Biography
I am Associate Research Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. My research focuses on assessing fish and wildlife populations, modeling invasive species dynamics, and addressing resource management issues through the use of statistical modeling and estimation techniques. Prior to my appointment at UMCES, I served as Senior Stock Assessment Scientist for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and as Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Ecology at Clarion University.
I also serve as a member and former Chair of two federal advisory bodies, namely the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and the Atlantic Scientific Review Group (ASRG). The SSC is responsible for reviewing technical aspects of the Council’s fisheries management program and for setting the Overfishing Limit and maximum Acceptable Biological Catch allowed by law for over 64 species. The ASRG is responsible for advising NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the science used to manage over 100 marine mammal stocks found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and U.S. Territories in the Caribbean.
Research Interests
- Population dynamics
- Stock assessment
- Fisheries and wildlife ecology
- Invasive species
Education
- Michigan State University, Ph.D., 2005, Fisheries and Wildlife
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, M.S., 2000, Wildlife Biology and Management
- Cornell University, B.S., 1997, Biology
Selected Publications
- Nesslage, G., J. Gartland, R. J. Latour, C. Gurshin, D. Liang, D. Gregg, S. Axelsson, L. Axelsson, W. Reichle, J. Kaelin, J. M. Jech, R. Mroch, J. Brust, E. J. Charles, and M. J. Wilberg (2026). Biomass and composition of Atlantic menhaden schools in winter on the continental shelf offshore of New Jersey: Application of a novel hydroacoustic survey with midwater trawl sampling. Fisheries Research
- Schiano, S. G. Nesslage, J. Collie, N.L. Lengyel Costa, K. Drew, R.J. L, J. McNamee, A. Schueller, M.J. Wilberg (2025). Evaluation of Alternative Harvest Policies for Striped Bass and Their Prey, Atlantic Menhaden. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
- Jesse, J., G. Nesslage, M. Matsche, H. Townsend, C. Shen, J.M. Testa, M.J. Wilberg (2025). Quantifying trends in and potential drivers of mycobacteriosis in Atlantic Striped Bass in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Nesslage, G., A.M. Schueller, A.R. Rezek, R.M. Mroch, III (2022). Influence of sample size and number of age classes on characterization of ageing error in paired-age comparisons. Fisheries Research
- Shertzer, K, Crosson. S., Williams, E., Cao, J., DeVictor, R., Dumas, C., Nesslage, G. (2023). Fishery management strategies for Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) in the southeast United States Atlantic: a spatial population model to compare approaches. North American Journal of Fisheries Management
- Schiano, S., Nesslage, G., K. Drew, A. Schueller, R. Woodland, and M. Wilberg (2023). Evaluation of Alternative Harvest Policies for Striped Bass and Their Prey, Atlantic Menhaden. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
- Nesslage, G. and D. Pauly (2022). Chapter 17 Estuarine fisheries and aquaculture. In B. Crump, J. Testa, & K. Dunton (Eds.), Estuarine Ecology, 3rd edition. Wiley
Teaching
Spring 2026: MEES 682 - Fisheries Science and Management
Fall 2025: MEES 608 - Scaling Fisheries: an early history of fisheries science (seminar)
Contact Information
Address: P.O. Box 38, UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, MD 20688
Email: nesslage@umces.edu