| MARK B. BAIN US Geological Survey - Biological
Resources Division EDUCATION: BS Wildlife Science, MS Fisheries Science, Ph D Fishery
Biology |
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ORGANIZATION MISSION
The New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit fosters cooperation between
the USGS, Cornell University, and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation
(the Cooperators) and conducts research and educational activities that address Cooperator
needs. The primary objectives of the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
are to: (1) conduct research related to problems involving fish and wildlife populations
and their habitats; (2) develop and direct education programs for graduate students and
Cooperator agency staff; (3) provide technical information and assistance on fish and
wildlife biology to Cooperators; and (4) promote conservation education through
publications, correspondence, lectures, and demonstrations.
PERSONAL RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
The Unit Research Scientist has developed a broad set of studies that have been conceptually linked into 3 research themes. Each of the themes are complex, management-relevant, and supported by a diversified base of government and private grants. The Scientist's assignment is to act as the lead person responsible for the direction, approach, and progress in these areas. In addition, the Scientist is to overcome obstacles to progress in each area, and provide ways that new information can be applied to needs of Unit cooperator agencies.
The Unit Research Scientist has developed a research theme on the conservation of
aquatic biodiversity at the watershed-scale. Two large studies form the core of this
research thrust: the French Creek watershed study funded by The Nature Conservancy, and
the Aquatic GAP Pilot Project funded by the USGS National GAP Analysis Program.
Watershed-scale conservation has not proceeded in the US primarily due to the lack of
knowledge on large-scale, biotic connections between aquatic habitats, and the complex
linkage between land uses
and aquatic environments. The research needed to solve these management impediments
requires the Unit Research Scientist to identify, master, and integrate models and
principles of hydrology, soil erosion, geomorphology, aquatic physicochemistry, geographic
information systems (GIS), and the environmental requirements of a wide array of taxonomic
groups. While the disciplinary knowledge required for progress is complex and diverse,
subdivision of study tasks into different disciplinary components is not possible since
close integration of knowledge and data into a single GIS model is needed for management.
The Unit Research Scientist is to guide the direction, organization, and synthesis of
scientific principles and
data for both the field-oriented watershed studies and the National GAP Program for
aquatic systems.
The Unit Research Scientist is to expand past research on fish community responses of
altered flow regimes, solve significant
scientific challenges posed by ecosystem-level management, and master the analysis of
habitats in a wide range of aquatic systems. The Scientist should develop and investigate
new concepts on how ecosystems respond to stress, and the Scientist should identify and
develop techniques to monitor and manage aquatic habitats to support quality biological
communities. Significant progress on habitat-oriented, ecosystem-level research will have
major implications for the changing management approaches of state and federal agencies.
The lack of established system-level principles and understanding has kept researchers and
managers from achieving broad-based environmental conservation objectives for aquatic
systems.
The Unit Research Scientist is to guide and orchestrate a major multi-agency and
multi-university research program on fish and fisheries of the Hudson River. This program
should address an array of species and management problems, and the research should
involve the expertise of different university and agency scientists as investigators of
different research components. The species under current investigation are either poorly
understood, (e.g., sturgeon), experiencing previously undocumented population expansion
(e.g., striped bass), or experiencing unexplained range-wide decline (e.g., American
shad). Data and findings on genetics, reproductive physiology, population dynamics,
movements and migrations, and
habitat selection will be integrated into species-level models suitable for management
decisionmaking. Broad knowledge of fishery biology must be mastered and applied to
integrate diverse information into practical and valid management models.