Area(s) of Expertise

Cao’s research is in the general area of quantitative fisheries ecology with an emphasis on population dynamics and ecosystem modeling. He is most interested in ecologically motivated and statistically innovative research that may improve science-based natural resource management. Specifically, Cao evaluates and develops quantitative techniques for assessing the past and current status of fish and invertebrate populations. This includes optimizing sampling schemes; developing more biologically realistic assessment models; estimating biological processes that vary over space and time; evaluating management strategies; and exploring how to manage marine populations in the face of climate change. The results are used to inform management decision making in US and international marine management bodies. As such, Cao works closely with state, federal and international natural resource agencies.

Publications

• Assessing Synergistic Habitat Changes and Interspecific Relationships of Small Pelagic Species in the Northwest Pacific Ocean , Journal of Biogeography (2026)
• Assessing synergistic habitat changes and interspecific relationships of small pelagic fish in the northwest Pacific Ocean , DRYAD (2026)
• Climate-Driven Variation in Yellowfin Tuna Productivity in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean Inferred from a State-Space Model , Animals (2026)
• Environmental forcing of winter spawning grounds on the abundance trend of Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) in the Northwest Pacific , Marine Pollution Bulletin (2026)
• Estimating Survival, Growth, and Morphometric Relationships of Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) in North Carolina Using Mark–Recapture and Bayesian Approaches , Animals (2026)
• Intestinal carbonate excretion of pelagic economic fish: Insights from a marine carbonate cycling perspective for fisheries research , Marine Environmental Research (2026)
• Navigating complexity: Evaluating management measures for multispecies snapper-grouper fisheries in the Southeast U.S. Atlantic , PLoS ONE (2026)
• On-deck condition and mortality of Indo-Pacific Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) in Indian Ocean tuna longline fisheries , Acta Oceanologica Sinica (2026)
• Projection of distribution shift for Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean under climate change , Regional Studies in Marine Science (2026)
• A Simulation Study to Assess Impacts of Habitat-Dependent Parameters of Surplus Production Model on Stock Assessment of Chilean Jack Mackerel in the Southeast Pacific Ocean , Journal of Ocean University of China (2025)

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