SFS Annual Meeting

5/23/2019  |   09:00 - 09:15   |  150 G

A DIGITAL PERSPECTIVE: WHAT SMARTPHONE APPS ARE REVEALING ABOUT ANGLER RESPONSE TO FISHING REGULATIONS The tightened walleye regulations on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, are designed to improve the declining world-class fishery. The restrictions have been highly controversial, not only for the anglers, but for the adjacent resort towns that rely on their business. For managers interested in how the fishery reacts to regulations, it can be difficult to evaluate the impact of any changes on angler behavior. Conventional approaches include creel surveys and social surveys that are limited by expense and low response rates. Angler app data provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the effect of regulation changes on angler behavior. Fishbrain is a popular app that has nearly two million users in the United States. According to these data, 201 Fishbrain users have logged 314 total walleye catches in Mille Lacs Lake since 2011. These data will be used to determine how the regulation changes might have affected the behavior of the overall Mille Lacs walleye angler population within the app. This includes factors like when, where, and how often users fish for walleye. In addition, user behavior can be tracked on an individual basis to determine varied angler preference and behavioral response.

Jessica Weir (Primary Presenter/Author), Ball State University, jit.weir@gmail.com;


Paul Venturelli (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ball State University, paventurelli@bsu.edu;


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5/23/2019  |   09:15 - 09:30   |  150 G

ANURAN TRAITS OF THE UNITED STATES (ATRAIU) DATABASE - A MULTI-USE TOOL FOR TRAITS-BASED CONSERVATION, MANAGEMENT, AND RESEARCH The United States is home to many anuran (frog and toad) species, each with defining traits, characteristics, and habitats that set them apart from one another. Understanding trait variation within and between anurans species is key to many successful conservation and research efforts, but the recording of species traits is just as variable as the species themselves. We present a comprehensive anuran traits database of the United States that compiles trait data into a single, accessible location. We digitized trait values for 108 species using a hierarchical literature search protocol that pulled 18 frequently reported anuran traits from 198 sources. All traits are traceable to their original reference, which represents a major improvement in transparency from existing databases. Overall, all compiled traits have more than 60% of anurans with corresponding trait data. We also present preliminary traits-based approaches for anurans in the United States as examples of analyses using ATraiU. Following completion of a quality assurance protocol, ATraiU will be published as open-access. Ultimately, ATraiU will be accessible to a variety of users and purposes, from managers in charge of anuran conservation to researchers addressing knowledge gaps in anuran ecology.

Jacob Helmann (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Virginia Tech, hjacob@vt.edu;


Ye Chen (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Virginia Tech, yec95@vt.edu;


London Hughes (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Virginia Tech, london16@vt.edu;


Noah Wax (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Virginia Tech, noahw15@vt.edu;


Sabine St. Amour (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Virginia Tech, sabine96@vt.edu;


Meryl C. Mims (), Virginia Tech, mims@vt.edu;


Chloe Moore (Primary Presenter/Author), Virginia Tech, chloe9mo@vt.edu;


Meryl Mims (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Virginia Tech, mims@vt.edu;


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5/23/2019  |   09:30 - 09:45   |  150 G

THE POWER, POTENTIAL, AND PITFALLS OF OPPORTUNISTIC DATA FOR VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS: LESSONS FROM THE FISHES The rate, pace, and magnitude of environmental change demands efficient vulnerability assessments of many taxa, including freshwater species that make up one of the most threatened taxa globally. Opportunistically collected, publicly available occurrence data - e.g., museum records, state and federal databases, and observation-based public initiatives - provide a promising but largely untested resource in systematically evaluating the vulnerability of traditionally data-poor freshwater species to a changing climate. We present findings from ongoing efforts using data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to evaluate vulnerability of >100 freshwater fishes native to the US. By focusing on area of occupancy and climate niche breadth, our results indicate that opportunistically collected point-occurrence data have the potential to complement vulnerability assessments derived from coarse-grain (e.g., range map) data, particularly for data-poor species. We explore how issues such as uneven sampling efforts manifest in opportunistic datasets, and we provide evaluation and screening strategies essential for use of these data in formal decision-support tools. Finally, we discuss incorporation of these data into web-based tools, such as the US Geological Survey National Biogeographic Map, enabling users to explore GBIF-derived vulnerability and risk assessments directly.

Meryl Mims (Primary Presenter/Author), Virginia Tech, mims@vt.edu;


Meryl C. Mims (), Virginia Tech, mims@vt.edu;


Samuel Silknetter (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Virginia Tech, silknets@vt.edu;


Jennifer A. Smith (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Texas San Antonio, Jennifer.smith@utsa.edu;


Abigail L. Benson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USGS, albenson@usgs.gov ;


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5/23/2019  |   09:45 - 10:00   |  150 G

THE IMPORTANCE OF OPEN SCIENCE FOR BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Open science principles that seek to democratize science can effectively bridge the gap between researchers and environmental managers. However, widespread adoption has yet to gain traction for the development and application of bioassessment methods. At the core of this philosophy is the concept that research should be reproducible and transparent, in addition to having long-term value through effective data preservation and sharing. In this paper, we review core open science concepts that have recently been adopted in the ecological sciences and emphasize how adoption can benefit the field of bioassessment for both prescriptive condition assessments and proactive applications that inform environmental management. An example from the state of California demonstrates effective adoption of open science principles through data stewardship, reproducible research, and engagement of stakeholders with multimedia applications. We also discuss technical, sociocultural, and institutional challenges for adopting open science, including practical approaches for overcoming these hurdles in bioassessment applications.

Casey O'Hara (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, ohara@nceas.ucsb.edu;


Julia Stewart Lowndes (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, lowndes@nceas.ucsb.edu;


Raphael Mazor (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, raphaelm@sccwrp.org;


Susanna Theroux (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, susannat@sccwrp.org;


David Gillett (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, davidg@sccwrp.org;


Belize Lane (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Utah State University, belize.lane@usu.edu;


Greg Gearheart (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), California State Water Resources Control Board, greg.gearheart@waterboards.ca.gov;


Marcus Beck (Primary Presenter/Author), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, marcusb@sccwrp.org;


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5/23/2019  |   10:00 - 10:15   |  150 G

USING SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND EVIDENCE BANKING TO INCREASE UPTAKE AND USE OF AQUATIC SCIENCE IN DECISION-MAKING To support sound decision-making in environmental management, we need rigorous, defensible, and transparent synthesis of scientific evidence. Society for Freshwater Science members are leaders in applying science to decision-making, and yet many environmental decisions are still at risk of having to be made without a comprehensive, well-synthesized evidence base supporting them. In this presentation, we discuss two synergistic approaches that can help science inform decision-making: systematic review (structured, transparent literature synthesis) and evidence banking (centralized reporting of key ecological relationships). Our aim is to promote the use of these approaches within the aquatic science community. We propose that scientists can improve the use of science in decision-making by making their research more compatible with synthesis efforts by: considering risk of bias when designing studies and reporting results; reporting all relevant contextual information; analyzing data using standard effect size approaches; and banking both raw data and evidence of key relationships. Awareness of how primary research informs decisions can help broaden the impact of scientific research, making it more directly relevant to decision-making and more likely to contribute to the protection of aquatic ecosystems.

Micah Bennett (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, bennett.micah@epa.gov;


Sylvia Lee (Primary Presenter/Author,Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, lee.sylvia@epa.gov;


Kate Schofield (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, schofield.kate@epa.gov;


Caroline Ridley (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ridley.caroline@epa.gov;


Susan Norton (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, norton.susan@epa.gov;


J. Angus Webb (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Melbourne, angus.webb@unimelb.edu.au;


Susan Nichols (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Canberra, Australia, Sue.Nichols@canberra.edu.au;


Ralph Ogden (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Canberra, ralphogden4@gmail.com;


Alexandra Collins (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Imperial College London, alexandra.collins@imperial.ac.uk;


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