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

Wade graduated from Utah State University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology & Management and a minor in Fisheries Science. He began his career as an Aquatic Technician for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, where he assisted with management and restoration of native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. He also worked as a Fish Culturist for the Kamas State Fish Hatchery before pursuing graduate research at Texas Tech. Wade’s research interests include fisheries ecology, fisheries management, age and growth of fishes, and aquatic food web ecology. His current research will assess the importance of aquatic and terrestrial food sources to an imperiled prairie stream fish assemblage native to the upper Red River basin of Southern Oklahoma and North-Central Texas. Focal species include Plains Minnow (Hybognathus placitus), Prairie Chub (Macrhybopsis australis), Red River Shiner (Notropis bairdi), and Red River Pupfish (Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis). By utilizing gut content and stable isotope analyses, he will examine linkages between terrestrial and aquatic food webs to tease apart the complex energy pathways and trophic interactions within prairie stream ecosystems. His work aims to advance understanding of prairie fish ecology and provide new information to aid in the recovery of fishes of greatest conservation need. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, hiking, traveling, and golfing.