Why Study Fish?

BRI staff biologists are experienced in the implementation and execution of field projects involving the capture, tagging, inventory, sampling, or collection of fish and/or their tissues.

BRI’s fisheries program focuses on projects which may involve: (1) contaminants monitoring and analyses; (2) mapping fish movements and habitat utilization; (3) tributary inspections; (4) spawning surveys; and (5) fish inventories.

Staff routinely work collaboratively with state and federal agencies, Ministries of the Environment and Health, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders on fisheries projects. As part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) compliance process, BRI routinely conducts projects requiring the sampling, contaminant analyses, and assessment of fish in hydroelectric reservoirs.

Download the program brochure here.

Program Director:

Contributing Staff:

Highlighted Species We Study

Brook trout

Brook trout

Brown trout

Mahi-mahi

Largemouth bass

Red snapper

Fisheries Research at BRI

Contaminants Monitoring

Fish mercury concentrations provide important information on the potential for human exposure through their consumption from freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems.

Movement Studies

BRI biologists conduct fish tagging and tracking projects with objectives that often involve mapping the seasonal movements of fish to identify watershed specific habitat utilization and identify the timing of spawning activity.

Sampling

BRI biologists are at the forefront of developing samplimg methods for nonlethal capture. BRI biologists now regularly take muscle biopsies and then release individuals back into the water.

International Mercury Projects

BRI has developed a Global Biotic Mercury Synthesis (GBMS) database, the first of its kind, that is a compilation and synthesis of published fish, sea turtle, bird, and marine mammal mercury data collected from around the world.

BRI’s work with the U.S. Department of State and the United Nation’s Minamata Convention on Mercury has led to mercury monitoring projects around the world in the global effort to reduce mercury emissions and releases that harm wildlife and their environments, and which may negatively affect human health.

In collaboration with international governments and nongovernment organizations, BRI conducts monitoring in the following regions: