Large Pelagics Research Lab- bluefin tuna, leatherback turtles, climate change, Mola mola

	Molly Lutcavage, Ph.D. Director Large Pelagics Research Center
	John Logan Ph.D. Candidate My current research interests include the trophic ecology of large pelagic fishes and the application of stable isotope analysis to ecological studies. My dissertation research is a combination of these primary interests that includes a broad analysis of diet, trophic position, and large scale movements of Atlantic bluefin tuna and other large pelagic fishes occupying poorly understood offshore ecosystems of the north Atlantic . I am combining conventional stomach content analysis (SCA) with carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis (SIA) to create dietary profiles of large pelagic fishes over a range of time scales. SCA provides detailed local dietary snapshots while SIA applied to multiple tissue types can offer broader seasonal or annual dietary estimates. These data will be synthesized to further our understanding of pelagic food webs and the dominant forage species needed to support bluefin tuna and other Atlantic large pelagic fishes. In addition to applied ecological studies, my dissertation work also includes methods studies to improve ecological stable isotope analysis. My past research experiences have included a variety of marine and estuarine ecological studies. As an undergraduate at Colby College, I studied soft sediment marine invertebrate community ecology and fisheries impacts on these systems. Prior to my arrival at the Large Pelagics Lab, I also completed a two year research assistant position at the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory focusing on salt marsh fish ecology and biogeochemistry. email John
	Ben Galuardi, M.Sc. Research Scientist My primary research interest is the integration of oceanography with spatial analysis and fisheries research. I recently completed a Master of Science degree in Zoology (May, 2006) through the Large Pelagics Research Lab at UNH. My research focused on the use of smoothed sea-surface temperature satellite imagery in a Kalman filter framework for geolocation correction of pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs). AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and MODIS (MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) imagery was smoothed using local regression techniques to investigate optimal scale in relation to bluefin tuna movement and tested against known locations of drifting PSATs. Prior to life at UNH, I completed a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (Northern Arizona University) and worked for several years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitoring native and endangered fish populations in the lower Colorado River basin including the Grand Canyon . My current and future interests include further integration of remote sensing techniques with large pelagic movements (including leatherback turtles!), spatial analysis of predator prey relationships, and refining open source tools for geolocation correction. email Ben
	Walter Golet Ph.D. Candidate During the last 10-15 years the U.S. has consistently filled its ICCAT bluefin quota. However, in order to fill this quota the fishery has been extended well into the fall and now includes no closed days and a commercial fishery in North Carolina. Coinciding with the decrease in catch, fishermen and buyers have indicated that the condition of bluefin caught in the Gulf of Maine has also appeared to decline. One theory is that the forage base within the Gulf of Maine has changed, be it from environmental changes or fishing pressure and the once plentiful energy rich prey such as herring and mackerel are not as abundant in the traditional bluefin fishing grounds. To determine the extent to which herring influence the distribution of bluefin tuna in the Gulf Maine I plan to analyze a 40-year time series of herring indices (fishery dependant and independent data) of abundance against the available regional abundance information for bluefin tuna. Examining the extent of spatial and temporal patterns in abundance and distribution, along with environmental conditions, may identify a linkage between these highly valuable pelagic species and help explain the bluefins decline in the Gulf of Maine. In addition, I will examine fin rays, vertebrae, tuna grades and length weight data in an effort to determine if the growth and quality of bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine has shifted over this same time period. email Walter
	Kara Dwyer Dodge Ph.D. Student There is currently little known about leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) outside of their nesting beaches, leaving large data gaps in our understanding of males and non-nesting stages of females. These data gaps have been recognized as limiting factors in establishing recovery plans for these endangered sea turtles. As a graduate student within the UNH Zoology department, I will conduct in-water research on leatherback turtles in the northwest Atlantic. My research objectives include the investigation of leatherback turtle regional behavior and movements and identification of long range travel in relation to environmental conditions. Our research methods will include direct capture of leatherback turtles and satellite tagging, tracking, and data analysis to answer research questions. In particular, we plan to use high resolution GPS-linked satellite tags in order to more accurately overlay turtle movement with oceanographic parameters and fishing activities.Prior to joining the Large Pelagics Research Lab, I worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service for 2 years on fisheries acoustic research (primarily Atlantic herring) and for 4 years on marine mammal and marine turtle stranding and entanglement issues in the northeast region (ME to VA). email Kara
	Andrew A. Rosenberg, Ph.D. Professor of Natural Resources and EOS Dr. Rosenberg, who became UNH dean in August 2000, has had a distinguished career in the marine sciences. As former deputy director of the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Rosenberg was a key agency policymaker and liaison to Congress, senior levels of the administration, resource management partners, and the public. This post followed ten years with the National Marine Fisheries Service, where he was Northeast regional administrator and chief of research coordination in Maryland and Massachusetts. In this position he played a major role in developing and implementing recovery plans for New England fisheries which now are showing improvements on the George's Bank and other fishing grounds. Dr. Rosenberg also implemented protection plans for marine mammals such as harbor porpoise and right whales, and endangered species like Atlantic salmon. Dr. Rosenberg has been appointed by the President and U.S. Secretary of Commerce to head numerous delegations over the years, including as commissioner and head of delegation to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. He also has served as U.S. delegate to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization Committee on Fisheries.
	Inga Potter Ph.D. Candidate My research interests involve studying aspects of the biology, movement, and behavior of the ocean sunfish, Mola mola. A large, oceanic fish with a unique appearance, the ocean sunfish is distributed world wide, yet its biology is poorly understood. It makes up a significant portion of bycatch in commercial fisheries and is a valued food fish in Asia. Presently, there is no record of the status of M. mola populations in any part of the world so researchers have no idea how the global population is faring. The objectives of my project are to examine the movement and behavior of Mola mola off the northeast coast of the United States and to determine its general distribution in the region. To achieve these objectives, we are attaching pop-up satellite archival tags (PSAT's) to ocean sunfish off of Cape Cod and in the Gulf of Maine during the summer months. The tags remain attached to the fish for a predetermined amount of time and store information including light levels, depth, and temperature preferences. This data enables us to track each animal's movement and examine its behavior. The present study is the first to examine Mola mola in the northwest Atlantic , and one of few that have applied PSAT technology to the species. Results of the study will provide information about the movement and behavior of ocean sunfish in the region, and in addition will contribute to our understanding of its global population dynamics and biology. It will also help determine what, if any, management strategy is necessary to protect it. email Inga
	W. Hunt Howell Professor of Biological Sciences, UNH My research is in the area of fisheries science and aquaculture. Recent and current large pelagic studies in my lab include the age and growth of the tiger shark (MS thesis project of Jeff Kneebone), and the distribution and migration of the ocean sunfish in the north Atlantic (PhD thesis project of Inga Potter).
	Becca Toppin Research Assistant I assist with essential functions of the lab including data management, primary literature research, permit writing, IACUC applications, undergraduate management, sample processing, upkeep of the website, organization of scientific meetings, and communication with collaborators. My current research focus is stomach contents analysis of several pelagic fish species collected on cruises conducted in the central North Atlantic Ocean in 2002. This is a continuation of a large scale project identifying pelagic and prey species in the open ocean. Very recently, I have signed on to help complete the bluefin tuna fatty acid analysis research, to discern diet and foraging ecology of bluefin tuna in the northeast. In my other functions at the University of New Hampshire, I am an adjunct faculty member in the Kinesiology Department, teaching basic SCUBA in the undergraduate academic program. I also serve as the Diving Safety Officer of the Shoals Marine Laboratory, a collaborative marine lab run by UNH and Cornell University. I am responsible for the scientific diving program there. I am also a full time MBA student at the Whittemore School of Business, set to graduate in May of 2010. email Becca
	Jessie Knapp Ph.D. Student My primary research interest is in the reproductive physiology and ecology of Atlantic bluefin tuna. For my Ph.D. research I plan to study the size and age at maturity of bluefin from the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean. Our understanding of the reproductive ecology and schedules of spawning bluefin tuna is lacking. I will analyze dorsal spines and use histological analyses of gonads in order to determine the size and age of reproductively mature fish from the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, and the Mediterranean over a several year time span. My research will fill the gap in knowledge about the differences and similarities in the reproductive schedules of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. In addition to the research I will be conducting for my Ph.D., I am concurrently working towards a Masters in Statistics. Prior to arriving at the Large Pelagics Research Lab (August 2006), I worked in the freshwater environment. My Master's thesis (completed 2005) examined the role of substrate heterogeneity on the distribution of epiphytic diatoms in alpine streams. I also conducted research on the swimming patterns and recovery time of fish when exposed to flow turbulence. email Jessie
	Gilad Heinisch Ph.D. Student My research interest is fish physiology, particularly growth and reproduction. I have been involved with bluefin tuna reproductive biology research since 2003, both in the Mediterranean Sea and in the western Atlantic Ocean. My current research interests concern the gaps of knowledge regarding bluefin tuna reproductive physiology. For example, I am interested in the great discrepancy in the age of puberty between the two bluefin tuna stocks, i.e. eastern and western Atlantic. email Gilad
	Erik Chapman Post Doctoral Fellow My research interests focus on the study of apex-predators as indicators of marine ecosystem structure and function and as marine resources that are valued by society and, therefore, must be managed and conserved. I have a particular interest the interplay between theory, modeling, and field studies within team-oriented interdisciplinary research programs. For my PhD, I developed individual-based energetics models representing foraging behavior and chick growth for Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). The models were used to investigate the influence of climate warming off the western Antarctic Peninsula on Adélie penguin chick growth and recruitment. For my postdoctoral research, I will work closely with LPRC scientists and colleagues to develop a model that will explicitly represent the movement of individual bluefin tuna and their partitioning of energy between self-maintenance, growth and reproduction. This model will interact with a biophysical model that predicts prey distribution. These models will be used to assess the benefit/cost of different bluefin tuna life-history strategies (migratory behavior, natal homing and spawning schedule). email Erik

Molly Lutcavage, Ph.D.

Director

Large Pelagics Research Center

John Logan
Ph.D. Candidate

My current research interests include the trophic ecology of large pelagic fishes and the application of stable isotope analysis to ecological studies. My dissertation research is a combination of these primary interests that includes a broad analysis of diet, trophic position, and large scale movements of Atlantic bluefin tuna and other large pelagic fishes occupying poorly understood offshore ecosystems of the north Atlantic . I am combining conventional stomach content analysis (SCA) with carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis (SIA) to create dietary profiles of large pelagic fishes over a range of time scales. SCA provides detailed local dietary snapshots while SIA applied to multiple tissue types can offer broader seasonal or annual dietary estimates. These data will be synthesized to further our understanding of pelagic food webs and the dominant forage species needed to support bluefin tuna and other Atlantic large pelagic fishes. In addition to applied ecological studies, my dissertation work also includes methods studies to improve ecological stable isotope analysis.

My past research experiences have included a variety of marine and estuarine ecological studies. As an undergraduate at Colby College, I studied soft sediment marine invertebrate community ecology and fisheries impacts on these systems. Prior to my arrival at the Large Pelagics Lab, I also completed a two year research assistant position at the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory focusing on salt marsh fish ecology and biogeochemistry.

email John

Ben Galuardi, M.Sc.
Research Scientist

My primary research interest is the integration of oceanography with spatial analysis and fisheries research. I recently completed a Master of Science degree in Zoology (May, 2006) through the Large Pelagics Research Lab at UNH. My research focused on the use of smoothed sea-surface temperature satellite imagery in a Kalman filter framework for geolocation correction of pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs). AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and MODIS (MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) imagery was smoothed using local regression techniques to investigate optimal scale in relation to bluefin tuna movement and tested against known locations of drifting PSATs. Prior to life at UNH, I completed a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (Northern Arizona University) and worked for several years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitoring native and endangered fish populations in the lower Colorado River basin including the Grand Canyon . My current and future interests include further integration of remote sensing techniques with large pelagic movements (including leatherback turtles!), spatial analysis of predator prey relationships, and refining open source tools for geolocation correction.

email Ben

Walter Golet
Ph.D. Candidate

During the last 10-15 years the U.S. has consistently filled its ICCAT bluefin quota. However, in order to fill this quota the fishery has been extended well into the fall and now includes no closed days and a commercial fishery in North Carolina. Coinciding with the decrease in catch, fishermen and buyers have indicated that the condition of bluefin caught in the Gulf of Maine has also appeared to decline. One theory is that the forage base within the Gulf of Maine has changed, be it from environmental changes or fishing pressure and the once plentiful energy rich prey such as herring and mackerel are not as abundant in the traditional bluefin fishing grounds. To determine the extent to which herring influence the distribution of bluefin tuna in the Gulf Maine I plan to analyze a 40-year time series of herring indices (fishery dependant and independent data) of abundance against the available regional abundance information for bluefin tuna. Examining the extent of spatial and temporal patterns in abundance and distribution, along with environmental conditions, may identify a linkage between these highly valuable pelagic species and help explain the bluefins decline in the Gulf of Maine. In addition, I will examine fin rays, vertebrae, tuna grades and length weight data in an effort to determine if the growth and quality of bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine has shifted over this same time period.

email Walter

Kara Dwyer Dodge
Ph.D. Student

There is currently little known about leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) outside of their nesting beaches, leaving large data gaps in our understanding of males and non-nesting stages of females. These data gaps have been recognized as limiting factors in establishing recovery plans for these endangered sea turtles. As a graduate student within the UNH Zoology department, I will conduct in-water research on leatherback turtles in the northwest Atlantic. My research objectives include the investigation of leatherback turtle regional behavior and movements and identification of long range travel in relation to environmental conditions. Our research methods will include direct capture of leatherback turtles and satellite tagging, tracking, and data analysis to answer research questions. In particular, we plan to use high resolution GPS-linked satellite tags in order to more accurately overlay turtle movement with oceanographic parameters and fishing activities.Prior to joining the Large Pelagics Research Lab, I worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service for 2 years on fisheries acoustic research (primarily Atlantic herring) and for 4 years on marine mammal and marine turtle stranding and entanglement issues in the northeast region (ME to VA).

email Kara

Andrew A. Rosenberg, Ph.D.
Professor of Natural Resources and EOS

Dr. Rosenberg, who became UNH dean in August 2000, has had a distinguished career in the marine sciences. As former deputy director of the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Rosenberg was a key agency policymaker and liaison to Congress, senior levels of the administration, resource management partners, and the public. This post followed ten years with the National Marine Fisheries Service, where he was Northeast regional administrator and chief of research coordination in Maryland and Massachusetts. In this position he played a major role in developing and implementing recovery plans for New England fisheries which now are showing improvements on the George's Bank and other fishing grounds. Dr. Rosenberg also implemented protection plans for marine mammals such as harbor porpoise and right whales, and endangered species like Atlantic salmon.

Dr. Rosenberg has been appointed by the President and U.S. Secretary of Commerce to head numerous delegations over the years, including as commissioner and head of delegation to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. He also has served as U.S. delegate to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization Committee on Fisheries.

Inga Potter
Ph.D. Candidate

My research interests involve studying aspects of the biology, movement, and behavior of the ocean sunfish, Mola mola. A large, oceanic fish with a unique appearance, the ocean sunfish is distributed world wide, yet its biology is poorly understood. It makes up a significant portion of bycatch in commercial fisheries and is a valued food fish in Asia. Presently, there is no record of the status of M. mola populations in any part of the world so researchers have no idea how the global population is faring. The objectives of my project are to examine the movement and behavior of Mola mola off the northeast coast of the United States and to determine its general distribution in the region. To achieve these objectives, we are attaching pop-up satellite archival tags (PSAT's) to ocean sunfish off of Cape Cod and in the Gulf of Maine during the summer months. The tags remain attached to the fish for a predetermined amount of time and store information including light levels, depth, and temperature preferences. This data enables us to track each animal's movement and examine its behavior. The present study is the first to examine Mola mola in the northwest Atlantic , and one of few that have applied PSAT technology to the species. Results of the study will provide information about the movement and behavior of ocean sunfish in the region, and in addition will contribute to our understanding of its global population dynamics and biology. It will also help determine what, if any, management strategy is necessary to protect it.

email Inga

W. Hunt Howell
Professor of Biological Sciences, UNH

My research is in the area of fisheries science and aquaculture. Recent and current large pelagic studies in my lab include the age and growth of the tiger shark (MS thesis project of Jeff Kneebone), and the distribution and migration of the ocean sunfish in the north Atlantic (PhD thesis project of Inga Potter).

Becca Toppin
Research Assistant

I assist with essential functions of the lab including data management, primary literature research, permit writing, IACUC applications, undergraduate management, sample processing, upkeep of the website, organization of scientific meetings, and communication with collaborators. My current research focus is stomach contents analysis of several pelagic fish species collected on cruises conducted in the central North Atlantic Ocean in 2002. This is a continuation of a large scale project identifying pelagic and prey species in the open ocean. Very recently, I have signed on to help complete the bluefin tuna fatty acid analysis research, to discern diet and foraging ecology of bluefin tuna in the northeast.

In my other functions at the University of New Hampshire, I am an adjunct faculty member in the Kinesiology Department, teaching basic SCUBA in the undergraduate academic program. I also serve as the Diving Safety Officer of the Shoals Marine Laboratory, a collaborative marine lab run by UNH and Cornell University. I am responsible for the scientific diving program there. I am also a full time MBA student at the Whittemore School of Business, set to graduate in May of 2010.

email Becca

Jessie Knapp
Ph.D. Student

My primary research interest is in the reproductive physiology and ecology of Atlantic bluefin tuna. For my Ph.D. research I plan to study the size and age at maturity of bluefin from the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean. Our understanding of the reproductive ecology and schedules of spawning bluefin tuna is lacking. I will analyze dorsal spines and use histological analyses of gonads in order to determine the size and age of reproductively mature fish from the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, and the Mediterranean over a several year time span. My research will fill the gap in knowledge about the differences and similarities in the reproductive schedules of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. In addition to the research I will be conducting for my Ph.D., I am concurrently working towards a Masters in Statistics.

Prior to arriving at the Large Pelagics Research Lab (August 2006), I worked in the freshwater environment. My Master's thesis (completed 2005) examined the role of substrate heterogeneity on the distribution of epiphytic diatoms in alpine streams. I also conducted research on the swimming patterns and recovery time of fish when exposed to flow turbulence.

email Jessie

Gilad Heinisch
Ph.D. Student

My research interest is fish physiology, particularly growth and reproduction. I have been involved with bluefin tuna reproductive biology research since 2003, both in the Mediterranean Sea and in the western Atlantic Ocean. My current research interests concern the gaps of knowledge regarding bluefin tuna reproductive physiology. For example, I am interested in the great discrepancy in the age of puberty between the two bluefin tuna stocks, i.e. eastern and western Atlantic.

email Gilad

Erik Chapman
Post Doctoral Fellow

My research interests focus on the study of apex-predators as indicators of marine ecosystem structure and function and as marine resources that are valued by society and, therefore, must be managed and conserved. I have a particular interest the interplay between theory, modeling, and field studies within team-oriented interdisciplinary research programs. For my PhD, I developed individual-based energetics models representing foraging behavior and chick growth for Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). The models were used to investigate the influence of climate warming off the western Antarctic Peninsula on Adélie penguin chick growth and recruitment. For my postdoctoral research, I will work closely with LPRC scientists and colleagues to develop a model that will explicitly represent the movement of individual bluefin tuna and their partitioning of energy between self-maintenance, growth and reproduction. This model will interact with a biophysical model that predicts prey distribution. These models will be used to assess the benefit/cost of different bluefin tuna life-history strategies (migratory behavior, natal homing and spawning schedule).

email Erik