Theodore Castro-Santos
Research Ecologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center's S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center in Turners Falls, MA
Human activities have caused extensive fragmentation of riverine corridors. Dams, culverts, and other barriers prevent migratory and riverine fishes from accessing key habitats. This is particularly problematic for diadromous fishes like Atlantic salmon and American shad that must transition between fresh- and saltwater habitats in order to complete their life cycles. Swimming performance and behavioral responses to hydraulic conditions (turbulence, velocity, etc.) are major interests, as is development of quantitative methods for identifying and characterizing barriers. This work has broad relevance, not only to stewardship and management of aquatic resources, but also to understanding fundamental aspects of the ecology and evolution of fishes. Some current projects include:
- Sprint-swimming performance of migratory and riverine species
- Effects of turbulence on swimming performance, biomechanics, and behavior
- Modeling fish passage through culverts
- Bioenergetics models of anadromous fish migration
Professional Experience
US Geological Survey (1995-present)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1992-1995)
Education and Certifications
PhD Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; University of Massachusetts Amherst (2002)
MS Wildlife Biology Washington State University (1991)
BA Colgate University (1987)
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Science and Products
Modeling migratory energetics of Connecticut River American shad (Alosa sapidissima): implications for the conservation of an iteroparous anadromous fish
Fish guidance and passage at barriers
Three-dimensional movement of silver-phase American eels in the forebay of a small hydroelectric facility
Biomechanics and fisheries conservation
Modeling the effect of varying swim speeds on fish passage through velocity barriers
Optimal swim speeds for traversing velocity barriers: An analysis of volitional high-speed swimming behavior of migratory fishes
Quantifying the combined effects of attempt rate and swimming capacity on passage through velocity barriers
Swimming performance of upstream migrant fishes in open-channel flow: A new approach to predicting passage through velocity barriers
Quantifying migratory delay: A new application of survival analysis
Simulated effects of hydroelectric project regulation on mortality of American eels
Swimming performance of upstream migrant fishes: New methods, new perspectives
Evaluation of the effects of turbulence on the behaviour of migratory fish
Science and Products
Modeling migratory energetics of Connecticut River American shad (Alosa sapidissima): implications for the conservation of an iteroparous anadromous fish
Fish guidance and passage at barriers
Three-dimensional movement of silver-phase American eels in the forebay of a small hydroelectric facility
Biomechanics and fisheries conservation
Modeling the effect of varying swim speeds on fish passage through velocity barriers
Optimal swim speeds for traversing velocity barriers: An analysis of volitional high-speed swimming behavior of migratory fishes
Quantifying the combined effects of attempt rate and swimming capacity on passage through velocity barriers
Swimming performance of upstream migrant fishes in open-channel flow: A new approach to predicting passage through velocity barriers
Quantifying migratory delay: A new application of survival analysis
Simulated effects of hydroelectric project regulation on mortality of American eels
Swimming performance of upstream migrant fishes: New methods, new perspectives
Evaluation of the effects of turbulence on the behaviour of migratory fish
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government