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

North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Staff Member

Dr. Joseph Hightower

Photo while visiting the Anchorage area for the 2005 American Fisheries Society meeting
Assistant Unit Leader
Phone: (919) 515 - 8836
Email: jhightower@ncsu.edu
Faculty Website

Education

  • Ph D University of Georgia 1984
  • MS University of Georgia 1981
  • BS NC State University 1978

Biography

1985-1991 position as research fishery biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service; 1991-present position as Assistant Unit Leader (Fisheries), NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at NC State University.. Anadromous fish ecology, hydroacoustics, population dynamics. Population dynamics, stock assessment, fishery management

Research Publications Publication Date
Waters, D. S., R. L. Noble, and J. E. Hightower. 2005. Fishing and natural mortality of adult largemouth bass in a tropical reservoir. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 134:563-571. May 2005
Waters, C. T., and J. E. Hightower. 2007. Effect of Water Quality on Hatching Success of Blueback Herring Eggs in the Chowan River Basin, North Carolina. Proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 61:23-28. January 2009
Tuomikoski, J. E., P. J. Rudershausen, J. A. Buckel, and J. E. Hightower. 2008. Effects of age-1 striped bass predation on juvenile fishes in western Albemarle Sound. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 137:324?339. February 2008
Thompson, J. S., D. S. Waters, J. A. Rice, and J. E. Hightower. 2007. Seasonal fishing and natural mortality of striped bass in a southeastern reservoir. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27:681?694. May 2007
Smith, W. E., F. S. Scharf, and J. E. Hightower. 2009. Fishing mortality in North Carolina’s southern flounder fishery: direct estimates of instantaneous fishing mortality from a tag return experiment. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 1:283-299. October 2009
Smith, J. A., and J. E. Hightower. 2012. Effect of low-head lock and dam structures on migration and spawning of American shad and striped bass in the Cape Fear River, North Carolina. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141:402-413. | Abstract | Publisher Website March 2012
Schmidt, R. E., B. M. Jessop, and J. E. Hightower. 2003. Status of river herring stocks in large rivers. Pages 171-182 in K. E. Limburg and J. R. Waldman, editors. Biodiversity, status, and conservation of the world's shads. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 35, Bethesda, Maryland. August 2003
Rudershausen, P. J., J. E. Tuomikoski, J. A. Buckel, and J. E. Hightower. 2005. Prey selectivity and diet of striped bass in western Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 134:1059-1074. September 2005
Rudershausen, P. J., J. A. Buckel, and J. E. Hightower. 2014. Discard mortality of a U.S. South Atlantic reef fish estimated from surface and bottom tagging. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 71:514-520. | Abstract | Download December 2013
Ricks, B. R., J. E. Hightower, and A. M. Wicker. 2004. Preliminary Assessment of an Alaska Steeppass Fishway on a North Carolina Blackwater Creek. Proceedings of the Annual Conference, Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 58:92-99. October 2004
Raabe, J. K., and J. E. Hightower. 2014. American shad migratory behavior, weight loss, survival, and abundance in a North Carolina river following dam removals. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 143:673-688. | Abstract | Download April 2014
Raabe, J. K., B. Gardner, and J. E. Hightower. 2014. A spatial capture-recapture model to estimate fish survival and migration patterns from linear continuous monitoring arrays. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 71:120-130. | Download September 2013
Pollock, K. H., H. Jiang, and J. E. Hightower. 2004. Combining telemetry and fisheries tagging models to estimate fishing and natural mortality rates. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 133:639-648. May 2004
Pine, W. E., K. H. Pollock, J. E. Hightower, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Rice. 2003. A review of tagging methods for estimating fish population size and components of mortality. Fisheries 28(10): 10-23. October 2003
Pine, W. E., J. E. Hightower, L. G. Coggins, M. V. Lauretta, and K. H. Pollock. 2012. Design and analysis of tagging studies. Pages 521-572 in A. V. Zale, D. L. Parrish, and T. M. Sutton, editors. Fisheries techniques, 3rd edition. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. January 2013
Oakley, N. C., and J. E. Hightower. 2007. Status of shortnose sturgeon in the Neuse River, North Carolina. Pages 273-284 in J. Munro D. Hatin, J. E. Hightower, K. McKown, K. J. Sulak, A. W. Kahnle, and F. Caron, editors. Anadromous sturgeons: habitats, threats, and management. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 56, Bethesda, Maryland. May 2007
Nelson, T. C., P. Doukakis, S. T. Lindley, A. D. Schreier, J. E. Hightower, L.R. Hildebrand, R.E. Whitlock, M.A.H. Webb. 2013. Research Tools to Investigate Movements, Migrations, and Life History of Sturgeons (Acipenseridae), with an Emphasis on Marine-Oriented Populations. PLoS ONE 8(8): e71552. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0071552. | Abstract | Download August 2013
Laney, R. W., J. E. Hightower, B. R. Versak, M. F. Mangold, W. W. Cole, Jr., and S. E. Winslow. 2007. Distribution, habitat use, and size f Atlantic sturgeon captured during cooperative winter tagging cruises. Pages 167-182 in J. Munro, D. Hatin, J. E. Hightower, K. McKown, K. J. Sulak, A. W. Kahnle, and F. Caron, editors. Anadromous sturgeons: habitats, threats, and management. American Fisheries Society Symposium 56, Bethesda, Maryland. May 2007
Jiang, H., K. H. Pollock, C. Brownie, J. M. Hoenig, R. J. Latour, B. K. Wells, and J. E. Hightower. 2007. Tag Return Models allowing for Harvest and Catch-And-Release: Evidence of Environmental and Management Impacts on Striped Bass Fishing and Natural Mortality Rates. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27:387-396. January 2007
Jiang, H., K. H. Pollock, C. Brownie, J. E. Hightower, J. M. Hoenig, and W. S. Hearn. 2007. Age Dependent Tag Return Models for Estimating Fishing Mortality, Natural Mortality and Selectivity. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics12:177-194. January 2007
Jiang, H., C. Brownie, J. E. Hightower, and K. H. Pollock. 2007. Estimating fishing mortality, natural mortality, and selectivity using recoveries from tagging young fish. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27:773-781. June 2007
Jackson, J. R., and J. E. Hightower. 2001. Reservoir striped bass movements and site fidelity in relation to seasonal patterns in habitat quality. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 21:34-45. January 2001
J. Munro, D. Hatin, J. E. Hightower, K. McKown, K. J. Sulak, A. W. Kahnle, and F. Caron, editors. 2007. Anadromous sturgeons: habitats, threats, and management. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 56, Bethesda, Maryland May 2007
Hightower, J. E., and K. L. Sparks. 2003. Migration and spawning habitat of American shad in the Roanoke River, North Carolina. Pages 193-199 in K. E. Limburg and J. R. Waldman, editors. Biodiversity, status, and conservation of the world's shads. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 35, Bethesda, Maryland. August 2003
Hightower, J. E., and K. H. Pollock. 2013. Tagging methods for estimating population size and mortality rates of inland striped bass populations. Pages 249-262 in J. S. Bulak, C. C. Coutant, and J. A. Rice editors. Biology and management of inland striped bass and striped bass hybrids. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 80, Bethesda, Maryland. | Abstract | Download April 2013
Hightower, J. E., and C. Nesnow. 2006. Distribution and Abundance of American Eels in the White Oak River Estuary, North Carolin. Southeastern Naturalist 5(4):693-710. December 2006
Hightower, J. E., W. J. Fleming, and M. A. Hayman. 1999. Effects of contaminated sediments on brown bullhead age structure, growth, and condition in a North Carolina tidal creek. American Fisheries Society Symposium 24:161-172. November 1999
Hightower, J. E., K. P. Zehfuss, D. A. Fox, and F. M. Parauka. 2002. Summer habitat use by Gulf sturgeon in the Choctawhatchee River, Florida. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 18:595-600. December 2002
Hightower, J. E., K. J. Magowan, L. M. Brown, and D. A. Fox. 2013. Reliability of fish size estimates obtained from multibeam imaging sonar. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 4(1):86-96. | Abstract | Download June 2013
Hightower, J. E., J. C. Taylor, and D. J. Degan. 2013. Estimating abundance of adult striped bass in reservoirs using mobile hydroacoustics. . Pages 279-290 in J. S. Bulak, C. C. Coutant, and J. A. Rice editors. Biology and management of inland striped bass and striped bass hybrids. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 80, Bethesda, Maryland. | Abstract | Download April 2013
Hightower J.E., J. E. Harris, J. K. Raabe, P. Brownell, and C. A. Drew. 2012. A Bayesian habitat suitability model for spawning American shad in southeastern United States rivers. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 3(2):184-198; e1944-687X. doi: 10.3996/082011-JFWM-047. | Abstract | Download | Publisher Website May 2012
Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2011. Identification of American shad spawning sites and habitat use in the Pee Dee River, North Carolina and South Carolina. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 31:1019-1033. December 2011
Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2010. Evaluation of methods for identifying spawning sites and habitat selection for alosines. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 30:386–399. February 2010
Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2012. Demographic population model for American shad: will access to additional habitat upstream of dams increase population sizes? Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Services 4:262-283. | Download | Publisher Website June 2012
Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2011. Spawning habitat selection of hickory shad. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 31: 495-505. | Publisher Website July 2011
Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2011. Movement patterns of American shad transported upstream of dams on the Roanoke River, North Carolina and Virginia. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 31: 240-256. | Publisher Website July 2011
Grote, A., Bailey, M., Zydlewski, J., Hightower, J. 2014 Multibeam sonar (DIDSON) assessment of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) approaching a hydroelectric dam. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 71:545-558. | Download November 2013
Friedl, S. E., J. A. Buckel, J. E. Hightower, F. S. Scharf, and K. H. Pollock. 2013. Telemetry-based mortality estimates of juvenile spot in two North Carolina estuarine creeks. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 142:399-415. | Download January 2013
Fox, D. A., J. E. Hightower, and F. M. Parauka. 2002. Estuarine and nearshore marine habitat use By Gulf sturgeon from the Choctawhatchee River system, Florida. American Fisheries Society Symposium 28:111-126. January 2002
Fox, D. A., J. E. Hightower, and F. M. Parauka. 2000. Gulf sturgeon spawning migration and habitat in the Choctawhatchee River System, Alabama-Florida. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 129:811-826. January 2000
Flowers, H. J., and J. E. Hightower. 2013. A Novel Approach to Surveying Sturgeon Using Side-scan Sonar and Occupancy Modeling. Coastal and Marine Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 5:211-223. | Abstract | Download | Publisher Website September 2013
Erickson, D. L., and J. E. Hightower. 2007. Oceanic distribution and behavior of green sturgeon. Pages 197-211 in J. Munro, D. Hatin, J. E. Hightower, K. McKown, K. J. Sulak, A. W. Kahnle, and F. Caron, editors. Anadromous sturgeons: habitats, threats, and management. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 56, Bethesda, Maryland. May 2007
Erickson, D. L., J. A. North, J. E. Hightower, J. Weber, and L. Lauck. 2002. Movement and habitat use of green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris in the Rogue River, Oregon, USA. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 18:565-569. December 2002
Cope, W. G., M. R. Bartsch, and J. E. Hightower. 2006. Population dynamics of zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) during the initial invasion of the upper Mississippi River, USA. Journal of Molluscan Studies 72:179-188. April 2006
Burdick, S. M., and J. E. Hightower. 2006. Distribution of spawning activity by anadromous fishes in an Atlantic slope drainage, after the removal of a low-head dam . Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 135:1290-1300. September 2006
Beasley, C. A., and J. E. Hightower. 2000. Effects of a low-head dam on the distribution and characteristics of spawning habitat used by striped bass and American shad. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 129:1372-1386. November 2000
Bacheler, N.M., J. E. Hightower, S. M. Burdick, L. M. Paramore, J. A. Buckel, and K. H. Pollock. 2010. Using generalized linear models to estimate selectivity from short-term recoveries of tagged red drum Sciaenops ocellatus: effects of gear, fate, and regulation period. Fisheries Research 102:266–275. February 2010
Bacheler, N. M., L. M. Paramore, S. M. Burdick, J. A. Buckel, and J. E. Hightower. 2009. Variation in movement patterns of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) inferred from conventional tagging and ultrasonic telemetry. Fishery Bulletin 107:405–419. | Publisher Website October 2009
Bacheler, N. M., L. M. Paramore, J. A. Buckel, and J. E. Hightower. 2009. Abiotic and biotic factors influence the habitat use of North Carolina subadult red drum Sciaenops ocellatus. Marine Ecology Progress Series 377:263-277. February 2009
Bacheler, N. M., J. E. Hightower, L. M. Paramore, J. A. Buckel, and K. H. Pollock. 2008. An age-dependent tag return model for estimating mortality and selectivity of an estuarine-dependent fish with high rates of catch and release. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 137:1422-1432. July 2008
Bacheler, N. M., J. A. Buckel, J. E. Hightower, L. M. Paramore, and K. H. Pollock. 2009. A combined telemetry – tag return approach to estimate fishing and natural mortality rates of an estuarine fish. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 66:1230-1244. September 2009
Armstrong, J. L., and J. E. Hightower. 2002. Potential for restoration of the Roanoke River population of Atlantic sturgeon. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 18(4 - 6): 475-480. December 2002
Allen, M. S., and J. E. Hightower. 2010. Fish population dynamics: mortality, growth, and recruitment. Pages 43-79 in W. A. Hubert and M. C. Quist, editors. Inland Fisheries Management in North America. American Fisheries Society. October 2010
Adams, P. B., C. Grimes, J. E. Hightower, S. T. Lindley, M. L. Moser, and M. J. Parsley. 2007. Population status of North American green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris. Environmental Biology of Fishes 79:339-356. August 2007
Project Completion Date
Characterizing habitat suitability for American Shad in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River December 2013
Penobscot River American shad; status and recovery October 2013
Assessing mortality, tag reporting rate and movement patterns of Albemarle Sound-Roanoke River striped bass June 2014
Hydroacoustic monitoring of anadromous fishes in the Roanoke River June 2013
Movement and spawning of American shad transported above dams on the Roanoke River, North Carolina June 2010
Migratory behavior of diadromous fishes in the Roanoke River, NC June 2011
Identification of American shad spawning habitat in the Pee Dee River, North Carolina and South Carolina December 2010
Development of habitat suitabaility index models for American Shad June 2011
Assessing benefits to migratory fishes of habitat restored by dam removal August 2011
Ecology and status of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon in North and South Carolina August 2013
Presentations Presentation Date
Rudershausen, P. J., J. A. Buckel, and J.E. Hightower. 2014. Estimating reef fish discard mortality using surface and bottom tagging: effects of hook injury, barotrauma, and multiple captures. 144th Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Québec City, Québec. August 17-21, 2014. August 2014
Rudershausen, P. J., J. A. Buckel, and J.E. Hightower. 2014. Discard mortality of a U.S. South Atlantic reef fish estimated from surface and bottom tagging. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Charleston, South Carolina. January 22-26, 2014. January 2014
Rudershausen, P. J., J. A. Buckel, and J.E. Hightower. Submitted for FSP. Having your cake and eating it too: simple gear modifications to reduce sub-legal bycatch but maintain target catch in the U.S. South Atlantic black sea bass and blue crab trap fisheries. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Savannah, Georgia, January 28-February 1, 2015. January 2015
Rudershausen, P. J., J. A. Buckel, J. E. Hightower, M. A. Dueker, T. Dubreuil, M. J. O’Donnell, S. J. Poland, and B. H. Letcher. Submitted for FSP. Comparison of mummichog abundance among anthropogenically altered saltmarsh creeks in coastal North Carolina, USA. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Charleston, South Carolina. January 22-26, 2014. January 2014
Rudershausen, P. J., J.A. Buckel1, J.E. Hightower, M. J. O’Donnell, T. Dubreuil, J.H. Merrell, and B.H. Letcher. Submitted for FSP. Survival of a dominant salt marsh fish among variably altered tidal creeks in a coastal landscape. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Savannah, Georgia, January 28-February 1, 2015. January 2015
Raabe, J. K., and J. E. Hightower. 2013. Introduced flathead catfish migrations and potential predation impact in a North Carolina river. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Nashville, Tennessee, February 7-10, 2013. February 2013
Raabe, J. K., T. A. Ellis, and J. E. Hightower. 2014. Evaluation of fish passage following installation of a rock arch rapids at lock and dam #1, Cape Fear River, North Carolina. 2014 International Conference on Engineering and Ecohydrology for Fish Passage (Fish Passage 2014), Madison, Wisconsin, June 9-11, 2014. June 2014
Raabe, J. K., T. A. Ellis, and J. E. Hightower. 2014. Effectiveness of a rock arch rapids for fish passage at a lock and dam on a large coastal river. 144th Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Québec City, Québec. August 17-21, 2014. August 2014
Post, B. C., M. Loeffler, C. Collier, J. E. Hightower, and D. L. Peterson. Submitted for FSP. Use of ultrasonic telemetry to monitor sturgeon movement: a multistate approach. 144th Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Québec City, Québec. August 17-21, 2014. August 2014
Kerns, J., M. Allen, and J. E. Hightower. 2014. Dissecting mortality components for recreational fisheries with high rates of released fish. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Charleston, South Carolina. January 22-26, 2014. January 2014
Kaeser, A. J., H. J. Flowers, J. E. Hightower, D. A. Fox, and N. Willett. 2012. Developing and implementing a low-cost side-scan sonar based approach to monitoring Gulf sturgeon. 14th Annual Gulf Sturgeon Workshop, Panama City, Florida, November 14-16, 2012. November 2012
Hightower, J. E., M. Loeffler, D. L. Peterson, and W. C. Post. Submitted for FSP. Estimated Survival of Subadult and Adult Atlantic Sturgeon in Four River Basins in the Southeastern United States. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Savannah, Georgia, January 28-February 1, 2015. January 2015
Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2014. Estimating Fishing and Natural Mortality Rates of Albemarle Sound Striped Bass. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Charleston, South Carolina. January 22-26, 2014. January 2014
Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2013. Migration and mortality of striped bass in the Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Nashville, Tennessee, February 7-10, 2013. [Poster] February 2013
Fox, D. A., J. E. Hightower, L. M. Brown, and M. W. Breece. 2014. Estimated 2007-2013 survival and detection probabilities for Atlantic Sturgeon, based on a long-term telemetry study. 144th Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Québec City, Québec. August 17-21, 2014. August 2014
Fox, D. A., A. J. Kaeser, H. J. Flowers, N. Willett, and J. E. Hightower. 2012. Pilot evaluation of side-scan sonar for assessing sturgeon abundance. 14th Annual Gulf Sturgeon Workshop, Panama City, Florida, November 14-16, 2012. November 2012
Flowers, H. J., and J. E. Hightower. 2014. Long-term migratory patterns of Roanoke River, NC Atlantic Sturgeon. 144th Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Québec City, Québec. August 17-21, 2014. August 2014
Flowers, H. J., and J. E. Hightower. Estimating sturgeon abundance in the Carolinas using side-scan sonar and Bayesian models. American Fisheries Society, Little Rock, Arkansas, September 8-12, 2013. September 2013
Flowers, H. J., and J. E. Hightower. 2014. Estimating sturgeon abundance in the Carolinas using side-scan sonar and Bayesian models. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Charleston, South Carolina. January 22-26, 2014. January 2014
Flowers, H. J., and J. E. Hightower. 2012. A novel approach to surveying sturgeon using side-scan sonar and occupancy modeling. 142nd Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, St. Paul, Minnesota, August 19-23, 2012. August 2012
Ellis, T. A., J. E. Hightower, J. A. Buckel, and K.H. Pollock. 2014. Relative importance of fishing and natural mortality of spotted seatrout at northern latitudinal limits. 144th Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Québec City, Québec. August 17-21, 2014. August 2014
Ellis, T. A., J. A. Buckel, and J. E. Hightower. A Tag-Return Model for Estimating Mortality of Spotted Seatrout in North Carolina. Tidewater Chapter, American Fisheries Society, Solomons, MD, March 21-23, 2013. March 2013
Ellis, T. A., J. A. Buckel, J. E. Hightower, and K.H. Pollock. Submitted for FSP. Estimates of fishing and natural mortality rates of spotted seatrout from tag-return and survey data. North Carolina Chapter, American Fisheries Society, Durham, North Carolina. February 18-19, 2014. February 2014
Ellis, T. A., J. A. Buckel, J. E. Hightower, and K.H. Pollock. 2014. Estimates of fishing and natural mortality rates of spotted seatrout from tag-return, telemetry, and survey data. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Charleston, South Carolina. January 22-26, 2014. January 2014
Ellis, T. A., J. A. Buckel, J. E. Hightower, and B. Burns. 2011. Estimating fishing and natural mortality of spotted seatrout in North Carolina using conventional and telemetry tagging. 141th Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Seattle, WA, September 4-8, 2011. September 2011
Brownell, P., J. Ellis, J. E. Hightower, R. W. Laney, A. L. LaRoche III, D. Michaelson, K. Rawls, F. Rohde, G. Wright, and B. Wynne. 2014. Reconnecting American eels to the upper Roanoke basin. 144th Annual Meeting, American Fisheries Society, Québec City, Québec. August 17-21, 2014. August 2014
Brownell, P., J. Ellis, J. E. Hightower, R. W. Laney, A. L. LaRoche III, D. Michaelson, K. Rawls, F. Rohde, G. Wright, and B. Wynne. 2013. Reconnecting American eels to the upper Roanoke basin. American Fisheries Society, Little Rock, Arkansas, September 8-12, 2013. January 2014
Technical Publications Publication Date
Thompson, J. S., J. A. Rice, D. S. Waters, J. C. Taylor, J. E. Hightower, L. A. Davias, and P. S. Rand. 2005. Energetics of reservoir striped bass populations: phase 1 final report. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F-68-04. North Carolina Wildlife Resoucres Commission, Raleigh. August 2005
Nesnow, C., and J. E. Hightower. 2001. Distribution, abundance and condition of American eels in the White Oak River basin, North Carolina. Annual report to U. S. Forest Service. North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, NCSU, Raleigh, NC. September 2001
Hightower, J. E., and J. R. Jackson. 2000. Distribution and natural mortality of stocked striped bass in Lake Gaston, North Carolina. Final Report to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Division of Inland Fisheries. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F-30-13, Study Number 5. January 2000
Hewitt, D. A., and J. E. Hightower. 2002. Use of fishwheels for sampling anadromous fishes in southeastern coastal rivers. Final report to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Dominion Generation. North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, NC State University, Raleigh. December 2002
Harris, J. E., and J. E. Hightower. 2010. Movement and spawning of American shad transported above dams on the Roanoke River. Report Number NCCFWRU 2010-001. Report to North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, NC State University, Raleigh, NC. August 2010
Eggleston, D. B., E. G. Johnson, and J. E. Hightower. 2004. Population dynamics and stock assessment of the blue crab in North Carolina. Final Report to North Carolina Fishery Resource Grant Program, North Carolina Sea Grant, and the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources, Division of Marine Fisheries. June 2004
Burdick, S. M., J. E. Hightower, J. A. Buckel, L. M. Paramore, and K. H. Pollock. 2007. Movement and Selectivity of Red Drum and Survival of Adult Red Drum: An Analysis of 20 Years of Tagging Data. Completion report, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, Morehead City, NC. January 2007
Bowman, S., and J. E. Hightower. 2001. Dam removal increases fish spawning habitat. Habitat Hotline Atlantic VIII(2):1-5. July 2001
Bowman, S., and J. E. Hightower. 2001. American shad and striped bass spawning migration and habitat selection in the Neuse River, North Carolina. Final report to the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission. North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, NCSU, Raleigh, NC. April 2001
Atlantic Sturgeon Status Review Team. 2007. Status Review of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus). Report to National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Regional Office. February 23, 2007. 174 pp January 2007
Armstrong, J. A. and J. E. Hightower 1999. Movement, habitat selection and growth of early-juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Final report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Virginia Power. North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, NCSU, Raleigh, NC. January 2000