Welcome 

On behalf of the staff, students, and technicians of the Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, we would like to welcome you to browse this web site and learn a little bit about the people and projects of our research program.  Our program is committed to providing the best in graduate research and education in fisheries and natural resource management.  Graduates of our program are employed nationwide in a variety of positions from fishery biologists to directors of research and management programs.  As you explore these pages, please remember the hard work, dedication, and commitment of all faculty, students, and cooperators who have contributed to making this program an outstanding success, both those currently in the program as well as all who have preceded them. 

The Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit provides fisheries and aquatic science research and M.S. graduate education through a unique collaboration of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Mission Statement

The Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit has been an integral part of fisheries and aquatic science research and education in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin � Stevens Point since 1971.  The cooperators of this unique partnership include the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.GS-BRD), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (UWSP).  The purposes of the Unit are to conduct world-class fisheries and aquatic science research of interest to cooperators, educate and train students at the Master�s degree level in fisheries and aquatic sciences, and provide extension services in fisheries and aquatic resource management.  Areas of study that have been emphasized by the Unit during the past 30 years include: fishery biology; fisheries management; fisheries genetics; fish habitat analysis, design, and modelling; stock assessment; Great Lakes fisheries; limnology; integrated land-water linkages; aquatic toxicology; and aquatic entomology.  Studies have also focused on understanding how ecosystem processes are altered by anthropogenic activities and includes several multidisciplinary projects assessing linkages between aquatic and terrestrial environments.  Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit studies have met and continue to meet the needs of the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, other resource management agencies, and the public.