Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D.
I am an aquatic ecologist focused on filling key information gaps about the structure, function, and drivers of aquatic ecosystems in the subarctic and Arctic to better inform management of public lands and resources.
My research program seeks to understand current limitations on the production of fishes and aquatic ecosystems to inform Federal and State agencies, Tribal entities, non-profits organizations, and the public given the importance of fish and aquatic species to economies, wellbeing, and culture. For example, the annual subsistence harvest per rural resident is 295 pounds of wild food of which 56% is fish. Access to my study areas is difficult because most of Alaska is not connected by road and requires complex logistics with boats and aircraft. I make research progress by leading teams that use a diverse set of tools that allow us to gain as much information as possible from each field trip and each fish: otolith growth, calorimetry, stable isotopes, heat shock proteins, and gene expression/mRNA.
Professional Experience
2011- Present Research Fishery Biologist, USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2007 - 2010 Fishery Biologist, USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2005 - 2007 Research Assistant, University of Alaska Anchorage
2007 Marine Mammal and Bird Observer, USFWS
2006 Marine Mammal Observer, LGL Alaska Research
2004 - 2005 Teaching Assistant, University of Alaska Anchorage
2003 - 2004 Rehabilitation Supervisor, Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center
2003 - 2004 Hearst Scholar, Santa Barbara Natural History Museum
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2015 University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK Fisheries
M.S. 2007 University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK Biological Sciences
B.S. 2004 University of California, Santa Barbara, CA Zoology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
American Fisheries Society
Society of Marine Mammalogy
The Wildlife Society
2005-2006 Student Representative, UAA Graduate Academic Board
2005-2007 Chair, UAA Graduate Student Association
Honors and Awards
2009 Star (Special Thanks for Achievement) Award from USGS Biology Chief
2008 USGS Performance Award
2007 Graduate Hooding Ceremony invited speaker
2006 NSF EPSCoR Student Travel Award
2006 Kodiak Whalefest invited speaker
2005 NSF EPSCoR Student Travel Award
Science and Products
Extreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Widespread kelp-derived carbon in pelagic and benthic nearshore fishes
Influence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Arctic Research Plan: FY2017-2021
Evidence of bottom-up limitations in nearshore marine systems based on otolith proxies of fish growth
Examining the utility of bulk otolith δ13C to describe diet in wild-caught black rockfish Sebastes melanops
Lake trout otolith chronologies as multidecadal indicators of high-latitude freshwater ecosystems
Terrestrial and marine trophic pathways support young-of-year growth in a nearshore Arctic fish
Long-term increases in young-of-the-year growth of Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis and environmental influences
Long-term increases in young-of-the-year growth of Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis and environmental influences
Phenotypic plasticity in age at first reproduction of female northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni)
Determining the pattern of cementum annuli and relationship to reproduction in male sea otters
Science and Products
Extreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Widespread kelp-derived carbon in pelagic and benthic nearshore fishes
Influence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Arctic Research Plan: FY2017-2021
Evidence of bottom-up limitations in nearshore marine systems based on otolith proxies of fish growth
Examining the utility of bulk otolith δ13C to describe diet in wild-caught black rockfish Sebastes melanops
Lake trout otolith chronologies as multidecadal indicators of high-latitude freshwater ecosystems
Terrestrial and marine trophic pathways support young-of-year growth in a nearshore Arctic fish
Long-term increases in young-of-the-year growth of Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis and environmental influences
Long-term increases in young-of-the-year growth of Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis and environmental influences
Phenotypic plasticity in age at first reproduction of female northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni)
Determining the pattern of cementum annuli and relationship to reproduction in male sea otters
*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