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Dawn Elaine Dittman, PhD

Dawn Dittman is a Research Ecologist based in Cortland, NY. 

Professional Experience

  • 1999-Present Research Ecologist, USGS - Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science

  • 1992-1998 Research Specialist & Laboratory Manager, Marine Ecology
    University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Zoology

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. (Zoology, Aquatic Ecology), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1998

  • M.S. (Marine Biology), California State University-Los Angeles, 1987

  • B.S. (Zoology), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1983

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • American Fisheries Society, Parent and New York Chapter

  • Society for Freshwater Science

  • International Association for Great Lakes Research

Science and Products

Acoustically tagged Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) of the Genesee River, 2019-2020

Acoustic telemetry is an effective tool for the study of fish survivorship and habitat use. Fish are tagged with acoustic tags and presence data is collected with stationary receivers. This data set contains a total of 69 hatchery tagged juvenile Lake Sturgeon released into the Genesee River, NY in the Fall of 2019 and 2020, along with data for 30 sub-adult Lake Sturgeon field tagged in...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Assessment of Released Lake Sturgeon in the Genesee River, NY: 2003-2023

In 2003, a lake sturgeon reintroduction experiment was initiated in the Genesee River, NY. Young-of-year hatchery-reared lake sturgeon were released over multiple years. An assessment of the presence of lake sturgeon was done by systematic gill netting using monofilament nets. This data release is the lake sturgeon catch information collected during the systematic gill netting from 2003...
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Multimedia related to this scientist

Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayuga Lake.
Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayu
Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayu
Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayuga Lake.

Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayu

Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayu

Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayuga Lake.

By
Great Lakes Science Center
Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayuga Lake.

Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayu

Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayu

Staff from NYSDEC and volunteers release 2,500 lake sturgeon into Cayuga Lake.

By
Great Lakes Science Center
Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery
Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery
Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery
Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

By
Great Lakes Science Center
Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

Volunteers mark lake sturgeon at the NYSDEC Oneida Hatchery

By
Great Lakes Science Center
A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York waters in 2016.
A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York wat
A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York wat
A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York waters in 2016.

A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York wat

A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York wat

NYS DEC Oneida Fish Hatchery; native species; Restoration Ecology; Tunison Lab Aquatic Sciences; New York; Lake sturgeon; Dawn Dittman USGS; fingerling; 43.21988, -77.61486; Lake sturgeon implanted with radio chip and tagged with yellow floy tag; 

By
Great Lakes Science Center
A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York waters in 2016.

A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York wat

A tagged fingerling lake sturgeon prepared for release in New York wat

NYS DEC Oneida Fish Hatchery; native species; Restoration Ecology; Tunison Lab Aquatic Sciences; New York; Lake sturgeon; Dawn Dittman USGS; fingerling; 43.21988, -77.61486; Lake sturgeon implanted with radio chip and tagged with yellow floy tag; 

By
Great Lakes Science Center
Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag
Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag
Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag
Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag

Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag

Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag

A juvenile lake sturgeon with an anchor tag at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Oneida Fish Hatchery.

By
Great Lakes Science Center
Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag

Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag

Juvenile Lake Sturgeon with Anchor Tag

A juvenile lake sturgeon with an anchor tag at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Oneida Fish Hatchery.

By
Great Lakes Science Center

Publications by this scientist

Filter Total Items: 20

Spawning habitat selection and egg deposition by reintroduced Lake Sturgeon in a tributary to Cayuga Lake, NY

In June 2017, we documented the first observed spawning event by a reintroduced population of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Fall Creek, a tributary to Cayuga Lake, New York, USA. This is the first observed spawning encounter of adult Lake Sturgeon since the beginning of the multi-agency Lake Sturgeon restoration effort in Cayuga Lake initiated in 1995 by the New York State...
Authors
Dawn E. Dittman, Marc Chalupnicki, Phyllis Randall, Emily C. Zollweg‐Horan
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Summer Diet of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon Reintroduced into the Genesee and St. Regis Rivers, New York USA

The restoration of threatened species involves understanding multiple aspects of the life history and ecology of the target species. One important consideration in the restoration of threatened species is feeding ecology. We examined the summer diet of reintroduced juvenile lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the Genesee (n = 119, ages 1 and 2) and the St. Regis rivers (n = 40, ages...
Authors
Dawn E. Dittman, Marc Chalupnicki
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Nearshore fish community

Lake Ontario’s nearshore fish community consists of a diverse assemblage of warm- and cool-water species. The “nearshore zone,” loosely separated from the “offshore zones” by the 15-m depth contour, consists of complex habitats spanning a gamut from vast open-coastal areas to sheltered embayments and wetlands. Lake Ontario’s nearshore habitat has been affected to varying degrees by human...
Authors
James A. Hoyle, Michael J. Connerton, Dawn E. Dittman, Dimitry Gorsky, Jana R. Lantry, Alastair Mathers, Scott L. Schlueter, Maureen Walsh, Brian Weidel, Michael J. Yuille
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Microhabitat and biology of Sphaerium striatinum in a central New York stream

In many lotic systems, drastic declines in freshwater bivalve populations, including fingernail clams (Sphaeriidae), have created concerns about biodiversity and future ecosystem services. We examined the local occurrence of the historically common fingernail clam, Sphaerium striatinum, in a central New York stream. We sampled the density of sphaeriids and measured the associated habitat...
Authors
Dawn E. Dittman, James H. Johnson, Christopher C. Nack
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Simulation of rapid ecological change in Lake Ontario

Lower trophic level processes are integral to proper functioning of large aquatic ecosystems and have been disturbed in Lake Ontario by various stressors including exotic species. The invasion of benthic habitats by dreissenid mussels has led to systemic changes and native faunal declines. Size-dependent physiological rates, spatial differences and connectivity, competition, and...
Authors
James Duncan Mckenna, Marc Chalupnicki, Dawn E. Dittman, James M. Watkins
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

North American sturgeon otolith morphology

Accurate expedient species identification of deceased sturgeon (Acipenseridae) when external physical characteristic analysis is inconclusive has become a high priority due to the endangered or threatened status of sturgeon species around the world. Examination of otoliths has provided useful information to aid in population management, age and size-class analysis, understanding predator...
Authors
Marc Chalupnicki, Dawn E. Dittman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Alternative method of removing otoliths from sturgeon

Extracting the otoliths (ear bones) from fish that have very thick skulls can be difficult and very time consuming. The common practice of making a transverse vertical incision on the top of the skull with a hand or electrical saw may damage the otolith if not performed correctly. Sturgeons (Acipenseridae) are one family in particular that have a very large and thick skull. A new...
Authors
Marc Chalupnicki, Dawn E. Dittman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Reintroduction of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) into the St. Regis River, NY: Post-release assessment of habitat use and growth

One of the depleted endemic fish species of the Great Lakes, Acipenser fulvescens (Lake Sturgeon), has been the target of extensive conservation efforts. One strategy is reintroduction into historically productive waters. The St. Regis River, NY, represents one such adaptive-management effort, with shared management between New York and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. Between 1998 and 2004...
Authors
Dawn E. Dittman, Marc Chalupnicki, James H. Johnson, James R. Snyder
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Efficacy of iodine for disinfection of Lake Sturgeon eggs from the St. Lawrence River, New York

Optimal fish husbandry to reduce the risk of disease is particularly important when using wild fish as the source for gametes. The propagation and reestablishment of Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in New York waters to become a viable self-sustaining population is considered a high priority by managers. While standard hatchery egg disinfection practices have been used to prevent the...
Authors
Marc Chalupnicki, Dawn E. Dittman, Clifford E. Starliper, Deborah Iwanowicz
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

An investigation of the bactericidal activity of selected essential oils to Aeromonas spp.

Diseases of fishes caused by Aeromonas spp. are common, have broad host ranges and may cause high mortality. Treatments of captive-reared populations using antimicrobials are limited with concerns for bacterial resistance development and environmental dissemination. This study was done to determine whether selected plant-derived essential oils were bactericidal to Aeromonas spp...
Authors
Clifford E. Starliper, H. George Ketola, Andrew D. Noyes, William B. Schill, Fred G. Henson, Marc Chalupnicki, Dawn E. Dittman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center

Interactions between invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomous) and fantail darters (Etheostoma flabellare) in a tributary of the St. Lawrence River, New York, USA

The initial, rapid expansion of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) throughout the Great Lakes drainage was largely confined to lentic systems. We recently observed round gobies ascending two tributaries of the St. Lawrence River. The expansion of gobies into small lotic environments may place ecologically similar species at risk. Fantail darter (Etheostoma flabellare) is...
Authors
Ross Abbett, Emily M. Waldt, James H. Johnson, James Duncan Mckenna, Dawn E. Dittman
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Fall diel diet composition of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York, USA

American eel (Anguilla rostrata), a once common species, is now in decline throughout much of its native range in North America. There is little information on the role of American eel in river food webs. A better understanding of the diet and ecological role of American eel will help in the conservation of this important species. During autumn 2009, eel and aquatic invertebrate samples...
Authors
Emily M. Waldt, Ross Abbett, James H. Johnson, Dawn E. Dittman, James Duncan Mckenna
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Dittman, D. E., S.E. Ford and H.H. Haskin (1998) Growth differences in oysters, Crassostrea virginica, from different estuaries. Marine Biology 132: 461-469.
Dittman, D.E. and C.D. Robles (1991) Effect of algal epiphytes on the mussel Mytilus californianus (Conrad). Ecology. 72:286-296.

**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.

News about this scientist

GLSC Contributes to American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting

GLSC Contributes to American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting

Annual American Fishery Society meeting presentations

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Dittman Featured In NYS DEC Press Release On Progress In Lake Sturgeon Recovery

Dittman Featured In NYS DEC Press Release On Progress In Lake Sturgeon Recovery

Crucial metrics in the 2018 Lake Sturgeon Recovery Plan for New York State

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McKenna, Dittman Present at New York AFS Annual Meeting

McKenna, Dittman Present at New York AFS Annual Meeting

Presentation to the New York Chapter of the American Fisheries Society

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Tracking Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon in the Cayuga-Seneca Canal System

Tracking Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon in the Cayuga-Seneca Canal System

Tracking Movement in a New York State Lake Sturgeon Recovery Plan Critical Habitat

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New York Lake Sturgeon meeting

New York Lake Sturgeon meeting

Dawn Dittman and Marc Chalupnicki will attend New York Lake Sturgeon Working Group meeting on February 21, 2019.

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Dawn Dittman supports NYSDEC lake sturgeon release

Dawn Dittman supports NYSDEC lake sturgeon release

Research Ecologist Dawn Dittman (GLSC, Cortland, New York) participated as a partner in this year’s release of hatchery reared lake sturgeon on...

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Science and Products

*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

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