Mississippi Chapter of the American Fisheries Society

Dr. Jan Jeffrey Hoover (2020)
Dr. Jan Jeffrey Hoover has been a Research Fishery Biologist for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) since 1991. His role as a scientist for USACE's research facility, Engineer Research and Development Center, has allowed him to evaluate and recommend ideas on conservation, restoration, and management of our water resources in Mississippi. These achievements have occurred incrementally during Jan's illustrious career and many have been documented in over 80 peer-review articles and book chapters. Jan's career has taken many forms as a researcher, teacher, and outreach specialist. He has served as principal or co-principal investigator for over 100 research projects in the last 30 years, including projects in the Yazoo Basin, the Mississippi River, and coastal streams. He has dedicated his career to the study of nongame and commercially valuable species. Jan is a nationally-recognized expert in the biology and ecology of Paddlefish and has contributed valuable information for the protection and management of this species in Mississippi waters. In addition, Jan has always been fascinated by small, diminutive fishes and other organisms in wetlands that rarely receive attention by the public. His extensive collections of larval fish and insects have helped describe the ecological relationships of wetlands and floodplains of Mississippi usually leading to meaningful restoration and mitigation of aquatic environments. Jan has made a major impact on the conservation of endangered sturgeon. After years of studying Pallid Sturgeon on the Mississippi River, he led a research effort to better understand their diets, growth and survival, and overall population viability. He made direct contributions to the development of conservation plans and biological opinions under the Endangered Species Act. Jan has actually conducted research studies on all North American sturgeon related to minimizing entrainment by dredges, habitat selection, and movement patterns. Most of these studies have been published and serve as guidelines for future management decisions. A lasting contribution of Jan's is his work on invasive carp. Jan was one of the first scientist to study the distribution and growth of Silver and Bighead Carp in the Lower Mississippi River. He discovered larval Bighead Carp in collections in the late 1980's, began quantifying the abundance of adult carp in backwaters of the Mississippi river, was the first to document Silver Carp in the Pearl River, and has recently published a study on impacts of carp on native Paddlefish populations. His work in the laboratory has resulted in criteria to establish hydraulic barriers to movement of invasive carp as an overall effort to manage movement of these invasive fishes. Jan has also studied the life history of other invasive species in Mississippi to better implement management decisions and understand risk including Apple Snails, Suckermouth Catfishes, and Round Gobies. Jan has had tremendous influence on students, both as a teacher and mentor. He has been an adjunct professor of biology at Millsaps College since 2012 and the University of Mississippi since 2014. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Animal Ecology, Plant Ecology, Animal Behavior, Wildlife Biology, Evolution, and Environmental Science. Jan's classes at Millsaps were always popular with students. He has mentored many students at ERDC as they worked for us in the laboratory and field as technicians. Many of these students have gone on to teach in various capacities. For many years, Jan has conducted outreach programs on Mississippi's natural history for schools, scout troops, and the Clinton Nature Center among others. His influence has certainly led students to a better understand and appreciation of Mississippi's aquatic and wetland environments.

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