Huntington, WV
Department of Biological Sciences
Department of Integrated Science and Technology
Watershed Resources
Tyler R. Hern
I am currently working on my thesis project (See Below), but while at Marshall I have participated in many field research projects that have greatly increased my knowledge of Aquatic sciences. While working for Dr. Jones I have worked on research projects in the Allegheny River-PA, Susquehanna River-PA/MD, Ohio River-WV, Wallkill River-NJ, Delaware River-NJ, Twelve pole Creek-WV, and many other small streams throughout the eastern US. During these projects I have employed a variety of techniques and protocols.
Personally my research interests lie with freshwater mussels and fish. Mussel and Fish taxonomy and ecology are among my favorite research topics. I am also very interested in ways of using GIS and remote sensing to further our knowledge of both fish and mussels. I am a member of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) and the Freshwater Mollusks Conservation Society (FMCS)
My thesis project consisted of assessing fish communities and abiotic factors in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin; in an effort to locate a population of Etheostoma sellare (Maryland Darter). The darter has not been seen since 1988, when it was observed by researchers conducting visual surveys in a small tributary. The project consisted of four sampling periods of one week each throughout 2008, 2009, and 2010. During this project we observed over 11,000 fish from the Susquehanna proper and many immediate tributaries. We accomplished this through a combination of Benthic Trawling, Backpack electro-fishing, and Visual surveys. Unfortunately, we did not locate any Maryland darters but with the data collected we are hopeful that the darter is still surviving in the small amount of viable habitat that is still present.
