Fisheries research is the foundation of smarter, more efficient and effective fisheries management. The DNR’s Fisheries Research Program focuses on evaluating existing fisheries management practices, innovating new techniques, and advancing the science and technology used to improve fishing in Iowa’s lakes, rivers, and ponds. This focus helps the Fisheries Bureau ensure that fishing license dollars are spent wisely and as efficiently as possible.
DNR’s Fisheries Research Program accomplishes all this with a relatively small group of highly skilled fisheries scientists.
- Seven research stations are located across the state. Each has a particular field of investigation.
- Five teams focus on fisheries in a specific Iowa water resource: natural lakes, reservoirs, small impoundments, interior streams, and the Mississippi River.
- The other two teams improve fish culture practices used in DNR fish hatcheries and conduct large-scale data science and human dimensions studies.
Learn more about the fisheries research teams and their published research and projects.
Research Services
Process Improvement Projects
Many studies focus on developing better products, services, and methods of fisheries management that cost the Department less money. For example, efficient stocking methods lessen the growing demand for hatchery products, and culture disease research increases survival rate during fish production.
Powerful, Long-term Studies
Dedicated research with standardized data collection is often the only way to answer important questions about the effectiveness of management strategies. For example, a new fishing regulation may not reveal its effectiveness for five or ten years, or even longer.
Consultation & Help to Fellow Staff
The Research Section provides help when other Department staff request it, mainly with study design, appropriate methods and sample sizes, analytical tools, and peer review of professional publications.