Asian Carp Expert Joins Shedd Aquarium Research Team

A new staff addition at Shedd Aquarium will help expand the aquarium’s research on freshwater species and waterways. Andrew Casper, Ph.D. joins Shedd’s Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research (Haerther Center) as the aquarium’s Director of Freshwater Research. In this role, Dr. Casper will oversee a team of scientists studying the animals that live in local waterways and how to protect them. With 25 years of experience studying freshwater ecosystems, Casper will also lead his own studies on the impacts of invasive species and assessments of decades-long data sets in order to document how policies and actions support conservation in the Great Lakes.

“We are thrilled to add another accomplished and passionate scientist to Shedd’s growing conservation research team, especially one focused on the wildlife in our backyard,” said Dr. Chuck Knapp, vice president of conservation research at Shedd Aquarium. “Dr. Casper has demonstrated his ability to conduct high-quality research, publish results and mentor teams of freshwater scientists. His inclusion of our team will accelerate the growth of the freshwater program through integration and collaboration with other institutions throughout the basin.”

Dr. Casper’s newly established role in the Haerther Center enables the aquarium to grow its expertise in local waterways throughout Illinois and the broader Great Lakes basin. Shedd’s current freshwater projects include documenting white and longnose sucker (Catostomus commersonii and Catostomus catostomus) migrations in the Great Lakes, exploring the natural history of the mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) – an aquatic salamander – in Wolf Lake, detailing unique habitat in Lake Michigan at Morgan Shoal, and monitoring populations of native and invasive aquatic species.

“I grew up spending time on the Illinois and Indiana beaches of Lake Michigan and spent practically every summer weekend sailing from Burnham Harbor by Shedd,” said Dr. Casper. “I am glad to be back by my old stomping ground and am exceptionally thrilled to advance conservation efforts in our local waterways by helping build a robust freshwater research program in the Haerther Center.”

Dr. Casper comes to the Haerther Center with a diverse background of using science to tackle a variety of ecological issues. His previous studies ranged from looking at what fish communities can tell us about river restoration throughout the Mississippi River Basin to how aquatic organisms respond to invasive species, such as Asian carp.

Dr. Casper earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University and his Ph.D. from Université Laval, Québec City, Québec. Most recently, he served as the Field Station Director of the University of Illinois/Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station in Havana, Illinois. As director of the field station since 2012, Dr. Casper developed a robust river conservation research program, while also recruiting and mentoring a permanent staff to support it.

Shedd’s Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research focuses on local and global field research, on-site research and conservation awareness and action. The center is committed to creating and supporting strong programs that build connections between our animals and their counterparts in the wild. Shedd’s conservation research over the years includes more than two decades of studies on Bahamian rock iguanas, one of the world’s most critically endangered lizards, as well as studies of queen conch in the Bahamas, endangered arapaima in Guyana, migratory fish in the Great Lakes, endangered Nassau grouper in The Bahamas, endangered species and rusty crayfish in the Great Lakes region and seahorses in Southeast Asia.