing focus groups, and we discussed the logistics of project management for the coming year including report writing and future meeting planning.

Accomplishments

I. Short-term Outcomes  The most relevant short term outcome generated from this project is the growing understanding of fisheries as coupled human and natural systems (CHANS).  This is important because this framework formally acknowledges the links between fisheries and their habitats with society.  This has been occurring through regular engagement of team members with each other through our monthly meetings, engagement with our peer community through the session organized at the American Fisheries Society Annual meeting in September 2024, and through the survey that we shared across our professional networks through 2024 (and into 2025).  Results of the survey are being analyzed currently, and preliminary results lend support to this outcome.   II. Outputs and Activities (Identified in our Research Proposal)  This section describes both outputs and activities organized by the objectives in our research proposal.   <ol> <li>Research framework: A collaborative, coupled human and natural systems research framework for investigating interactions between invasive species, climate change, and inland and marine fisheries and aquatic resources.</li> </ol>  Our team has developed a survey that presents fisheries as CHANS, and we have distributed the survey throughout our professional community.  This survey will assess respondents' understanding of fisheries as CHANS, and, based on responses, we expect that it will expand our own understanding.   <ol start="2"> <li>Best practices: A description of best practices for how the above framework can be applied for different fisheries.</li> </ol>  We have one example of best practices informed by the CHANS framework so far.  This has been achieved by colleagues from Cornell.  We have evaluated the climate resilience traits, growth rates, and survival rates of six strains of brook trout that are stocked into New York waters and are using the results to advise NYSDEC and private hatcheries on how strain selection could be used to adapt stocking practices to support self-sustaining cold-water fisheries.  We have now submitted a manuscript describing the differences in performance among strains (Detmer et al. in review), and we are sharing those results with our state partners. We also leveraged the Multistate project network and federal agency colleagues to gather brook trout tissue samples to sequence the whole mitochondrial genome of wild and stocked strains of brook trout throughout their range, which could inform future surveys of the outcomes of stocking programs using eDNA.   <ol start="3"> <li>Database: A database that integrates biological, ecological, and socio-economic data to facilitate analyses. To the extent practical, individual datasets comprising the database will be linked to a common spatial and/or analytical framework.</li> </ol>  Stream fish data have been acquired from state agencies across the US.  These data have been integrated into an existing dataset to characterize assemblages sampled in a consistent manner at tens of thousands of locations in the US.  Additionally, we have updated a database describing natural and anthropogenic influences on stream fishes and their habitats.  These data will be made publicly available in the coming year, but nearly all of the fish data and all of the environmental variables are available to the project team.   <ol start="4"> <li>Data needs: A prioritized list of data requirements for interdisciplinary questions that cannot be answered yet due to a lack of data.</li> </ol> <ul> <li> Colleagues from Cornell have identified a lack of data on how climate change is altering the nutritional value of inland fishes for human consumption, and we conducted an initial survey of omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and mercury in brook trout across lakes representing a range of climate-induced oxythermal stress. We found a surprisingly wide range of concentrations of all three analytes, and both selenium and mercury were linked to oxythermal conditions. We infer that climate change can strongly mediate the nutritional value of fish, but in complex ways.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Colleagues from Michigan State University have attempted to model locations of reefs throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes. Presently, locations of reefs were compiled through anecdotal descriptions, but not comprehensive attempt to identify reefs has ever occurred limiting manager’s ability to strategical restore degraded reefs or monitor fish spawning activity.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>We anticipate generating a more comprehensive list of data based on information provided through our survey as well through a national-scale assessment of stream fish habitat.</li> </ul>   <ol start="5"> <li>Assessment: An updated assessment of ecological and socioeconomic effects of climate change and invasive species on inland and marine fisheries. This assessment will integrate data across disciplines to gain robust insights into climate change and invasive species problems in order to make specific interdisciplinary management recommendations for mitigating detrimental effects on fisheries.</li> </ol> <ul> <li> Using information on characteristics of locations where aquatic invasive species have established previously across the US, we have modeled the likelihood of invasions by a set of new species to aid in developing watch lists for state and federal agencies.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>We have used angler self-reporting to assess how both angling efforts and catch rates have changed over the last 40 years in terms of choice of lake and effort timing, with the goal of understanding whether independent responses of anglers and fishes to changing environmental conditions are likely to enhance or constrain the sustainability of cold-water fisheries.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Using data collected by the National Park Service Heartland Inventory and Monitoring network, we analyzed fish community data across Midwestern National Parks to investigate patterns of biotic homogenization, a phenomenon indicative of species introductions and loss of biodiversity. In this region, increased air and water temperatures and intensifying drought risk will likely accelerate the rate of native species decline, opportunistically favoring invasive species.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Determined broad and fine scale drivers of fish assemblages in the Prairie Pothole region and identified environmental cut-offs for changes in species assemblages. Environmental cut-offs such as overwinter temperature and amount of natural land in watersheds were most predictive of fish assemblage. Changing water levels in the Prairie Pothole can also cascade from impacts on fish to impacts on humans. An analysis of Devil’s Lake, a large lake in North Dakota that has dramatically risen in water levels, revealed that higher waters were related to increased angler efforts. We are also using fish bioenergetics to examine changes in fish scope for growth over 40 years. These modeling efforts are currently in progress, but analyses completed thus far reveal spatial clusters of increasing habitat quality for cool-water fishes in locations such as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Habitat quality appears to be declining for many cool-water species along the East Coast.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>We have investigated movement ecology and survival of invasive carp and native sportfishes in relation to key environmental variables (temperature, discharge) to assess factors associated with population connectivity and sustainability. These results will help guide efforts for controlling invasive fishes while promoting the existence of sport fisheries.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Multiple projects focused on understanding CHANS at various geographic scales. These include (1) understanding restoration impacts on hybridization with non-native species under different restoration scenarios and (2) climate change resiliency and adaptive capacity of inland fishes. (1) Is mostly related to a U.S. Forest Service grant which looks at comparative stream network connectivity across different species under different future scenarios that have been identified by stakeholders. This project is helping to build an overall model to understand the balance between increasing river habitat to improve populations while minimizing invasive species impacts. We collected environmental DNA in 2024 and worked with existing genetic samples across the basin of the grant to be paired with existing environmental data in the area. Adams et al. 2024 also used eDNA and traditional surveys to understand conservation outcomes at the aquatic community level, and although not included in the paper, three trout species were surveyed. (2) Captures two projects. The first is using genetics and environmental data to look for associations between the two to understand how local adaptation may be accounted for within our walleye hatcheries. These data will also be used to project how hatchery practices may need to change. The second is focused on local adaptation and land use management practices for the conservation of Yellowstone cutthroat trout, which uses individual-based models that incorporate demography, genetics, and climate change with the presence of three non-native trout species.</li> </ul>   <ol start="6"> <li>Synthesis Comments: A synthesis of existing work that reveals how individual and organizational responses to invasive species and climate change affect inland fisheries and aquatic resources.</li> </ol> <ul> <li> We have analyzed the ecological outcomes of a two-decade project to control smallmouth bass invasions, and demonstrated that bass life history has evolved in response to intensive selection from our management practices. Nonetheless, we find positive responses of many native species to the suppression of predatory bass, though some community members required >15 years to show a measurable demographic response.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Surveyed existing preventative actions (Regulation, Education, Inspections) across the United States related to Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in the live bait trade. We found that in some regions of the United States, high values fisheries that do not rely on live bait (e.g., trout fishing with flys) have allowed states to heavily regulate the live bait trade. In other regions such as the SouthEast where aquaculture is a leading economic driver, regulation of the live bait trade is less frequent. Education and inspections are heavily used for prevention in the Great Lakes region.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Also completed review of the drivers of introduced fishes in prairie streams wherein we overview impacts of introduced species, how climate change is likely to influence future introductions, and suggest management actions and future research directions.</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Currently three review/synthesis papers are in prep. The first two are focused on adaptive capacity, with both papers providing context and recommendations related to the social system and have direct management implications. The third paper is a review of the integration of genetics into species action plans in the U.S. and Canada, and includes a review of the organizations involved in management decision making.</li> </ul>   <ol start="7"> <li>Meetings and workshops: Meetings and workshops that convey information on how to influence individual behavior and organizational responses to invasive species and climate change in ways that benefit the management of inland fisheries and aquatic resources.</li> </ol> We have met virtually nearly every month since our project was initiated.  Additionally, we organized a symposium at the American Fisheries Society 2024 annual meeting to highlight work showcasing fisheries as CHANS. We also hosted an annual NC1189 meeting where we discussed project objectives and progress towards meeting them.   <ol start="8"> <li>Publications and presentations: Peer-reviewed publications, research reports, and professional presentations communicating the results of this project.</li> </ol> Peer-reviewed publications Adams, A. J., C. Kamoroff x, R. L. Grasso, B. Halstead, P. Kleeman, K. Powelson, T. Seaborn, C. Mengelt, and C. S. Goldberg. 2024. From eDNA to Decisions: A multi-method approach to restoration planning in streams. Scientific Reports, Special Issue: (102) Ecological Restoration and Rewilding, 14. Brumm, K. J., F. Xiong, Y. Chen, H. Yu, L. Wang, and D. M. Infante. 2024. Evaluating functional responses of fluvial fishes: A comparative study between the Upper Mississippi and Yangtze Rivers. Ecological Processes. DOI: 10.1016/j.watbs.2024.100291 Coulter, AAX, MJ MooreX, J Golcher-BenavidesX, FJ Rahel, AW Walters, SK Brewer, ML Wildhaber. 2024. A synthesis of the characteristics and drivers of introduced fishes in prairie streams: Can we manage introduced harmful fishes in these dynamic environments? Biological Invasions 26: 4011-4033. X Co-first authors Cutler, LM, SR Chipps, BG Blackwell, AA Coulter. 2024. Importance of lake-wetland complex for a resilient walleye fishery. Wetlands 24: 69. Detmer T, Airey M, Jirka K, Randall E, Zarri L, McIntyre PB & C Kraft. 2025. Community-wide transient dynamics of lake fish populations in response to two decades of suppressing an invasive predator. Journal of Applied Ecology, in press. Jane SF, Heilpern SA, Brenna JT, Detmer TM, Driscoll CT, Eagles-Smith CA, Giri S, Glahn RP, Jirka KJ, Kim JG, Montesdeoca M, Olson CI, Park HG, Randall EA & PB McIntyre. 2025. Climate-driven deoxygenation of lakes alters the nutrient-toxin profile of a food fish. Environmental Science & Technology, in press. Maldonado M, T Mahmood, DP Coulter, AA Coulter, M Siller, M Neal, A Saha, S Chipps, M Kaemingk. Water-level changes impact angler effort in a large lake: implications for climate change. Fisheries Research 279: 107156. Rice, E. D., A. E. Bennett, M. Smith, L. S. O. Liverpool-Tasie, S. P. Katengeza, D. M. Infante, and D. L. Tschirley.  2024.  Price volatility in fish food systems: spatial arbitrage as an adaptive strategy for small-scale fish traders. Ecology and Society. DOI: 10.5751/ES-15076-290213 Tingley III, R. W., D. M. Infante, R. A. MacKenzie, A. M. Strauch, P. B. Foulk, and B. Roth. 2024. Anticipating effects of changing climate on tropical island stream ecosystems: Influences of stream flow on an endemic Hawaiian atyid shrimp. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1182021 Research reports NA Professional presentations Abood, S., D. M. Infante, A. Cooper, J. Ross, J. Tyson, L. Walter, and K. Wehrly. 2024. Great Lakes Aquatic Framework Data HUB. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. Brumm, K., and D. M. Infante. Invited 2024. Characterizing human-nature interactions in aquatic systems: A survey of fisheries professionals. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. Church, C.S. and A.A. Pease. 2024. Effects of extreme flows on recruitment in Lamine River fish assemblages. Missouri Natural Resources Conference, Osage Beach, MO. Cooper, A., D. M. Infante, J. Tyson, M. Herbert, S. Marklevitz, C. Harris, 2024. Development of Great Lakes Priority Management Areas: Converting lists to spatial layers. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. Haite, M., J. Ross, D. M. Infante, A. Cooper, H. Yu, J. Taylor, and C. Martorana. 2024. Enhancing national stream fish community data to support fish habitat condition assessments. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. Infante, D. M., Invited 2024. Conserving stream fishes over large extents: Applications of a landscape approach. Karlstad University, April 24, 2024, Karlstad, Sweden. Infante, D. M., E. Tracy, K. Brumm, H. Yu, A. R. Cooper, J. Ross, M. Haite, and S. Abood. Invited 2024. Resilience of freshwater habitats from a landscape perspective: Context for effective restoration. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. Krogman, R., J. Bayer, A. Cooper, J. Kopaska, N. Leonard, J. Pritt, C. Roe, E. Tracy, P. Venturelli, D. Wieferich, and D. M. Infante. Invited 2024. Standard data management practices for more impactful fisheries management. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. Maldonado, M, RT Melstrom, TH Mahmood, DP Coulter, AA Coulter, SR Chipps, M Siller, M Neal, A Saha, MA Kaemingk. 2024. Quantifying climate effects on the economic value of inland recreational fisheries. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Honolulu, HI. Miller, J., J. Ross, H. Yu, K. Robinson, K. Gregory, and D. M. Infante. Invited 2024. Rivers as social-ecological systems: Managing stakeholder interest and ecology in changing climate. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. Mulligan, H, M Kaemingk, AA Coulter. 2024. Regional variation in the risk of bait as an invasive species pathway. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Honolulu, HI. Mulligan, H, BJ Schall, T Davis, A Gerber, M Kaemingk, AA Coulter. 2024. Hidden invaders: Invasive species in live bait. Department of Natural Resource Management Poster Session, Brookings, SD. Seaborn, T., Z. Chen, J. Masingale, S. Narum x, A. Ringleman, E. Keeley, L. Huang, K. Andrews, T. Link, E. Du, K. Griswold, B. Kline, P. Hohenlohe, L. Waits, D. Pradhan, A. Wooding, B. Small, and C.C. Caudill. September 2024. Adaptive capacity across scales: from genomes to landscapes in rainbow. Invited to Symposium: Understanding the Adaptive Capacity of Fish: Resiliency in a Changing Climate. American Fisheries Society. Honolulu, HI. Talk. Seaborn, T. and M. Kinnison. September 2024. Molecular metacoupling: applying genetic approaches to scale and connectivity challenges of fisheries CHANS. Symposium: Fisheries as Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS) to Improve Management. American Fisheries Society. Honolulu, HI. Talk. Siller, M, DP Coulter, S Chipps, M Kaemingk, T Mahmood, M Maldonado, M Neal, A Saha, AA Coulter. 2024. Addressing the data need to manage future changes in fisheries. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Honolulu, HI. Yu, H., A. Cooper, J. Ross, and D. M. Infante. Invited 2024. Impacts of threshold choice on species distribution model prediction accuracy. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. Yu, H., A. Cooper, J. Ross, W. M. Daniel, M. Haite, and D. M. Infante. Invited 2024. Predicting nonindigenous lake fish species invasion hotspots across the conterminous U.S. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, September 15-19, 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii. <ul> <li>Milestones</li> </ul> Our key milestones that we are focusing on this year include 1) publishing the results of our survey conducted last year and 2) developing an approach for our next analysis.

Publications

Adams, A. J., C. Kamoroff x, R. L. Grasso, B. Halstead, P. Kleeman, K. Powelson, T. Seaborn, C. Mengelt, and C. S. Goldberg. 2024. From eDNA to Decisions: A multi-method approach to restoration planning in streams. Scientific Reports, Special Issue: (102) Ecological Restoration and Rewilding, 14. Brumm, K. J., F. Xiong, Y. Chen, H. Yu, L. Wang, and D. M. Infante. 2024. Evaluating functional responses of fluvial fishes: A comparative study between the Upper Mississippi and Yangtze Rivers. Ecological Processes. DOI: 10.1016/j.watbs.2024.100291 Coulter, AAX, MJ MooreX, J Golcher-BenavidesX, FJ Rahel, AW Walters, SK Brewer, ML Wildhaber. 2024. A synthesis of the characteristics and drivers of introduced fishes in prairie streams: Can we manage introduced harmful fishes in these dynamic environments? Biological Invasions 26: 4011-4033. X Co-first authors Cutler, LM, SR Chipps, BG Blackwell, AA Coulter. 2024. Importance of lake-wetland complex for a resilient walleye fishery. Wetlands 24: 69. Detmer T, Airey M, Jirka K, Randall E, Zarri L, McIntyre PB & C Kraft. 2025. Community-wide transient dynamics of lake fish populations in response to two decades of suppressing an invasive predator. Journal of Applied Ecology, in press. Jane SF, Heilpern SA, Brenna JT, Detmer TM, Driscoll CT, Eagles-Smith CA, Giri S, Glahn RP, Jirka KJ, Kim JG, Montesdeoca M, Olson CI, Park HG, Randall EA & PB McIntyre. 2025. Climate-driven deoxygenation of lakes alters the nutrient-toxin profile of a food fish. Environmental Science & Technology, in press. Maldonado M, T Mahmood, DP Coulter, AA Coulter, M Siller, M Neal, A Saha, S Chipps, M Kaemingk. Water-level changes impact angler effort in a large lake: implications for climate change. Fisheries Research 279: 107156. Rice, E. D., A. E. Bennett, M. Smith, L. S. O. Liverpool-Tasie, S. P. Katengeza, D. M. Infante, and D. L. Tschirley.  2024.  Price volatility in fish food systems: spatial arbitrage as an adaptive strategy for small-scale fish traders. Ecology and Society. DOI: 10.5751/ES-15076-290213 Tingley III, R. W., D. M. Infante, R. A. MacKenzie, A. M. Strauch, P. B. Foulk, and B. Roth. 2024. Anticipating effects of changing climate on tropical island stream ecosystems: Influences of stream flow on an endemic Hawaiian atyid shrimp. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1182021

Impact Statements

1. Improved tools, datasets, and guidelines for use by federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to detect, predict, and mitigate the individual and interactive effects of climate change and invasive species on fish communities and aquatic ecosystems at local, regional, and national scales.
2. Forecasting the interacting effects of climate change and invasive species on inland and marine fisheries and aquatic resources will provide policymakers with improved understanding needed to make informed decisions about coupled human and natural systems, allowing us to anticipate and minimize ecological and socioeconomic losses, as well as to potentially mitigate for any losses. Increases sustainability of recreational and commercial fisheries in light of the individual and interactive effects of climate change, invasive species, and socioeconomic factors that influence aquatic communities.
3. Improved communication about threats to and condition of inland and marine fisheries globally.

Date of Annual Report: 04/26/2026

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 10/17/2025 - 10/17/2025
Period the Report Covers: 01/01/2025 - 12/31/2025

Participants

Kyle Brumm, Michigan State University
Andrew Carlson, US Geological Survey
Alison Coulter, South Dakota State University
Dave Coulter, South Dakota State University
Tommy Detmer, Iowa State University
Dennis DeVries, Auburn University
Dana Infante, Michigan State University
Mike Kinnison, University of Maine
Pete McIntyre, Cornell University
Allison Pease, University of Missouri
Ray Newman, University of Minnesota
Mark Pegg, University of Nebraska
Cory Suski, University of Illinois
Travis Seaborn, North Dakota State University
Melissa Wuellner, University of Nebraska
Michael Weber, Iowa State University
Gayle Zydlewski, University of Maine

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Short-term Outcomes Increasing understanding of fisheries as coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) continues to be the primary goal of this project.  This is important because this framework formally acknowledges the links between fisheries and their habitats with society.  Importantly, this represents a new way of understanding fisheries than many in the field have come to understand fisheries, and with the diversity and intensity of current and future threats facing fisheries, developing a richer understanding of influences on fisheries is critical for their conservation.  We have worked towards our goal through regular engagement of team members as part of our monthly meetings, engagement with our peer community through the session organized at the American Fisheries Society Annual meeting in September 2024, and through the survey that we shared across our professional networks through 2024 (and into 2025). Results of the survey are being analyzed currently, and preliminary results lend support to our overall goal.  We have also furthered our goal through individual presentations that team members, give; some of these are included in this report. Outputs and Activities (Identified in our Research Proposal) 1.  Research framework: A collaborative, coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) research framework for investigating interactions between invasive species, precipitation and air temperature, and inland and marine fisheries and aquatic resources. <ul> <li>Using the survey that we developed in the previous year, we have implemented novel ways to showcase the complex results of survey respondent’s perceptions of fisheries as CHANS.  These finding include “general” perceptions as well as biases that occur regionally and by profession.  These will be highlighted in our forthcoming publication.</li> </ul> 2.  Best practices: A description of best practices for how the above framework can be applied for different fisheries. <ul> <li>We have learned about invasive species ecology and provided recommendations to improve their management to reduce spread and impacts. Insights include a national-scale analysis to identify suitability of streams and lakes likely to support invasions of multiple fish species; results of these analyses have been shared with natural resource management agencies to guide monitoring efforts.</li> <li>We have quantified how temperature change can impact the behavior and physiology of fish caught during live-release angling tournaments, which can inform best practices for anglers catching fish in these events.</li> <li>We have examined how fishes from different latitudes (including paddlefish) respond to natural and anthropogenic stressors, along with harvest regulations, allowing us to assess how species respond tostressors and angler harvest, with the ultimate goal of informing best management practices for anglers targeting this species.</li> <li>We have developed models for different stream temperature metrics in a coldwater habitat in Michigan to identify the landscape factors most influential to different metrics; results can be used to guide actions to manage the temperature region with future air temperature.</li> <li>We are improving data availability and robustness by combining acoustic telemetry and mark-recapture datasets across organizations to improve population abundance estimates for two sturgeon species in the Northeast US.</li> </ul> 3.  Databases: A database that integrates biological, ecological, and socio-economic data to facilitate analyses. To the extent practical, individual datasets comprising the database will be linked to a common spatial and/or analytical framework. <ul> <li>Through work being conducted to evaluate the condition of stream fish habitats in the conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, databases have been assembled that characterize natural influences on stream fishes and their habitats (e.g., geology, soil type) as well as anthropogenic landscape influences (e.g., human land uses, estimates of nutrient loading, locations of dams). This database includes hundreds of variables summarized in stream catchments and buffers linked to a common spatial framework.  These data will be made fully publicly available in 2026.</li> <li>In support of the effort to evaluate the condition of stream fish habitats in the conterminous United States, we have assembled fish assemblage data collected by single-pass electrofishing surveys for more than 60,000 stream reaches in the United States. Additionally, we have stream fish data from Puerto Rico that characterizes abundances of native and nonnative species.</li> <li>In partnership with the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership, we have assembled a database characterizing natural and anthropogenic influences on inland lakes. This database will be publicly available in 2026.</li> <li>We are working to assemble data characterizing chemical parameters (e.g., temperature, dissolved oxygen) for many reservoirs in the United States.</li> <li>We have also assembled data characterizing conditions within the Laurentian Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Framework (<a href="https://hub.glahf.org/">https://hub.glahf.org/</a>) hosts hundreds of variables in an on-line platform that is fully public.</li> </ul> 4.  Data needs: A prioritized list of data requirements for interdisciplinary questions that cannot be answered yet due to a lack of data. <ul> <li>Within the next year, we anticipate collecting and compiling information on reservoirs fisheries in the US. Currently, standardized data on reservoirs and reservoir fisheries are lacking in the US, in spite of their overall importance to angling.</li> <li>Given recent and growing attention on the imperiled status of migratory fishes, we need to have a comprehensive understanding of how the combined effects of fish behavior in and around various flow fields, metabolic capabilities, and swimming performance capacity determine if fish are capable of using facilities to pass lock-and-dam bypass structures, what draws them into such structures (from both downstream and upstream), and what the long-term consequences for the individual and the population are of such structures.</li> <li>Data describing socioeconomic factors relevant to fish and fish habitats remains a critical need.  While some data exist that represent conditions over small areas, data that would summarize information over large regions is key.  Examples could include spatially-explicit information on fish catches, data characterizing access to specific fisheries, uses of waterbodies beyond angling, etc.</li> <li>As a more general need, we recognize the value of integrating previously independent datasets to answer interdisciplinary questions. Accomplishing this requires thoughtful approaches to ensure that assumptions are reasonable as well as careful consideration of data characteristics.</li> </ul> 5.  Assessment: An updated assessment of ecological and socioeconomic effects of air temperature, precipitation, and invasive species on inland and marine fisheries. This assessment will integrate data across disciplines to gain robust insights to make specific interdisciplinary management recommendations for mitigating detrimental effects on fisheries. <ul> <li>We have investigated movement ecology and survival of invasive carp and native sport fishes in relation to key environmental variables (e.g., temperature, discharge) to assess factors associated with population connectivity and sustainability. These results will help guide efforts for controlling invasive fishes while promoting the existence of sport fisheries.</li> <li>We have quantified the natural and anthropogenic factors that limit the movement and spread of invasive species which can help inform aspects of their control and management</li> <li>We have quantified movement patterns of a diversity of fishes (including paddlefish) as influenced by lock-and-dam structures in the field, as well as their metabolic and swimming performance metrics in the lab, with the ultimate goal of determining whether fish passage opportunities would benefit a diverse suite of fish species.</li> <li>We have begun to compare native to invasive species distributions and habitat preferences using multi-species environmental DNA informed species distribution models across lotic systems.</li> <li>We have summarized the interjurisdictional movements of fishes in order to scale management to the same level as stocks operate.</li> <li>We have quantified the prevalence of invasive species pathways and variation among states with different regulations.</li> <li>We are investigating movement ecology and survival of two sturgeon species in the Northeast relative to environmental variables (temperature, discharge) to assess factors associated with population connectivity and sustainability over decades. These results will guide management of these endangered fishes during changing environmental conditions affecting new and changing movement patterns.</li> <li>We have conducted a preliminary assessment of the condition of stream fish habitats in the conterminous United States using landscape information. Besides depicting the relative conditon of stream habitats, results show factors that are most limiting to hundreds of individual species.</li> </ul> 6.  Synthesis Comments: A synthesis of existing work that reveals how individual and organizational responses to invasive species, air temperature, and precipitation will affect inland fisheries and aquatic resources. <ul> <li>We have overviewed existing preventative actions related to the live bait trade in the United States and abroad and have synthesizes best practices and recommendations.</li> <li>We are synthesizing data to inform understanding of air temperature and precipitation effects on diadromous fishes moving between riverine and ocean ecosystems.</li> </ul> 7. Meetings and workshops: Meetings and workshops that convey information on how to influence individual behavior and organizational responses to invasive species, air temperature, and precipitation in ways that benefit the management of inland fisheries and aquatic resources. <ul> <li>We have met virtually nearly every month since our project was initiated, organized a small gathering at the American Fisheries Society 2025 annual meeting, and hosted an annual NC1189 meeting in October 2025 where we discussed project objectives and progress towards meeting them.</li> </ul> 8.  Publications and presentations: Peer-reviewed publications, research reports, and professional presentations communicating the results of this project. Peer-reviewed journal articles See the list included in a separate section of this report. Research reports <ul> <li>Ross, J.A., Malish, G. Whelan, and D.M. Infante. 2025. The status of fish habitat in the United States: An initial assessment for 2025. National Fish Habitat Partnership Status Report submitted to Congress, December 2025.</li> </ul> Professional presentations <ul> <li>Bearden, K, M. Fincel, E. Renner, P. Bailey, A. A. Coulter. 2025. Dakota Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Bismarck, ND. Walleye (Sander vitreus) movement dynamics in Lake Oahe, USA across two management jurisdictions.</li> <li>Betts, J., J. A. Ross, and D. M. Infante. 2025. Using a landscape approach to understand impacts from complex agricultural system on stream fish communities: Lower Michigan as a case study. Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, May 18-22, 2025, San Juan, Puerto Rico.</li> <li>Busby, J., A. A. Hay, S. Kamara, J. C. Glomb, R. E. Oller and C. D. Suski.  2025.  How does cooling largemouth bass in livewells impact recovery?  155th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, San Antonio, Texas.</li> <li>Church, C.S. and A.A. Pease. 2025. Effects of flow variation on recruitment in a Central Missouri stream fish assemblage. Oral presentation. Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.</li> <li>Elliott, S.; Zydlewski, J.; Zydlewski, G. 2025. Nearshore Coastal and Estuarine Movements of Sturgeon in the Gulf of Maine. American Fisheries Society Annual meeting, Tuesday August 12. Connectivity and Management of Estuarine-dependent Species.</li> <li>Harms, J., M. J. Weber, and M. M. More. 2025. Effects of Silver Carp on native fish condition in the Upper Mississippi River basin. Iowa Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Boone, IA. (Harms presented)</li> <li>Kamara, S., J. C. Glomb and C. D. Suski.  2025.  Physiological and behavioral responses of paddlefish to capture and release stressors across different temperatures.  63rd Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Rock Island, IL.</li> <li>Kamara, S., J. C. Glomb, and C. D. Suski.  2025.  Influence of thermal variation on paddlefish thermal tolerance, recovery and post-release behavior.  85th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, St. Louis, MO.</li> <li>Lagacy, E., and M. J. Weber. 2025. Conditions associated with occupancy and detection of fishes of greatest conservation need in wadeable streams of western Iowa. New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting.</li> <li>Paulson, D., M. M. More, and M. J. Weber. 2025. Shovelnose Sturgeon summer habitat selection on the Des Moines River, Iowa. Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.</li> <li>Malish, M., H. Yu., J. Ross, A. Cooper, and D. M. Infante 2025. Assessment of stream intermittency effects on fish community structure in the conterminous United States. Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, May 18-22, 2025, San Juan, Puerto Rico.</li> <li>Miller, J., and D. M. Infante. 2025. Integrating nature-based solutions into a comprehensive stormwater strategy: A protocol for identifying priority species that co-benefit through habitat improvements. Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, May 18-22, 2025, San Juan, Puerto Rico.</li> <li>Priest, A., T. Seaborn, M. Alston, A. Fraik. 2025. Using integrated modeling tools to investigate endemic and invasive salmonid fishes in working landscapes. International Association for Landscape Ecology – North America. Raleigh, North Carolina.</li> <li>Roach, C., M.A. Acre, and A.A. Pease. 2025. Using side-scan sonar and N-mixture models to estimate the abundance of invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in the Lamine, River, MO. Oral presentation. Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.</li> <li>Roach, C., M.A. Acre, and A.A. Pease. 2025. Using side-scan sonar and N-mixture models to estimate Silver Carp abundance. Oral presentation. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, San Antonio, Texas.</li> <li>Shumaker, M., A.A. Pease, M.A. Mills, D.M. Walters, R. Trimbath, R. Langford, and M.R. Acre. 2025. Assessing Smallmouth Bass movement in the Cuyahoga River prior to dam removal. Oral presentation. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, San Antonio, Texas.</li> <li>Thompson, L., G.R. Jacobs, B. Gerig, and A.A. Pease. 2025. Taxonomic and functional shifts in riverine fish community assemblages across Midwest national parks. Oral presentation. Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.</li> <li>Thompson, L., G.R. Jacobs, B. Gerig, and A.A. Pease. 2025. Temporal shifts in stream fish  communities of two protected Ozark rivers. Oral presentation. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, San Antonio, Texas.</li> <li>Thompson, L., B. Gerig, and A.A. Pease. 2025. Understanding baseline levels of aquatic invasive species preparedness in Midwest National Park Service properties. Oral presentation. North American Invasive Species Management Association Conference, Stateline, Nevada.</li> <li>Vaske, M.A., R. N. Hupfeld, G. Jones, J. T. Mrnak, R. M. Krogman, D. C. Paulson, M. J. Weber, and M. J. Moore. 2025. Building evidence for environmental flow management to support Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) reproduction in a regulated tributary of the Upper Mississippi River. 155th National American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX.</li> <li>Weber M.J., A. Sylvia, and B. Maahs. 2025. A multi-prong population-level assessment of Largemouth Bass tournament mortality. 155th National American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX.</li> <li>Yu, H., A. R. Cooper, J. Ross, W. M. Daniel, and D. M. Infante. 2025. Predicting inland freshwater exotic fish invasion hotspots across the conterminous U.S. North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA), November 3-6, 2025, Lake Tahoe, Nevada.</li> </ul>   Milestones <ul> <li>Our key milestones that we are focusing on this year include 1) publishing the results of our survey conducted last year and 2) developing an approach for our next analyses and the next stage of this project.</li> </ul>

Publications

Butts, T., M. A. Simonson, M. J. Weber, and G. M. Wilkinson. 2025. Investigating changes to food web structure after fish removal using size spectra analysis. Ecosphere e:70240. Cao, Y., T. E. Schartel, D. C. Houghton, J. Ross, and D. M. Infante. 2025. Evaluating machine leaning algorithms for accuracy, stability, and among-predictors discriminability in  modeling species richness across ten datasets. Ecological Informatics. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103323 Dennis III, C.E. and Suski, C.D., 2025. Coupling carbon dioxide gas within a bubble curtain enhances its effectiveness to deter fish. Biological Invasions, 27(2), p.79. Griffen, E., and M.J. Weber. 2025. Effects of lotic environmental conditions on larval fish growth and prey consumption. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 34:e00004. Griffen, E., and M. J. Weber. 2025. Environmental factors associated with fish reproduction in regulated rivers. River Research and Application 41:515-530. Hay, A.A., Glomb, J.C., Oller, R.E. and Suski, C.D., 2025. Quantifying the impact of temperature variation in live wells on Largemouth Bass. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 45(2), pp.309-321. Hay, A.A., Oller, R.E., Glomb, J.C. and Suski, C.D., 2025. Seasonal variation in responses of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus nigricans) caught during live‐release angling tournaments. Fisheries Management and Ecology, p.e12785. Kamara, S., Glomb, J.C. and Suski, C.D., 2025. Temperature alters thermal tolerance and physiological response to simulated angling in paddlefish. Available at SSRN 5144944. Mulligan, H., M. Kaemingk, A. A. Coulter. 2025. Aquatic invasive species prevention in the live baitfish trade: the role of regulations, education, and inspections. BioScience 75(7): 573-584. Preheim, A., and M.J. Weber. 2025. Power to detect changes in larval Invasive Carp abundance along an invasion edge. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. DOI: 10.1093/najfmt/vqaf101 Renner S., and M.J. Weber. 2025. Evaluating movements of co-occurring Silver and Bighead Carp in a small Missouri River tributary. River Research and Applications. DOI: 10.1002/rra.70079 Schneider, A.E., Bennett, A.J., Dennis III, C.E., Esbaugh, A.J., Lamer, J.T. and Suski, C.D., 2025. Acute exposure to water from the Chicago area waterway system induces molecular indices of stress and disturbance in silver carp: implications for deterrence to range expansion. Biological Invasions, 27(8), p.178. Simonson, M., A. Annear&dagger;, and M. J. Weber. 2025. Effects of incentivized commercial harvest on Common Carp and Bigmouth Buffalo populations. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 45:177-195. Stevens, J. R., Jech, J. M., Zydlewski, G. B., & Brady, D. C. 2024. Response of estuarine fish biomass to restoration in the Penobscot River, Maine. Estuaries and Coasts, 47(2), 535-550. Sullivan, S. M. P., R. M. Hughes, R. L. Vadas, Jr., G. T. Davies, P. D. Shirey, S. A. R. Colvin, D. M. Infante, R. J. Danehy, J. K. Sanchez, and R. B. Keast. 2025. Waterbody connectivity: linking science and policy for improved waterbody protection. BioScience. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biae117 Yff, D., and M.J. Weber. 2025. Detection probability and occupancy of native and invasive fish larvae in the Upper Mississippi River. River Research and Application 41: 1332-1346. Yu, H., D. M. Infante, A. R. Cooper, and J. Ross. 2025. Evaluating species richness, turnover, and range shifts under change for fluvial fishes in Northeastern and Midwestern USA. Ecological Processes 14:32. DOI: 10.1186/s13717-025-00612-1

Impact Statements

● Improved tools, datasets, and guidelines for use by federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to detect, predict, and mitigate the individual and interactive effects of air temperature, precipitation, and invasive species on fish communities and aquatic ecosystems at local, regional, and national scales. ● Forecasting the interacting effects of air temperature, precipitation, and invasive species on inland and marine fisheries and aquatic resources will provide policymakers with improved understanding needed to make informed decisions about coupled human and natural systems, allowing us to anticipate and minimize ecological and socioeconomic losses, as well as to potentially mitigate for any losses. Increases sustainability of recreational and commercial fisheries in light of the individual and interactive effects of air temperature, precipitation, and invasive species, and socioeconomic factors that influence aquatic communities. ● Improved communication about threats to and condition of inland and marine fisheries globally.