I grew up fishing with my parents and have traveled the world studying fish, from tetras in the Amazon to grayling in the Arctic, and bluefish in New England. My work addresses the fundamental question of how environments support the plants and animals that live there, and how human impacts on habitat, nutrients, and climate are disrupting these connections. I am particularly interested in aquatic ecosystems because of their importance in connecting landscape elements through the flow of water, nutrients, and animals.
I am a strong proponent of long-term monitoring and whole-ecosystem experiments. For twenty years, I have led The Tide Project, the world’s only ecosystem-scale nutrient addition experiment, based in the Plum Island Estuary system. This initiative changed the paradigm about the impacts of nitrogen pollution on saltmarshes by demonstrating excess nitrogen altered the physical stability of marshes making them less resilient to sea level rise and reduced the production of fish. More recently, I established the Evolving Meta Ecosystem Institute, to understand how species and the connections among species that constitute an ecosystem will respond to rapid climate change. Will ecosystems fall apart, muddle along in a reduced state, or can species adapt to keep pace with climate change? Do evolution and adaptation reinforce the linkages among species and ecosystems, or is it every species for themselves?
I volunteer with the Coonamessett River Trust, working to restore local rivers to provide habitat for native herring and trout and educating students about fish migration and conservation. While I still say I love fish and fishing, I also enjoy gardening and walking in the woods with my dog.
