Cooper Environmental Research

Cooper Environmental Research is an independent environmental research practice based in Constantia, New York, led by John E. Cooper, PhD. The practice focuses on freshwater ecosystems, fish biology, and the effects of changes to rivers and aquatic habitats. Its work includes studies of the early life history of fishes, using fish eggs and larvae to investigate spawning periods, growth, juvenile migration, feeding habits, parasites, and zooplankton predators. Morphometric and meristic measurements are also used to identify larvae and support growth studies.

Cooper Environmental Research conducts adult fish and benthic community studies, stream and river surveys, and assessments of fish distribution and abundance. Research examines how dams and altered river flows affect spawning, migration, sediment, and habitat. A major project assessed aquatic communities in New York’s Salmon and Little Salmon rivers before and after the Fort Covington Dam removal. The work covered fish, macroinvertebrates, aquatic plants, sediment, water chemistry, and unionid mussels, with baseline findings updated periodically.