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
The global status of freshwater fish age validation studies and a prioritization framework for future research
Age information derived from calcified structures is commonly used to estimate recruitment, growth, and mortality for fish populations. Validation of daily or annual marks on age structures is often assumed, presumably due to a lack of general knowledge concerning the status of age validation studies. Therefore, the current status of freshwater fish age validation studies was summarized to show
Authors
Kevin L. Pope, Martin J. Hamel, Mark A. Pegg, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
The influence of a rapid drawdown and prolonged dewatering on angling pressure, catch and harvest in a Nebraska reservoir
Reservoirs can be dynamic systems, often prone to unpredictable and extreme water-level fluctuations, and can be environments where survival is difficult for zooplankton and larval fish. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of extreme reservoir drawdown on water quality, few have examined extreme drawdown on both abiotic and biotic characteristics. A fissure in the dam at Red Willow
Authors
Jason A. DeBoer, Christa M. Webber, Taylor A. Dixon, Kevin L. Pope
The influence of a severe reservoir drawdown on springtime zooplankton and larval fish assemblages in Red Willow Reservoir, Nebraska
Reservoirs can be dynamic systems, often prone to unpredictable and extreme water-level fluctuations, and can be environments where survival is difficult for zooplankton and larval fish. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of extreme reservoir drawdown on water quality, few have examined extreme drawdown on both abiotic and biotic characteristics. A fissure in the dam at Red Willow
Authors
Jason A. DeBoer, Christa M. Webber, Taylor A. Dixon, Kevin L. Pope
Masked expression of life-history traits in a highly variable environment
Differing life-history strategies may act as a constraint on reproductive expression that ultimately limits the ability of individual species to respond to changes in the magnitude or frequency of environmental variation, and potentially underlies the variation often inherent in phenotypic and evolved responses to anthropogenic change. Alternatively, if there are environmental cues that predict re
Authors
Jason A. DeBoer, Joseph J. Fontaine, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
Reservoir area of influence and implications for fisheries management
Understanding the spatial area that a reservoir draws anglers from, defined as the reservoir's area of influence, and the potential overlap of that area of influence between reservoirs is important for fishery managers. Our objective was to define the area of influence for reservoirs of the Salt Valley regional fishery in southeastern Nebraska using kernel density estimation. We used angler survey
Authors
Dustin R. Martin, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
The effects of harvest regulations on behaviors of duck hunters
Uncertainty exists as to how duck harvest regulations influence waterfowl hunter behavior. We used the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Parts Collection Survey to examine how harvest regulations affected behaviors of Central Flyway duck hunters. We stratified hunters into ranked groups based on seasonal harvest and identified three periods (1975–1984, 1988–1993, 2002–2011) that represented differe
Authors
Matthew T. Haugen, Larkin A. Powell, Mark P. Vrtiska, Kevin L. Pope
Factors influencing recruitment of walleye and white bass to three distinct early ontogenetic stages
Determining the factors that influence recruitment to sequential ontogenetic stages is critical for understanding recruitment dynamics of fish and for effective management of sportfish, particularly in dynamic and unpredictable environments. We sampled walleye (Sander vitreus) and white bass (Morone chrysops) at 3 ontogenetic stages (age 0 during spring: ‘age-0 larval’; age 0 during autumn: ‘age-0
Authors
Jason A. DeBoer, Kevin L. Pope
Potential population and assemblage influences of non-native trout on native nongame fish in Nebraska headwater streams
Non-native trout are currently stocked to support recreational fisheries in headwater streams throughout Nebraska. The influence of non-native trout introductions on native fish populations and their role in structuring fish assemblages in these systems is unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine (i) if the size structure or relative abundance of native fish differs in the presence
Authors
Kelly C. Turek, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope, Steve Schainost
Toxicity of copper sulfate and rotenone to Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis)
The Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) is a freshwater snail native to Southeast Asia, Japan, and Russia and is currently classified as an invasive species in at least 27 states in the USA. The species tolerates a wide range of environmental conditions, making management of established populations difficult. We tested the efficacy of two traditional chemical treatments, rotenone and coppe
Authors
Danielle M. Haak, Bruce J. Stephen, Robert A. Kill, Nicholas A. Smeenk, Craig R. Allen, Kevin L. Pope
Experimental evaluation of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss predation on longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae
Laboratory and in-stream enclosure experiments were used to determine whether rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss influence survival of longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae. In the laboratory, adult rainbow trout preyed on longnose dace in 42% of trials and juvenile rainbow trout did not prey on longnose dace during the first 6 h after rainbow trout introduction. Survival of longnose dace did not di
Authors
Kelly C. Turek, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope
Angler effort and catch within a spatially complex system of small lakes.
Spatial layout of waterbodies and waterbody size can affect a creel clerk’s ability to intercept anglers for interviews and to accurately count anglers, which will affect the accuracy and precision of estimates of effort and catch. This study aimed to quantify angling effort and catch across a spatially complex system of 19 small (<100 ha) lakes, the Fremont lakes. Total (±SE) angling effort (hour
Authors
Kevin L. Pope, Christopher J. Chizinski, Dustin R. Martin, Tony J. Barada, Jeffrey J. Schuckman
Self-imposed length limits in recreational fisheries
A primary motivating factor on the decision to harvest a fish among consumptive-orientated anglers is the size of the fish. There is likely a cost-benefit trade-off for harvest of individual fish that is size and species dependent, which should produce a logistic-type response of fish fate (release or harvest) as a function of fish size and species. We define the self-imposed length limit as the l
Authors
Christopher J. Chizinski, Dustin R. Martin, Keith L. Hurley, Kevin L. Pope
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 65
The global status of freshwater fish age validation studies and a prioritization framework for future research
Age information derived from calcified structures is commonly used to estimate recruitment, growth, and mortality for fish populations. Validation of daily or annual marks on age structures is often assumed, presumably due to a lack of general knowledge concerning the status of age validation studies. Therefore, the current status of freshwater fish age validation studies was summarized to show
Authors
Kevin L. Pope, Martin J. Hamel, Mark A. Pegg, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
The influence of a rapid drawdown and prolonged dewatering on angling pressure, catch and harvest in a Nebraska reservoir
Reservoirs can be dynamic systems, often prone to unpredictable and extreme water-level fluctuations, and can be environments where survival is difficult for zooplankton and larval fish. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of extreme reservoir drawdown on water quality, few have examined extreme drawdown on both abiotic and biotic characteristics. A fissure in the dam at Red Willow
Authors
Jason A. DeBoer, Christa M. Webber, Taylor A. Dixon, Kevin L. Pope
The influence of a severe reservoir drawdown on springtime zooplankton and larval fish assemblages in Red Willow Reservoir, Nebraska
Reservoirs can be dynamic systems, often prone to unpredictable and extreme water-level fluctuations, and can be environments where survival is difficult for zooplankton and larval fish. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of extreme reservoir drawdown on water quality, few have examined extreme drawdown on both abiotic and biotic characteristics. A fissure in the dam at Red Willow
Authors
Jason A. DeBoer, Christa M. Webber, Taylor A. Dixon, Kevin L. Pope
Masked expression of life-history traits in a highly variable environment
Differing life-history strategies may act as a constraint on reproductive expression that ultimately limits the ability of individual species to respond to changes in the magnitude or frequency of environmental variation, and potentially underlies the variation often inherent in phenotypic and evolved responses to anthropogenic change. Alternatively, if there are environmental cues that predict re
Authors
Jason A. DeBoer, Joseph J. Fontaine, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
Reservoir area of influence and implications for fisheries management
Understanding the spatial area that a reservoir draws anglers from, defined as the reservoir's area of influence, and the potential overlap of that area of influence between reservoirs is important for fishery managers. Our objective was to define the area of influence for reservoirs of the Salt Valley regional fishery in southeastern Nebraska using kernel density estimation. We used angler survey
Authors
Dustin R. Martin, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
The effects of harvest regulations on behaviors of duck hunters
Uncertainty exists as to how duck harvest regulations influence waterfowl hunter behavior. We used the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Parts Collection Survey to examine how harvest regulations affected behaviors of Central Flyway duck hunters. We stratified hunters into ranked groups based on seasonal harvest and identified three periods (1975–1984, 1988–1993, 2002–2011) that represented differe
Authors
Matthew T. Haugen, Larkin A. Powell, Mark P. Vrtiska, Kevin L. Pope
Factors influencing recruitment of walleye and white bass to three distinct early ontogenetic stages
Determining the factors that influence recruitment to sequential ontogenetic stages is critical for understanding recruitment dynamics of fish and for effective management of sportfish, particularly in dynamic and unpredictable environments. We sampled walleye (Sander vitreus) and white bass (Morone chrysops) at 3 ontogenetic stages (age 0 during spring: ‘age-0 larval’; age 0 during autumn: ‘age-0
Authors
Jason A. DeBoer, Kevin L. Pope
Potential population and assemblage influences of non-native trout on native nongame fish in Nebraska headwater streams
Non-native trout are currently stocked to support recreational fisheries in headwater streams throughout Nebraska. The influence of non-native trout introductions on native fish populations and their role in structuring fish assemblages in these systems is unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine (i) if the size structure or relative abundance of native fish differs in the presence
Authors
Kelly C. Turek, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope, Steve Schainost
Toxicity of copper sulfate and rotenone to Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis)
The Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) is a freshwater snail native to Southeast Asia, Japan, and Russia and is currently classified as an invasive species in at least 27 states in the USA. The species tolerates a wide range of environmental conditions, making management of established populations difficult. We tested the efficacy of two traditional chemical treatments, rotenone and coppe
Authors
Danielle M. Haak, Bruce J. Stephen, Robert A. Kill, Nicholas A. Smeenk, Craig R. Allen, Kevin L. Pope
Experimental evaluation of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss predation on longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae
Laboratory and in-stream enclosure experiments were used to determine whether rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss influence survival of longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae. In the laboratory, adult rainbow trout preyed on longnose dace in 42% of trials and juvenile rainbow trout did not prey on longnose dace during the first 6 h after rainbow trout introduction. Survival of longnose dace did not di
Authors
Kelly C. Turek, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope
Angler effort and catch within a spatially complex system of small lakes.
Spatial layout of waterbodies and waterbody size can affect a creel clerk’s ability to intercept anglers for interviews and to accurately count anglers, which will affect the accuracy and precision of estimates of effort and catch. This study aimed to quantify angling effort and catch across a spatially complex system of 19 small (<100 ha) lakes, the Fremont lakes. Total (±SE) angling effort (hour
Authors
Kevin L. Pope, Christopher J. Chizinski, Dustin R. Martin, Tony J. Barada, Jeffrey J. Schuckman
Self-imposed length limits in recreational fisheries
A primary motivating factor on the decision to harvest a fish among consumptive-orientated anglers is the size of the fish. There is likely a cost-benefit trade-off for harvest of individual fish that is size and species dependent, which should produce a logistic-type response of fish fate (release or harvest) as a function of fish size and species. We define the self-imposed length limit as the l
Authors
Christopher J. Chizinski, Dustin R. Martin, Keith L. Hurley, Kevin L. Pope