EDUCATION 

December 2000 Ph.D. Ecological Sciences - Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA, 23529

Dissertation: Evaluation of fish scale chemistry for determining habitat associations.

 

August 1994     M.S. Biological Sciences - Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529.

Thesis: The reproductive biology of Chesapeake Bay black drum, Pogonias cromis, with an assessment of fixatives and stains for histological examination of teleost ovaries.

 

August 1991    B.S. Forestry and Wildlife, Fisheries Science – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI&SU), Blacksburg, VA, 24061.

PUBLICATIONS 

Peer-reviewed Journals:  

Hayes, S.A., Bond, M.H., Wells, B., Hanson, C.V., Jones, A.W. and MacFarlane, R.B. In review. Using Archival Tags to infer habitat use of Central California Steelhead and Coho Salmon. In Advances in Fish Tagging and Marking Technology. American Fisheries Society, Auckland, New Zealand. 

Sydeman, W.J., SA Thompson, J.A. Santora, K.L. Mills, D.F. Bertram, K.H. Morgan, M.A. Hipfner, B.K. Wells, and S.G. Wolf.  2009.  Seabirds and climate in the California Current - A synthesis of Change.  CalCOFI Reports

Wells, B.K., J. Field, J. Thayer, C. Grimes, S. Bograd, W. Sydeman, F. Schwing, and R. Hewitt. 2008 Untangling the relationships among climate, prey, and top predators in an ocean ecosystem.  Marine Ecology Progress Series. 364:15-29[PDF]       

Elsdon, T.S., B.K. Wells, S.E. Campana, B.M. Gillanders, C.M. Jones, K.E. Limburg, D.H. Secor, S.R. Thorrold    and B.D. Walther. 2008. Otolith chemistry to describe movements and life-history parameters of fishes: hypotheses, assumptions, limitations, and inferences.  Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review 46:297-330.[PDF]

Wells, B.K., C.B. Grimes, J.G. Sneva, S. McPherson, and J.B. Waldvogel. 2008. Relationships between oceanic conditions and growth of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from Alaska, Washington, and California, USA. Fisheries Oceanography 17:101-125 [PDF]

Wells, B.K., C.B. Grimes, and J.B. Waldvogel. 2007. Quantifying the effects of wind, upwelling, curl, turbulence, and sea surface temperature on growth and maturation of a California Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) population. Fisheries Oceanography. 16:363-382 [PDF]

 Jiang, H., K.H. Pollock, C. Brownie, J.M. Hoenig, R.J. Latour, B.K. Wells, and J. Hightower. 2007.  Tag return models for catch-and-release fisheries: striped bass natural mortality estimates change with age and calendar year. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 27:387-396.[PDF]

Wells, B.K., C.B. Grimes, J.C. Field, and C.S. Reiss. 2006. Covariation between the average lengths of mature coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and the ocean environment. Fisheries Oceanography. 15:67-79. [PDF]

Wells, B.K., K.D. Friedland, and L. M. Clarke. 2003. Increment patterns in otoliths and scales from mature Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 262:293-298.[PDF]

 Wells, B. K., S. R. Thorrold, and C. M. Jones.  2003. Stability of elemental signatures in the scales of spawning weakfish, Cynoscion regalis. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 60:361-369.[PDF]

 Wells, B. K., B. E. Rieman, J. L., J. L. Clayton, D. Horan, and C. M. Jones. 2003. Relationships between water, otolith, and scale chemistries of westslope cutthroat trout from the Coeur d'Alene River, Idaho:  the potential application of hard-part chemistry to describe movements in fresh water. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 132:409-424.[PDF]

 Wells, B. K. and C. M. Jones.  2002. Reproduction of black drum, Pogonias cromis, in the Chesapeake Bay region.  Virginia Journal of Science. 33:3-11.[PDF]

Jones, C. M. and B. K. Wells. 2001. Yield-per-recruit analysis for black drum, Pogonias cromis, along the East Coast of the U.S. and management strategies for the Chesapeake Bay. Fishery Bulletin. 99:328-337.[PDF]

Wells, B. K., G. E. Bath, S. R. Thorrold, and C. M. Jones.  2000. Incorporation of strontium, cadmium, and barium in juvenile spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) scales reflects water chemistry.  Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 57: 2122-2129.[PDF]

Wells, B. K., S. R. Thorrold, and C. M. Jones.  2000. Geographic variation in elemental signatures of weakfish scales. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.  129: 889-900.[PDF]

Jones, C. M. and B. Wells. 1998. Age, growth, and mortality of black drum. Pogonias cromis, in the Chesapeake Bay.  Fishery Bulletin 96: 451 – 461.[PDF]

 

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

 

August  2008 - Present

Research Fishery Biologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA), Santa Cruz

 

My research relates to ecosystem ecology and the effects of environmental variability.

 

March 2006 - July 2008

Self-Supporting Research Associate, University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and NOAA, Santa Cruz

 

My research is dedicated to deriving biological and ecosystem indices along the California Current system. As the organizing and analytical member of a team of researchers along the California Current, I examine trends in production and abundance of mammals, rockfish, sea birds, salmon, prey species, krill, and squid relative to a varying environment and community structure (Wells et al. 2008, MEPS).  I also obtain competitive grants and advise graduate students (e.g. Wells et al 2006 NSF, 2004, 2005, 2006 NOAA).

April 2003 - March 2006.

Joint Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSC and NOAA, Santa Cruz

 

My research with UCSC and NOAA Fisheries was targeted at modeling the effects of environmental variation on growth of Pacific salmon and the impact on size-related vital rates (e.g. fecundity) and production. This work was accomplished primarily by increment analysis of scales and examination of coded-wire-tagged returning fish from along their entire North Pacific range (Wells et al. 2006, 2007, 2008, Fisheries Oceanography).

 April 2002 - April 2003.

National Research Council Research Associate, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Cooperative Marine Education and Research Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

 

My research at University of Massachusetts CMER included examining the effect of growth rate, stock, and sex on the maturation schedule of Atlantic salmon.  Importantly, there appears to be an increase in the proportion of fish maturing early (after one sea-winter).  Such a reduction in age-at-maturity, coupled with a significant positive size-fecundity relationship, reduces the production potential of the populations.  Through an examination of otolith microchemistry and circuli patterns, I teased apart some of the factors that contribute to early maturation.  See Wells et al. Marine Ecology Progress Series 2003.

January 2002 - April 2002

Research Scientist – Old Dominion University

 

In the time between USFWS and my NRC appointment I relocated to ODU, specifically, to manage a westslope cutthroat trout study. Projects on which I worked during this stay included the study of cutthroat trout population dispersal and life history (Wells et al. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 2003) and the description of bluefish vital rates (Reiss et al. 2002 AFS). These studies used laboratory facilities at ODU and analyses were performed in collaboration with graduate and undergraduate researchers. I also continued to develop a new histological method for fecundity estimation that has required collaborative work with scientists along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts; each sending me samples from their species of interest.

November 2000 – January 2002

Fishery Biologist (GS-482-11) - U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

 

Research included mining striped bass coast-wide tagging data to determine mortality and dispersal patterns along the Atlantic coast. The fish is considered recovered and the tagging data may serve to monitor fishing mortality rates.  My work included the first application of an age-structured tag-recovery model to fish.  Specifically, I determined the partial recruitment vector for the Chesapeake Bay stock with the age-structured tagging model. Components of this work are in preparation for publication with Kenneth Pollock (NC State) and co-authors (Jiang et al. In press, North American Journal of Fisheries Managment). I also developed yield-per-recruit and egg-per-recruit models for striped bass to evaluate the potential of over-fishing the stocks. Part of my duties included serving on numerous technical and assessment committees for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Management Council (e.g. Atlantic striped bass and weakfish) and participation in the associated preparation of reports.

 

August 1991 - November 2000

 

Graduate Research Assistantships – Old Dominion University, funded through Virginia Marine Resources Commission and Virginia Sea Grant.

 

I headed and collaborated on many research projects that all resulted in published products. Research included the description of age, growth and mortality of black drum (Fishery Bulletin 96:451-461), yield-per-recruit and management of black drum along the Atlantic Coast (Fishery Bulletin 99:328-337), and reproduction of black drum (Virginia Journal of Science 33:3-11).  In addition, I became acknowledged as having defined the proper use of scale chemistry to determine habitat associations of fish populations both spatially and temporally. This research resulted in three publications (Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 129:889-900, and Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 57:2122-2129 & 60:361-369).  

 

April 1989 – August 1991

 

Field and Laboratory Technician – VPI&SU.

 

I electroshocked, netted, snorkel surveyed, and measured water and substrate habitat characteristics for published studies examining the impact of altered dam flow on community structure and smallmouth bass recruitment.