by Madelyn Anderson
Here at the Center for Limnology (CFL), we know that truly understanding the waters of the world takes collaborations across scientific disciplines, departments and agencies. Partnerships are crucial to aquatic research and that’s a big reason why we’re thrilled to have Zach Feiner onboard. Feiner is an aquatic scientist with both the CFL and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and serves as a research liaison between the two.
Zach worked as an undergraduate in the Stanley Lab at the CFL before pursuing graduate studies at North Carolina State and Purdue University. After completing his postdoc, he spent time working as a WDNR research scientist at WDNR before starting his dual role in 2020. Zach has become an expert at collaboration and is excited to share some of what he’s learned with us.
Q: Tell us about some of your aquatic science interests.
A: I am a fisheries ecologist by training. My current research follows two pathways: climate change and recreational fisheries management. On the climate change side of things, I spend a lot of time thinking about phenology, or how seasonality influences our lake ecosystems. This looks like work with walleye recruitment, aquatic plant habitat, and more. As far as recreational fishing management goes, the work focuses on how people and fish interact. That comes with a lot of creel surveys and policy work. Both of my research areas involve an applied aim of helping us make better decisions about our natural world.
Q: What does it mean to be a “research liaison”?
A: To me, it means thinking about how we can expand research capacity by creating better collaborations between the CFL and the WDNR. Whether that means literally working together or informing people about the work happening, it ensures we share resources.
Q: Describe some common themes you’ve seen in the CFL and WDNR’s work.
A: Every other year at the WDNR fisheries research, we do a research prioritization process that identifies what big questions we have to answer. Two years ago, we chose to focus on climate change. That’s also an important research area at the CFL, and it’s resulted in a lot of collaboration. I’ve talked to associate professor Hilary Dugan about ice phenology and associate professor Olaf Jensen about walleye bright spots, and so on. All these different pieces come together to help us think not just about how fisheries will change with the climate, but how we should respond to that.
Q: Are there any interconnected projects that currently excite you?
A: I have a large project focused on how aquatic plants influence fish communities. At the WDNR, we had all these questions about vegetative habitat. It turns out, there was a large body of fish and plant survey data from other scientists, but we hadn’t connected with them. So, once you start bringing people together you can expand your ideas, get funding, and really start to answer these questions.
Q: How do you think collaboration benefits science?
A: Collaboration is vital. It allows for more diverse viewpoints, and that combined knowledge provides a holistic view of how ecosystems work. That informed understanding allows you to better answer questions about how things might change or how they should be managed. Not only does it benefit you, but you might be surprised at what your research can also be applied to, from fishing regulations to lakeshore development to whatever else people are curious about.