Kevin L. Pope, PhD
Deputy Chief - Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Research Interests
Complex Social-Ecological Systems, with emphasis on inland recreational fisheries
Professional Experience
Deputy Chief, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Headquarters, 2024-
Unit Leader, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2019-2024
Assistant Unit Leader, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2005-2019
Education and Certifications
Ph D South Dakota State University 1996
MS Auburn University 1993
BS Texas A&M University 1991
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 65
Ecosystem-specific growth responses to climate pattern by a temperate freshwater fish
Somatic growth patterns among animal populations are maintained through complex processes that vary among ecosystems. Changes in growth patterns may be concomitant with changes in climate; however, understanding how growth will manifest among ecosystems is limited. Information embedded within fish hard-parts (i.e., otoliths, spines, vertebrae) can account for variation in growth patterns resulting
Authors
Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope, Lin Xie
Resilience management for conservation of inland recreational fisheries
Resilience thinking has generated much interest among scientific communities, yet most resilience concepts have not materialized into management applications. We believe that using resilience concepts to characterize systems and the social and ecological processes affecting them is a way to integrate resilience into better management decisions. This situation is exemplified by inland recreational
Authors
E. V. Camp, M. A. Kaemingk, R. N. M. Ahrens, W. M. Potts, W. E. Pine, O. L. F Weyl, Kevin L. Pope
Coerced regimes: Management challenges in the Anthropocene
Management frequently creates system conditions that poorly mimic the conditions of a desirable self-organizing regime. Such management is ubiquitous across complex systems of people and nature and will likely intensify as these systems face rapid change. However, it is highly uncertain whether the costs (unintended consequences, including negative side effects) of management but also social dynam
Authors
D. G. Angeler, B. C. Chaffin, S. M. Sundstrom, A. S. Garmestani, Kevin L. Pope, D. R. Uden, D. Twidwell, Craig R. Allen
Spatial and temporal behavioral differences between angler-access types
Recreational angler surveys typically collect information on how anglers access a fishery. Yet, it is unclear how this information is useful for fisheries management and conservation. The objective of this study was to compare behavior (e.g., party size, time fished, and numbers of fish released and harvested) of bank and boat anglers, representing two angler-access types. Bank and boat anglers we
Authors
D. S. Kane, Mark A Kaemingk, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
Public access for pheasant hunters: Understanding an emerging need
Ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus; i.e., pheasant) hunting participation is declining across North America, reflecting a larger downward trend in American hunting participation and threatening benefits to grassland conservation and rural economies. To stabilize and expand the pheasant hunting population, we must first identify factors that influence pheasant hunter participation. We used a
Authors
L.S. Wszola, A.L. Madsen, E.F. Stuber, Christopher J. Chizinski, J.J. Lusk, J.S. Taylor, Kevin L. Pope, Joseph J. Fontaine
Exit here: Strategies for dealing with aging dams and reservoirs
Aging infrastructure is prevalent throughout the world but water control management structures, specifically dams are of growing concern. Dams and their corresponding reservoirs have inherent, but separate, lifespans. The proportion of dams around the world that continue operation beyond their intended lifespans is growing at an alarming rate. Society will not only have to navigate the tradeoffs a
Authors
Henry H. Hansen, Emily Forzono, Alisha Grams, Lindsay Ohlman, Christine Ruskcamp, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope
Ecosystem size predicts social dynamics in recreational fisheries
Recreational fisheries are complex adaptive systems that are inherently difficult to manage due to a heterogeneous user group (consumptive vs. non-consumptive) that utilize patchily distributed resources on the landscape (lakes, rivers, coastlines). There is a need to identify which system components can effectively predict and be used to manage nonlinear and cross-scale dynamics within these sys
Authors
M. A. Kaemingk, C. J. Chizinski, Craig R. Allen, Kevin L. Pope
Harvest–release decisions in recreational fisheries
Most fishery regulations aim to control angler harvest. Yet, we lack a basic understanding of what actually determines the angler’s decision to harvest or release fish caught. We used XGBoost, a machine learning algorithm, to develop a predictive angler harvest–release model by taking advantage of an extensive recreational fishery data set (24 water bodies, 9 years, and 193 523 fish). We were able
Authors
Mark A Kaemingk, Keith L. Hurley, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
Age-0 walleye Sander vitreus display length-dependent diet shift to piscivory
The ontogenetic diet shift to piscivory can be energetically beneficial for fish growth and allows larger, more energetically profitable prey to be consumed. A shift to piscivory may be easier for longer individuals within a cohort due to larger gape size, and an early shift is likely advantageous, potentially leading to increased growth rates and survival. Such length-dependent ontogenetic diet s
Authors
C. S. Uphoff, C. W. Schoenebeck, K. D. Koupal, Kevin L. Pope, W. W. Hoback
The future of recreational fisheries: Advances in science, monitoring, management, and practice
Recreational fisheries (RF) are complex social-ecological systems that play an important role in aquatic environments while generating significant social and economic benefits around the world. The nature of RF is diverse and rapidly evolving, including the participants, their priorities and behaviors, and the related ecological impacts and social and economic benefits. RF can lead to negative eco
Authors
J. W. Brownscombe, K. Hyder, W. M. Potts, K. V. Wilson, Kevin L. Pope, A. J. Danylchuk, S. J. Cooke, Adrian Clarke, R. Arlinghaus, J. R. Postel
Synchrony — An emergent property of recreational fisheries
Recreational fisheries are traditionally managed at local scales, but more effective management could be achieved using a cross‐scale approach. To do this, we must first understand how local processes scale up to influence landscape patterns between anglers and resources. We highlight how population‐based synchrony methods, used in conjunction with a complex‐adaptive‐systems framework, can reveal
Authors
Kevin L. Pope
Thermal tolerance limits of the Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis): Implications for management
The Chinese mystery snail, Bellamya chinensis (Gray, 1834) is a gastropod native to East Asia and is considered an invasive species in North America where its impacts on native species and ecosystems are not well understood. Scientific literature describing its biology and life history are sparse. Thermal tolerance limits, or the maximum and minimum temperature under which a species can survive, a
Authors
Jessica L. Burnett, Kevin L. Pope, Alec Wong, Craig R. Allen, Danielle M. Haak, Bruce J. Stephen, Daniel R. Uden
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 65
Ecosystem-specific growth responses to climate pattern by a temperate freshwater fish
Somatic growth patterns among animal populations are maintained through complex processes that vary among ecosystems. Changes in growth patterns may be concomitant with changes in climate; however, understanding how growth will manifest among ecosystems is limited. Information embedded within fish hard-parts (i.e., otoliths, spines, vertebrae) can account for variation in growth patterns resulting
Authors
Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope, Lin Xie
Resilience management for conservation of inland recreational fisheries
Resilience thinking has generated much interest among scientific communities, yet most resilience concepts have not materialized into management applications. We believe that using resilience concepts to characterize systems and the social and ecological processes affecting them is a way to integrate resilience into better management decisions. This situation is exemplified by inland recreational
Authors
E. V. Camp, M. A. Kaemingk, R. N. M. Ahrens, W. M. Potts, W. E. Pine, O. L. F Weyl, Kevin L. Pope
Coerced regimes: Management challenges in the Anthropocene
Management frequently creates system conditions that poorly mimic the conditions of a desirable self-organizing regime. Such management is ubiquitous across complex systems of people and nature and will likely intensify as these systems face rapid change. However, it is highly uncertain whether the costs (unintended consequences, including negative side effects) of management but also social dynam
Authors
D. G. Angeler, B. C. Chaffin, S. M. Sundstrom, A. S. Garmestani, Kevin L. Pope, D. R. Uden, D. Twidwell, Craig R. Allen
Spatial and temporal behavioral differences between angler-access types
Recreational angler surveys typically collect information on how anglers access a fishery. Yet, it is unclear how this information is useful for fisheries management and conservation. The objective of this study was to compare behavior (e.g., party size, time fished, and numbers of fish released and harvested) of bank and boat anglers, representing two angler-access types. Bank and boat anglers we
Authors
D. S. Kane, Mark A Kaemingk, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
Public access for pheasant hunters: Understanding an emerging need
Ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus; i.e., pheasant) hunting participation is declining across North America, reflecting a larger downward trend in American hunting participation and threatening benefits to grassland conservation and rural economies. To stabilize and expand the pheasant hunting population, we must first identify factors that influence pheasant hunter participation. We used a
Authors
L.S. Wszola, A.L. Madsen, E.F. Stuber, Christopher J. Chizinski, J.J. Lusk, J.S. Taylor, Kevin L. Pope, Joseph J. Fontaine
Exit here: Strategies for dealing with aging dams and reservoirs
Aging infrastructure is prevalent throughout the world but water control management structures, specifically dams are of growing concern. Dams and their corresponding reservoirs have inherent, but separate, lifespans. The proportion of dams around the world that continue operation beyond their intended lifespans is growing at an alarming rate. Society will not only have to navigate the tradeoffs a
Authors
Henry H. Hansen, Emily Forzono, Alisha Grams, Lindsay Ohlman, Christine Ruskcamp, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope
Ecosystem size predicts social dynamics in recreational fisheries
Recreational fisheries are complex adaptive systems that are inherently difficult to manage due to a heterogeneous user group (consumptive vs. non-consumptive) that utilize patchily distributed resources on the landscape (lakes, rivers, coastlines). There is a need to identify which system components can effectively predict and be used to manage nonlinear and cross-scale dynamics within these sys
Authors
M. A. Kaemingk, C. J. Chizinski, Craig R. Allen, Kevin L. Pope
Harvest–release decisions in recreational fisheries
Most fishery regulations aim to control angler harvest. Yet, we lack a basic understanding of what actually determines the angler’s decision to harvest or release fish caught. We used XGBoost, a machine learning algorithm, to develop a predictive angler harvest–release model by taking advantage of an extensive recreational fishery data set (24 water bodies, 9 years, and 193 523 fish). We were able
Authors
Mark A Kaemingk, Keith L. Hurley, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
Age-0 walleye Sander vitreus display length-dependent diet shift to piscivory
The ontogenetic diet shift to piscivory can be energetically beneficial for fish growth and allows larger, more energetically profitable prey to be consumed. A shift to piscivory may be easier for longer individuals within a cohort due to larger gape size, and an early shift is likely advantageous, potentially leading to increased growth rates and survival. Such length-dependent ontogenetic diet s
Authors
C. S. Uphoff, C. W. Schoenebeck, K. D. Koupal, Kevin L. Pope, W. W. Hoback
The future of recreational fisheries: Advances in science, monitoring, management, and practice
Recreational fisheries (RF) are complex social-ecological systems that play an important role in aquatic environments while generating significant social and economic benefits around the world. The nature of RF is diverse and rapidly evolving, including the participants, their priorities and behaviors, and the related ecological impacts and social and economic benefits. RF can lead to negative eco
Authors
J. W. Brownscombe, K. Hyder, W. M. Potts, K. V. Wilson, Kevin L. Pope, A. J. Danylchuk, S. J. Cooke, Adrian Clarke, R. Arlinghaus, J. R. Postel
Synchrony — An emergent property of recreational fisheries
Recreational fisheries are traditionally managed at local scales, but more effective management could be achieved using a cross‐scale approach. To do this, we must first understand how local processes scale up to influence landscape patterns between anglers and resources. We highlight how population‐based synchrony methods, used in conjunction with a complex‐adaptive‐systems framework, can reveal
Authors
Kevin L. Pope
Thermal tolerance limits of the Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis): Implications for management
The Chinese mystery snail, Bellamya chinensis (Gray, 1834) is a gastropod native to East Asia and is considered an invasive species in North America where its impacts on native species and ecosystems are not well understood. Scientific literature describing its biology and life history are sparse. Thermal tolerance limits, or the maximum and minimum temperature under which a species can survive, a
Authors
Jessica L. Burnett, Kevin L. Pope, Alec Wong, Craig R. Allen, Danielle M. Haak, Bruce J. Stephen, Daniel R. Uden