Fisheries Ecology and Ecosystem Dynamics
FEED Lab
People
Jeffrey D. Plumlee
Assistant Professor
Department of Renewable Resources
Fisheries Specialist- Louisiana Sea Grant
Jeff Plumlee is a broadly trained marine ecologist that focuses on marine fisheries and the management of our living marine resources. He did his undergraduate and graduate studies at Texas A&M University in Galveston, TX working primarily on feeding ecology, focusing his studies on reef fishes and elasmobranchs (sharks and rays). He then completed his doctoral studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he broadly examined questions regarding the role that habitat plays to the secondary production of estuarine fish and invertebrates. Before he arrived at LSU, he did a one year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of South Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab working broadly with long-term fishery-independent data on questions regarding the correlation between fishery recruitment and a changing climate.
O: (225) 578-4102
Meet the Lab
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Owen Henderson
Research Technician
Owen graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management with a concentration on fisheries and aquaculture in 2023. Owen contributes to the various lab projects through gear operation, maintenance, and applying his skillsets acquired in the commercial fishing industry and life as an avid waterman. Owen's experience at LSU has allowed him to participate in project design, data collection, and analysis for various research projects. Owen has a passionate connection with fisheries and aspires to use his skills for management and research, and to further a greater academic understanding of fish ecology.
Emily Hura
Graduate Student M.S.
Emily graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a B.S. in Marine Science as well as a minor in Human-Environment Geography in 2023. During her undergraduate work, she completed an honors thesis focused on juvenile spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) age and growth in North Inlet Estuary, SC. She also studied abroad in Jamaica where she examined fish assemblages inhabiting seagrass beds and mangrove nurseries. Her time both as a student and working as a fisheries observer at NOAA has formed her wide range of research interests. She is passionate about fish age and growth, habitat use, shifting fish assemblages, and sustainable fishing practices. She hopes her work can be used to inform fisheries management so that communities reliant on fishing can thrive for years to come.
Zach Kassuba
Graduate Student M.S.
Zach recently completed his B.S. in Conservation Biology at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, MI in 2024. His thesis work involves utilizing novel acoustic imaging as a tool to estimate oyster population dynamics and evaluating the suitability of oyster reefs as natural solutions to shoreline protection across the state of Louisiana. As a native of the Great Lakes region, Zach aspires to a career in international fisheries.
Emily Robicheaux
Graduate Student M.S.
Emily earned her B.S. in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture from Mississippi State University in 2020. Her experiences as a NOAA Fisheries Observer and as the Lionfish Program Coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have influenced her research interests in community structure, movement ecology, and habitat use. Her thesis research is focused on evaluating fish assemblages and their habitat use patterns around living shorelines. She hopes to contribute to fisheries management for the long-term benefit of recreational and commercial fisheries.