Ph.D. University of Rhode Island 1980
Research Areas
Fisheries biology, biology of large pelagic fishes, flounder stock enhancement, finfish aquaculture
Research Emphasis
My research is in the area of fisheries science and aquaculture. Current studies of my graduate students and myself include an evaluation of flounder stock enhancement, the culture of steelhead trout, the fine-scale distribution of cod in their spawning habitat, fisheries acoustics, winter flounder ecology and steelhead trout physiology.
Current Studies
- Synoptic acoustic and trawl surveys to characterize biomass and distribution of the cod in Ipswich Bay (Funded by Northeast Consortium; PhD Research of Chris Gurshin)
- Evaluating the ontogenetic behavioral benefits of acclimation cage conditioning for flatfish stock enhancement. (Funded by NOAA/NMFS; PhD Research of Michelle Walsh)
- Production methods and systems for steelhead trout in New England. (PhD Research of Michael Chambers)
- Submerged culture of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) for open ocean aquaculture in the northeastern United States (Funded by NOAA/NMFS Saltonstall-Kennedy)
Courses Taught
- ZOOL 518 Vertebrate Morphology
- ZOOL 710/810 Ichthyology
- ZOOL 772/872 Fisheries Biology
Publications
Howell, W.H. and M.D. Chambers (2005). Growth performance and survival of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) grown in submerged net pens. Bull. Aqua. Assoc. Canada. 9: 35-37.
Sulikowski, J.A., P.C.W. Tsang and W.H. Howell. 2005. Age and size at sexual maturity of the winter skate, Leucoraja ocellata, in the western Gulf of Maine based on morphology, histological and steroid hormone analysis. Environ. Biol. Fishes. 72(4): 429-441.
Sulikowski, J.A., J. Kneebone, S. Elzey, P. Danley, W.H. Howell and P.W.C Tsang. 2005. Age and growth estimates of the thorny skate, Amblyraja radiata, in the Gulf of Maine. Fish. Bull. 103: 161-168.
Sulikowski, J.A., J. Kneebone, S. Elzey, P. Danley, W.H. Howell and P.W.C Tsang. 2005. The reproductive cycle of the thorny skate, Amblyraja radiata, in the Gulf of Maine. Fish. Bull. 103(3): 536-543.
Sulikowski, J.A., E.A. Fairchild, N. Rennels and W.H. Howell. 2005. The effects of tagging and transport stress on juvenile winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus: implications for successful stock enhancement J. World. Aqua. Soc. 36(1): 148-156.
Fairchild, E.A., N. Rennels, W.H. Howell and R. Wells. 2006. Gonadal development and differentiation in cultured juvenile winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus. J. World Aqua. Soc. 38(1): 114-121.
Fairchild, E.A., J. Fleck and W.H. Howell. 2006. Determining an optimal release site for juvenile winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum) in the Great Bay Estuary, NH, USA. Aquaculture Research 36: 1374-1383.
Sulikowski, J.A., J. Kneebone, S. Elzey, J. Jurek, W.H. Howell and P.C.W. Tsang. 2006. Using the composite variables of reproductive morphology, histology and steroid hormones to determine age and size at sexual maturity for the thorny skate, Amblyraja radiata in the western Gulf of Maine. J. Fish Biology 69: 1449-1465.
Chambers, M.D. and W.H. Howell. 2006. Preliminary information on cod and haddock production in submerged cages off the coast of New Hampshire, USA. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 63: 385-392.
Sulikowski, J.A., E.A. Fairchild, N. Rennels and W.H. Howell. 2006. The effects of transport density on cortisol levels in juvenile winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus. J. World Aqua. Soc. 37(1): 107-112.
Sulikowski, J.A., S. Elzey, J. Kneebone, J. Jurek, W.H. Howell and P.C.W. Tsang. 2007. The reproductive cycle of the smooth skate, Malacoraja senta, in the Gulf of Maine. Marine and Freshwater Research 58: 98-103.
Kneebone, J., L. Natanson, A.H. Andrews and W.H. Howell. 2008. Using bomb radiocarbon analyses to validate age and growth estimates for the tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, in the western North Atlantic. Mar. Biol. 154: 423-434.
Fairchild, E.A., N. Rennels and W.H. Howell. 2008. Predators are attracted to acclimation cages used for winter flounder stock enhancement. Rev. Fish. Sci. 16 (1): 262-268.
Fairchild, E.A., N. Rennels and W.H. Howell. 2008. Effectiveness of acclimation cages for winter flounder stock enhancement. Reviews in Fisheries Science 16(1): 1-7.
Howell, W.H., M. Morin, N. Rennels and D. Goethel. 2008. Residency of adult Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the western Gulf of Maine. Fisheries Research 91: 123-132.
Fairchild, E.A., J.A. Sulikowski, N. Rennels, W.H. Howell and C.W.D. Gurshin. 2008. Distribution of winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, in the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary, New Hampshire: observations from a summer field study. Estuaries and Coasts 31:1158-1173.
Gurshin, C.W.D., J.M. Jech, W.H. Howell, T.C. Weber and L.A. Mayer. 2009. Measurements of acoustic backscatter and density of captive Atlantic cod with synchronized 300-kHz multibeam and 120-kHz split-beam echosounders. ICES Journal of Marine Science 66:1303-1309.
Rillahan, C., W.H. Howell and W.H. Watson. 2009. A self-contained system for observing and quantifying the behavior of cod in an offshore aquaculture cage. Aquaculture 293: 49-56.
Fairchild, E.A., J.A. Sulikowski, N. Rennels, W.H. Howell and P.C.W. Tsang. 2010. Effects of moving acclimation cages before release of cultured fish: alternate release strategies for a juvenile winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus stock enhancement effort. Aquaculture Research 41: 602-606.
Rillahan, C., M. Chambers, W.H. Howell and W.H. Watson. In Press. The behavior of cod (Gadus morhua) in an offshore aquaculture net pen. Aquaculture.
