Better understanding the drivers and stressors affecting fish health, fish habitat and aquatic conditions remains a significant management need in cool and warmwater rivers. Quantifying the effects of land management activities on aquatic ecosystems plays an important role in environmental management and decision-making. This research will address stakeholder needs related to understanding the effects of land management actions on stream and river habitat conditions – habitat that is critical for supporting socioeconomically and ecologically important fish communities throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The project is a collaboration of researchers across multiple agencies and includes the USGS and state fisheries management agencies across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Through the development of several modeling frameworks, this research will focus on quantifying the effects of land management actions on population-level outcomes that are relevant to managers, including effects on abundance, recruitment, the number of spawners, and size structure.
