Dylan Whitaker Email & Phone Number

My name is Dylan Whitaker and I am a graduate of the University of Maine with a degree in Wildlife Ecology and a concentration in fisheries. Having been an avid fisherman my entire life I have amassed an expanding knowledge of fish biology, ecology, and behavior in order to become a more successful angler. In doing so, I have developed a passion for fisheries ecology and biology and am looking to further my career as a fisheries biologist. My prior work experience along with my ecology coursework has made me no stranger to the field and lab. I have experience electrofishing over 100 miles of the Penobscot River in Maine as I worked as a crew member for the Penobscot River Restoration Project assessing fish community assemblages post dam removal. Through this project I identified and handled over 30 different species of fish ranging from small fry to large adults. I have extracted hundreds of otoliths and stomachs of fish species to analyze age structure and foraging behavior respectively. In addition to this, I have also worked for Washington Fish and Wildlife as a scientific technician 2 at the Priest Rapids Fish hatchery collecting biological data on returning fall Chinook. Data collection consists of identifying the fish’s origin, measuring to fork length, taking scale samples, and extracting otoliths and coded wire tags. I have also conducted creel surveys, carcass surveys, and PIT tag surgeries with WDFW.As for analytical experience I worked at the NOAA Fisheries field station in Orono, Maine. During my time at NOAA Fisheries I analyzed a 20 year time series of Atlantic salmon smolt migrations through the Narragugus River in Maine. My work looked at different rates of thermal exposure in natural and hatchery environments and how this might effect smolt run-timing. With this data I compared migration patterns between hatchery- and naturally-reared Atlantic salmon smolts which led to a presentation at the Northeast Atlantic Salmon Ecosystem Forum.

Listed skills include Fisheries Management, Fisheries Science, and Fisheries.

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  University Of Maine

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