Chris Zimmerman removing otoliths from sockeye salmon carcasses on the shoreline of Salmon Lake. Otoliths are used to read age of a fish and other chemical signatures over time.
Michael P Carey, Ph.D.
Community ecology of fish, Food web dynamics, Anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function, Invasive species
My research program seeks to better understand the role of ecological processes in shaping fish distribution and population characteristics, habitat requirements of fish, and evolutionary adaptations of aquatic organisms in response to environmental gradients. Specifically, I focus on three drivers of fish communities and populations: (1) aquatic thermal regimes, (2) Arctic landscapes dynamics, and (3) invasive species.
Currently, we lack a robust understanding of how these processes influence fish communities in high-latitude ecosystems for which information is critical to inform management and policy decisions due to a rapidly changing landscape from natural and human pressures. To understand processes that influence fish communities in Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems, my research program combines field monitoring, large-scale comparative studies, simulation modeling, and experiments at multiple spatial and temporal scales and results of these studies are used to guide conservation, protection, and management of fish and fish habitats throughout the North Pacific Rim and Alaska.
Professional Experience
2012 - Present Research Fishery Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2009 - 2012 Research Associate of the National Research Council, NOAA Fisheries,
Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA2003 - 2009 Research Assistant, Illinois Natural History Survey
1999 - 2002 Research Assistant, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research
Unit USGS-BRD, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA1998 Fisheries Technician, U.S. Forest Service, Payette National Forest,
Council, ID1996-1997 Biological Technician, Trout Lake Field Station, Northern Temperate Lakes
LTER, Boulder Junction, WI1996 NSF Research experience for Undergraduates fellowship, Trout Lake Field Station,
North Temperate Lakes LTER, Boulder Junction, WI
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2009 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
BiologyM.S. 2002 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation
B.S. 1997 University of Wisconsin-Madison Zoology
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society
Ecological Society of America, Aquatic Section
Science and Products
Effects of littoral habitat complexity and sunfish composition on fish production
Identifying across‐system sources of variation in a generalist freshwater fish: Correlates of total and size‐specific abundance of yellow perch
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.
Chris Zimmerman removing otoliths from sockeye salmon carcasses on the shoreline of Salmon Lake. Otoliths are used to read age of a fish and other chemical signatures over time.
Near the top of the Tusuk Channel of the Pilgrim River.
Near the top of the Tusuk Channel of the Pilgrim River.
Beach seining on the spawing grounds of sockeye salmon in Salmon Lake. This is the headwater of the Pilgrim River which is the northern edge of the sockeye salmon distribution.
Beach seining on the spawing grounds of sockeye salmon in Salmon Lake. This is the headwater of the Pilgrim River which is the northern edge of the sockeye salmon distribution.
A stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. The stream is in the Agashashok River watershed. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
A stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. The stream is in the Agashashok River watershed. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
A stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. The stream is in the Agashashok River watershed. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
A stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. The stream is in the Agashashok River watershed. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
The fish weir is operated on the Pilgrim River by the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation with assistance from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The fish weir is operated on the Pilgrim River by the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation with assistance from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Four scientists constructing a limnocorral on the bank of the McKinley Lake, near Cordova, Alaska for Elodea spp. experiment. This experiment is studying the effect of the invasive species Elodea spp. on aquatic ecosystems. Disclaimer statement: Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S.
Four scientists constructing a limnocorral on the bank of the McKinley Lake, near Cordova, Alaska for Elodea spp. experiment. This experiment is studying the effect of the invasive species Elodea spp. on aquatic ecosystems. Disclaimer statement: Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S.
Science and Products
Effects of littoral habitat complexity and sunfish composition on fish production
Identifying across‐system sources of variation in a generalist freshwater fish: Correlates of total and size‐specific abundance of yellow perch
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.
Chris Zimmerman removing otoliths from sockeye salmon carcasses on the shoreline of Salmon Lake. Otoliths are used to read age of a fish and other chemical signatures over time.
Chris Zimmerman removing otoliths from sockeye salmon carcasses on the shoreline of Salmon Lake. Otoliths are used to read age of a fish and other chemical signatures over time.
Near the top of the Tusuk Channel of the Pilgrim River.
Near the top of the Tusuk Channel of the Pilgrim River.
Beach seining on the spawing grounds of sockeye salmon in Salmon Lake. This is the headwater of the Pilgrim River which is the northern edge of the sockeye salmon distribution.
Beach seining on the spawing grounds of sockeye salmon in Salmon Lake. This is the headwater of the Pilgrim River which is the northern edge of the sockeye salmon distribution.
A stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. The stream is in the Agashashok River watershed. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
A stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. The stream is in the Agashashok River watershed. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
A stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. The stream is in the Agashashok River watershed. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
A stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. The stream is in the Agashashok River watershed. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.
The fish weir is operated on the Pilgrim River by the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation with assistance from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The fish weir is operated on the Pilgrim River by the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation with assistance from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Four scientists constructing a limnocorral on the bank of the McKinley Lake, near Cordova, Alaska for Elodea spp. experiment. This experiment is studying the effect of the invasive species Elodea spp. on aquatic ecosystems. Disclaimer statement: Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S.
Four scientists constructing a limnocorral on the bank of the McKinley Lake, near Cordova, Alaska for Elodea spp. experiment. This experiment is studying the effect of the invasive species Elodea spp. on aquatic ecosystems. Disclaimer statement: Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S.
*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