Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

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 intended 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.  We were not able to meet in person this year due in large part to challenges posed by changes in federal funding and implementation of executive orders, but are hoping to reconnect in person at this year's meeting of the American Fisheries Society.

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.

• 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.

2.  Best practices: A description of best practices for how the above framework can be applied for different fisheries.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• We are working to assemble data characterizing chemical parameters (e.g., temperature, dissolved oxygen) for many reservoirs in the United States.
• We have also assembled data characterizing conditions within the Laurentian Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Framework (https://hub.glahf.org/) hosts hundreds of variables in an on-line platform that is fully public.

4.  Data needs: A prioritized list of data requirements for interdisciplinary questions that cannot be answered yet due to a lack of data.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

• 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.
• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• We have summarized the interjurisdictional movements of fishes in order to scale management to the same level as stocks operate.
• We have quantified the prevalence of invasive species pathways and variation among states with different regulations.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

• 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.
• We are synthesizing data to inform understanding of air temperature and precipitation effects on diadromous fishes moving between riverine and ocean ecosystems.

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.

• 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.

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

• 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.

Professional presentations

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

  Milestones

• 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.

No funding was awarded this year in direct response to this project's activities, however, funding provided through various partners contributed to the work in this report.

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†, 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