Donna M. Bilkovic

Research Assistant Professor

Email: [[donnab]]
Phone: (804) 684-7331
Office: Watershed Facility 106
Department: Center for Coastal Resources Management

Education

• B.S. Biology, University of Michigan
• M.S. Biology, University of Michigan
• Ph.D. Marine Ecology, Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Research Interests

My research primarily focuses on the effect of multiple coastal stressors, such as land-use and shoreline change, on nearshore estuarine communities and habitats.  Better understanding of the mechanisms and processes that control and link terrestrial and aquatic resources will aid in the management and conservation of critical ecosystem functions and services.  To this end, I conduct research examining the effect of shoreline hardening, land use development and subtidal habitat loss on nearshore fish and benthic communities.  This involves using state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies to assess habitat condition, such as acoustic characterization of benthic habitat, for examination in relation to community structure and function. In support of these efforts, I have developed and applied integrative indices for measures of fish community integrity in the estuarine nearshore.  Additional interests include the assessment, valuation, and modeling of spawning and nursery habitat for fish based on both abiotic and biotic factors, larval fish ecology, and the importance of habitat heterogeneity, connectivity and complexity on biotic communities. For my dissertation work I researched spawning and nursery habitat suitability for the anadromous American shad in a critical Virginia tributary, the York River.

Current Projects

• Facilitation of the development of a prototype integrated ecological assessment approach for the Chesapeake Bay. NOAA Chesapeake Bay Program. October 2007-October 2008. $30,000, Co-PI with C. Hershner.   
• Assessing the potential for climate-driven changes in Virginia's shallow tidal water habitats. NOAA Chesapeake Bay Program. October 2007-September 2008. $120,000, Co-PI with C. Hershner and M. Berman. 
• The influence of spatial arrangement of habitats on fish communities within Mobjack Bay, Virginia, Phase 1, 2007-2008. NOAA-CBO. $167,745, Co-PI with K. Havens and M. Berman
• Development and testing of gear modification for blue crab pots to reduce crab and by-catch mortality by derelict crab pots, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, December 2007-December 2008, $50,978 Co-PI with Kirk J. Havens
• Affects of Ghost Crab Pots in the Chesapeake (VA), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, December 2006-December 2007, $35,000, Co-PI with K. Havens
• Determination of the feasibility of using side scan sonar surveys to locate abandoned or “ghost” fishing gear, and the potential impacts of marine debris in Virginia Coastal waters. NOAA Chesapeake Bay Program, Oct 2005-Mar 2006, $60,000. Co-PI with C. Hershner and K. Havens
• Shallow water fish communities and coastal development stressors in the Lynnhaven River. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Aug 2006-Aug 2007, $134,695, Co-PI with D. O’Brien (project)
• Ecosystem approaches to aquatic health assessment:  linking subtidal habitat quality, shoreline condition and estuarine fish communities. NOAA-CBO, March 2005-May 2006, $100,000. Co-PI with C. Hershner.
• Survey of potential Atlantic sturgeon spawning habitat in the James and Appomattox rivers. USFWS, Aug 2006-May 2007, $3,000
• Atlantic Slope Consortium-Estuarine and Great Lakes Indicator Development Projects (ASC-EAGLES). Development of ecological indicators for the integrated assessment of aquatic ecosystems of the Atlantic Slope in the Mid-Atlantic States; Cooperative project with Penn State, Smithsonian, and East Carolina University.  EPA-STAR, 2001-2005, $6.0 million, (VIMS portion $1.2 million), Co-PI with C. Hershner., K. Havens, M. Berman.

Selected Publications

• Perry, J., D.M. Bilkovic, K. Havens, and C. Hershner.  Book Chapter: Tidal Freshwater Marshes of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States.  In Tidal Freshwater Marshes. In press.
• Bilkovic, D.M. and M. Roggero. 2008. Effects of coastal development on nearshore estuarine nekton communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 358:27-39
• K. J. Havens, D.M. Bilkovic, D. Stanhope, K. Angstadt, and C. Hershner.  Derelict Blue Crab Trap impacts on marine fisheries in the lower York River, Virginia. N. Am J. of Fish. Manag. In Press.
• J.E. Olney, Bilkovic, D.M., C.H. Hershner, L.M. Varnell, H. Wang and R.L. Mann. 2008. Six Fish and 600,000 Thirsty Folks - A Fishing Moratorium on American Shad Thwarts a Controversial  Municipal Reservoir Project in Virginia, USA. In Nielsen, J., J. Dodson, K. Friedland, T. Hamon, N. Hughes, J. Musick, and E. Verspoor, editors. Proceedings of the Fourth World Fisheries Congress: reconciling fisheries with conservation. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 49, Bethesda, Maryland. 1,946 pages/2 volumes
• Bilkovic, D.M., M. Roggero, C.H. Hershner, and K. Havens. 2006. Influence of land use on macrobenthic communities in nearshore estuarine habitats. Estuaries and Coasts 29(6B): 1185-1195 (publication).
• Havens, K., C. Hershner, D.M. Bilkovic and D.H. Wardrop.  2007. Assessment of Chesapeake Bay Program Selection and Use of Indicators.EcoHealth. 4(2):187-193.
• Wardrop, D.H., C. Hershner, K. Havens, K. Thornton and D.M. Bilkovic.  2007. Developing and Communicating a Taxonomy of Ecological Indicators: A Case Study from the Mid-Atlantic. EcoHealth. 4(2):179-186.
• Contributing author to: Brooks, R.P., D.H. Wardrop, K.W. Thornton, D. Whigham, C. Hershner, M.M. Brinson and J.S. Shortle, eds.  2006.  Integration of ecological and socioeconomic indicators for estuaries and watersheds of the Atlantic Slope.  Final Report to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STAR Program, Agreement R-82868401, Washington, DC.  Prepared by the Atlantic Slope Consortium, University Park, PA.  96pp.+ attachments (CD). (publication)
• Contributing author to “A manager’s guide to indicator selection”. 2006. Published by U.S. EPA Offic of Research and Development, Washington D.C. EPA/600/S-06/002. (publication)
• Bilkovic, D.M., C.H. Hershner, M.R. Berman, K.J. Havens and D.M. Stanhope.  December 2004. Evaluating Estuarine Indicators of Ecosystem Health in the Nearshore of  Chesapeake Bay. In S.A. Bortone (ed.). Estuarine Indicators. CRC Press. Boca Raton, Florida. (publication)
• Bilkovic, D.M. and C.H. Hershner and J.E. Olney. 2002. Macroscale assessment of American shad Spawning and nursery habitats in the Mattaponi and Pamunkey rivers. North American Journal of Fish. Manag. 22(4):1176-1192. (publication)
• Bilkovic, D.M., J. E. Olney and C. H. Hershner. 2002. Egg and larval distribution of American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) and striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Mattaponi and Pamunkey rivers, Virginia. Fishery Bulletin 100(3): 632-640. (publication)
• Bilkovic, D.M.  2000.  Assessment of Spawning and Nursery Habitat Suitability for American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) in the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers. Doctoral Dissertation. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point.  (publication)
• Bilkovic, D.M., J. T. Lehman.  1997.  Lipid concentration and size variation of Bythotrephes cederstroemi (Cladocera: Cercopagidae) from Lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan.  Journal of Great Lakes Research. 23(2): 151-161.
• Lehman, J.T., D.M. Bilkovic, C. Sullivan.  1997.  Predicting development, metabolism, and secondary production for an invertebrate predator Bythotrephes.  Freshwater Biology 38: 343-352.

Recent Presentations

• Bilkovic, D.M. and M.M. Roggero.  Coastal development impacts on nearshore estuarine nekton communities.  The 137th Annual American Fisheries Conference.  September 2-6, 2007. San Francisco, California. Presentation
• Bilkovic, D.M. and M.R. Berman. Shallow Water Use Studies and Shoreline Inventory. June 2007. Presented to the The Lynnhaven Ecosystem Restoration Project, led by U.S Army Corps of Engineers. Project
• Bilkovic, D.M., other ASC researchers.  Coastal development impacts on biological communities in the Chesapeake Bay- Examples from the Atlantic Slope Consortium. December 2006.Living Shorelines Summit. Bringing together diverse perspectives to address shoreline protection alternatives, Williamsburg, Virginia. Keynote speaker.  (Coastal development impacts on biological communities in the Chesapeake Bay: Examples from the Atlantic Slope Consortium)
• Bilkovic, D.M., C.H. Hershner, D.M. Stanhope and K.T. Angstadt. Ecosystem approaches to aquatic condition assessment:  linking subtidal habitat, shoreline condition and estuarine fish communities. Session: SPS-19 Innovative Techniques for Assessing Fish and Invertebrate Habitat Linkages in Estuaries and Coastal Systems.  The 18th Biennial Conference of the Estuarine Research Federation. October 16-20, 2005. Norfolk, Virginia. (presentation)
• Bilkovic, D.M., C.H. Hershner, K.J. Havens, M.R. Berman, D.M. Stanhope and L.Varnell. June 20-25, 2004. Assessment of Linkages between Nearshore Habitat and Estuarine Fish Communities in the Chesapeake Bay. ECSA37-ERF2004. Ballina, New South Wales, Australia.
• Olney, J.E., D.M. Bilkovic, C.H. Hershner, L.M. Varnell, H. Wang, and R.L. Mann. Six fish and 600,000 Thirsty Folks; A Fishing Moratorium on American Shad Thwarts a Controversial Municipal Reservoir Project in Virginia, USA ; Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA. A poster presented at the 4th World Fish Congress in Vancouver, BC, Canada, May 2004.

Professional Affiliations

• American Fisheries Society, 1999-present
• Early Life History Section of AFS, 2002-present
• American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 1999-2000
• Ecological Society of American, 1999-present
• Atlantic Estuarine Research Society, present