The Hudson River Estuary is a dynamic and complex environment that supports a wide range of fish, including a number of migratory and endangered species. Advances in marine ecosystem technologies, which include the use of passive acoustic monitoring, have enabled the Hudson River Reserve to address critical management challenges including understanding how fish species use the Hudson River Estuary, monitoring species population dynamics of protected and endangered animals, and creating engaging communication tools that inspire public stewardship of key fish species. The management of key fish within the estuary is a priority for the Hudson River Reserve; several key species remain data deficient and critical questions remain, particularly regarding phenology and spatial patterns of habitat use. To address these needs, this collaborative research project implemented a passive acoustic monitoring approach to target information gaps related to focal fisheries ecology and management within the reserve sites and adjacent estuarine habitats.
In this webinar, members of the project team will share findings from their project, including their characterization of a diverse range of soundscapes across latitudinal and salinity gradients along the Hudson River, and comparisons of sounds from tributary and wetland habitats to those of the main channel of the river. They will also discuss their collaborative approach and how the project has strengthened relationship-building efforts among regional partners, students, and intended users.
Speakers:
 | Aaron Rice, Cornell University Aaron is research faculty at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University. His research focuses on using conservation technology to understand the ecology of aquatic vertebrates, and how bioacoustics can provide actionable conservation and management information for mitigating impacts to vulnerable species and ecosystems. He leads a global research program focused on bioacoustic and ecological analyses around the world. He is the PI on their NERRS project, and overseeing the research effort and links to research outputs with a diverse constituency of end-users. |
 | Maija Niemistö, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Maija is an Environmental Science Specialist with the NYSDEC and the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve headquarters at the Norrie Point Environmental Center. She studied Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University and spent many years sailing and teaching aboard the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Maija is coordinating between the bioacoustics research team at Cornell University, the end users at HRNERR, the Hudson River Fisheries Unit at the NYSDEC, and the Hudson Valley public school teachers. |
 | Rebecca Cohen, Cornell University Rebecca is a postdoctoral fellow at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University. She is interested in bioacoustics and the spatial ecology and habitat use patterns of marine and aquatic species, with a particular focus on machine learning for detection and classification tasks, and understanding drivers of observed patterns in distribution and activity. Her overarching research goal is to provide ecological insights to aid managers and stakeholders in implementing targeted and effective conservation and mitigation strategies. |