Dennis Dauble - Senior Environmental Scientist

Professional Summary

Dr. Dennis Dauble is a fisheries biologist with 38 years of experience involving Endangered Species issues, Columbia River fish passage and behavior, ecological risk assessment, and ecological monitoring. His current activities involve resource management issues relating to traditional fishing practices of American Indians in the Mid-Columbia region; expert science panel on juvenile salmon and steelhead survival and water export for the San Joaquin/Sacramento River delta; science advisor for hydropower operation impacts to fall Chinook salmon productivity in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River; and assessing impacts of dredging on aquatic habitats of the lower Snake River. Dennis has written or coauthored more than 60 peer-reviewed journal and symposium articles and 50 technical reports, and has made over 120 presentations at scientific symposia, educational workshops and public forums.

Dennis is also an adjunct professor at the Washington State University branch campus in Richland, Washington, where he teaches a course on Fish Ecology. In this capacity, he also contribute to seminar series and serves on graduate committees in the Environmental Science Program. Since October 2009, he has participated in the Humanities Washington, Inquiring Minds Program, which involves presentations on the history and ecology of fish in the Columbia River Basin to civic, conservation, and museum groups. The most popular presentation is on the history of fish and fishing in the Columbia Basin. In 1999, Dennis received the Fitzner-Eberhardt Award for Outstanding Contributions to Science and Engineering Education.

Areas of Specialization

  • Fisheries biologist
  • Field research and sample collection
  • Endangered Species Act issues
  • Columbia River fish passage and behavior
  • Ecological risk assessment
  • Ecological monitoring
  • Resource management
  • Project and staff management

Relevant Work Experience

Dennis spent 36 years as a fisheries biologist and manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He served as Director of the Natural Resources Division, Environmental Technology Division from January 2000 to October 2007. Before that, he was a Group Manager and Senior Staff Scientist.

During his years at PNNL, Dennis led or contributed to numerous studies, such as those described below:

Columbia and Snake River fishes—studied life history, ecology and behavior of resident, as well as migratory, fish species. Dennis also evaluated the impacts of hydropower generation and flow regulation on aquatic ecosystems, including salmon. He led teams on the study of impacts of reservoir drawdown on anadromous fish survival and Snake River ecosystems. He also provided expert assistance to the Snake River Recovery team on the passage and survival of salmon stocks listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Ecological Risk Assessment— principal investigator for multidisciplinary teams involved in characterization and assessment of impacts of power plant intake and discharge systems on aquatic biota. Dennis directed research on disposition and fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) released from environments ranging from petroleum operations in Mexico and Europe to fuel storage area at U.S. military bases in Alaska.

Hanford Site Monitoring—directed field and modeling studies to assess potential impacts of intake/discharge systems and remediation activities on the aquatic ecosystem at Hanford. These projects involved multidisciplinary teams of scientists studying hydrological (surface and groundwater), ecological (terrestrial and aquatic), and archaeological resources. Dennis provided expert assistance to the Hanford Natural Resources Trustee Council for issues relating to impacts of chromium and other groundwater contaminants to aquatic biota in the Columbia River.

Education/Training

  • Ph.D., Fisheries, Oregon State University, 1988
  • M.S., Biology, Washington State University, 1978
  • B.S., Fisheries, Oregon State University, 1972

Professional Affiliations

  • Fellow in the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists
  • American Fisheries Society