Abel’s broad research interests include aquatic ecology, fisheries biology, stream restoration, and sustainable natural resource management. He has worked with a range of natural resource stakeholders, including private landowners, watershed councils, conservation organizations, and tribal, state, and federal agencies. He has particular interest in working with Native American tribes to study and manage tribally important species. Abel has worked on a wide variety of fisheries-related projects in diverse freshwater ecosystems across the Northwest and California and has a strong interest in management and restoration of anadromous fish species. His master’s thesis focused on Pacific lamprey early life-history, stock-recruitment, and sampling methodologies, and he has continued studying the species with Stillwater Sciences, including conducting evaluations to identify key population bottlenecks and migration barriers in the Eel River watershed. Among other projects, Abel has also recently worked on modelling potential production of salmon and steelhead upstream of impassable dams, assessing effects of large wood enhancements on coho salmon overwinter survival, and developing limiting factors analyses for steelhead in coastal streams. In addition to his scientific background, Abel is an avid outdoorsman and traveler who spends much of his spare time hiking, fishing, and exploring.

Education: M.S., Fisheries Science; B.S., Biology