Dr. Sean Powers
- Ecology
- Fisheries
- Ph.D., Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, U.S.A.
- M.S., University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
- B.S., Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
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 GoMRI Research:
GoMRI-funded projects:
- Floating Sargassum Communities of the Gulf of Mexico: Data Collection for the Continued Assessment of Associated Faunal Assemblages, Trophic Interations and Habitat Function in the Wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (Bridge Grants (RFP-III), Role: Co-Principal Investigator)
- Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Releases on the Functional Integrity of Salt Marshes and Seagrass Meadows and Associated Fauna (Year One Block Grant - The Alabama Marine Environmental Science Consortium, Role: Co-Principal Investigator)
- Improving Deepwater Horizon Risk Assessment for Large Pelagic Rays: Global Scale Positioning Via Satellite Telemetry (Year One Block Grant - The Alabama Marine Environmental Science Consortium, Role: Principal Investigator)
- Investigating the Fisheries Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster through Socioeconomic Surveys (Year One Block Grant - The Alabama Marine Environmental Science Consortium, Role: Principal Investigator, Project Data Point of Contact)
- Recovery: Plankton (Year One Block Grant - The Alabama Marine Environmental Science Consortium
Role: Task Lead, Task Data Contact, Impacts of the Deep Horizon Accident on Food Web Structure in the North Central Gulf of Mexico, Year One Block Grant - The Northern Gulf Institute, Role: Project Data Point of Contact)
- Impacts of the Deep Horizon Oil Spill on Ecosystem Structure and Function in Alabama's Marine Waters (Year One Block Grant - The Northern Gulf Institute, Role: Co-Principal Investigator, Task Lead)