Wisconsin Fish People

Dan Isermann Unit Leader Email: Dan.Isermann@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 3221

I serve as Unit Leader of the Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit. I earned my degrees from Southern Illinois University (BS), Tennessee Tech University (MS), and South Dakota State University (PhD). Before my employment with USGS, I was an assistant professor of fisheries at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and worked as a fisheries biologist and research scientist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Minnesota DNR.

Wes Larson Assistant Unit Leader Email: Wes.Larson@uwsp.edu Website: http://larsonlab.wordpress.com/ Tel: (715) 346 - 3150

I earned my B.S. in marine biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and my PhD in fisheries from the University of Washington. I am interested in fisheries genetics.

Dan Dembkowski Email: Dan.Dembkowski@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 4350

I am a Research Scientist with the Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit and serve as co-director of the Fisheries Analysis Center. I’ve earned degrees from Carthage College (B.A., 2009), Mississippi State University (M.S., 2011) studying factors that structure fish assemblages in floodplain lakes, and South Dakota State University (Ph.D., 2014) studying yellow perch recruitment and interactions between yellow perch and smallmouth bass.

Jeff Dimick Email: jdimick@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 3868

I am the Laboratory Manager for the Aquatic Biomonitoring Laboratory. My primary professional interests are stream ecology and aquatic macroinvertebrates. I’m a total Wisconsin product and performed my undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. In my spare time I’m involved with youth development, fishing and hunting.

Andrea Musch Email: andrea.musch@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

I am the program assistant for the WI Coop Fish Unit. I received my B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Fisheries Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Chris Sullivan Email: Chris.Sullivan@uwsp.edu Website: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher_Sullivan15 Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

I am a Research Scientist with the WI Cooperative Fishery Research Unit evaluating biological factors influencing Walleye recruitment in northern Wisconsin lakes. Previously, I have studied abiotic factors influencing Silver Carp recruitment in the UMR.

Keith Turnquist Email: Keith.Turnquist@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 3873

I have a B.S. in Urban Forestry and a M.S. in Natural Resources from UW-Stevens Point, and am currently the Lab Manager for the Molecular Conservation Genetics Laboratory at UW-Stevens Point. I am originally from Minnesota, and am an avid sportsman and Beagler.

Danielle Blumstein Email: Dani.Blumstein@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

I completed my Bachelors of Science in Zoology from Michigan State University in 2017. During my undergrad, I was very active in conservation genetic research. Prior to my time at UWSP I focused on projects related to the spatial genetic structure of Burbot in Lake Michigan and the Manistee River and various types of genetic tools for Lake Surgeon research. My current graduate research is focused on conservation genomics and building the linkage map for cisco in the great lakes region.

Matthew Bootsma Email: mbootsma@usgs.gov Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

Upon graduating from UW-Milwaukee in 2016 with a B.S. in Biology, I worked with the US Geological Survey at the Lake Superior Biological Station where I was formally introduced to the process of fisheries management on the Great Lakes. I am excited to join the co-op research unit at UWSP, where I will be studying genetic variation within walleye from northern WI and MN waters in an attempt to improve stocking practices.

Emma Easterly Email: easteem29@gmail.com Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

In 2016, I received my B.S. in Biology-Field Biology Emphasis, from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. After earning my degree, I spent some time working for the Illinois Natural History Survey as a Fisheries Technician. While I enjoyed the time I spent in Illinois, I am thrilled to be returning to Wisconsin to continue my education with the fisheries cooperative research unit at UWSP. My graduate project involves monitoring the movement of brook trout in the Wolf River.

Jason Gostiaux Email: jcgostiaux@gmail.com Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

I am originally from Michigan and graduated from Lake Superior State University in 2013 with a B.S in Fisheries Management. I currently work on a project addressing the concern with declining walleye recruitment in northern Wisconsin lakes. Prior to my time at UWSP I spent two years working with The Ohio State University and Ohio Department of Natural Resources on Lake Erie.

Lucas Koenig Email: lkoen333@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

In 2015, I earned my B.S. degree in fisheries and water resources from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Since graduation, I have spent the last two years working with the WI DNR as a fisheries technician in Sturgeon Bay. My graduate project will examine the diet compositions and predator-prey interactions among walleye, lake whitefish and yellow perch in Green Bay.

Aaron Oconnell Email: aocon317@uwsp.edu

I completed my undergrad at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2016 earning a B.S. in biology with an ecology emphasis. Shortly after, I accepted a fisheries technician position with the Wisconsin DNR on the Winnebago system. My research interest and current graduate work is examining multiple methodologies for estimating age in lake sturgeon.

Jenna Ruzich Email: Jenna.Ruzich@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

I am originally from Minnesota where I became an avid cross country skier and biologist. I graduated with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2015. I joined the WI Cooperative Fisheries Research Unit at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point pursuing a M.S. in Natural Resources in 2016. My graduate research involves the genetic assessment of seven fish species above and below the Prairie du Sac dam on the Wisconsin River.

Nick Rydell Email: Nicholas.J.Rydell@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

In 2014, I received my B.S. from Minnesota State University, Mankato in Zoology. I am now a graduate student with the WI Cooperative Fishery Research Unit. Currently, I am researching the effects of 2, 4-D herbicide treatment on fish and zooplankton.

Robert Sheffer Email: rsheffer12@gmail.com Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

Originally from California, I earned a BS in Biology from California State University, Long Beach in 2014. As an undergraduate, I volunteered for the CSULB Shark Lab as well as the Downeast Salmon Federation. After graduating, I worked as a fisheries technician in Alaska, Idaho, and Oklahoma. In fulfillment of my MS in Natural Resources (emphasis in Fisheries), I will complete a project on the spawning movements and habitat selection of muskellunge in Green Bay, Lake Michigan.

Eric Wegleitner Email: Eric.Wegleitner@uwsp.edu Tel: (715) 346 - 2178

I am a Minnesota native and proud graduate of UWSP. Between my undergraduate and graduate studies I spent time working with the WDNR in Peshtigo and Wisconsin Rapids. I am excited and thankful to continue my studies with the fisheries cooperative research unit at UWSP. My graduate work will help determine abundance and outmigration of age-0 steelhead in Lake Michigan tributaries.