As a fisheries biologist, I study fish and how different features of their habitat affect their distributions and populations. Once we have learned enough about a fish species, we create resources that make it easier for people to protect them.
The ability to work cooperatively with other people as part of a team, being good at math, public speaking, writing, and graphic design are all important skills in my career.
How will climate change affect cold-water fish like trout, salmon, and char in the Rocky Mountains?
We use small digital sensors to record water temperatures in rivers and streams. Each sensor records the water temperature every hour. We put hundreds of sensors out across the Rocky Mountains so we can understand how climate change may affect fish habitat.
I discovered that steep, cold mountain streams will act as climate refugia to preserve trout populations during this century. Climate refugia are places which will have good habitat for an animal, even after the climate changes.
During my freshman year in college, I learned you could have a career in fisheries. That meant I could muck around in streams and rivers while chasing fish, like I had done growing up.
