Eric J. Hilton

Education

• B.S., cum laude (Wildlife Biology and Conservation), 1996. University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Advisor: T. K. Fuller.
• M.S. (Organismic and Evolutionary Biology), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1999. Major academic advisor: W. E. Bemis.
• Ph.D. (Organismic and Evolutionary Biology), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2002. Dissertation title: A contribution to the osteology and phylogenetic systematics of osteoglossomorph fishes. Dissertation committee: W. E. Bemis (Chair), E. L. Brainerd, P. L. Forey, L. Grande, & B. Kynard.
• Postdoctoral Research Scientist. September 2002 to August 2004; September 2005 to August 2007. Geology. Geology Department, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. Supervisor: L. Grande.
• Postdoctoral Fellow. September 2004 to August 2005. Division of Fishes, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. Supervisor: G. D. Johnson.

About

The primary focus of my research is the evolutionary biology of fishes. I use a multidisciplinary approach to study the evolution of fishes, drawing on the principles and techniques of comparative anatomy, developmental biology and ontogeny, genetics biogeography, histology, paleontology, and phylogenetic systematics. I am particularly interested in the morphological structure, emphasizing the skeleton, and evolution of a wide variety of groups of fossil and living fishes, especially (though not limited to!) the ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii). I am interested in a wide range of taxonomic groups ranging from relatively basal forms to highly derived groups of fishes. Current and ongoing projects includes studies of skates and rays, paddlefishes, sturgeons, bowfins, bony-tongue fishes, ice fishes, wolffishes, cornet fishes, drums, cichlids, billfishes, and ocean sunfishes. I also have a deep interest in the history and bibliography of vertebrate biology generally, and the biography of historical figures in this field.

To complement my studies of the morphology and systematics of fishes, I am interested in comparative biology of fishes generally, including aspects of their ecology and life history. For example, I collaborate with students and other colleagues on studies of the diet, age and growth, and movements of freshwater, estuarine, and coastal fishes in the Chesapeake Bay region. I am also interested in the ecology of larval fishes, and have led and collaborated on studies of larval fish ingress and patterns of movements, including the collection and use of long-term time series to evaluate interannual variation at both the species and assemblage levels.

Finally, my interests in fish biology extend to the application of research to the management and conservation of fishes. I am the PI of the long running VIMS American Shad and River Herring Monitoring Program, which monitors the populations of American Shad (Alosa sapidissima), Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) during the spawning runs in the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Annual sampling for this program includes collecting data on spawning run strength, biological characteristics of the catch, and age structure of the stocks. These data are provided to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission(VMRC) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) for the management of these species.