David “Paco” Bruce is an ecologist based at the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office’s Cooperative Oxford Lab on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is a division of the Office of Habitat Conservation. Paco has been part of our team at NOAA for 12 years.
What is your key responsibility?
I am the principal investigator for fish community monitoring for the Poplar Island Ecosystem Restoration Project.
Where did you grow up, and what is your educational background?
I grew up in southeastern Vermont. I attended the Putney School for high school, and earned a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Vermont and a master’s of science degree from the University of Georgia. My first job out of college was as a NOAA Fisheries contract fisheries observer in the Bering Sea. I also worked as a fisheries scientist in the private sector, academia, and several state agencies.
Can you tell us about a project related to habitat that you’re currently working on or that you enjoyed?
With the Poplar Island project, I am looking at how fish abundance and diversity of marsh resident and transient species vary between restored salt marshes and natural reference marsh creeks.
What habitat work has been especially successful or inspiring to you?
Spatial planning for large-scale oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay.
Can you describe a time when you were surprised by fish and/or habitat?
While snorkeling in a cold water gorge, I observed many light colored rainbow trout that had adjusted their chromatophores to match the granite bedrock surroundings. However, there was one 10-inch trout that was jet black. On approach, I noticed that both eyes were opaque white, indicating that the fish was blind.
