Elise Irwin, PhD
Biologist - Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Headquarters
Research Interests
Elise currently leads the CRU communications team. Previously, Elise led a broad research program at Auburn University in fisheries ecology with emphasis on reduction of uncertainty regarding how anthropomorphic changes in riverine and other aquatic environments affect biological processes of aquatic species. Thematically her research has primarily investigated how management, landscape patterns and disturbance regimes affect biological processes in aquatic systems, with two main areas of focus: 1) effects of spatial and temporal arrangement of riverine habitat on population parameters of fishes and, 2) definition and reduction of uncertainty regarding functional relations between hydrologic and chemical characteristics of riverine environments and fish distribution, abundance and/or growth of fish and invertebrates.
Teaching Interests
Before leading the CRU communications team, Elise taught courses on river systems, structured decision making, and adaptive management at Auburn University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center in Sheperdstown, West Virginia.
Professional Experience
Biologist, Cooperative Research Units Program Headquarters, 2021-
Assistant Unit Leader, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 1995-2021
Education and Certifications
Ph D North Carolina State University 1994
MS Tennessee Technological University 1989
BS Delaware State College 1987
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 26
Adaptive management of flows from R.L. Harris Dam (Tallapoosa River, Alabama)—Stakeholder process and use of biological monitoring data for decision making
Adaptive management has been applied to problems with multiple conflicting objectives in various natural resources settings to learn how management actions affect divergent values regarding system response. Hydropower applications have only recently begun to emerge in the field, yet in the specific example reported herein, stakeholders invested in determining the best management...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Mary Freeman, James Peterson, Kathryn D.M. Kennedy, M. Clint Lloyd, Kristie M. Ouellette Coffman, Ely Kosnicki, Tom Hess
Can data from disparate long-term fish monitoring programs be used to increase our understanding of regional and continental trends in large river assemblages?
Understanding trends in the diverse resources provided by large rivers will help balance tradeoffs among stakeholders and inform strategies to mitigate the effects of landscape scale stressors such as climate change and invasive species. Absent a cohesive coordinated effort to assess trends in important large river resources, a logical starting point is to assess our ability to draw...
Authors
Timothy D. Counihan, Ian R. Waite, Andrew F. Casper, David L. Ward, Jennifer S. Sauer, Elise R. Irwin, Colin G. Chapman, Brian Ickes, Craig P. Paukert, John J. Kosovich, Jennifer M. Bayer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Cooperative Research Units, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Species Management Research Program, Oregon Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)
Experimental stocking of sport fish in the regulated Tallapoosa River to determine critical periods for recruitment
The stocking of fish in riverine systems to re-establish stocks for conservation and management appears limited to a few species and often occurs in reaches impacted by impoundments. Stocking of sport fish species such as centrarchids and ictalurids is often restricted to lentic environments, although stocking in lotic environments is feasible with variable success. R. L. Harris Dam on...
Authors
M. Clint Lloyd, Quan Lai, Steve Sammons, Elise R. Irwin
Long-term fish monitoring in large rivers: Utility of “benchmarking” across basins
In business, benchmarking is a widely used practice of comparing your own business processes to those of other comparable companies and incorporating identified best practices to improve performance. Biologists and resource managers designing and conducting monitoring programs for fish in large river systems tend to focus on single river basins or segments of large rivers, missing...
Authors
David L. Ward, Andrew F. Casper, Timothy D. Counihan, Jennifer M. Bayer, Ian R. Waite, John J. Kosovich, Colin Chapman, Elise R. Irwin, Jennifer S. Sauer, Brian Ickes, Alexa McKerrow
By
Core Science Systems Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Gap Analysis Project, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Species Management Research Program, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)
Using population models to evaluate management alternatives for Gulf Striped Bass
Interstate management of Gulf Striped Bass Morone saxatilis has involved a thirty-year cooperative effort involving Federal and State agencies in Georgia, Florida and Alabama (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Gulf Striped Bass Technical Committee). The Committee has recently focused on developing an adaptive framework for conserving and restoring Gulf Striped Bass in the Apalachicola...
Authors
Alexander P. Aspinwall, Elise R. Irwin, M. Clint Lloyd
Spatial and temporal variation in recruitment and growth of Channel Catfish Alabama bass and Tallapoosa Bass in the Tallapoosa River and associated tributaries
Effects of hydrology on growth and hatching success of age-0 black basses and Channel Catfish were examined in regulated and unregulated reaches of the Tallapoosa River, Alabama. Species of the family Centrarchidae, Ictalurus punctatus Channel Catfish and Pylodictis olivaris Flathead Catfish were also collected from multiple tributaries in the basin. Fish were collected from 2010-2014...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Taconya Goar
Defining ecological and economical hydropoweroperations: a framework for managing dam releasesto meet multiple conflicting objectives
Hydroelectric dams are a flexible source of power, provide flood control, and contribute to the economic growth of local communities through real-estate and recreation. Yet the impoundment of rivers can alter and fragment miles of critical riverine habitat needed for other competing needs such as downstream consumptive water use, fish and wildlife population viability, or other forms of...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin
Using structured decision making to manage disease risk for Montana wildlife
We used structured decision-making to develop a 2-part framework to assist managers in the proactive management of disease outbreaks in Montana, USA. The first part of the framework is a model to estimate the probability of disease outbreak given field observations available to managers. The second part of the framework is decision analysis that evaluates likely outcomes of management...
Authors
Michael S. Mitchell, Justin A. Gude, Neil J. Anderson, Jennifer M. Ramsey, Michael J. Thompson, Mark G. Sullivan, Victoria L. Edwards, Claire N. Gower, Jean Fitts Cochrane, Elise R. Irwin, Terry Walshe
Adaptive management of flows from dams: a win-win framework for water users
Alabama is blessed with more than 77,000 miles of rivers and streams that carve through the terrestrial landscape of the state. When you think about it, every road you drive on crosses a river and many of our major cities are located on the bank of a river. In fact, Alabama's capital cities - Cahawba (Dallas County; 1820-1826), Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloosa County; 1826-1846), and Montgomery...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin
Catfish population characteristics in tailwater and reservoir habitats of the Coosa River, Alabama
No abstract available.
Authors
Jeff C. Jolley, Elise R. Irwin
A digital underwater video camera system for aquatic research in regulated rivers
We designed a digital underwater video camera system to monitor nesting centrarchid behavior in the Tallapoosa River, Alabama, 20 km below a peaking hydropower dam with a highly variable flow regime. Major components of the system included a digital video recorder, multiple underwater cameras, and specially fabricated substrate stakes. The innovative design of the substrate stakes...
Authors
Benjamin M. Martin, Elise R. Irwin
Engaging stakeholders for adaptive management using structured decision analysis
Adaptive management is different from other types of management in that it includes all stakeholders (versus only policy makers) in the process, uses resource optimization techniques to evaluate competing objectives, and recognizes and attempts to reduce uncertainty inherent in natural resource systems. Management actions are negotiated by stakeholders, monitored results are compared to...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, D. Kathryn, Mickett Kennedy
Non-USGS Publications**
Irwin, E.R. and T.P. Goar. 2015. Spatial and temporal variation in recruitment and growth of Channel Catfish Alabama bass and Tallapoosa Bass in the Tallapoosa River and associated tributaries. U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS -116, Washington, D.C.
Irwin, E. R. Defining Ecological and Economical Hydropower Operations: a Framework for Managing Dam Releases to Meet Multiple Conflicting Objectives. Journal of Energy Challenges and Mechanics 1 (3): Article 5.
Mitchell, M. S., J. A. Gude, N. Anderson, J. Ramsey, M. Thompson, M. Sullivan, V. Edwards, C. Gower, J. F. Cochrane, E. Irwin, and T. Walshe. 2013. Using structured decision making to manage disease risk for Montana wildlife. Wildlife Society Bulletin 37:107-114.
Olive, J.A., H.L. Schramm, Jr., P.D. Gerard, E. Irwin. 2011. An evaluation of agreement between pectoral spines and otoliths for estimating ages of catfishes. American Fisheries Society Symposium 77:679-688.
Martin, B. M. and E. R. Irwin. 2011. A Digital Underwater Video Camera System for Aquatic Research. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 30:1365-1369
Irwin, E. R. and K. D. M. Kennedy. 2009. Engaging stakeholders for adaptive management using structured decision analysis. Proceedings of the Third Conference on Research in the Watersheds.
Hayer, C-A., and E. R. Irwin. Influence of gravel mining and other factors on detection probabilities of Coastal Plain Fishes in the Mobile River Basin, Alabama. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.
Population Demographics of Hiodon tergisus (Mooneye) in the Lower Tallapoosa River. Southeastern Naturalist 6:461-470.
Peterson, J., C. Moore, S. Wenger, K. Kennedy, E. Irwin, and M. Freeman. 2007. Adaptive management applied to aquatic natural resources. Chapter 6.4 in Proceedings of the 2007 Georgia Water Resources Conference, March 27-29, Athens.
Jeff Boxrucker & Elise Irwin (2002) Challenges of Crappie Management Continuing into the 21st Century, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 22:4, 1334-1339, DOI: 10.1577/1548-8675(2002)022<1334:COCMCI>2.0.CO;2
Buckmeier, D. L., E. R. Irwin, R. K. Betsill and J. A. Prentice. 2002. Validity of otoliths and pectoral spines for estimating ages of channel catfish. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 22:934-942.
Irwin, E. R., and M. C. Freeman. 2002. A proposal for adaptive maqnagement to conserve biotic integrity in a regulated segment of the Tallapoosa River, Alabama (U. S. A. ). Conservation Biology 16:1212-1222
Ferrara, A. M., and E. R. Irwin. 2001. A standardized procedure for internal sex identification in Lepisostidae. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 21:530-535.
Freeman, M. C., Z. Bowen, K. Bovee and E. Irwin. 2001. Flow and habitat effects on juvenile fish abundance in natural and altered flow regimes. Ecological Applications 2001:179-190.
Henry, T. B., E. R. Irwin, J. M. Grizzle, W. G. Brumbaugh and M. L. Wildhaber. 2001. Gill lesions and death of bluegill in an acid mine drainage mixing zone. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 20:1304-1311.
Buckmeier, D. L., and E. R. Irwin. 2000. An evaluation of soft visual implant tag retention and anchor tag retention in channel catfish. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 20:296-299.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 26
Adaptive management of flows from R.L. Harris Dam (Tallapoosa River, Alabama)—Stakeholder process and use of biological monitoring data for decision making
Adaptive management has been applied to problems with multiple conflicting objectives in various natural resources settings to learn how management actions affect divergent values regarding system response. Hydropower applications have only recently begun to emerge in the field, yet in the specific example reported herein, stakeholders invested in determining the best management...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Mary Freeman, James Peterson, Kathryn D.M. Kennedy, M. Clint Lloyd, Kristie M. Ouellette Coffman, Ely Kosnicki, Tom Hess
Can data from disparate long-term fish monitoring programs be used to increase our understanding of regional and continental trends in large river assemblages?
Understanding trends in the diverse resources provided by large rivers will help balance tradeoffs among stakeholders and inform strategies to mitigate the effects of landscape scale stressors such as climate change and invasive species. Absent a cohesive coordinated effort to assess trends in important large river resources, a logical starting point is to assess our ability to draw...
Authors
Timothy D. Counihan, Ian R. Waite, Andrew F. Casper, David L. Ward, Jennifer S. Sauer, Elise R. Irwin, Colin G. Chapman, Brian Ickes, Craig P. Paukert, John J. Kosovich, Jennifer M. Bayer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Cooperative Research Units, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Species Management Research Program, Oregon Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)
Experimental stocking of sport fish in the regulated Tallapoosa River to determine critical periods for recruitment
The stocking of fish in riverine systems to re-establish stocks for conservation and management appears limited to a few species and often occurs in reaches impacted by impoundments. Stocking of sport fish species such as centrarchids and ictalurids is often restricted to lentic environments, although stocking in lotic environments is feasible with variable success. R. L. Harris Dam on...
Authors
M. Clint Lloyd, Quan Lai, Steve Sammons, Elise R. Irwin
Long-term fish monitoring in large rivers: Utility of “benchmarking” across basins
In business, benchmarking is a widely used practice of comparing your own business processes to those of other comparable companies and incorporating identified best practices to improve performance. Biologists and resource managers designing and conducting monitoring programs for fish in large river systems tend to focus on single river basins or segments of large rivers, missing...
Authors
David L. Ward, Andrew F. Casper, Timothy D. Counihan, Jennifer M. Bayer, Ian R. Waite, John J. Kosovich, Colin Chapman, Elise R. Irwin, Jennifer S. Sauer, Brian Ickes, Alexa McKerrow
By
Core Science Systems Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Gap Analysis Project, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Species Management Research Program, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)
Using population models to evaluate management alternatives for Gulf Striped Bass
Interstate management of Gulf Striped Bass Morone saxatilis has involved a thirty-year cooperative effort involving Federal and State agencies in Georgia, Florida and Alabama (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Gulf Striped Bass Technical Committee). The Committee has recently focused on developing an adaptive framework for conserving and restoring Gulf Striped Bass in the Apalachicola...
Authors
Alexander P. Aspinwall, Elise R. Irwin, M. Clint Lloyd
Spatial and temporal variation in recruitment and growth of Channel Catfish Alabama bass and Tallapoosa Bass in the Tallapoosa River and associated tributaries
Effects of hydrology on growth and hatching success of age-0 black basses and Channel Catfish were examined in regulated and unregulated reaches of the Tallapoosa River, Alabama. Species of the family Centrarchidae, Ictalurus punctatus Channel Catfish and Pylodictis olivaris Flathead Catfish were also collected from multiple tributaries in the basin. Fish were collected from 2010-2014...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Taconya Goar
Defining ecological and economical hydropoweroperations: a framework for managing dam releasesto meet multiple conflicting objectives
Hydroelectric dams are a flexible source of power, provide flood control, and contribute to the economic growth of local communities through real-estate and recreation. Yet the impoundment of rivers can alter and fragment miles of critical riverine habitat needed for other competing needs such as downstream consumptive water use, fish and wildlife population viability, or other forms of...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin
Using structured decision making to manage disease risk for Montana wildlife
We used structured decision-making to develop a 2-part framework to assist managers in the proactive management of disease outbreaks in Montana, USA. The first part of the framework is a model to estimate the probability of disease outbreak given field observations available to managers. The second part of the framework is decision analysis that evaluates likely outcomes of management...
Authors
Michael S. Mitchell, Justin A. Gude, Neil J. Anderson, Jennifer M. Ramsey, Michael J. Thompson, Mark G. Sullivan, Victoria L. Edwards, Claire N. Gower, Jean Fitts Cochrane, Elise R. Irwin, Terry Walshe
Adaptive management of flows from dams: a win-win framework for water users
Alabama is blessed with more than 77,000 miles of rivers and streams that carve through the terrestrial landscape of the state. When you think about it, every road you drive on crosses a river and many of our major cities are located on the bank of a river. In fact, Alabama's capital cities - Cahawba (Dallas County; 1820-1826), Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloosa County; 1826-1846), and Montgomery...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin
Catfish population characteristics in tailwater and reservoir habitats of the Coosa River, Alabama
No abstract available.
Authors
Jeff C. Jolley, Elise R. Irwin
A digital underwater video camera system for aquatic research in regulated rivers
We designed a digital underwater video camera system to monitor nesting centrarchid behavior in the Tallapoosa River, Alabama, 20 km below a peaking hydropower dam with a highly variable flow regime. Major components of the system included a digital video recorder, multiple underwater cameras, and specially fabricated substrate stakes. The innovative design of the substrate stakes...
Authors
Benjamin M. Martin, Elise R. Irwin
Engaging stakeholders for adaptive management using structured decision analysis
Adaptive management is different from other types of management in that it includes all stakeholders (versus only policy makers) in the process, uses resource optimization techniques to evaluate competing objectives, and recognizes and attempts to reduce uncertainty inherent in natural resource systems. Management actions are negotiated by stakeholders, monitored results are compared to...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, D. Kathryn, Mickett Kennedy
Non-USGS Publications**
Irwin, E.R. and T.P. Goar. 2015. Spatial and temporal variation in recruitment and growth of Channel Catfish Alabama bass and Tallapoosa Bass in the Tallapoosa River and associated tributaries. U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS -116, Washington, D.C.
Irwin, E. R. Defining Ecological and Economical Hydropower Operations: a Framework for Managing Dam Releases to Meet Multiple Conflicting Objectives. Journal of Energy Challenges and Mechanics 1 (3): Article 5.
Mitchell, M. S., J. A. Gude, N. Anderson, J. Ramsey, M. Thompson, M. Sullivan, V. Edwards, C. Gower, J. F. Cochrane, E. Irwin, and T. Walshe. 2013. Using structured decision making to manage disease risk for Montana wildlife. Wildlife Society Bulletin 37:107-114.
Olive, J.A., H.L. Schramm, Jr., P.D. Gerard, E. Irwin. 2011. An evaluation of agreement between pectoral spines and otoliths for estimating ages of catfishes. American Fisheries Society Symposium 77:679-688.
Martin, B. M. and E. R. Irwin. 2011. A Digital Underwater Video Camera System for Aquatic Research. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 30:1365-1369
Irwin, E. R. and K. D. M. Kennedy. 2009. Engaging stakeholders for adaptive management using structured decision analysis. Proceedings of the Third Conference on Research in the Watersheds.
Hayer, C-A., and E. R. Irwin. Influence of gravel mining and other factors on detection probabilities of Coastal Plain Fishes in the Mobile River Basin, Alabama. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.
Population Demographics of Hiodon tergisus (Mooneye) in the Lower Tallapoosa River. Southeastern Naturalist 6:461-470.
Peterson, J., C. Moore, S. Wenger, K. Kennedy, E. Irwin, and M. Freeman. 2007. Adaptive management applied to aquatic natural resources. Chapter 6.4 in Proceedings of the 2007 Georgia Water Resources Conference, March 27-29, Athens.
Jeff Boxrucker & Elise Irwin (2002) Challenges of Crappie Management Continuing into the 21st Century, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 22:4, 1334-1339, DOI: 10.1577/1548-8675(2002)022<1334:COCMCI>2.0.CO;2
Buckmeier, D. L., E. R. Irwin, R. K. Betsill and J. A. Prentice. 2002. Validity of otoliths and pectoral spines for estimating ages of channel catfish. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 22:934-942.
Irwin, E. R., and M. C. Freeman. 2002. A proposal for adaptive maqnagement to conserve biotic integrity in a regulated segment of the Tallapoosa River, Alabama (U. S. A. ). Conservation Biology 16:1212-1222
Ferrara, A. M., and E. R. Irwin. 2001. A standardized procedure for internal sex identification in Lepisostidae. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 21:530-535.
Freeman, M. C., Z. Bowen, K. Bovee and E. Irwin. 2001. Flow and habitat effects on juvenile fish abundance in natural and altered flow regimes. Ecological Applications 2001:179-190.
Henry, T. B., E. R. Irwin, J. M. Grizzle, W. G. Brumbaugh and M. L. Wildhaber. 2001. Gill lesions and death of bluegill in an acid mine drainage mixing zone. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 20:1304-1311.
Buckmeier, D. L., and E. R. Irwin. 2000. An evaluation of soft visual implant tag retention and anchor tag retention in channel catfish. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 20:296-299.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.