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Faculty & Staff Directory

T. Reid Nelson

  • Assistant Professor
  • Faculty Fellow, PEREC
  • Aquatic Ecology, Fisheries Ecology

    Contact Info

    T. Reid Nelson
    Name
    T. Reid Nelson
    Job Title
    Assistant Professor
    Faculty Fellow, PEREC
    Aquatic Ecology, Fisheries Ecology
    Office Number
    Potomac Science Center 3115 MSN 5F2

    Affiliations

    Departments

    Centers

    • Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC)

    Research Areas

    • Aquatic Ecology
    • Biology
    • Fisheries Ecology
    • Estuarine and Coastal Ecology

    Education

    PhD, Marine Science, University of South Alabama (2019)
    MS, Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture, Auburn University (2014)
    BS, Marine Biology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington (2010)

    About

    Broadly I am a fisheries ecologist with research interests in basic fields of ecology, applied aspects of fisheries and aquatic resource management, and the intersection of these two avenues. Along those lines I am interested in movement and migration, life history diversity, age and growth, population dynamics, predator-prey interactions, and anthropogenic impacts on fishes and aquatic ecosystems. I have worked in freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems and have experience along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts of the United States. Given my broad interests, I employ a wide variety of field, laboratory, analytical, and modeling techniques to investigate these research avenues.

    Current Research

    • Long-term ecological studies of Gunston Cove and Hunting Creek on the tidal Potomac River (collaborators: Chris Jones, Amy Fowler GMU, Kim de Mutsert USM)
    • Impacts of anthropogenic contact points on juvenile salmonids and piscivorous fishes (collaborator: Cyril Michel NOAA/UCSC) • Development of a micro Predation Event Recorder (collaborators: Nick Demetras, Cyril Michel NOAA/UCSC)
    • Striped Bass age and growth comparisons among Pacific and Atlantic populations (collaborators: Joe Smith NOAA, Tom Quinn UW)
    • Pacific Striped Bass movement patterns (collaborator: Joe Smith NOAA)
    • Red Drum otolith chemistry (collaborator: Sean Powers USA) • Spotted Seatrout movement and mortality (collaborator: Sean Powers USA)

    Teaching Focus

    My teaching goals are to 1) provide students a sound scientific knowledge base with full comprehension and inherent understanding of materials, 2) develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, and 3) produce effective science communicators that can engage peers, policy makers, stakeholders, and the community at large. Through a combination of classroom, laboratory, and perhaps most importantly hands-on field based learning, I hope to instill an appreciation and deeper understanding of our valuable aquatic resources. Current Courses: EVPP 536 The Diversity of Fishes EVPP 505 The Diversity of Fishes Lab EVPP 581 Estuarine and Coastal Ecology EVPP 582 Estuarine and Coastal Ecology Lab EVPP 692/991 Controversy in Fisheries Science EVPP 991 Experimental Design for Environmental Scientists

    Selected Publications

    Nelson, T. R., C. L. Hightower, J. Coogan, B. D. Walther, and S. P. Powers. 2021. Patterns and consequences of life history diversity in salinity exposure of an estuarine dependent fish. Environmental biology of fishes 104(4):419-436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01080-0

    Nelson, T. R., C. J. Michel, M. P. Gary, B. M. Lehman, N. J. Demetras, J. J. Hammen, and M. J. Horn. 2021. Effects of Artificial Lighting at Night on Predator Density and Salmonid Predation. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 150(2):147-159. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10286

    Nelson, T. R., C. L. Hightower, and S. P. Powers. 2021. Red Drum and Spotted Seatrout Live-Release Tournament Mortality and Dispersal. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 13(4):320-331. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10159

    Nelson, T. R., and S. P. Powers. 2020. Estimates of Red Drum Mortality via Acoustic Telemetry. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 12(1):78-97. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10110

    Nelson, T. R., A. E. Jefferson, P. T. Cooper, C. A. Buckley, K. L. Heck, and J. Mattila. 2018. Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis growth and fish community structure, inside and outside a marine-protected area in the Baltic Sea. Fisheries Management and Ecology 25(3):172-185. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/fme.12277

    Contact Info

    T. Reid Nelson
    Name
    T. Reid Nelson
    Job Title
    Assistant Professor
    Faculty Fellow, PEREC
    Aquatic Ecology, Fisheries Ecology
    Office Number
    Potomac Science Center 3115 MSN 5F2