Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program:
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Staff Member


Katherine Abbott

Longnose gar from a hoop net

PhD
Email: kmabbott@umass.edu

Biography

I earned my BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UConn and worked around the country before returning to graduate school at LSU, where I received my MS in Oceanography and Coastal Science. Following my passion for aquatic restoration, I joined the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit with Dr. Allison Roy, and am glad to be back on the banks of New England streams. My research interests revolve around aquatic habitat restoration, and I am currently working to quantify the effects of dam removal on stream ecosystems across Massachusetts.

Research Publications Publication Date
Abbott, K.M., P.A. Zaidel, A.H. Roy, K.M. Houle, and K.H. Nislow. 2022. Investigating impacts of small dams and dam removal on dissolved oxygen in streams. PLoS ONE 17: e0277647. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277647 | Publisher Website November 2022
Abbott, K., A. Roy, and K. Nislow. 2022. Restoring aquatic habitats through dam removal. U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Cooperator Science Series FWS/148-2022, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.3996/css92498424 | Publisher Website November 2022
Project Completion Date
Restoring Aquatic Habitats through Dam Removal June 2023
Presentations Presentation Date
Spelman, S.B., K.M. Abbott, J.B. Richardson, and A.H. Roy. 2021. Toxic metal bioaccumulation in dammed streams: Implications for food webs. Northeast Aquatic Biologists Conference, 3-11 March 2020, virtual. (poster) March 2021
Roy, A.H., K.M. Abbott, and P.A. Zaidel. 2021. Ecological Considerations for Dam Removal: Charles River Dam in South Natick. Charles River Dam Advisory Committee. 14 October 2021. October 2021
Roy, A.H., K.M. Abbott, M.B. Cole, K.M. Houle, and K.H. Nislow. 2019. Impacts of small, low-head dams on stream macroinvertebrate assemblages. Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science, 19-23 May 2019, Salt Lake City, UT. May 2019
Macpherson, C.B., K.M. Abbott, and A.H. Roy. 2023. Examining fish assemblage response to dam removal. Northeast Aquatic Biologists Meeting, 15-17 February 2023, Plymouth, MA. February 2023
Macpherson, C.B., K.M. Abbott, and A.H. Roy. 2023. Examining fish assemblage response to dam removal. Joint meeting of the Northeast Division and Southern New England Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 8-10 January 2023, Boston, MA. January 2023
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, and K.H. Nislow. 2020. Resilient river restoration through dam removal. Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions Annual Environmental Conference, 29 February 2020, Worcester, MA. February 2020
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, and K.H. Nislow. 2020. Resilient river restoration through dam removal. 5th International Symposium on Urbanization and Stream Ecology, 12-15 February 2020, Austin, TX. February 2020
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, P.A. Zaidel, K.M. Houle, and K.H. Nislow. 2020. Thermal and dissolved oxygen recovery following small dam removals in Massachusetts. Northeast Aquatic Biologists Conference, 4-6 March 2020, Newport, RI. March 2020
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, P.A. Zaidel, K.M. Houle, and K.H. Nislow. 2020. Dam removal as a tool to increase ecological resilience through water quality improvements. Quebec RE<sup>3 </sup>Conference , 7-11 June 2020, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. June 2020
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, M.B. Cole, and K.H. Nislow. 2023. Recovery of benthic macroinvertebrates following small dam removals. Freshwater Sciences 2023, 3-7 June 2023, Brisbane, Australia. June 2023
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, M.B. Cole, and K.H. Nislow. 2023. Recovery of benthic macroinvertebrates following small dam removal. Northeast Aquatic Biologists Meeting, 15-17 February 2023, Plymouth, MA. February 2023
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, M.B. Cole, K.M. Houle, and K.H. Nislow. 2021. Linking water quality to benthic macroinvertebrates in dammed streams: Implications for restoration. Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science, 23-27 May 2021 (virtual). May 2021
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, M.B. Cole, K.M. Houle, and K.H. Nislow. 2019. Variable responses of aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages to dam removal. Society of Wetland Scientists – New England Chapter Fall Meeting: Dammed If You Do and Dammed If You Don’t: Barrier Removal and Stream Integration, 4-5 October 2019, New Britain, CT. October 2019
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, K.M. Houle, S. Mattocks, and K.H. Nislow. 2022. Enhancing resilience of riverine fishes through dam removal. Northeast Aquatic Biologists Conference, 2-4 March 2022, Portland, ME. March 2022
Abbott, K.M., A.H. Roy, K.H. Nislow, R. Quiñones, and F.J. Magilligan. 2023. Incorporating climate change into restoration decisions: Perspectives from practitioners. 6th Symposium on Urbanization and Stream Ecology, 29 May - 1 June 2023, Brisbane, Australia. May 2023