Abigail J. Lynch, Ph.D.
Abigail (Abby) J. Lynch is a Research Fish Biologist with the USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center. Abby conducts science and science syntheses on the impacts of global change to inland fishes at local, national, and global scales. Her work aims to inform conservation and sustainable use and to help fishers, managers, and other practitioners adapt to change.
Collaborative Networks
Collaborative Networks
Abby leads the National CASC's aquatics program and co-leads the CASC Fish Research Team. She is adjunct/affiliate faculty at Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, the University of Florida, and the University of Missouri.
She serves as the coordinator for the international 'InFish' research network, a steward for the Fish and Climate Change Database (FiCli), and an Associate Editor for Fisheries Management and Ecology.
Abby received her Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University on climate impacts to Great Lakes Lake Whitefish, M.S. in marine science on Atlantic Menhaden population genetics at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, and B.S. in biology and B.A. in English literature from the University of Virginia. She also served as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Fisheries Program.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University
M.S. in Marine Science, College of William & Mary
B.S. in Biology, University of Virginia
B.A. in English, University of Virginia
Affiliations and Memberships*
IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group; IUCN Fisheries Expert Group
IPBES Global and Nexus Assessments (Fellow, Author)
2024 World Fisheries Congress International Program Committee (Co-chair)
UN International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (International Steering Committee)
FAO International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability (Advisory Board Member)
American Fisheries Society International Fisheries Section (Past-President)
Honors and Awards
Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Michigan State University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 38
Filter Total Items: 98
Creel surveys for social-ecological systems focused fisheries management
Recreational fisheries are social-ecological systems (SES), and knowledge of human dimensions coupled with ecology are critically needed to understand their system dynamics. Creel surveys, which typically occur in-person and on-site, serve as an important tool for informing fisheries management. Recreational fisheries creel data have the potential to inform large-scale understanding of social and
Authors
Chelsey L. Nieman, Carolyn Iwicki, Abigail Lynch, Greg G. Sass, Christopher T. Solomon, Ashley Trudeau, Brett van Poorten
Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of life-history variability for a south-western cutthroat trout
The impacts of climate change on cold-water fishes will likely negatively manifest in populations at the trailing edge of their distributions. Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis, RGCT) occupy arid south-western U.S. streams at the southern-most edge of all cutthroat trout distributions, making RGCT particularly vulnerable to the anticipated warming and drying in this regio
Authors
Brock M. Huntsman, Colleen A. Caldwell, Abigail Lynch, Fitsum Abadi
A global perspective on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on freshwater fish biodiversity
The COVID-19 global pandemic and resulting effects on the economy and society (e.g., sheltering-in-place, alterations in transportation, changes in consumer behaviour, loss of employment) have yielded some benefits and risks to biodiversity. Here, we considered the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced (or may influence) freshwater fish biodiversity (e.g., richness, abundance). In many cases,
Authors
Steve J. Cooke, William M. Twardek, Abigail Lynch, Ian G. Cowx, Julian D. Olden, Simon Funge-Smith, Kai Lorenzen, Robert Arlinghaus, Yushen Chen, Olaf L. F. Weyl, Elizabeth A. Nyboer, Paulo S. Pompeu, Stephanie M. Carlson, John D. Koehn, Adrian C. Pinder, Rajeev Raghavan, Sui C. Phang, Aaron A. Koning, William W. Taylor, Devin M. Bartley, J. Robert Britton
Is there enough water? How bearish and bullish outlooks are linked to decision-maker perspectives on environmental flows
Policies that mandate environmental flows (e-flows) can be powerful tools for freshwater conservation, but implementation of these policies faces many hurdles. To better understand these challenges, we explored two key questions: (1) What additional data are needed to implement e-flows? and (2) What are the major socio-political barriers to implementing e-flows? We surveyed water and natural resou
Authors
Sean M. Wineland, Rachel Fovargue, Betsey York, Abigail Lynch, Craig Paukert, Thomas M. Neeson
COVID-19 pandemic impacts on global inland fisheries
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to environmental recovery in some ecosystems from a global “anthropause,” yet such evidence for natural resources with extraction or production value (e.g., fisheries) is limited. This brief report provides a data-driven global snapshot of expert-perceived impacts of COVID-19 on inland fisheries. We distributed an online survey assessing perceptions of inland fishery
Authors
Gretchen L. Stokes, Abigail Lynch, Benjamin S. Lowe, Simon Funge-Smith, John Valbo-Jorgensen, Samuel J. Smidt
Lessons for leaders: The difference between good and great
No abstract available.
Authors
T. Douglas Beard,, Abigail Lynch
Fishing for food: Quantifying recreational fisheries harvest in Wisconsin lakes
Recreational fisheries have high economic worth, valued at US$190 billion globally. An important, but underappreciated, secondary value of recreational catch is its role as a source of food. This contribution is poorly understood due to difficulty in estimating recreational harvest at spatial scales beyond a single system, as traditionally estimated from individual creel surveys. Here, we address
Authors
Holly Embke, T. Douglas Beard,, Abigail Lynch, Vander Zanden
Effects of climate and land-use changes on fish catches across lakes at a global scale
Globally, our knowledge on lake fisheries is still limited despite their importance to food security and livelihoods. Here we show that fish catches can respond either positively or negatively to climate and land-use changes, by analyzing time-series data (1970–2014) for 31 lakes across five continents. We find that effects of a climate or land-use driver (e.g., air temperature) on lake environmen
Authors
Y. Kao, Mark W. Rogers, David Bunnell, I. G. Cowx, S. S. Qian, O. Anneville, T. Douglas Beard,, A. Brinker, J. R. Britton, R. Chura-Crusz, N. J. Gownaris, J. R. Jackson, K. Kangur, J. Kolding, A.A. Lukin, Abigail Lynch, N. Mercado-Silva, R. Moncayo-Estrada, F. J. Njaya, I. Ostrovsky, L.G. Rudstam, A. L. E. Sandström, Y. Sato, Humberto Siguayro-Mamani, A. Thorpe, P. A. M. van Zwieten, P. Volta, Y. Q. Wang, A. Weiperth, O. L. F. Weyl, Joelle D. Young
Do empirical observations support commonly-held climate change range shift hypotheses? A systematic review protocol
Background
Among the most widely anticipated climate-related impacts to biodiversity are geographic range shifts, whereby species shift their spatial distribution in response to changing climate conditions. In particular, a series of commonly articulated hypotheses have emerged: species are expected to shift their distributions to higher latitudes, greater elevations, and deeper depths in respon
Authors
Madeleine A. Rubenstein, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Shawn Carter, Mitchell Eaton, Ciara Johnson, Abigail Lynch, Brian W. Miller, Toni Lyn Morelli, Mari Angel Rodriguez, Adam Terando, Laura Thompson
Inland fish and fisheries integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Inland fish provide food for billions and livelihoods for millions of people worldwide and are integral to effective freshwater ecosystem function, yet the recognition of these services is notably absent in development discussions and policies, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How might the SDGs be enhanced if inland fishery services were integrated into policies an
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Vittoria Elliott, Sui C. Phang, Julie E. Claussen, Ian Harrison, Karen J. Murchie, E. Ashley Steel, Gretchen L. Stokes
FiCli, the Fish and Climate Change Database, informs climate adaptation and management for freshwater fishes
Inland fishes provide important ecosystem services to communities worldwide and are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Fish respond to climate change in diverse and nuanced ways, which creates challenges for practitioners of fish conservation, climate change adaptation, and management. Although climate change is known to affect fish globally, a comprehensive online, public dat
Authors
Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, Bonnie Jean Evaline Myers, Jesse Wong, Cindy Chu, Ralph W. III Tingley, Jeffrey A. Falke, Thomas J. Kwak, Craig P. Paukert, Abigail Lynch
InFish: A professional network to promote global conservation and responsible use of inland fish
Inland fishes and fisheries make substantial contributions to individuals, society, and the environment in a changing global landscape that includes climate, water allocations, and societal changes. However, current limitations to valuing the services provided by inland fish and their fisheries often leaves them out of key decision‐making discussions. InFish is a voluntary professional network wit
Authors
Abigail J Lynch, Devin M. Bartley, T. Douglas Beard,, David Bunnell, Steve J. Cooke, Ian. G. Cowx, Simon Funge-Smith, Craig Paukert, Mark W. Rogers, William W. Taylor
Filter Total Items: 21
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 38
Filter Total Items: 98
Creel surveys for social-ecological systems focused fisheries management
Recreational fisheries are social-ecological systems (SES), and knowledge of human dimensions coupled with ecology are critically needed to understand their system dynamics. Creel surveys, which typically occur in-person and on-site, serve as an important tool for informing fisheries management. Recreational fisheries creel data have the potential to inform large-scale understanding of social and
Authors
Chelsey L. Nieman, Carolyn Iwicki, Abigail Lynch, Greg G. Sass, Christopher T. Solomon, Ashley Trudeau, Brett van Poorten
Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of life-history variability for a south-western cutthroat trout
The impacts of climate change on cold-water fishes will likely negatively manifest in populations at the trailing edge of their distributions. Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis, RGCT) occupy arid south-western U.S. streams at the southern-most edge of all cutthroat trout distributions, making RGCT particularly vulnerable to the anticipated warming and drying in this regio
Authors
Brock M. Huntsman, Colleen A. Caldwell, Abigail Lynch, Fitsum Abadi
A global perspective on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on freshwater fish biodiversity
The COVID-19 global pandemic and resulting effects on the economy and society (e.g., sheltering-in-place, alterations in transportation, changes in consumer behaviour, loss of employment) have yielded some benefits and risks to biodiversity. Here, we considered the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced (or may influence) freshwater fish biodiversity (e.g., richness, abundance). In many cases,
Authors
Steve J. Cooke, William M. Twardek, Abigail Lynch, Ian G. Cowx, Julian D. Olden, Simon Funge-Smith, Kai Lorenzen, Robert Arlinghaus, Yushen Chen, Olaf L. F. Weyl, Elizabeth A. Nyboer, Paulo S. Pompeu, Stephanie M. Carlson, John D. Koehn, Adrian C. Pinder, Rajeev Raghavan, Sui C. Phang, Aaron A. Koning, William W. Taylor, Devin M. Bartley, J. Robert Britton
Is there enough water? How bearish and bullish outlooks are linked to decision-maker perspectives on environmental flows
Policies that mandate environmental flows (e-flows) can be powerful tools for freshwater conservation, but implementation of these policies faces many hurdles. To better understand these challenges, we explored two key questions: (1) What additional data are needed to implement e-flows? and (2) What are the major socio-political barriers to implementing e-flows? We surveyed water and natural resou
Authors
Sean M. Wineland, Rachel Fovargue, Betsey York, Abigail Lynch, Craig Paukert, Thomas M. Neeson
COVID-19 pandemic impacts on global inland fisheries
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to environmental recovery in some ecosystems from a global “anthropause,” yet such evidence for natural resources with extraction or production value (e.g., fisheries) is limited. This brief report provides a data-driven global snapshot of expert-perceived impacts of COVID-19 on inland fisheries. We distributed an online survey assessing perceptions of inland fishery
Authors
Gretchen L. Stokes, Abigail Lynch, Benjamin S. Lowe, Simon Funge-Smith, John Valbo-Jorgensen, Samuel J. Smidt
Lessons for leaders: The difference between good and great
No abstract available.
Authors
T. Douglas Beard,, Abigail Lynch
Fishing for food: Quantifying recreational fisheries harvest in Wisconsin lakes
Recreational fisheries have high economic worth, valued at US$190 billion globally. An important, but underappreciated, secondary value of recreational catch is its role as a source of food. This contribution is poorly understood due to difficulty in estimating recreational harvest at spatial scales beyond a single system, as traditionally estimated from individual creel surveys. Here, we address
Authors
Holly Embke, T. Douglas Beard,, Abigail Lynch, Vander Zanden
Effects of climate and land-use changes on fish catches across lakes at a global scale
Globally, our knowledge on lake fisheries is still limited despite their importance to food security and livelihoods. Here we show that fish catches can respond either positively or negatively to climate and land-use changes, by analyzing time-series data (1970–2014) for 31 lakes across five continents. We find that effects of a climate or land-use driver (e.g., air temperature) on lake environmen
Authors
Y. Kao, Mark W. Rogers, David Bunnell, I. G. Cowx, S. S. Qian, O. Anneville, T. Douglas Beard,, A. Brinker, J. R. Britton, R. Chura-Crusz, N. J. Gownaris, J. R. Jackson, K. Kangur, J. Kolding, A.A. Lukin, Abigail Lynch, N. Mercado-Silva, R. Moncayo-Estrada, F. J. Njaya, I. Ostrovsky, L.G. Rudstam, A. L. E. Sandström, Y. Sato, Humberto Siguayro-Mamani, A. Thorpe, P. A. M. van Zwieten, P. Volta, Y. Q. Wang, A. Weiperth, O. L. F. Weyl, Joelle D. Young
Do empirical observations support commonly-held climate change range shift hypotheses? A systematic review protocol
Background
Among the most widely anticipated climate-related impacts to biodiversity are geographic range shifts, whereby species shift their spatial distribution in response to changing climate conditions. In particular, a series of commonly articulated hypotheses have emerged: species are expected to shift their distributions to higher latitudes, greater elevations, and deeper depths in respon
Authors
Madeleine A. Rubenstein, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Shawn Carter, Mitchell Eaton, Ciara Johnson, Abigail Lynch, Brian W. Miller, Toni Lyn Morelli, Mari Angel Rodriguez, Adam Terando, Laura Thompson
Inland fish and fisheries integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Inland fish provide food for billions and livelihoods for millions of people worldwide and are integral to effective freshwater ecosystem function, yet the recognition of these services is notably absent in development discussions and policies, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How might the SDGs be enhanced if inland fishery services were integrated into policies an
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Vittoria Elliott, Sui C. Phang, Julie E. Claussen, Ian Harrison, Karen J. Murchie, E. Ashley Steel, Gretchen L. Stokes
FiCli, the Fish and Climate Change Database, informs climate adaptation and management for freshwater fishes
Inland fishes provide important ecosystem services to communities worldwide and are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Fish respond to climate change in diverse and nuanced ways, which creates challenges for practitioners of fish conservation, climate change adaptation, and management. Although climate change is known to affect fish globally, a comprehensive online, public dat
Authors
Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, Bonnie Jean Evaline Myers, Jesse Wong, Cindy Chu, Ralph W. III Tingley, Jeffrey A. Falke, Thomas J. Kwak, Craig P. Paukert, Abigail Lynch
InFish: A professional network to promote global conservation and responsible use of inland fish
Inland fishes and fisheries make substantial contributions to individuals, society, and the environment in a changing global landscape that includes climate, water allocations, and societal changes. However, current limitations to valuing the services provided by inland fish and their fisheries often leaves them out of key decision‐making discussions. InFish is a voluntary professional network wit
Authors
Abigail J Lynch, Devin M. Bartley, T. Douglas Beard,, David Bunnell, Steve J. Cooke, Ian. G. Cowx, Simon Funge-Smith, Craig Paukert, Mark W. Rogers, William W. Taylor
Filter Total Items: 21
*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