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

West Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Staff Member


Stuart A Welsh

Stuart Welsh

Assistant Unit Leader
Phone: (304) 293 - 5006
Email: swelsh@usgs.gov
Faculty Email: swelsh@wvu.edu

Education

  • Ph D West Virginia University 1997
  • MS Frostburg State University 1994
  • BS West Virginia University 1990

Biography

Stuart serves as Assistant Unit Leader at the West Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, where he conducts research involving graduate students, with an emphasis on mentorship and development of future fisheries professionals.

His research informs management decisions of the state
cooperator (West Virginia Division of Natural Resources), where project results have provided population dynamics and management implications for Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and Walleye.

Research projects on fishes or crayfishes also focus on systematic studies for biodiversity recognition, habitat use, movement ecology, species distribution modeling, endangered species, and invasive species. Biodiversity studies have included new species descriptions for four freshwater fishes and six crayfishes. Movement ecology studies have addressed dam passage of the American eel. Species distributions have been modeled for approximately 190 species for an upcoming book on West Virginia fishes. Research on the endangered Candy Darter and Diamond Darter have focused on habitat use and the impacts of invasive species.

Stuart serves the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission with analyses of tagging data relative to management of Atlantic Coast Striped Bass. International research has focused on fishes of Australia, including descriptions of two new species of eel-tailed catfishes.

Areas of Expertise

Aquatic Ecology, Biodiversity, Fisheries Management, Habitat Management, Invasive Species, Movement Ecology, Population Dynamics, Population and Community Ecology, Predator-Prey Dynamics, Species Distribution Modeling, Species Management, Species Status Assessments, Statistics and Modelling, Stream Ecology, T&E Species Management

Taxon Groups Studied

Crayfish, Freshwater Fishes, Gamefish, Invertebrates/Insects, Nongame Fish/Wildlife, Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Research Publications Publication Date
Zimmerman, J. and S. Welsh. 2012. Prevalence of Anguillicoloides crassus and growth variation in migrant yellow-phase American eels of the upper Potomac River drainage. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 101:131-137. November 2012
Zimmerman, J. L., and S. A. Welsh. 2008. Pit tag retention in small (205-370 mm) American eels, Anguilla rostrata. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Sciences 79(2):1-8. October 2008
Whitaker, J.M., A.B. Welsh, D.W. Hondorp, J.C. Boase, G.T. Merovich, S. Welsh, and C. Krueger. 2018. Variation in DNA methylation is associated with migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in the St. Clair River, MI, USA. Journal of Fish Biology 93:942–951. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13804 September 2018
Welsh, S.A., Z.J. Loughman, and T.P. Simon. 2010. Concluding remarks: A symposium on the conservation, biology, and natural history of crayfishes form the southern United States. Southeastern Naturalist 9(Special Issue 3):267-269. June 2010
Welsh, S.A., J.L. Aldinger, M.A. Braham, and J.L. Zimmerman. 2016. Synergistic and singular effects of river discharge and lunar illumination on dam passage of upstream migrant yellow-phase American eels. ICES Journal of Marine Science 73:33-42. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsv052 January 2016
Welsh, S.A., D.R. Jerry, D.W. Burrows. 2014. A New Species of Freshwater Eel-tailed Catfish of the Genus Tandanus (Teleostei: Plotosidae) from the Wet Tropics Region of Eastern Australia. Copeia 2014:136–142. https://doi.org/10.1643/CI-13-067 January 2014
Welsh, S.A., D.R. Jerry, D.W. Burrows, and M.L. Rourke. 2017. A new species of freshwater eel-tailed catfish of the genus Tandanus (Teleostei: Plotosidae) from coastal rivers of mid-northern New South Wales, Australia. Copeia 105:229-236. https://doi.org/10.1643/CI-13-067 June 2017
Welsh, S.A., D.M. Smith, and N.D. Taylor. 2013. Microhabitat use of the diamond darter. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. doi: 10.1111/eff.12062 April 2013
Welsh, S.A., D.A. Cincotta, and R.L. Raesly. 2014. First Record of the Bigeye Shiner (Notropis boops) from West Virginia. American Midland Naturalist 172:372–375. https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-172.2.372 April 2014
Welsh, S.A., D. A. Cincotta, and W.C. Starnes. 2013. First records of Nocomis biguttatus (Hornyhead Chub) from West Virginia discovered in museum voucher specimens. Northeastern Naturalist. Volume 20; DOI 10.1656/045.020.0412. October 2013
Welsh, S.A. and Z.L. Loughman. 2015. Physical habitat and water quality correlates of crayfish distributions in a mined watershed. Hydrobiologia 745:85–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-2095-y January 2015
Welsh, S.A. and Z.J. Loughman. 2015. Upstream dispersal of an invasive crayfish aided by a fish passage facility. Management of Biological Invasions 6:287-294. https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2015.6.3.07 July 2015
Welsh, S.A. and Z.J. Loughman. 2015. Upstream dam passage and use of an eel ladder by the common watersnake (Nerodia sipedon). Herpetological Review 46(2):176-179. DOI number not applicable April 2015
Welsh, S.A. and J.L. Aldinger. 2014. A semi-automated method for monitoring dam passage of upstream migrant yellow-phase American Eels. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 34:702–709. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2014.910580 July 2014
Welsh, S. and H. Liller. 2013. Environmental correlates of upstream migration of yellow-phase American eels in the Potomac River drainage. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 142:483-491. November 2012
Welsh, S. A., and S. A. Perry. 1999. Spatial scale and its influence on estimates of substrate use in stream fishes. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 18:954-959. July 1999
Welsh, S. A., and S. A. Perry. 1998. Habitat partitioning in a community of darters in the Elk River, West Virginia. Environmental Biology of Fishes 51:411-419. June 1998
Welsh, S. A., and S. A. Perry. 1997. Acidification and fish occurrence in the upper Cheat River drainage, West Virginia. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 33:423-429. July 1997
Welsh, S. A., and R. M. Wood. 2008. Crystallaria cincotta, a new species of darter (Teleostei: Percidae) from the Elk River of the Ohio River drainage, West Virginia. Zootaxa 1680:62-68. January 2008
Welsh, S. A., and D. A. Cincotta. 2004. Natural hybrids of the madtoms Noturus flavus and Noturus insignis from the Monongahela River drainage, West Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist 11:399-406. October 2004
Welsh, S. A., S. M. Eyler, M. F. Mangold, and A. J. Spells. 2002. Capture locations and growth rates of Atlantic sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay. Pages 183-194 in W. Van Winkle, P. J. Anders, D. H. Secor, and D. A. Dixon, editors. Biology, management, and protection of North American sturgeon. American Fisheries Society Symposium 28, Bethesda, Maryland. June 2002
Welsh, S. A., R. M. Wood, K. R. Sheehan. 2009. Threatened fishes of the world: Crystallaria cincotta Welsh and Wood 2008 (Percidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 84:191-192. January 2009
Welsh, S. A., M. F. Mangold, J. E. Skjeveland and A. J. Spells. 2002. Distribution and movement of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) in the Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 25:101-104. February 2002
Welsh, S. A., M. F. Mangold and S. M. Eyler. 2001. Movements of shortnose sturgeon in the upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. Proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 55:298-303. . August 2001
Welsh, S. A., J. T. Anderson, and D. A. Cincotta. 2002. Fish occurrence on the Camp Dawson Collective Training Area, Kingwood, West Virginia. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Natural Sciences 74:87-89 August 2002
Welsh, S. A., D. R. Smith, R. W. Laney, and R. C. Tipton. 2007. Tag-based estimates of annual fishing mortality of a mixed coastal stock of Atlantic striped bass. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 136:34-42. January 2007
Welsh, S. A., A. W. Kahnle, B. A. Versak, and R. J. Latour. 2003. Use of tag data to compare growth rates of Atlantic coast striped bass stocks. Fisheries Management and Ecology. October 2003
Thompson, P.A., S.A. Welsh, M.P. Strager, and A.A. Rizzo. 2018. A multiscale investigation of habitat use and within-river distribution of sympatric sand darter species. Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources , Volume 2, Issue 1, Article 1. January 2018
Thompson, P.A., S.A. Welsh, A.A. Rizzo, and D.M. Smith. 2017. Effect of substrate size on sympatric sand darter benthic habitat preferences. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 32:455-465. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02705060.2017.1319880 April 2017
Switzer, J. F., S. A. Welsh, T. King. 2008. Microsatellite DNA primers for the candy darter, Etheostoma osburni and variegate darter, Etheostoma variatum, and cross-species amplification in other darters (Percidae). Molecular Ecology Resources 8:335-338. (doi: 10. 1111/j. 1471-8286. 2007. 01946. x) January 2008
Smith, J., S.A. Welsh, J.T. Anderson, and R. Fortney. 2015. Water quality trends in the Blackwater River watershed, West Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist 14(Special Issue 7):103-111. https://doi.org/10.1656/058.014.sp711 October 2015
Smith, J., S.A. Welsh, J.T. Anderson, and R. Fortney. 2009. Water quality trends (1980-1993) in the Blackwater River watershed, West Virginia. In Canaan Valley and its Environs: A Landscape Heritage Celebration. Canaan Valley Institute, Davis, West Virginia. http://www.canaanvi.org/canaanvi_web/events_ed.aspx?collection=past%20events&id=826 April 2009
Smith, D.M., S.A. Welsh, and P.J. Turk. 2012. Available benthic habitat type may influence predation risk in larval lampreys. Ecology of Freshwater Fishes 21:160–163. May 2012
Smith, D.M., S.A. Welsh, and P.J. Turk. 2011. Selection and preference of benthic habitat by small and large ammocoetes of the least brook lamprey (Lampetra aepyptera). Environmental Biology of Fishes 91:421-428. August 2011
Smith, D.M., S.A. Welsh, and C. HIlling. 2021. Seasonal Movement Patterns and Distribution of Walleye in a Central Appalachian Hydropower Reservoir. Pages 209-237 in J. Bruner and R. DeBruyne (eds.) Biology, Management, and Culture of Walleye, Sauger, and Yellow Perch: Status and Needs, Springer November 2021
Smith, D.M., S.A. Welsh, C.D. Hilling. Environmental correlates of spawning related movements of walleye in an Appalachian hydropower reservoir. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 10:36-44. January 2023
Smith, D. M., C. D. Hilling, S. A. Welsh, and D. I. Wellman, Jr. 2022. Differences in population characteristics and modeled response to harvest regulations in reestablished Appalachian Walleye populations. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 46:612–629. June 2022
Siegel, J.V., S.A. Welsh, N.D. Taylor, and Q.E. Phelps. Size Structure, Age, Growth, and Mortality of Flathead Catfish in the Robert C. Byrd Pool of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 10:10-16. January 2023
Sheehan, K.R. and S.A. Welsh. 2021. Comparison of geographically weighted regression of benthic substrate modeling accuracy on large and small wadeable streams. Journal of Geographic Information System 13:194-209. DOI: 10.4236/jgis.2021.132011 April 2021
Sheehan, K., and S. A. Welsh. 2009. An interpolation method for stream habitat assessments. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 29:1-9. April 2009
Sheehan, K., M. Strager, and S. Welsh. 2013. Advantages of geographically weighted regression for modeling benthic substrate in two Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Streams. Environmental Modeling and Assessment. DOI 10.1007/s10666-012-9334-2 April 2013
Sheehan, K. and S. Welsh. 2013. Accuracy of stream habitat interpolations across spatial scales. Journal of Geographic Information System 5:602-612. October 2013
Selego, S.M., C.L. Rose, G.T. Merovich, S.A Welsh, and J.T. Anderson. 2012. Community-level response of fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates to stream restoration in a third-order tributary of the Potomac River, USA. International Journal of Ecology, DOI 10.1155/2012/753634. April 2012
Ruble, C.L., P.L. Rakes, J.R. Shute, and S.A. Welsh. 2016. Captive propagation, reproductive biology, and early life history of Etheostoma wapiti (Boulder Darter), E. vulneratum (Wounded Darter), and E. maculatum (Spotted Darter). Southeastern Naturalist 15:115-126. https://doi.org/10.1656/058.015.0109 October 2016
Ruble, C.L., P.L. Rakes, J.R. Shute, and S.A. Welsh. 2014. Captive propagation, reproductive biology, and early life history of the Diamond Darter (Crystallaria cincotta). American Midland Naturalist 172:107–118. https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-172.1.107 January 2014
Rizzo, A.A., S.A. Welsh, and P.A. Thompson. 2017. A paired-laser photogrammetric method for in situ length measurement of benthic fishes. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 37:16-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2016.1235632 January 2017
Rizzo, A.A., D.J. Brown, S.A. Welsh, and P.A. Thompson. 2017. Factors influencing detection of the federally endangered Diamond Darter Crystallaria cincotta: implications for long-term monitoring strategies. American Midland Naturalist 178:123-131. https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-178.1.123 April 2017
Rizzo, A.A., C.T. Rota, P.A. Thompson, D.J. Brown, and S.A. Welsh. 2018. Effects of an Extreme Flood Event on Federally Endangered Diamond Darter Abundances. American Midland Naturalist 180:108-118. July 2018
Osier, E. A., and S. A. Welsh. 2007. Habitat Use of the Spotted Darter, Etheostoma maculatum, in Elk River, West Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist 14:447-460. September 2007
Millard, M., S. Welsh, J. Fletcher, J. Mohler, A. Kahnle, K. Hattala. 2003. Mortality associated with catch and release of striped bass in the Hudson River. Fisheries Management and Ecology. October 2003
Matt, K.J., S.A. Welsh, and D.M. Smith. 2021. Spawning characteristics of Yellow Perch during periods of water level fluctuations in a hydropower reservoir. Pages 3-32 in J. Bruner and R. DeBruyne (eds.) Biology, Management, and Culture of Walleye, Sauger, and Yellow Perch: Status and Needs, Springer November 2021
Loughman, Z.L., S.A. Welsh, and R. Thoma. 2017. Cambarus (C.) appalachiensis, a new species of crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the New River Basin of Virginia and West Virginia, USA. Zootaxa 4243:432-454. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4243.3.2 March 2017
Loughman, Z.L., A.M. Sykes, M.I. McKinney, and S.A. Welsh. 2021. Epigean crayfish of the Potomac River basin in West Virginia: Zoogeography, natural history, and conservation. Freshwater Crayfish 26:37-49. April 2021
Loughman, Z.J., and S.A. Welsh. 2010. Distribution and conservation standing of West Virginia crayfishes. Southeastern Naturalist 9(Special Issue 3):63-78. June 2010
Loughman, Z.J., T.P. Simon, and S.A. Welsh. 2011. Cambarus (Puncticambarus) smilax, a new species of crayfish (Crustacea; Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the Greenbrier River basin of West Virginia. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 124:99-111. May 2011
Loughman, Z.J., T.P. Simon, and S.A. Welsh. 2010. Forward: conservation, biology, and natural history of crayfishes from the southern United States. Southeastern Naturalist 9(Special Issue 3):1-10. June 2010
Loughman, Z.J., S.A. Welsh, and T.P. Simon. 2012. Occupancy rates of primary burrowing crayfish in natural and disturbed large river bottomlands. Journal of Crustacean Biology 32:557–564. April 2012
Loughman, Z.J., S.A. Welsh, N.M. Sadecky, Z.W. Dillard, and R.K. Scott. 2017. Evaluation of physiochemical and physical habitat associations for Cambarus callainus (Big Sandy Crayfish), an imperiled crayfish endemic to the Central Appalachians. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 2017:1-9. DOI: 10.1002/aqc.2746 January 2017
Loughman, Z.J., S.A. Welsh, N.M. Sadecky, Z.W. Dillard, and R.K. Scott. 2016. Environmental covariates associated with Cambarus veteranus Faxon, 1914 (Decapoda: Cambaridae), an imperiled Appalachian crayfish endemic to West Virginia, USA. Journal of Crustacean Biology 36:642-648. https://doi.org/10.1163/1937240X-00002456 December 2016
Loughman, Z.J., S.A. Welsh, J.W. Fetzner, and R.F. Thoma. 2015. Conservation of imperiled crayfish species - Cambarus veteranus (Decapoda: Reptantia: Cambaridae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 35:850-860. https://doi.org/10.1163/1937240X-00002383 October 2015
Loughman, Z.J., R. Fagundo, S.A. Welsh, E. Lau, and R.F. Thoma. 2013. Cambarus (C.) hatfieldi, a new species of crayfish (Decapoda:Cambaridae) from the Tug Fork River Basin of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, USA. Zootaxa. July 2013
Loughman, Z.J., D. Foltz, and S.A. Welsh. 2013. Baited lines, an active nondestructive collection method for burrowing crayfish. Southeastern Naturalist 12:809-815. October 2013
Loughman, Z., D. Foltz, N. Garrison, and S. Welsh. 2013. Cambarus theepiensis sp. n., a new species of crayfish (Crustacea, Decapoda, Cambaridae) from the coalfields region of Eastern Kentucky and Southwestern West Virginia, USA. Zootaxa 3641:63-73. April 2013
Loughman, Z. J., Simon, T. P., and S. A. Welsh. 2009. West Virginia crayfishes (Decapoda:Cambaridae): Observations on distribution, natural history, and conservation. Northeastern Naturalist 16:225-238. January 2009
Loughman, Z, S. Welsh, and R. Thoma. Cambarus fetzneri sp. nov., a new species of burrowing crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the Allegheny Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Zootaxa 4651 (1): 038–050. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4651.1.2 August 2019
Kinziger, A. P., R. M. Wood, and S. A. Welsh. 2001. Systematics of Etheostoma tippecanoe and Etheostoma denoncourti (Perciformes: Percidae). Copeia 2001:235-239. October 2001
Hilling, C.D., N.D. Taylor, S.A. Welsh, and D.M. Smith. Population Characteristics of Yellow Perch in a Central Appalachia Hydropower Reservoir. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 9(2):486–495. doi:10.3996/012018-JFWM-007 | Abstract December 2018
Hilling, C. D., S. A. Welsh, and D. M. Smith. 2016. Age, growth and fall diet of channel catfish in Cheat Lake, West Virginia. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 7:304-314. https://doi.org/10.3996/092015-JFWM-091 April 2016
Hedrick, L.B., S.A. Welsh, and J.T. Anderson. 2007. Effects of highway construction on sediment and benthic macroinvertebrates in two tributaries of the Lost River, West Virginia. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 22:561-569. June 2007
Hedrick, L.B., S.A. Welsh, J.T. Anderson, L. Lin, Y. Chen, and X. Wei. 2010. Response of benthic macroinvertebrate communities to highway construction in an Appalachian watershed. Hydrobiologia 641:115-131. March 2010
Hedrick, L., S. Welsh, and J. Anderson. 2009. Influences of high flow events on a stream channel altered by construction of a highway bridge – a case study. Northeastern Naturalist 16:375-394. December 2009
Hedrick, L., J. Anderson, S. Welsh, and L-S. Lin. 2013. Sedimentation in mountain streams: a review of methods of measurement. Natural Resources 4:92-104. January 2013
Hedrick, L. B., S. A. Welsh, and J. T. Anderson. 2007. Evaluation of a new sediment sampling device. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 61:35-39. December 2007
Hedrick, L. B., S. A. Welsh, and J. D. Hedrick. 2005. A New Sampler Design for Measuring Sedimentation in Streams. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 25:238-244. January 2005
Hammond, S.D. and S.A. Welsh. 2009. Seasonal movements of large yellow American eels downstream of a hydroelectric dam, Shenandoah River, West Virginia. Pages 309-323 in J.M. Casselman and D.K. Cairns, editors. Eels at the edge: science, status, and conservation concerns. American Fisheries Society Symposium 58, Bethesda, Maryland. August 2009
Gibson, I., A. Welsh, S. Welsh, and D. Cincotta. 2018. Genetic swamping and species collapse: tracking introgression between the native Candy Darter and introduced Variegate Darter. Conservation Genetics 20:287–298. doi.org/10.1007/s10592-018-1131-2 | Abstract December 2018
Foltz, D.A., N. Sadecky, G.. Meyers, J. Fetzner, S. Welsh, G. Stocker, M. Glon, and R. Thoma. 2018. Cambarus loughmani, a New Species of Crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) Endemic to the Pre-glacial Teays River Valley in West Virginia, USA. Journal of Natural History 52:45-46, 2875-2897, DOI:10.1080/00222933.2018.1557271 December 2018
Eyler, S.M., S.A. Welsh, D.R. Smith and M.M. Rockey. 2016. Downstream passage and impact of turbine shutdowns on survival of silver American eels at five hydroelectric dams on the Shenandoah River. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145:964-976. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2016.1176954 October 2016
Cincotta, D.A., and S.A. Welsh. 2010. Discovery of Ammocrypta clara (western sand darter) in the upper Ohio River of West Virginia. American Midland Naturalist 163:318-325. April 2010
Cincotta, D.A., D.P. Wegmen, T.E. Oldham, S.A. Welsh, and L.B. Hedrick. 2015. Fishes of the Blackwater River drainage, Tucker County, West Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist 14(Special Issue 7):297-313. https://doi.org/10.1656/058.014.sp725 October 2015
Cincotta, D.A., D.P. Wegmen, T.E. Oldham, S.A. Welsh, and L.B. Hedrick. 2009. Fishes of the Blackwater River drainage, Tucker County, West Virginia. In Canaan Valley and its Environs: A Landscape Heritage Celebration. Canaan Valley Institute, Davis, West Virginia. http://www.canaanvi.org/canaanvi_web/events_ed.aspx?collection=past%20events&id=826 April 2009
Chen, Y., X. Wei, L. Lin, R. Viadera, L.B. Hedrick, S.A. Welsh, J.T. Anderson. 2009. Effects of highway construction on stream water quality and macroinvertebrate condition in a Mid-Atlantic highlands watershed, USA. Journal of Environmental Quality 38:1672-1682. April 2009
Argentina, J.E., P.L. Angermeier, E.M. Hallerman, and S.A. Welsh. 2018. Spatial extent of analysis influences observed patterns of population genetic structure in a widespread darter species (Percidae). Freshwater Biology 63: 1185–1198. April 2018
Aldinger, J.L. and S.A. Welsh. 2017. Diel periodicity and chronology of upstream migration in yellow-phase American eels (Anguilla rostrata). Environmental Biology of Fishes 100:839-838. DOI 10.1007/s10641-017-0614-1 April 2017
Project Completion Date
Distribution and abundance of the Diamond Darter in the Elk River, West Virginia September 2014
A study of diamond darter macrohabitat use and abundance within the lower Elk River. February 2017
Winter Habitat use of fishes in the Ohio River December 2005
Habitat requirements of the Elk River crystal darter: field and laboratory studies May 2008
Abundance, species richness, and distribution of native and nonnative fishes in the Bluestone National Scenic River May 2008
Abundance and distribution of sensitive fish species within the Monongahela National Forest May 2006
Sensitive fish species within the upper Greenbrier River drianage December 2006
Assessment of hybridization between candy and variegate darters in the Greenbrier River drainage December 2006
Assessment of long-term stream monitoring stations December 2009
Statewide conservation assessment of West Virginia crayfishes December 2012
Summersville Reservoir Walleye Creel Survey December 2010
Captive propagation of the diamond darter December 2011
Corridor H stream monitoring project September 2003
Corridor H stream monitoring project January 2006
Corridor H stream monitoring project December 2008
Corridor H stream monitoring project May 2012
Movement and abundance of American eels in the Shenandoah River June 2003
MIgration of silver phase and yellow phase American eels in relation to hydroelectric dams on the Shenandoah River December 2009
MIgration of silver phase and yellow phase American eels in relation to hydroelectric dams on the Shenadoah River December 2013
Cheat Lake Biomonitoring Study December 2015
Identifying the genetic marker for Diamond Darter eDNA applications and conducting an evaluation of its effectiveness December 2025
Candy Darter status assessment of the lower Gauley River December 2025
Corridor H stream monitoring project May 2025
Diamond darter reproduction research January 2011
Modeling effects on Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) distribution in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. December 2012
A distributional atlas and identification guide to West Virginia fishes December 2023
Evaluations of Yellow Perch spawning and water level fluctuations for Cheat Lake, West Virginia August 2020
Corridor H stream monitoring project May 2022
Ohio River Asian Carp Program January 2021
Development of a long-term paddlefish monitoring program on the Ohio River in West Virginia December 2021
Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish Population Demographics, Habitat Use, and Movement in the Robert C. Byrd Pool of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers December 2021
Genetic and landscape level threat assessments and status review of the Candy Darter (Etheostoma osburni) August 2020
Corridor H stream monitoring project May 2018
Presentations Presentation Date
Whitaker, J. A. Welsh, D. Hondorp, J. Boase, S. Welsh, and G. Merovich. 2015. Characterization of the Migratory Phenotype in Lake Sturgeon. Presented at the 71st Annual Northeast Fish and Wildlife Meeting, New Port, Rhode Island. April 2015
Welsh, S.A., K. Zipfel, A. Peters, C. Hoffman, and C. Layne. 2024. An Assessment of Movement and Dam Passage of Paddlefish in the Ohio River, West Virginia. Meeting of the West Virginia Academy of Science, Glenville, WV, 6 April 2024. April 2024
Welsh, S.A., D.R. Jerry, and D.W. Burrows. A New Species of Freshwater Eel-tailed Catfish of the Genus Tandanus (Teleostei: Plotosidae) from the Wet Tropics Region of Eastern Australia. Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Chattanooga, TN, 1 Aug 2014. August 2014
Welsh, S.A., D. Jerry, D. Burrows, and M. Rourke. 2017. A New Species of Freshwater Eel-tailed Catfish of the Genus Tandanus (Teleostei: Plotosidae) from Coastal Rivers of Mid-northern New South Wales, Australia. Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists July 2017
Welsh, S.A. and Z.J. Loughman. A Nonnative Crayfish (Faxonius virilis) Use of an Eel Ladder, Potomac River Drainage, USA . Meeting of the International Association of Astacologists, Pittsburgh, PA, 10 July 2018. July 2018
Welsh, S.A. and Z.J. Loughman. 2016. Use of an eel pass by virile crayfish on the lower Shenandoah River. Annual Meeting of the West Virginia Academy of Science, Huntington, WV, 9 April 2016 April 2016
Welsh, S.A. and Z.J. Loughman. 2015. Upstream dispersal of an invasive crayfish aided by a fish passage facility. Presented at the Southern Division American Fisheries Society meeting, Savannah, GA January 2015
Welsh, S.A. and S.E. Welsh. 2017. Smoke screen foraging: an observation of an unusual foraging behavior of the northern pike, Esox lucius. Annual Meeting of the West Virginia Academy of Science April 2017
Welsh, S.A. and J.L. Aldinger. 2016. Patterns and periodicity of upstream passage of American Eels at an eel ladder. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division American Fisheries Society, Wheeling, WV, 20 February 2016 February 2016
Welsh, S.A. and J.L. Aldinger. 2015. Upstream migrant American Eels: A 12-year time series from an eel pass on the lower Shenandoah River. Presented at the 145th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, 19 August 2015, Portland, OR. August 2015
Welsh, S.A. and J.L. Aldinger. 2015. Periodicity and timing of upstream migration of yellow-phase American Eels, Potomac River drainage, USA. The 95th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 19 July 2015. July 2015
Welsh, S.A. and J. L. Aldinger. 2014. A Photographic Counter for Monitoring American Eels at an Eel Ladder. Annual meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, Charleston, SC, 23 January 2014. January 2014
Welsh, S., and D. Wichterman. 2013. Angler and creel surveys of the walleye fishery at Summersville Reservoir, West Virginia. Joint meeting of the Ohio and WV Chapters of the American Fisheries Society, 20 February 2013, Huntington, West Virginia. February 2013
Welsh, S., S. Hammond, H. Liller, J. Zimmerman, M. Braham, and J. Aldinger. 2014. An 11-year series of passage counts of upstream migrant American Eels at the Millville Dam eel ladder, lower Shenandoah River, USA. 144th annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Quebec City, Canada August 2014
Welsh, S., D. Smith, and N. Taylor. 2013. Nocturnal microhabitat use of the diamond darter. Annual meeting of the Southern Division American Fisheries Society, 9 February 2013, Nashville, Tennessee. February 2013
Welsh, S. and J. Aldinger. A 12-year time series of American eel passage at an eel ladder, lower Shenandoah River. Presented at the joint meeting of VA and WV Chapters of AFS, Blacksburg, VA. February 2015
Welsh, S. K. Matt, and D. Smith. Spawning Characteristics of Yellow Perch During Periods of Water Level Fluctuations in a Hydropower Reservoir. Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Charleston, West Virginia, 23-26 October 2022. October 2022
Thompson, P., S. Welsh, A. Rizzo. 2016. Substrate selection of sympatric sand darters from the Elk River, WV. Annual Meeting of the West Virginia Academy of Science, Huntington, WV, 9 April 2016 April 2016
Thompson, P., S. Welsh, A. Rizzo. 2016. A tale of two darters: Substrate selection and preference of sympatric sand darters from the Elk River, WV. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, Wheeling, WV, 20 February 2016 February 2016
Taylor, N., S. Welsh, and D. Smith. 2013. Assessment of age, diet, and growth of yellow perch In Cheat Lake, West Virginia. Annual meeting of the Southern Division American Fisheries Society, 10 February 2013, Nashville, Tennessee. February 2013
Taylor, N., S. Welsh, and D. Smith. 2013. Age structure, growth, and summer diet of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in a West Virginia Reservoir. Joint meeting of the Ohio and WV Chapters of the American Fisheries Society, 20 February 2013, Huntington, West Virginia. February 2013
Smith, D.M., S.A. Welsh, and C. Hilling. 2020. Seasonal Movement and Distribution of Walleye in a WV hydropower reservoir. American Fisheries Society, Virtual Annual Meeting September 2020
Smith, D.M., S.A. Welsh, N.D. Taylor, and C.D. Hilling. 2016. Environmental and Biological Correlates of Seasonal Walleye Movements in a Hydropower Reservoir. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, Wheeling, WV, 20 February 2016 February 2016
Smith, D.M., S.A. Welsh, N.D. Taylor, and C.D. Hilling. 2015. Population Dynamics and Seasonal Movement Patterns of Walleye in a Hydropower Reservoir. Presented at the Southern Division American Fisheries Society meeting, Savannah, GA. January 2015
Smith, D.M., S.A. Welsh, N.D. Taylor, and C.D. Hilling. 2015. Population Dynamics and Seasonal Movement Patterns of Walleye in a Hydropower Reservoir. Presented at the Joint meeting of VA and WV AFS Chapters, Blacksburg, VA February 2015
Smith, D., S. Welsh, and N. Taylor. 2013. Investigating Seasonal Movements and Spawning Locations of Walleye in Cheat Lake, WV using Acoustic Telemetry. Annual meeting of the Southern Division American Fisheries Society, 10 February 2013, Nashville, Tennessee. February 2013
Smith, D., S. Welsh, and N. Taylor. 2013. Determining Seasonal Movements and Spawning Habitat Use of Walleye in Cheat Lake, WV using Acoustic Telemetry. Joint meeting of the Ohio and WV Chapters of the American Fisheries Society, 20 February 2013, Huntington, West Virginia. February 2013
Smith, D., S. Welsh, N. Taylor, and C. Hilling. 2014. Use of Acoustic Telemetry to Determine Seasonal Movements of Walleye in a West Virginia Hydropower Reservoir. Annual meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, Charleston, SC, 23 January 2014. January 2014
Siegel, J.V., S.A. Welsh, N.D. Taylor, and B.A Murry. Population Structure, Age, and Growth of Flathead and Blue Catfish within the Robert C. Byrd Pool of the Ohio River. West Virginia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, virtual meeting. April 2021
Siegel, J., S. Welsh, N. Taylor, and Q. Phelps. Size Structure, Age, Growth, and Mortality of Flathead Catfish in the Robert C. Byrd Pool of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Charleston, West Virginia, 23-26 October 2022. October 2022
Rizzo, A., and S. Welsh. 2016. Photogrammetric analysis of fish lengths. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, Wheeling, WV, 20 February 2016 February 2016
Rizzo, A., S. Welsh, P. Thompson. 2016. Photogrammetric analysis of fish lengths. Annual Meeting of the West Virginia Academy of Science, Huntington, WV, 9 April 2016 April 2016
Matt, K.J., S.A. Welsh, and D.M. Smith. 2020. Spawning characteristics of Yellow Perch during periods of water level fluctuations in a hydropower reservoir. American Fisheries Society, Virtual Annual Meeting. September 2020
Loughman, Z.L. and S.A. Welsh. 2016. Physical Habitat and Water Quality Correlates for Cambarus veteranus in the Upper Guyandotte Basin of West Virginia. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division American Fisheries Society, Wheeling, WV, 20 February 2016 February 2016
Loughman, Z, N. Sadecky, and S. Welsh. 2015. Determination of Crayfish Occupancy Rates Across Mined Watersheds in Eastern Kentucky. Presented at the Southern Division American Fisheries Society meeting, Savannah, GA January 2015
Hilling, C.D., D.M. Smith, and S.A. Welsh. 2020. Percids Kicking Acid: Biology of Recovered Walleye and Yellow Perch Populations in a Historically Acidified Hydropower Reservoir. American Fisheries Society, Virtual Annual Meeting. September 2020
Hilling, C, S. Welsh, and D. Smith. 2016. Population characteristics of Channel Catfish in Cheat Lake, West Virginia. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, Wheeling, WV, 20 February 2016 February 2016
Hilling, C, S. Welsh, and D. Smith. 2015. Evaluation of age, growth and condition of Channel Catfish in Cheat Lake, West Virginia. Presented at the Joint Meeting of VA and WV AFS Chapters, Blacksburg, VA February 2015
Harrell, J., S. Welsh, D. Smith, C. Arantes, and D. Wellman. Smallmouth bass population characteristics and an evaluation of management responses in two West Virginia watersheds. Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Charleston, West Virginia, 23-26 October 2022. October 2022
Eyler, S., S. Welsh, and D. Smith. 2015. Seasonal turbine shutdowns used to protect downstream migrating silver American Eels (Anguilla rostrata) at five hydroelectric dams on the Shenandoah River. Presented at the 71st Annual Northeast Fish and Wildlife Meeting, New Port, Rhode Island. April 2015
Eyler, S., S. Welsh, D. Smith, and M. Rockey. 2015. Passage method, turbine mortality, and migratory delay of silver American Eels (Anguilla rostrata) at five hydroelectric dams on the Shenandoah River. Presented at the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (CRASC) Research Forum, MADFW Westborough Field Office, Westborough, MA March 2015
Eyler, S., S. Welsh, D. Smith, and M. Rockey. 2015. Environmental variables associated with American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) downstream migrations in the Shenandoah River. Presented at the American Fisheries Society Meeting, Portland, Oregon. August 2015
Aldinger, J. and S. Welsh. Nocturnal periodicity of upstream migration of yellow-phase American Eels at an eel ladder on the Shenandoah River. Presented at the Southern Division American Fisheries Society meeting, Savannah, GA January 2015
Technical Publications Publication Date
Welsh, S.A., Skjeveland, J.E., M.F. Mangold. 2000. Progress report of investigations and research on Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay (1996-1998). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland Fisheries Resource Office, Annapolis, MD, 15 June 1999. June 1999
Welsh, S.A., D.A. Cincotta, and J.F. Switzer. 2006. Fishes of Bluestone National Scenic River. National Park Service, Natural Resources Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2006/049. April 2006
Welsh, S.A. 2004. Overestimation of tag-based fishing mortality rates by monotonic trend models: examples from simulated and real data. Report submitted to the ASMFC Striped Bass Tagging Committee, 1 October 2004. October 2004
Welsh, S.A. 2001. Annual tag-encounter and annual exploitation rates of Atlantic striped bass estimated from tag recoveries (1987 - 2000). Report to the ASMFC Striped Bass Tagging Committee, Striped Bass Stock Assessment Committee, and Striped Bass Technical Committee. 45 pp. June 2001
Welsh, S.A. 2000. Summary of data from the York River (1991-1999) of the USFWS Cooperative Tagging Program. Report to the ASMFC Striped Bass Tagging Committee, 25 August 2000. August 2000
Welsh, S.A. 2000. Summary of data from the North Carolina Winter Trawl Survey (1988 -1999) of the USFWS Cooperative Tagging Program. Report to the ASMFC Striped Bass Tagging Committee, 15 August 2000. August 2000
Welsh, S.A. 2000. Length-frequency data of tagged cohorts from the Cooperative Striped Bass Tagging. Program Report to the ASMFC Striped Bass Tagging Committee, Striped Bass Stock Assessment Committee, and Striped Bass Technical Committee, 2 April 2000. April 2000
Welsh, S.A. 2000. Annual tag-encounter rates and annual exploitation rates of Atlantic striped bass estimated from tag-recoveries: spring tagging programs (1987-1999). Report to the ASMFC Striped Bass Tagging Committee, Striped Bass Stock Assessment Committee, and Striped Bass Technical Committee, 25 August 2000. August 2000
Welsh, S.A. 2000. Annual tag-encounter rates and annual exploitation rates of Atlantic striped bass estimated from tag-recoveries. Report to the ASMFC Striped Bass Tagging Committee, Striped Bass Stock Assessment Committee, and Striped Bass Technical Committee, 2 April 2000. April 2000
Welsh, S., R. Harris, B. Versak, D. Kahn, T. Baum,V. Vecchio, K. Hattala, and G. Nelson. 2003. ASMFC tag working group: summary of USFWS cooperative tagging program results. Submitted to the Technical and Stock Assessment Committees, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. September 2003
Welsh, S., R. Harris, B. Versak, D. Kahn, T. Baum,V. Vecchio, K. Hattala, and G. Nelson. 2002. ASMFC tag working group: summary of USFWS cooperative tagging program results. Submitted to the Technical and Stock Assessment Committees, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. June 2002
Skjeveland, J.E., S.A. Welsh, M.F. Mangold, S.M. Eyler, S.W. Nachbar. 2000. A report of investigations and research on Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland Fisheries Resource Office, Annapolis, MD, 18 October 2000. 44 pages. October 2000
Millard, M.J., S.A. Welsh, J. Skjeveland, J. Fletcher, J. Mohler, M. Hendrix, A. Kahnle, and K. Hattala. 2000. Mortality associated with catch and release of American shad and striped bass in the Hudson River. Final report: 1999 project year. Submitted to NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, New Paltz, NY 12561. December 2000
Eyler, S.M., J.E. Skjeveland, M.F. Mangold, and S.A. Welsh. 2000. Distribution of sturgeons in candidate open water dredged material placement sites in the Potomac River (1998-2000). Final Report. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland Fisheries Resource Office, Annapolis, MD, 21 November 2000. 26 pages. November 2000
Annual tag-encounter and annual exploitation rates of Atlantic striped bass estimated from tag recoveries (1987-2001). Report to the ASMFC Striped Bass Stock Assessment Commitee, and Striped Bass Technical Committee. August 2002