Expert Consultants for Aquatic Invertebrates

Mary Jo received her B.A. in Aquatic Biology in 1976 from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she studied freshwater and marine ecosystems and was employed as a research technician at the UCSB Marine Science Center. After moving to Oregon in 1977, Mary Jo worked as an analytical chemist in a lake eutrophication project at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She obtained her M.S. in Fisheries at Oregon State University, studying macroinvertebrate communities in streams. The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife then employed her as a Senior Research Assistant on several watershed and stream projects. Mary Jo earned her Ph.D. at Oregon State University, examining life history strategies of Pacific salmon, and was hired by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to write fish management plans for the Bonneville Power Administration. In 1995, she joined her husband, Bob Wisseman, in his consulting business, which they incorporated under the name Aquatic Biology Associates, Inc. Mary Jo continues working in her roles as CEO, CFO, and General Manager of Aquatic Biology Associates.

Bob received his B.A. in Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College in Washington in 1976. He participated in bioassessment studies of an urban lake in Tacoma and intertidal invertebrate studies in the Nisqually Delta Estuary. In 1987, he received his M.S. in Aquatic Entomology from Oregon State University. Although caddisflies were the focus of his thesis and published papers, Bob gained broad experience in stream ecology. Using benthic invertebrate communities in freshwater to assess biological integrity was an emerging field in the 1980s. Bob was actively engaged in this effort from the beginning. With his knowledge of freshwater invertebrates’ taxonomy and biology, Bob began consulting as a sole proprietor in 1984. In 1995, Bob’s wife, Mary Jo, joined his business, and Aquatic Biology Associates, Inc. was formally incorporated. Bob is a recognized expert in western North American caddisflies (Trichoptera).