Dr. Sean P. Powers
Assistant Professor of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama
& Senior Marine Scientist, Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
101 Bienville Blvd.
Dauphin Island, AL 36528
spowers@disl.org

Fisherieslab.disl.org

Research Interests:

The majority of my research is focused on the ecology of demersal fishes and benthic invertebrates in coastal and estuarine systems, particularly those that support commercial and recreational fisheries. The ultimate goal of my research program is to provide scientifically sound information to direct conservation and restoration efforts of marine fisheries and habitats. I use a variety of techniques to test hypotheses related to these questions including field experimentation & sampling, food-web modeling, stable isotope analysis, otolith chemistry and hydro-acoustic tracking of fish.

My current research focus can be separated into four topics: (1) quantifying the linkages between benthic habitats and demersal fishes, (2) predator-prey interactions among fishes and benthic invertebrates, (3) recruitment and connectivity of benthic invertebrates and fishes, and (4) conservation and restoration of marine benthic habitats.

Current Funded Projects:

Alabama Oyster Reef Restoration Program (supported by the National Marine Fisheries Service)
Ecology of coastal Alaska estuaries (supported by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council and the Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute)
The role of estuaries in the life-cycle of salmon (supported by the North Pacific Research Board)
The impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on nearshore fish and crab populations of southern Lake Pontchartrain (National Science Foundation)
Assessing habitat utilization of pelagic and demersal fishes associated with offshore platforms using acoustic telemetry (Minerals Management Service and National Marine Fisheries)

Selected Publications:

Powers S. P., C. H. Peterson, R. R. Christian , E. Sullivan, M. J. Powers, M. Bishop and C. P. Buzzelli. 2005. Effects of eutrophication on bottom habitat and prey resources of demersal fishes. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 302: 233-243.

Grabowski, J.H. and S. P. Powers. 2004. Habitat complexity mitigates trophic transfer on oyster reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 277: 291-295.

Powers, S. P., J. Grabowski, C.H. Peterson, and W.J. Lindberg. 2003. Estimating enhancement of fish production by offshore artificial reefs: uncertainty exhibited by divergent scenarios. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 264: 267-279.

M. Sperduto, S.P. Powers, and M. Donlan. 2003. Scaling restoration actions to achieve quantitative enhancement of loon, seaduck, and seabird populations. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 264: 221-233.

Peterson, C. H., J. H. Grabowski, and S. P. Powers. 2003. Estimated enhancement of fish production resulting from restoring oyster reef habitat: quantitative valuation. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 264: 251-266.

Grabowski, J.H., S.P. Powers and M. Hooper. 2003. Identification and incorporation of growth and survival bottlnecks in economic models of Hard Clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) mariculture. Journal of Shellfish Research, 22: 697-703.

Powers, S. P. and J. N. Kittinger. 2002. Hydrodynamic mediation of predator-prey interactions: differential patterns of prey susceptibility and predator success explained by variation in water flow. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 273: 171-187.

Borsuk, M. E., S. P. Powers and C. H. Peterson. 2002. A survival model of the effects of bottom-water hypoxia on the population density of an estuarine clam (Macoma balthica). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 59: 1266-1274.

Powers, S. P., M. A. Bishop, J.H. Grabowski and C.H. Peterson. 2002. Intertidal benthic resources of the Copper River Delta, Alaska. Journal of Sea Research 47: 13-23.

C. H. Peterson, F. J. Fodrie, H.C. Summerson and S. P. Powers. 2001. Site-specific and density-dependent extinction of prey by schooling rays: generation of a population sink in top-quality habitat for bay scallops. Oecologia 129: 349-356.

Powers, S. P. and C. H. Peterson. 2000. Conditional density dependence: The flow trigger to expression of density-dependent emigration in bay scallops. Limnology and Oceanography, 45: 727-732.

Current Graduate Students:

Kevan Gregalis, B.S. University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill
Nate Geraldi, B.S. University of Maryland, College Park
Glen Miller, B.S., University of Alabama