Connolly, Patrick J.
Project Leader, Watershed Restoration Ecology
Lead Research Fish Biologist
Email: pconnolly@usgs.gov
Ph: 509-538-2299 ext. 269; Fax: 509-538-2843
5501-A Cook-Underwood Road
Cook, WA 98605-9717
Education:
Ph.D., Fisheries Science, Oregon State University
M.S., Zoology, University of Idaho
B.S., Biology, Centre College of Kentucky
Expertise/Specialty:
Research by my team focuses on life history expression and diversity within fish species. Several current studies are focused on measuring fish response to stream restoration actions, including dam removal. My team has been at the forefront of applying PIT tag technology to help understand fish movement and age-specific habitat use.
Research Interests:
Freshwater fish ecology
Survey and sampling designs
Life history and life cycles of fish
Population dynamics of fish
Recolonization studies of fish
Featured Studies:
- Assessing fish response to stream improvement project in the mainstem Methow River (WA).
- Assessing fish response to passage improvement projects in tributaries of the Methow River (WA).
- Assessing habitat use and movement of bull trout in Jarbidge River system (NV, ID; co-PI, Matthew Mesa)
- Investigating survival and habitat relationships of juvenile summer steelhead through their parr and smolt stages in the Wind River basin (WA), and tracking changes in abundance and life history expression as major stream restoration activities are implemented.
- Assessing fish productivity in the White Salmon River (WA) as a forerunner of the planned removal of Condit Dam.
Select Publications:
Connolly, P.J., T.H. Williams, and R.E. Gresswell, editors. In Press. The 2005 coastal cutthroat trout symposium proceedings. Oregon Chapter of American Fisheries Society, Portland, OR.
Brenkman, S.J., and P.J. Connolly. In Press. Protocol for monitoring fish assemblages in Pacific Northwest National Parks. U.S. Geological Survey, Techniques and Methods 2–A7.
Connolly, P.J., I.G. Jezorek, K. Martens, and E.F. Prentice. 2008. Measuring performance of two stationary interrogation systems for detecting downstream and upstream movement of PIT-tagged salmonids. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28:402-417.
Connolly, P.J., and S.J. Brenkman. 2008. Fish assemblage, density, and growth in lateral habitats within natural and regulated sections of Washington’s Elwha River prior to dam removal. Northwest Science 82:107-118.
Connolly, P.J., I.G. Jezorek, and E.F. Prentice. 2005. Development and use of in-stream PIT-tag detection systems to assess movement behavior of fish in tributaries of the Columbia River Basin, USA. Pages 217-220 in L.P.J.J. Noldus, F. Grieco, L.W.S. Loijens, and P.H. Zimmerman, editors. Proceedings of the Measuring Behavior 2005, 5th International Conference on Methods and Techniques in Behavioral Research. Noldus Information Technology, Wageningen, The Netherlands. http://www.noldus.webaxxs.net/mb2005/publications/index.html
Gresswell, R. L., and P. J. Connolly. 2005. Geo-Referenced Database for Coastal Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarki clarki of Washington and Oregon. Website maintained by Pacific Northwest Information Node, NBII , and Northwest Alliance for Computational Science & Engineering. http://ocid.nacse.org/nbii/cutbib/index.php.
Connolly, P.J., and J.H. Petersen. 2003. Bigger is not always better for overwintering young-of-year steelhead. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. In press.
Connolly, P.J., and B. Bair. 2002. Watershed restoration for anadromous rainbow trout in Washington's Wind River, USA. Pages 194-208 in Central Fisheries Board of Ireland. Proceedings of the 13th International Salmonid Habitat Enhancement Workshop. ISSN 1649-256X, Dublin, Ireland.
Connolly, P.J., and J.D. Hall. 1999. Biomass of coastal cutthroat trout in unlogged and previously clear-cut basins in the central Coast Range of Oregon. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 128:890-899.
Connolly, P.J. 1997. Influence of stream characteristics and age-class interactions on populations of coastal cutthroat trout. Pages 173-174 in J.D. Hall, P.A. Bisson, and R.E. Gresswell, editors. Sea-run cutthroat trout: biology, management, and future conservation. Oregon Chapter, American Fisheries Society, Corvallis.
