Steven Cooke

Carleton University · Department of Biology

Objective Wild fish and other aquatic ectotherms are often subjected to procedures during field research that require wound closure using sutures. A variety of absorbable sutures are available for such purposes, yet degradation processes are highly dependent on temperature, and the environments in which wild ectotherms are released are almost alway...

Unlabelled: Fish habitat associations are important measures for effective aquatic habitat management, but often vary over broad spatial and temporal scales, and are therefore challenging to measure comprehensively. We used a 9-year acoustic telemetry dataset to generate spatial-temporal habitat suitability models for seven fish species in an urba...

Recreational fishing has the potential to cause evolutionary change in fish populations; a phenomenon referred to as fisheries-induced evolution. However, detecting and quantifying the magnitude of recreational fisheries selection in the wild is inherently difficult, largely owing to the challenges associated with variation in environmental factors...

Critical thermal maxima methodology (CTM) has been used to infer acute upper thermal tolerance in fishes since the 1950s, yet its ecological relevance remains debated. Here, we synthesize evidence to identify methodological concerns and common misconceptions that have limited the interpretation of CTmax (value for an individual fish during one tria...

Urban streams are impacted by multiple anthropogenic environmental stressors that exert considerable pressure on resident fish populations. Species such as brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are particularly vulnerable because urban environments typically limit the cold oxygenated water required by all life stages. To understand factors associated...

A common goal among fisheries science professionals, stakeholders, and rights holders is to ensure the persistence and resilience of vibrant fish populations and sustainable, equitable fisheries in diverse aquatic ecosystems, from small headwater streams to offshore pelagic waters. Achieving this goal requires a complex intersection of science and...

The socio-cultural, economic, and environmental conditions of the world are changing rapidly and recreational fisheries will have to adapt to the uncertain future. Key research areas include assessing the sustainability of recreational fishing in response to climate change, ongoing biodiversity decline and changing social values. In this context, t...

When a fish is caught by angling and released, it is unclear for how long that fish will be able to remember the experience and exhibit hook avoidance. Previous research in ponds using carp (Cyprinus carpio) as a model have suggested that in this species a single hooking event might be enough to cause hook avoidance to last over one year. We re-exa...

Modified bite-shortened hooks show promise for enabling easy handling and rapid release of fish captured by recreational anglers, with the potential to reduce injury and stress of released fish. This study investigated whether bite-shortened modified hooks were effective at improving fish welfare relative to more traditional hook configurations. We...

Natural resource governance is inherently complex owing to the socio-ecological systems in which it is embedded. Working arrangements have been fundamentally transformed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with potential negative impacts on trust-based social networks foundational to resource management and transboundary governance. To inform developm...

We conducted a systematic review on the impacts of natural causes of variation or changes in flow magnitude (resulting from climatic variability and broad‐scale drivers such as climate‐induced change) on fish abundance and biomass in temperate regions. Following our systematic review protocol (Birnie‐Gauvin et al., 2021), we examined commercially p...

Human-induced climate change is already apparent through warming temperatures, altered precipitation, and greater prevalence of extreme weather events (e.g., droughts and floods) all of which are anticipated to be exacerbated in the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, demand for hydropower generation is expected to increase and future hydropower develop...

Freshwater habitats are experiencing two to three times the rate of biodiversity loss of terrestrial and marine habitats. As status quo actions within the conservation community are not reversing the downward trajectory for freshwater biodiversity, we propose four actions to shift the narrative such that freshwater biodiversity is no longer invisib...

Biodiversity loss has accelerated over the past century and freshwater species overall are among those experiencing greatest declines. Genetic resources have the potential to help evaluate the full magnitude of this loss and represent a key tool to effectively allocate conservation resources and monitor the success of restoration efforts. The full...

Freshwater biodiversity, from fish to frogs and microbes to macrophytes, provides a vast array of services to people. Mounting concerns focus on the accelerating pace of biodiversity loss and declining ecological function within freshwater ecosystems that continue to threaten these natural benefits. Here, we catalog nine fundamental ecosystem servi...

Fishways can restore functional connectivity within rivers for migratory fish where barriers compromise connectivity. Providing fish passage is particularly important for semelparous, anadromous species that require access to upriver habitats to successfully reproduce. From 2017 to 2020, we used a combination of acoustic and radio telemetry to inve...

Freshwater biodiversity, from fish to frogs and microbes to macrophytes, provides a vast array of services to people. Mounting concerns focus on the accelerating pace of biodiversity loss and declining ecological function within freshwater ecosystems that continue to threaten these natural benefits. Here, we catalog nine fundamental ecosystem servi...

The creation and deployment of plastic structures made out of pipes and panels in freshwater ecosystems to enhance fish habitat or restore freshwater systems have become popularized in some regions. Here, we outline concerns with these activities, examine the associated evidence base for using plastic materials for restoration, and provide some sug...

Given limited resources for wildlife conservation paired with an urgency to halt declines and rebuild populations, it is imperative that management actions are tactical and effective. Mechanisms are about how a system works and can inform threat identification and mitigation such that conservation actions that work can be identified. Here, we call...

The braiding of Indigenous knowledge systems and Western-based sciences offers insights into ecology and has emerged as a way to help address complex environmental issues. We reviewed the publicly available ecological research involving the braiding of Indigenous knowledge systems and Western-based sciences to support collaborative work in the Albe...

Barotrauma can lead to physical injury and physiological disturbance (elevated stress hormones, and depleted energy stores during post‐release struggling) in angled fish. Effectiveness of methods for reducing effects of barotrauma on fish has not been tested on fish subjected to ice‐angling. We examined post‐release behavior and re‐descension of bl...

Fish movement patterns are an essential consideration for the design of effective freshwater protected areas (FPAs). The Rideau Waterway system (Ontario, Canada) is home to some of the oldest single-resource FPAs in Ontario (> 70 years active). Initially, these FPAs were intended to provide holistic protection to the heavily exploited largemouth ba...

Coastal marine fisheries and the habitats that support them are under extensive and increasing pressures from numerous anthropogenic stressors that occur at multiple spatial and temporal scales and often intersect in unexpected ways. Frequently, the scales at which these fisheries are managed do not match the scales of the stressors, much less the...

Critical thermal maxima methodology (CTM) has been used to infer acute upper thermal tolerance in fishes since the 1950s, yet its ecological relevance remains debated. Here, we synthesize evidence to identify methodological concerns and common misconceptions that have limited the interpretation of CTmax (value for an individual fish during one tria...

Introduction Shore-based shark fishing in Florida is a relatively low-cost and easy-access fishery which attracts a wide variety of experienced and inexperienced anglers leading to concerns about proper handling methods of captured fish that are released either voluntarily or to comply with regulations. Proper handling methods can help reduce post-...

Permit (Trachinotus falcatus) support recreational fisheries in South Florida, and there is limited monitoring to assess population trends. To address this knowledge deficiency, we conducted a survey of Permit anglers and fishing guides to collect local ecological knowledge (LEK) on fisheries trends, focused mainly on the Florida Keys. Respondents...

Carrion as a food source and the role of scavengers both contribute to ecosystem connections, services, and food webs. Historically overlooked, there are paucities in the literature examining scavenging ecology and it remains unknown how anthropogenic activities such as riparian shoreline development impact scavengers. The objective of this study w...

The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a non-native fish species in many parts of the world which has negative impacts on freshwater environments including plant loss, re-suspended sediment, and altered nutrient flux. Eradication of common carp can be extremely difficult and conventional management efforts have focused on control or containment, achi...

La pandemia de la enfermedad del coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) está impactando dramáticamente los sistemas sociales planetarios y humanos que están inseparablemente vinculados. Las enfermedades zoonóticas como la COVID-19 exponen cómo el bienestar humano está inextricablemente interconectado con el medio ambiente y con otras crisis socioecológicas co...

Understanding the factors that contribute to fish impairment and survival from angling events is essential to guide best angling practices for catch-and-release (C&R) recreational fisheries. Complex interactions often exist between angler behaviour, environmental conditions, and fish characteristics that ultimately determine biological outcomes for...

There are severe problems with the decision-making processes currently widely used, leading to ineffective use of evidence, faulty decisions, wasting of resources and the erosion of public and political support. In this book an international team of experts provide solutions. The transformation suggested includes rethinking how evidence is assessed...

There are severe problems with the decision-making processes currently widely used, leading to ineffective use of evidence, faulty decisions, wasting of resources and the erosion of public and political support. In this book an international team of experts provide solutions. The transformation suggested includes rethinking how evidence is assessed...

There are severe problems with the decision-making processes currently widely used, leading to ineffective use of evidence, faulty decisions, wasting of resources and the erosion of public and political support. In this book an international team of experts provide solutions. The transformation suggested includes rethinking how evidence is assessed...

Unlabelled: Common carp, Cyprinus carpio, are a non-native species that established within the Laurentian Great Lakes more than a century ago and are abundant in some locations. Common carp have negatively impacted freshwater ecosystems, including in the Great Lakes, by increasing turbidity and uprooting vegetation through foraging and/or spawning...

The study of the stress response and subsequent recovery of angled fish can inform the development of best practices for catch-and-release (C&R) angling. While large bodies of research exist detailing the impacts of C&R during warm periods of the year (i.e., open water), relatively few studies have been conducted during the colder months when sub-f...

Fish passage science and practice seeks to facilitate the movement of fish around obstacles in their habitat, primarily through the construction of fishways and culverts. Successful implementation of fish passage requires collaboration between groups with very different backgrounds and expertise, including knowledge-producers (scientists who study...

In Opinicon Lake, Ontario during two non-pandemic years (2019 and 2022) the hook-wounding rates from recreational angling observed among nesting male largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (LMB), and nesting male smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu (SMB), were quite high, but typical of those observed in the lake over the last 20 years of monitorin...

For decades, the working paradigm for ecological restoration was independent operation of knowledge generators (researchers and scientists) and knowledge users (decision makers and practitioners), resulting in a knowledge–action gap. Knowledge co‐production is a collaborative process where research is conducted in a respectful and engaging manner w...

Winter is an ecologically challenging time for freshwater fishes in temperate regions. In aquatic systems that experience annual winter water-level drawdowns, the pressures that fish already face during winter can be exacerbated. The Rideau Canal, a 202 km waterway located in eastern Ontario, Canada, is one such freshwater system that encounters th...

Animals need to move between different habitats to successfully complete their life cycle. Anthropogenic activities and infrastructure impact animal movement, especially in the aquatic realm, due to habitat alteration (including fragmentation), pollution, overexploitation, the spread of invasive alien species and climate change. Gaining knowledge o...

Nearshore fish communities in marine flats ecosystems are recognised as being key for early life stages of socio-economically valued fish species, as well as small-bodied forage fishes, yet little is known about the spatial ecology of these fishes. Recent advances in acoustic telemetry have allowed for the tagging of small fish. Here, we used the s...

Researchers tracked invasive and native fish movements in Canada’s historic Rideau Canal Waterway to evaluate connectivity and interactions with anthropogenic barriers. Preliminary results indicate the system may naturally be selectively fragmented.

Marine and freshwater fisheries are more important than ever for sustaining human populations but are also facing unprecedented threats from the combined effects of multiple environmental stressors. Here we review how the rapidly changing abiotic environment of fish may affect interactions between fish and fishers, at both the individual and popula...

Foresight science is a systematic approach to generate future predictions for planning and management by drawing upon analytical and predictive tools to understand the past and present, while providing insights about the future. To illustrate the application of foresight science in conservation, we present three case studies: identification of emer...

Animals that congregate in large numbers to reproduce in spatially and temporally distinct locations are particularly susceptible to overexploitation. Many fishes form spawning aggregations that are intentionally targeted given ease of capture. Bonefish (Albula spp.) species aggregate to spawn and are culturally and economically important, but gene...

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation from sources such as hydroelectric dams can cause harmful bubble growth in the tissues of aquatic animals, known as gas bubble trauma (GBT). Locomotion is known to exacerbate bubble growth in tissues during decompression under certain conditions (such as in diving animals), possibly because of increased bub...

Differences in individual personality are common amongst animals, which can play an ecological and evolutionary role given links to fitness. Personality affects animal life processes and outputs (e.g., behavior, life history, growth, survival, reproduction), and has become a common theme in animal behavioral ecology research. In the present study,...

Freshwater ecosystems are among the most degraded on the planet and there is strong evidence that freshwater biodiversity is in precipitous decline. To that end, there is urgent need to conserve and restore freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity in order to ensure that freshwaters continue to yield diverse ecosystem services. Although there is some...

It is widely regarded that we have entered a new epoch distinct from the Holocene which is defined by the dominance of humans—termed the “Anthropocene.” Indeed, for centuries humans have altered aquatic ecosystems by degrading habitats, altering ecosystem structure, and impairing ecosystem function. In the Anthropocene, aquatic ecosystems and their...

“Natural” disasters (also known as geophysical disasters) involve physical processes that have a direct or indirect impact on humans. These events occur rapidly and may have severe consequences for resident flora and fauna as their habitat undergoes dramatic and sudden change. Although most studies have focused on the impact of natural disasters on...

Energy is a fundamental currency of life that can be quantified in organisms to understand how environmental conditions and anthropogenic stressors affect individuals, scaling up to populations and entire ecosystems. Bioenergetics studies have been conducted extensively on fishes, with an historical focus on lab-based experiments relevant to fisher...

Permit (Trachinotus falcatus) occupy a variety of coastal marine habitats and support valuable recreational fisheries in their home region of the Caribbean Sea. As an aggregate spawning species, Permit require careful management in locations such as the Florida Keys where they experience substantial fishing pressure. We used acoustic telemetry to e...

Given the critical role of metabolism in the life history of all organisms, there is particular interest in understanding the relationship between individual metabolic phenotypes and the capacity to partition energy into competing life history traits. Such relationships could be predictive of individual phenotypic performances throughout life. Here...

Purpose of Review Multiple stressor studies conducted in real-world environments play an important role in discovering how stressor pathways may vary relative to ecological complexity and study scale. We reviewed the evidence for climate and landscape change impacts on freshwater biodiversity in real-world ecosystems at the global scale. Using our...

Tropical and subtropical coastal flats are shallow regions of the marine environment at the intersection of land and sea. These regions provide myriad ecological goods and services, including recreational fisheries focused on flats-inhabiting fishes such as bonefish, tarpon, and permit. The cascading effects of climate change have the potential to...

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) published the second edition of its International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in 2019. We conducted a pan‐Canadian study using semi‐structured interviews with restoration professionals to explore the extent to which restoration practitioners are aware of the docume...

Background Mining can directly and indirectly affect social and environmental systems in a range of positive and negative ways, and may result in societal benefits, but may also cause conflicts, not least in relation to land use. Mining always affects the environment, whilst remediation and mitigation efforts may effectively ameliorate some negativ...

Electronic Supplementary Material Title: Uncertainty, anxiety, and optimism: Diverse perspectives of rainbow and steelhead trout fisheries governance in British Columbia

Fish captured and released by recreational anglers are often exposed to air to enable hook removal and for admiration (e.g., photography). It is necessary to identify thresholds for air exposure that minimize sublethal alterations to inform best practice guidelines yet doing so in ecological-relevant field settings is challenging. We developed a no...

The construction of dams and weirs has fragmented many rivers and streams globally, and this is a major threat to biodiversity. The most common method used to reduce these impacts is to construct fishways. Published examples show that while fishways can be effective, their performance can also be highly variable. Given this variability, it is criti...

While a growing body of literature has shown that tourism provisioning can influence the behaviour of wildlife, how physiological state might be related to the nature and magnitude of these effects remains poorly understood. Physiological state, including reproductive and nutritional status, can have profound effects on an individual's behaviour an...

Inland fisheries support the livelihoods of millions of people in riparian communities worldwide but are influenced by increasing climate variability and change. Freshwater fishing societies are among the most vulnerable to climate change given their dependence on highly threatened aquatic resources. As climate change intensifies, building adaptive...