FISHBIO - Key Persons
Ainsley, S., M. Palmer, A. Fuller. 2011. Comments pertaining to the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources' April 22, 2011, Draft Program Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. Prepared by FISHBIO on behalf of the San Joaquin River Group Authority.
Job Titles:
- Staff
- Vice President & Senior Biologist
Andrea Fuller is a Senior Biologist with more than 25 years of experience, and is a Principal of FISHBIO. Andrea has managed and implemented numerous salmonid survival and behavioral studies, as well as long-term monitoring projects in Central Valley watersheds. Her experience encompass all aspects of study design, permitting, field sampling, data analysis, and data management. She regularly synthesizes her knowledge and experience with Central Valley fisheries to provide recommendations for water resource management to support healthy fish populations. Andrea is skilled in coordinating and liaising among diverse groups of stakeholders, including researchers, resource managers, and policy makers.
Andrea's field sampling experience includes monitoring with rotary screw traps, seines, fyke nets, and electrofishing; operation of portable resistance board weirs with Riverwatcher infra-red fish counters; and mark-recapture and telemetry studies. She has been certified by the United States Geological Survey for surgical implantation of acoustic tags, and has implemented logistics and quality control for various fish acoustic tagging studies. Andrea has authored or co-authored multiple technical reports pertaining to fisheries monitoring efforts, and provides advisory services to a variety of clients on Bay-Delta water resource and fishery issues.
Chrissy Sonke is a fisheries biologist with 15 years of research, project management, and database management experience in inland fisheries. Chrissy regularly develops and manages databases for complex projects that require extensive coordination with federal, state, and local governments; consultants; landowners; and recreational groups. She also has experience in obtaining a variety of regulatory permits, expertise in GIS data management, and experience in web and graphic design.
Chrissy has constructed multiple bilingual Access databases to support fisheries work in the Mekong Basin and has coordinated Lao staff to follow data quality assurance/quality control procedures. She has also worked with remote sensing data from projects using Vaki Riverwatcher fish counters and PIT tag antennas, and has co-authored associated technical reports. Chrissy is experienced with several methods commonly used to monitor fish populations, including rotary screw trapping, electrofishing, seining, gill netting, acoustic tracking, and SCUBA surveys. She holds a bachelor's degree in marine biology from California State University, Long Beach.
Sonke, C.L. and A.N. Fuller. 2010. 2010 Annual Technical Report on Implementation and Monitoring of the San Joaquin River Agreement and the Vernalis Adaptive Management Plan. San Joaquin River Group Authority. Contributing author to Chapter 5 and 6.
Lee, D.J. and S.A. Zipper 2015. Integrated fisheries monitoring plan for the Nam Ngiep 1 Power Company. Prepared by FISHBIO for Nam Ngiep 1 Power Company.
Ainsley, S., Lee, D.J., Hellmair, M., Sonke, C., S.A. Zipper. 2015. Analysis of the downstream river fisheries monitoring data collected by the Fisheries Management and Monitoring Plan. Prepared by FISHBIO for the Theun-Hinboun Power Company.
Lee, D.J. and S. Ounboundisane, S. 2015. Field report on fish breeding stations, Fish Conservation Zones (FCZs), and fish passages in Xieng Khouang and Houaphanh Provinces. Prepared by FISHBIO for The Agro-Biodiversity Initiative (TABI).
Dana Lee is a fisheries biologist with extensive research experience in California, Oregon, the Mekong Basin, and Central America. Dana has served as project lead on a variety of fisheries research projects, including developing a fisheries management plan in Lao PDR. He has participated in entrainment assessments, population and habitat surveys, and fish behavior studies. Dana assists in study design, statistical analysis, and drafting project proposals, has led a number of desktop reviews, and regularly synthesizes information in technical memoranda to guide management decisions for various clients.
Dana has conducted research using PIT tagging, electrofishing (boat and backpack), seining, snorkel surveys, gillnetting, fyke nets and traps, weir and rotary screw traps, and spawning surveys. He is also proficient in all aspects of DIDSON/ARIS sonar camera operation, monitoring, and data analysis. Dana has performed water quality sampling, channel assessments, habitat mapping and assessments, and macroinvertebrate sampling. He has a degree in environmental science from the University of California, Berkeley, and has worked previously as a fisheries technician for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Job Titles:
- Staff
- Video and Graphics Designer
Dee Thao is a professional videographer with extensive experience in various aspects of video development and production, photography, graphic design, and web design. She is the video director, editor, and lead cinematographer for FISHBIO films, and has created dozens of mini-documentaries and video shorts. Dee also serves as FISHBIO's lead graphic designer and is responsible for creating unique designs for print, online, and outreach purposes. Dee is experienced with many types of digital video equipment; has expertise in lighting, external audio recording, and audio design; and is proficient with a variety of video and photo editing programs.
Dee has filmed in professional studios, indoor venues, and remote field locations, both domestically and internationally, and holds a commercial drone pilot license. She exce ls in visual storytelling through interviews, narration, video, and graphics, and has also produced promotional and instructional videos. Dee has led numerous trainings on effective photo and video communication techniques, including for FISHBIO and U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel. She holds degrees in Communication Design (Media Arts) and Asian Studies from California State University, Chico.
Job Titles:
- Founding Member
- President
- Staff
Doug Demko is the President and founding member of FISHBIO, an environmental consulting firm specializing in fisheries research, monitoring, and conservation. Trained in fisheries biology and environmental law, Doug's 25 years of experience in fisheries studies, facilitation, and negotiation have earned him the reputation of a regional fisheries expert in fishery flow and Endangered Species Act issues. He currently advises large water coalitions, private corporations, city and county governments, and environmental groups on a variety of fisheries and water resource management issues. Doug has advised and worked with various politicians and their staff, has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., the California State Legislature, and regularly before the California State Water Resources Control Board.
Doug's expertise includes fish life-history research and assessment; fish passage assessment; and fish population dynamics of California native fishes, estuarine species, and introduced species. Doug has led a variety of field research projects including mark-recapture studies to evaluate survival and entrainment, mortality and behavioral studies, limiting factor analyses, salmonid outmigration and survival characterizations, and abundance and distribution analyses. His extensive experience with fish population assessment and state-of-the-science technologies has led to new and innovative approaches in the field of salmonid research. Doug holds a bachelor's degree in biology from California State University, Chico, and a J.D. from CalNorthern School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Aquatic Biologist & Communications Specialist
- Staff
Elizabeth is an aquatic biologist and communications specialist with extensive experience in a wide variety of marine and freshwater systems. Elizabeth is proficient in a suite of biological sampling gear, including boating, scientific scuba diving, and by-hand sampling. Elizabeth's primary education was in marine community ecology, specifically in macroalgal biology and ecology. She is well versed in macroalgal culturing, aquaculture, and restoration, with a specific focus on how the macroalgal communities impact and support their surrounding systems. She is also familiar with fisheries research techniques, including PIT tags, mark-recapture, fish weirs, rotary screw traps, acoustic telemetry, remote-operated vehicles, and hook-and-line. Elizabeth is proficient in laboratory work as well, specifically in water quality assessments. She is trained in using a number of statistical techniques and programs, including Jmp and SPSS.
Elizabeth has many years of experience working as a scientific communicator and biologist in aquatic systems. She regularly writes reports, develops communication materials for multiple websites and social media platforms, and mentors science communication interns at FISHBIO. Elizabeth holds a Master of Science Degree in Marine Biology and Ecology from California State University Monterey Bay and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, where she designed an experimental thesis testing morphological plasticity in two kelp species based on wave exposure along the Monterey Bay Peninsula.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Staff
- Technology Lead
Garth Jaehnig is a field crew leader and FISHBIO's Technology Lead. He is responsible for managing FISHBIO's suite of fisheries technologies, including serving as a representative for the VAKI Riverwatcher. He also helps develop new technologies, such as custom monitoring cameras. Garth is proficient in a variety of fish sampling methods including rotary screw traps, snorkel surveys, boat and backpack electrofishing, seining, and resistance board weir monitoring. He has conducted bank stability surveys, benthic invertebrate sampling, stranding surveys, and fish rescues, and is experienced in small watercraft operation.
Garth has experience in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining, and has machined parts for the aerospace industry and the U.S. military. He is familiar with three-dimensional design software (SolidWorks/AutoDesk), and can create three-dimensional renderings and blue prints. He also has a basic understanding of software coding and the programming language Python. He is an experienced SCUBA diver with an advanced certification from PADI.
Jack is a fisheries biologist with experience in a variety of freshwater systems, including delta and coastal lagoon environments. He has coordinated international conservation projects focused on monitoring and research related to aquatic biodiversity, community well-being, and civil society capacities in communities throughout the Cambodian Mekong, where he has also co-coordinated nation-wide studies of fish movement using acoustic telemetry and fish diversity using eDNA. In the US, Jack has coordinated field monitoring programs focused on aquatic habitat and salmonid populations in numerous Pacific Coast and Bay Area streams, including the Salinas, Carmel, and Guadalupe rivers. Jack is proficient in a wide range of methodologies, including passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antenna systems, eDNA and genetic techniques, automated fish passage monitoring systems, and acoustic telemetry systems, including Vemco tags in numerous Mekong fish species and JSATS acoustic tags in juvenile salmon. His sampling experience also encompasses boat, backpack, and barge electrofishing; hook-and-line sampling; Kodiak, midwater, oblique, and benthic trawls; and trammel, drift, gill, fyke, hoop, and seine nets. Jack is also an FAA licensed drone operator and a US Coast Guard licensed operator of uninspected passenger vessels (OUPV).
Jack is experienced in the use of R statistical software to conduct analyses and create data visualizations. He regularly writes reports and develops communication materials for multiple websites and social media platforms operated by FISHBIO. He has worked previously as a fisheries research technician with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Missouri, and as an avian research technician with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Jack holds a master's degree in biology from Georgia Southern University, where he studied the hybridization of an endemic freshwater fish species with an invasive congeneric relative, and assessed the effects of anthropogenic alterations of the watershed on contemporary genetic diversity. His past academic work and experience with FISHBIO have yielded multiple peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, agency reports, and conference presentations.
Loury, E.K., Eschenroeder, J.C., L. Seat, S. Chea; C. Chhut; S. Kritsanavarin; S. Lovgren, E.G. Ramsay, D. Thao, and Z.S. Hogan. 2021. Communicating for aquatic conservation in Cambodia and beyond: Lessons learned from in-person and media-based environmental education and outreach strategies. Water, 13, 1853. DOI: 10.3390/w13131853
Job Titles:
- Field Director & Fisheries Biologist
- Staff
Jason Guignard is a fisheries biologist with 18 years of salmonid research, monitoring, and restoration experience. He has supervised and implemented a variety of fish population and passage research projects in Central Valley watersheds, and is experienced in all aspects of field sampling and data analysis. Jason's experience includes electrofishing, seining, trawling, rotary screw trap monitoring, spawning surveys, mark-recapture studies, acoustic telemetry, and DIDSON/ARIS operation. He has also collaboratively planned and implemented multiple floodplain enhancement and restoration projects.
Jason has served as project lead for several fish monitoring and rescue operations in the Sacramento and San Joaquin basins, and is the project manager for FISHBIO's long-term monitoring efforts on the Tuolumne River. Jason has authored or co-authored multiple technical reports on adult salmon spawning surveys, juvenile outmigration monitoring, smolt survival estimates, and water temperature requirements for Chinook salmon and steelhead. Prior to joining the private sector, Jason was a California Department of Fish and Game Associate Biologist with experience collecting and analyzing fisheries monitoring data on multiple life stages of Central Valley salmonids.
Jim Inman is a wildlife biologist with extensive experience surveying for terrestrial and aquatic species, including macroinvertebrates, amphibians, fishes, reptiles, birds/raptors, and vegetation. Jim has extensive knowledge of California Central Valley ecosystems such as Alkali sink, grasslands, desert scrub, chaparral, oak woodland, riparian ecosystems, wetlands, vernal pools and montane forests. He is a certified wetland delineator and conducts wetland delineations, pre-construction surveys, and construction monitoring. Jim has also implemented turbidity screening efforts and monitored water quality for in-stream construction activities.
Jim is an expert in passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antenna design and fabrication, and has developed numerous site-specific PIT-tag system configurations for water diversions, channel headworks, culverts, stream-width antennas, and aquaculture tanks. His experience with electronic fisheries technologies also includes Vaki RiverWatcher systems, the Smolt Spy automated fish camera, radio tags and receivers, acoustic tags and receivers, underwater video systems, and DIDSON sonar transducers. Jim holds a degree in biology from California State University, Fresno, and previously served as the watershed coordinator for the Calaveras River.
Job Titles:
- Fisheries Biologist
- GIS Specialist
- Staff
John Montgomery is a biologist and GIS specialist with 10 years of experience. He has served as a project lead for various biological monitoring projects throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Northern California. John specializes in monitoring freshwater life stages of juvenile and adult salmonids using a variety of methods, including telemetry (using ATS, VEMCO, and HTI technology), electrofishing, rotary screw traps, snorkel surveys, seining, redd surveys, angling surveys, resistance board weirs, and fish identification using image processing and pattern recognition.
John's expertise in fish handling is complemented by a variety of environmental sampling experiences, including measuring river discharge, deploying water pressure loggers, benthic and plankton sampling for invertebrates, large woody debris inventory, water quality testing, habitat typing, and substrate quality analysis (particle size composition, distribution, and permeability). He conducts geo-spatial data collection using Trimble GPS and land survey equipment, and performs GIS data management and representation using ArcGIS.
Montgomery, J., A. Gray, C.B. Watry, and B. Pyper. 2007. Using Rotary Screw Traps to Determine Juvenile Chinook Salmon Out-migration Abundance, Size and Timing in the Lower Merced River, California. Prepared by Cramer Fish Sciences for U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anadromous Fish Restoration Program.
Peterson, M.L., A.N. Fuller, and D. Demko. 2017. Environmental factors associated with the upstream migratory activity of fall-run Chinook salmon in a regulated river. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 37: 78-93.
Singer, G.P., A.R. Hearn, E.D. Chapman, M.L. Peterson, P.E. LaCivita, W.N. Brostoff, A. Bremner and A.P. Klimley. 2012. Interannual variation of reach specific migratory success for Sacramento River hatchery yearling late-fall run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Environmental Biology of Fishes, DOI: 10.1007/s10641-012-0037-y
Job Titles:
- Scientific Director
- Staff
Matt Peterson is a fisheries biologist with extensive experience in acoustic telemetry, life-history variation of steelhead, and statistics. He has a wide variety of experience in field and laboratory settings, including the installation, operation, and maintenance of stream-width PIT tag antennas; PIT tagging; ARIS sonar camera operation; acoustic telemetry; spawning surveys; diet analyses; population genetics; and age-and-growth studies. Matt assists in study design, statistical analysis, and technical reporting for a variety of complex research projects, and is skilled in the programming language of R as well as numerous statistical techniques.
Matt's recent professional research has focused on fine-scale run timing of adult Chinook salmon and steelhead, evaluating factors associated with spatial distribution and densities of Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Central Valley, and providing statistical support for numerous research projects. Matt holds a master's degree in fisheries biology from Humboldt State University, where he studied the inter-annual variation of complex life-history traits among Trinity River steelhead. He has worked previously as a staff research assistant at UC Davis, a watershed coordinator with the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District, and a fisheries technician at Green Diamond Resource Company.
Job Titles:
- Fisheries Biologist & Regulatory Specialist
- Staff
Patrick Cuthbert is a fisheries biologist with experience in fieldwork and regulatory support. He is proficient in boat and backpack electrofishing, rotary screw traps, snorkel surveys, redd surveys, fish weir trapping, seining, substrate sampling, benthic invertebrate surveys, and small watercraft operation. Additionally, Patrick is experienced in programming acoustic tags and implanting passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in ESA-listed species, and in the operation and data management of the VAKI Riverwatcher fish passage monitoring system and DIDSON /ARIS sonar cameras.
Patrick supports the regulatory needs of numerous developers and utility districts, and has provided fisheries assessments for construction projects in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river basins as well as the Northern California coast. Patrick is FISHBIO's primary point of contact for preparing all NOAA Fisheries and California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulatory applications, including Section 10(a)1(A)s, Section 4(d)s, Scientific Collection Permits, and Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreements. He has also assisted in the development of the Calaveras River Habitat Conservation Plan.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Boat Captain & Field Crew Leader
- Staff
Robert Fuller has been a field crew leader since 1995, and his experiences in California and Oregon encompass all aspects of fisheries sampling. Rob supervises rotary screw trap assembly and monitoring, snorkel surveys, redd surveys, weir assembly and monitoring, seining, and DIDSON monitoring. He is experienced in PIT tag antenna operation as well as Vaki Riverwatcher operation and data review. Rob is a licensed boat captain with experience in motorized and non-motorized watercraft operation in river, ocean, and lake environments. He has extensive experience with boat and backpack electrofishing, gillnetting, and trawl surveys.
Rob has conducted habitat mapping, habitat assessments, and species inventories in a variety of environments, as well as stream cross sections and habitat restoration. He has performed minnow and fyke trap surveys, as well as surveys for benthic macroinvertebrates and large woody debris. Rob is proficient in various fish marking techniques, external tagging, and PIT tag surgical implantation, and has participated in radio tracking, mobile acoustic tracking, and mark-recapture surveys. Rob has experience in sampling gear design, fabrication, and implementation; equipment maintenance; and heavy machinery operation.
Tara is a fisheries biologist and field crew leader who is proficient in GPS mapping and wildlife population surveys. She has managed data with ArcGIS, Microsoft Access, and state and federal databases. She is proficient in installing, operating, and collecting data using PIT tags, acoustic tags, digital recorders, rotary screw traps, fish counting weirs, DIDSON/ARIS sonar, and the Vaki Riverwatcher. Tara has sampled and identified both endangered and invasive plants and animals in California, and has conducted environmental analyses such as channel assessments, stream cross-sections, and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling. She is also trained in genetic sampling and small watercraft operation. Tara conducts both upstream and downstream monitoring and database management of salmonids in California's Central Valley and performs video monitoring and reporting for several projects.
Tyler Pilger is a fisheries biologist with extensive experience in population genetics and community ecology of freshwater fishes in the Great Plains and desert Southwest, USA. He has experience with electrofishing, mark-recapture studies using PIT and VIE tags, and radio telemetry of fish. Additionally, he has a wide array of sample collection and laboratory experiences that include genetic, stable isotope, diet, geometric-morphometric, and otolith microchemical analyses. His quantitative skills include univariate and multivariate statistics, genetic analyses, simulation, programming in both R and Python languages, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Tyler's professional research focuses on landscape-scale factors associated with patterns of fish abundance, as well as genetic and demographic resilience to disturbance. He also assists in study design, statistical analysis, and technical reporting for a variety of complex research projects. Tyler holds a Ph. D. in Biology from the University of New Mexico, where he studied conservation genetics of threatened and endangered fishes and the influence of interspecific life-history differences on population genetics. He received a M.Sc. in Biology at Kansas State University studying the effects of nonnative predators on native fish trophic dynamics