The Fisheries Conservation Lab investigates the ecology, management, and conservation of marine and estuarine fisheries. We depend on fisheries for many things including food, employment, recreational opportunities, and cultural identity, but fishing and aquaculture rank among the greatest human impacts on marine ecosystems. Finding a balance between harvest and conservation of fishery species and mitigating the impacts of fisheries on marine ecosystems will be key to sustaining productive, resilient, and biodiverse coastal and marine ecosystems for future generations.

Our interdisciplinary research focuses on providing the best scientific information available to inform fisheries management and conservation decision-making at scales from local communities to global institutions. We apply field and laboratory experiments, animal tracking technologies, models, long-term observational studies, and historical perspectives to address fisheries issues including sustainability of fished populations, altered food webs and trophic interactions, linkages between habitat and fisheries, invasive species, and climate change. 

Article

• Staples, Amber, Legett, Henry D., Deichmann, Jessica L., Heggie, Keira, and Ogburn, Matthew B. 2023. "Automated acoustic detection of river herring (Alosa pseudoharengus and A. aestivalis) spawning activity." North American Journal of Fisheries Management, https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10897. 2023
• Ogburn, Matthew B., Plough, Louis V., Bangley, Charles W., Fitzgerald, Catherine L., Hannam, Michael P., Lee, Benjamin, Marafino, Gabriella, Richie, Kimberly D., Williams, Meghan R., and Weller, Donald E. 2023. "Environmental DNA reveals anadromous river herring habitat use and recolonization after restoration of aquatic connectivity." Environmental DNA, 5, (1) 25–37. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.348. 2023
• Olson, Jack C., Lefcheck, Jonathan S., Goodison, Michael R., Lienesch, Anna, and Ogburn, Matthew B. 2023. "Fish size spectra from imaging sonar reveal variation in habitat use across nearshore coastal ecosystems." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 705 95–108. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14247. 2023
• Guéron, Rodrigo, Almeida, Alexandre Oliveira, Aguilar, Robert, Ogburn, Matthew B., Prakash, Sanjeevi, and Baeza, J. Antonio. 2022. "Delimiting species within the Lysmata vittata (Stimpson, 1860) (Decapoda: Lysmatidae) species complex in a world full of invaders." Zootaxa, 5150, (2) 189–216. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5150.2.2. 2022
• Hruska, Amy M., Cawood, Alison, Pagenkopp Lohan, Katrina M., Ogburn, Matthew B., and Komatsu, Kimberly J. 2022. "Going remote: Recommendations for normalizing virtual internships." Ecosphere, 13, (3). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3961. 2022
• Canty, Steven W. J., Nowakowski, A. J., Connette, Grant M., Deichmann, Jessica L., Songer, Melissa, Chiaravalloti, Rafael, Dodge, Molly, Feistner, Anna T. C., Fergus, Craig, Hall, Jefferson S., Komatsu, Kimberly J., Linares‐Palomino, Reynaldo, McField, Melanie, Ogburn, Matthew B., Velez‐Zuazo, Ximena, and Akre, Thomas S. 2022. "Mapping a conservation research network to the Sustainable Development Goals." Conservation Science and Practice, https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12731. 2022
• Edwards, Michelle L., McCallister, Michael, Brewster, Lauran R., Bangley, Charles W., Curtis, Tobey H., Ogburn, Matthew B., and Ajemian, Matthew J. 2022. "Multi-year assessment of immature bull shark Carcharhinus leucas residency and activity spaces in an expansive estuarine nursery." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 695 125–138. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14113. 2022
• Aguilar, Robert, Prakash, Sanjeevi, Ogburn, Matthew B., Lohan, Katrina M. Pagenkopp, Macdonald, Kenneth S., Driskell, Amy C., Ahyong, Shane T., Leray, Matthieu, McIlroy, Shelby E., Tuckey, Troy D., and Baeza, J. Antonio. 2022. "Unresolved taxonomy confounds invasive species identification: the Lysmata vittata Stimpson, 1860 (Decapoda: Caridea: Lysmatidae) species complex and recent introduction of Lysmata vittata sensu stricto in the western Atlantic." Journal of Crustacean Biology, 42, (1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruab079. 2022
• Donelan, Sarah C., Breitburg, Denise L., and Ogburn, Matthew B. 2021. "Context-dependent carryover effects of hypoxia and warming in a coastal ecosystem engineer." Ecological Applications, https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2315. 2021
• Bangley, Charles W., Edwards, Michelle L., Mueller, Claire, Fisher, Robert A., Aguilar, Robert, Heggie, Keira, Richie, Kimberly, Ahr, Bonnie J., and Ogburn, Matthew B. 2021. "Environmental associations of cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) seasonal presence along the US Atlantic Coast." Ecosphere, 12, (9). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3743. 2021
• Bailey, H., Fandel, A. D., Silva, K., Gryzb, E., McDonald, E., Hoover, A. L., Ogburn, M. B., and Rice, A. N. 2021. "Identifying and predicting occurrence and abundance of a vocal animal species based on individually specific calls." Ecosphere, 12, (8). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3685. 2021
• Ritter, Carmen J., Harper, Leah M., Lefcheck, Jonathan S., Paul, Valerie J., Whippo, Ross, Jones, Scott, Ogburn, Matthew B., and Duffy, J. Emmett. 2021. "Patterns of Consumption Across a Caribbean Seascape: Roles of Habitat and Consumer Species Composition Through Time." Frontiers in Marine Science, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.742907. 2021
• Heggie, Keira and Ogburn, Matthew B. 2021. "Rapid video assessment detects qualitative differences in oyster reef habitat." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 667 219–224. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13708. 2021
• Semmler, Robert Francis, Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Aguilar, Robert, North, Elizabeth Watkins, Reaka, Marjorie Lindquist, and Hines, Anson Hemingway. 2021. "The influence of blue crab movement on mark-recapture estimates of recreational harvest and exploitation." Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 78, (4) 371–385. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0112. 2021
• Edwards, Michelle L., Balazik, Matthew T., Bangley, Charles W., Aguilar, Robert, and Ogburn, Matthew B. 2020. "Detection of a Mature Atlantic Sturgeon in the Patuxent River, Maryland, Using Passive Acoustic Telemetry." Northeastern Naturalist, 27, (4) 792–802. https://doi.org/10.1656/045.027.0417. 2020
• Staaterman, E., Gallagher, A. J., Holder, P. E., Reid, C. H., Altieri, A. H., Ogburn, M. B., Rummer, J. L., and Cooke, S. J. 2020. "Exposure to boat noise in the field yields minimal stress response in wild reef fish." Aquatic Biology, 29 93–103. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00728. 2020
• Bangley, Charles W., Curtis, Tobey H., Secor, David H., Latour, Robert J., and Ogburn, Matthew B. 2020. "Identifying Important Juvenile Dusky Shark Habitat in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Using Acoustic Telemetry and Spatial Modeling." Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 12, (5) 348–363. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10120. 2020
• Bangley, Charles W., Whoriskey, Frederick G., Young, Joy M., and Ogburn, Matthew B. 2020. "Networked Animal Telemetry in the Northwest Atlantic and Caribbean Waters." Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 12, (5) 339–347. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10128. 2020
• Waltham, Nathan J., Elliott, Michael, Lee, Shing Yip, Lovelock, Catherine, Duarte, Carlos M., Buelow, Christina, Simenstad, Charles, Nagelkerken, Ivan, Claassens, Louw, Wen, Colin K-C, Barletta, Mario, Connolly, Rod M., Gillies, Chris, Mitsch, William J., Ogburn, Matthew B., Purandare, Jemma, Possingham, Hugh, and Sheaves, Marcus. 2020. "UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030-What Chance for Success in Restoring Coastal Ecosystems?" Frontiers in Marine Science, 7 Article 71. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00071. 2020
• Mohammed-Geba, Khaled, Sheir, Sherin, K., Aguilar, Robert, Ogburn, Matthew B., Hines, Anson H., Khalafallah, Hussain J., El-Kattan, Ahmed, Hassab El-Nabi, Sobhy E., and Galal-Khallaf, Asmaa. 2019. "Molecular and morphological confirmation of an invasive American isopod; Livoneca redmanii Leach, 1818, from the Mediterranean region to Lake Qaroun, Egypt." Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 23, (4) 251–273. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejabf.2019.54062. 2019
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Richie, Kimberly D., Jones, Morgan A., and Hines, Anson H. 2019. "Sperm acquisition and storage dynamics facilitate sperm limitation in the selectively harvested blue crab Callinectes sapidus." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 629 87–101. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13104. 2019
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan. 2019. "The effects of sex-biased fisheries on crustacean sex ratios and reproductive output." Invertebrate Reproduction & Development, 63, (3) 200–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/07924259.2019.1612787. 2019
• Zhang, Junlong, Yurchenko, Olga V., Lutaenko, Konstantin A., Kalachev, Alexander V., Nekhaev, Ivan O., Aguilar, Robert, Zhan, Zifeng, and Ogburn, Matthew Bryan. 2018. "A tale of two soft-shell clams: an integrative taxonomic analysis confirms Mya japonica as a valid species distinct from Mya arenaria (Bivalvia: Myidae)." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 184, (3) 605–622. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx107. 2018
• Plough, Louis V., Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Fitzgerald, Catherine L., Geranio, Rose, Marafino, Gabriella A., and Richie, Kimberly D. 2018. "Environmental DNA analysis of river herring in Chesapeake Bay: A powerful tool for monitoring threatened keystone species." Plos One, 13, (11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205578. 2018
• Glaspie, Cassandra N., Seitz, Rochelle D., Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Dungan, Christopher F., and Hines, Anson H. 2018. "Impacts of habitat, predators, recruitment, and disease on soft-shell clams Mya arenaria and stout razor clams Tagelus plebeius in Chesapeake Bay." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 603 117–133. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12706. 2018
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Bangley, Charles W., Aguilar, Robert, Fisher, Robert A., Curran, Mary Carla, Webb, Sarah Fae, and Hines, Anson H. 2018. "Migratory connectivity and philopatry of cownose rays Rhinoptera bonasus along the Atlantic coast, USA." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 602 197–211. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12686. 2018
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Harrison, Autumn-Lynn, Whoriskey, Frederick G., Cooke, Steven J., Flemming, Mills, E, Joanna, and Torres, Leigh G. 2017. "Addressing Challenges in the Application of Animal Movement Ecology to Aquatic Conservation and Management." Frontiers in Marine Science, 4 70. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00070. 2017
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Spires, Jason, Aguilar, Robert, Goodison, Michael R., Heggie, Keira, Kinnebrew, Eva, McBurney, William, Richie, Kimberly D., Roberts, Paige M., and Hines, Anson H. 2017. "Assessment of River Herring Spawning Runs in a Chesapeake Bay Coastal Plain Stream using Imaging Sonar." Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 146, (1) 22–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2016.1235612. 2017
• Staaterman, Erica R., Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Altieri, Andrew H., Brandl, Simon J., Whippo, Ross, Seemann, Janina, Goodison, Michael R., and Duffy, J. Emmett. 2017. "Bioacoustic measurements complement visual biodiversity surveys: preliminary evidence from four shallow marine habitats." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 575 207–215. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12188. 2017
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Hasselman, Daniel J., Schultz, Thomas F., and Palkovacs, Eric P. 2017. "Genetics and Juvenile Abundance Dynamics show Congruent Patterns of Population Structure for Depleted River Herring Populations in the Upper Chesapeake Bay." North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 37, (5) 1083–1092. https://doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2017.1339649. 2017
• Aguilar, Robert, Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Driskell, Amy C., Weigt, Lee A., Groves, Mary C., and Hines, Anson H. 2017. "Gutsy genetics: identification of digested piscine prey items in the stomach contents of sympatric native and introduced warmwater catfishes via DNA barcoding." Environmental Biology of Fishes, 100, (4) 235–336. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-016-0523-8. 2017
• Rick, Torben C., Reeder-Myers, Leslie, Hofman, Courtney A., Breitburg, Denise L., Lockwood, Rowan, Henkes, Gregory, Kellogg, Lisa, Lowery, Darrin, Luckenbach, Mark W., Mann, Roger, Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Southworth, Melissa, Wah, John, Wesson, James, and Hines, Anson H. 2016. "Millennial-scale sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay Native American oyster fishery." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113, (23) 6568–6573. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1600019113. 2016
• Rick, Torben C., Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Kramer, Margaret, McCanty, Sean T., Reeder-Myers, Leslie, Miller, Henry M., and Hines, Anson H. 2015. "Archaeology, taphonomy, and historical ecology of Chesapeake Bay blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus)." Journal of Archaeological Science, 55 42–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2014.12.016. 2015
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan and Habegger, Leigh C. 2015. "Reproductive Status of Callinectes sapidus as an Indicator of Spawning Habitat in the South Atlantic Bight, USA." Estuaries and Coasts, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-015-9962-2. 2015
• Mathies, Noelle H., Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, McFall, G., and Fangman, S. 2014. "Environmental interference factors affecting detection range in acoustic telemetry studies using fixed receiver arrays." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 495 27–38. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10582. 2014
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Roberts, Paige M., Richie, Kimberly D., Johnson, Eric G., and Hines, Anson H. 2014. "Temporal and spatial variation in sperm stores in mature female blue crabs Callinectes sapidus and potential effects on brood production in Chesapeake Bay." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 507 249–262. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10869. 2014
• Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Criales, Maria M., Thompson, R. Tyler, and Browder, Joan A. 2013. "Endogenous swimming activity rhythms of postlarvae and juveniles of the penaeid shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus, Farfantepenaeus duorarum, and Litopenaeus setiferus." Journal of experimental marine biology and ecology, 440 149–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2012.12.007. 2013
• Darnell, M. Z., Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, and Diaz, Humberto. 2008. "A novel running whell apparatus to monitor locomotor rhythms in land crabs." Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physeiology, 41, (3) 205–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/10236240802366358. 2008

Dataset

• Ogburn, Matthew B. 2022. [Dataset] Compiled project data. Distributed by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. https://doi.org/10.25573/SERC.20380302.V1. 2022
• Ogburn, Matthew B., Lefcheck, Jonathan S., and Olson, Jack. 2022. [Dataset] DIDSON fish data and code for analysis. Distributed by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. https://doi.org/10.25573/SERC.19611510.V1. 2022
• Ogburn, Matthew B. 2021. [Dataset] Bangley et al. Cownose Ray Migrations in Chesapeake Bay and Cape Canaveral. Distributed by The Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.25573/SERC.14424254.V1. 2021
• Ritter, Carmen J., Harper, Leah M., Lefcheck, Jonathan S., Paul, Valerie J., Whippo, Ross D. B., Jones, Michael, Ogburn, Matthew B., and Duffy, J. Emmett. 2021. [Dataset] Data Push: Patterns of consumption across a Caribbean seascape: Roles of habitat and consumer species composition through time. Distributed by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. https://doi.org/10.25573/SERC.16744585.V1. 2021
• Olson, Jack, Whigham, Dennis F., Megonigal, J. Patrick, Ogburn, Matthew B., Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network, and MarineGEO. 2021. [Dataset] MarineGEO Salt Marsh Habitat Monitoring Protocol. https://doi.org/10.25573/SERC.14896194.V1. 2021
• Whigham, Dennis F., Holmquist, James R., Ogburn, Matthew B., Goodison, Michael R., McFarland, Eliza K., and Megonigal, J. Patrick. 2020. [Dataset] Dataset: 2015-2018 USA-MDA TMON Marsh Biomass Surveys. Distributed by The Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.25573/SERC.12636404.V1. 2020
• Donelan, Sarah C., Ogburn, Matthew B., and Breitburg, Denise L. 2020. [Dataset] Dataset: Context-dependent carryover effects of hypoxia and warming in a coastal ecosystem engineer. Distributed by The Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.25573/SERC.13341614.V1. 2020
• Rick, Torben C., Reeder-Myers, Leslie, Hofman, Courtney A., Breitburg, Denise L., Lockwood, Rowan, Henkes, Gregory, Kellogg, Lisa, Lowery, Darrin, Luckenbach, Mark W., Mann, Roger, Ogburn, Matthew Bryan, Southworth, Melissa, Wah, John, Wesson, James, Hines, Anson H., and Kirch, Patrick V. 2017. [Dataset] Millennial-scale sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay Native American oyster fishery. Distributed by Edgewater, Maryland: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. https://doi.org/10.5479/data_serc/10088/31951. 2017