Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences

I teach online courses in the Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences program including FW 107, 209, 251, 289, and 325. 

Current research interests include

•land-ocean interactions and human influences on coastal water quality and biodiversity (including climate impacts, and land-based pollution)

Comparative ecology, behavior and conservation of otter species and other endangered carnivores, Phylogeny, evolution and behavior. 

Research Interests:  Assessing alternative Pacific Northwest ecological futures; Pacific salmon policy and management; ecosystem management and alternative management paradigms; ecological policy and decision analysis; interface between science, scientists, and policy.

My research has focused primarily on the ecology of animal and plant interactions, particularly trophic cascade effects involving large herbivores and top predators

I integrate animal behavior, physiology, and landscape ecology to better understand how fish and wildlife interact with their environment. My research employs observational study, field experiments, and simulation modeling.

Our research focuses on the pathogens that affect the health of wild Pacific salmon populations, particularly myxozoan parasites, which have a complex life cycle, requiring both a fish and annelid host.

Salmon diseases, host resistance mechanisms, parasite evolution.

Freshwater Fish Ecology. Salmonid behavior and habitat selection in freshwater and estuarine systems. Aquatic habitat restoration. Land use impacts on fish habitat. Integrated watershed management. Fish passage. 

Pinniped Ecology

Interactions of ecosystems, land use, and climate change in wetlands and tropical forests (current emphasis is on mangroves and other coastal ecosystems, tropical swamp forests, and riparian zones). Riparian ecology and restoration. Approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Research Areas: Aquaculture; nutrition of oysters and other bivalves; microencapsulation; polyculture of abalone; genetic selection of oysters.

Avian Ecology, Conservation Biology, Animal Telemetry, Predator-Prey Dynamics, Ecological Energetics, Natural Resource Decision Making Processes, and Communicating Science to Diverse Audiences

Social behavior, Early development and behavior, Ethology, Ecology and life history, Evolution and polymorphism

Seabird and Colonial Waterbird Ecology, Conservation, and Management.

Environmental physiology and reproductive physiology of fish. Particularly, determination of effects of stress on fish performance in the wild and in the hatchery. Areas of interest include fish health, migration and development.

I study how changes in the marine environment affect the foraging ecology, reproduction, and population dynamics of mid to upper trophic-level consumers, especially seabirds.

I specialize in the spatial and behavioral ecology of marine megafauna including marine mammals, seabirds and sharks. 

Stream ecosystems: channel dynamics, woody debris, water chemistry, benthic algae, invertebrates, fish, salamanders, and riparian vegetation. Landscape perspectives for stream ecosystems. Influence of human activities on ecosystem structure and function.

Hierarchical organization of land and riverscapes ("From the macroscope to microscope"). The role of stream temperature on aquatic communities of high desert streams. Factors affecting restoration of fish habitats.

Research Areas: Fishery stock assessment and management; development and testing of stock assessment methods; models of fishermen's behavior (e.g., fishing operations such as gear and fishing location choice).