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Ethan Rutledge

NE CASC Graduate Fellow
Ph.D. Student
UMass Amherst

Research Interests

My recent research has been specifically focused on the habitat use and age and growth of many different species of fish. I have specific interest in quantifying population dynamics and developing management recommendations based on those results. Currently I am part of a team working to understand the effects of climate change on bioenergetics and bioaccumulation in Atlantic salmon in the Northeast. Specifically, our efforts aim to describe the mechanisms behind, and why contaminant threats exist and how management actions can minimize those risks.

Honors and Awards:

  • Xi Sigma Pi Natural Resources Honor Society
  • Wes Wotring Scholarship
  • W.O.O.D Scholarship
  • Oscar and Isabel Anderson Scholarship
  • Liniger Honor, Service, and Commitment Scholarship
  • Friends of Deckers Creek Volunteer of the Year

Peer-Reviewed Publications:

Rutledge, E., R. Hupfeld, C. Gainer, H. Kim, Q. Phelps. In Press. Bluegill Habitat Use in the Upper Mississippi River. Natural Areas Journal.

Rutledge, E., R. Hupfeld, M. Bowler, C. Gainer, H. Kim, Q. Phelps, K. Bouska, and A. Bartels. In Review. Population Dynamics of Bluegill in the Mississippi River. Copeia

Gainer, C., E. Rutledge, H. Kim, and Q. Phelps. In Review. Smallmouth Bass Habitat Use in the Upper Mississippi River. American Midland Naturalist..

Gainer, C., E. Rutledge, H. Kim, and Q. Phelps. In Review. Population Dynamics of Channel Catfish in the Mississippi River. River Research and Applications.

Kim, H., M. Cogar, K. Haupt, E. Rutledge, C. Gainer, K. Chestnut, S. Tripp, D. Herzog, Q. Phelps, and D. Henry. In Preparation. Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon Drift Dynamics in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. North American Journal of Fisheries Management

Gainer, C., E. Rutledge, H. Kim, and Q. Phelps. In Preparation. Biotic and Abiotic Factors Influencing Silver Carp Early Life History. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

Other Publications:

Featured in The Great Fish Battle. WVU Research Magazine. 2019.

Project

Increasing the Resilience and Resistance of Climate-Vulnerable Species and Ecosystems

Education

Associate of Science: Natural Resources Management, Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, IA, 2015
Bachelor of Science: Natural Resources Management, Fisheries Biology, Colorado State University, CO, 2018
Master of Science: Biology, Fisheries Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 2020

Experience

Biological Science Technician, United States Geological Survey, Contaminant Ecology Research Lab
Research Assistant, Vital Rate Analysis of Upper Mississippi River Fishes, Missouri State University
Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant, Applied Fisheries Management Lab, West Virginia University
Research Technician, Black River Sturgeon Research Facility, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Michigan State University/Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Natural Resources Technician, Mississippi Monitoring Station, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries
Natural Resources Technician, State Trout Hatchery, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries
Sergeant, Combat Engineer, United States Marine Corps
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