Dr Jon Bolland

Dr Jon Bolland

Senior Research Fellow

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • School of Natural Sciences

Qualifications

  • BSc (University of Hull)
  • PhD / DPhil (University of Hull)

Summary

I specialise in the spatial ecology of freshwater and diadromous fishes in a range of aquatic environments using telemetry, sonar and eDNA techniques at the University of Hull (Hull International Fisheries Institute; HIFI).

I predominantly study the impact of anthropogenic activities on fish migration, including low head weirs, fish passage solutions, pumping stations, hydropower schemes and reservoir compensation flow releases. For example, I lead the REsearch and Development of fish and Eel Entrainment Mitigation at pumping stations (REDEEM) project, investigating the spatial distribution of fish and eels in pumped catchments, the processes that lead to entrainment, the effectiveness of existing technologies and develop innovative approaches to minimise entrainment and provide safe downstream passage.

I have also led investigations into catchment-wide migration of upstream-migrating adult sea lamprey and river lamprey, twaite shad, salmonids and cyprinids.

Outputs available at https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/person/310769/jon-bolland/outputs

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Data

Two decades of body length measurements in size-structured larval and juvenile fish populations in English rivers

Ainsworth, R., Vickers, L., Bolland, J., Harvey, J., Taylor, M., Cowx, I., Noble, R., & Nunn, A. (2024). Two decades of body length measurements in size-structured larval and juvenile fish populations in English rivers. [Data]. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10552216

Journal Article

Genotype But Not Body Shape Predicts River Migration Success in Atlantic Salmon

Moccetti, P., Bolland, J. D., Adams, C. E., Rodger, J. R., Honkanen, H. M., Newton, M., Lothian, A. J., Nunn, A. D., & Joyce, D. A. (2024). Genotype But Not Body Shape Predicts River Migration Success in Atlantic Salmon. Ecology and Evolution, 14(12), Article e70682. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70682

Two decades of body length measurements of larval and juvenile fish populations in English rivers

Ainsworth, R. F., Vickers, L. H., Bolland, J. D., Taylor, M. J., Harvey, J. P., Noble, R. A., Cowx, I. G., & Nunn, A. D. (2024). Two decades of body length measurements of larval and juvenile fish populations in English rivers. Scientific Data, 11, Article 1271. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-04127-w

Inter-annual variation in movements and passage of seaward migrating European eels at a shrouded Archimedean screw pumping station

Evans, O. J., Carter, L. J., Hutchinson, T., Don, A., Wright, R. M., Baktoft, H., Pauwels, I. S., & Bolland, J. D. (2024). Inter-annual variation in movements and passage of seaward migrating European eels at a shrouded Archimedean screw pumping station. Ecological engineering, 209, Article 107389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107389

Rethinking fish-friendliness of pumps by shifting focus to both safe and timely fish passage for effective conservation

Evans, O. J., Norman, J., Carter, L. J., Hutchinson, T., Don, A., Wright, R. M., Tuhtan, J. A., Toming, G., & Bolland, J. D. (2024). Rethinking fish-friendliness of pumps by shifting focus to both safe and timely fish passage for effective conservation. Scientific reports, 14(1), Article 17888. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67870-5

Research interests

Internally at the University, I served on the University Research Committee (2017-2022). Externally, I represented the UK on a EU European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) action for the development of the European Tracking Network and England in developing a European Committee for Standardization (CEN) standards for fish pass assessment (BS EN 17233:2021). I sit on the FishPass project (hosted by Great Lakes Fishery Commission) Advisory Board – Science Team, and also a member of the Fish Passage Conference steering committee.

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

YWS AMP7 Ecological Services Framework

Funder

APEM Ltd

Grant

£438,072.00

Started

1 April 2020

Status

Ongoing

Project

Returning Lamprey To The River Trent

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£111,719.00

Started

1 August 2023

Status

Ongoing

Project

ZSL River Severn

Funder

Zoological Society of London

Grant

£7,644.00

Started

1 June 2024

Status

Ongoing

Project

Impacts of a major tidal barrier on riverine fish populations

Funder

Environment Agency

Grant

£9,994.00

Started

1 August 2024

Status

Ongoing

Project

Effective Management and Restoration of the River Lamprey Stocks in the River Trent

Funder

Marine Management Organisation

Grant

£99,107.00

Started

1 August 2019

Status

Complete

Project

Missing Salmon - does their DNA hold the answer?

Funder

Atlantic Salmon Trust

Grant

£32,760.00

Started

1 October 2019

Status

Complete

Project

EA Fisheries Framework

Funder

Environment Agency

Grant

£1,163,321.00

Started

1 August 2009

Status

Complete

Project

eDNA monitoring of restoration effects on the River Severn - (Phase III)

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£12,349.00

Started

24 October 2023

Status

Complete

Project

Migratory Fish Pathways & Barriers Literature Review

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£18,850.00

Started

31 July 2023

Status

Complete

Project

Species Evidence Base v2 Fish Cost Centre

Funder

Natural England

Grant

£18,810.00

Started

23 October 2023

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

Completed PhDs:

–Paolo Moccetti. Investigating the interplay of genetics, morphology and migration in salmonids (University of Hull, 2024)

–Stephen Collier. The influence of hydrodynamics on the behaviour of European eel at anthropogenic structures (University of Hull, 2024)

–Oliver Evans. The effectiveness of fish-friendly pumping stations for downstream migrating silver European eel (Anguilla anguilla) (University of Hull, 2023)

–Josh Norman. Understanding behavioural ecology of river-resident fish in winter to improve protection at water pumping stations (University of Hull, 2022)

–Liam Carter. Enhancing critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla) protection at hazardous intakes. (University of Hull, 2022)

–Nathan Griffiths. Developments in environmental DNA (eDNA) based decision-making in modified river catchments (University of Hull, 2022)

–Will Jubb. Understanding the impacts of exploitation and fragmentation on the upstream migrating, adult river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis [L.]): implications for conservation (University of Hull, 2022)

–Pete Davies. Movement ecology of two threatened anadromous species, twaite shad Alosa fallax and sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, revealed by acoustic telemetry (Bournemouth University, 2021)

–Nicola Baker. Mitigating the impacts of river flow regulation and barriers to fish spawning migrations (University of Hull, 2018)

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