Drivers of Ecosystem Change
Restoration Ecology and Species Recovery
Western Fisheries Research Center
Research at the WFRC focuses on the environmental factors responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of fish populations including their interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems. Within these pages you will find research information on Pacific salmon; western trout, charr, and resident riverine fishes; desert and inland fishes; aquatic ecosystems and their resources.
Peer Reviewed Publications
Peer Reviewed Publications
Dive into our research through our rich and diverse publications.
News
Western Fisheries Research Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Meeting
Western Fisheries Research Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Meeting
Something Fishy from the Western Fisheries Research Center - Spring 2025
Something Fishy from the Western Fisheries Research Center - Spring 2025
Assessing the Risk of Invasive Mussels Spreading throughout the Columbia River Basin
Assessing the Risk of Invasive Mussels Spreading throughout the Columbia River Basin
Publications
Survival, travel time, and use of migration routes by juvenile steelhead in a modified river estuary
Greater understanding of the survival, travel time, and spatial distribution of juvenile salmonids among migration routes between their natal streams and the ocean is critical to the recovery of these threatened species. In the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta (Delta), a highly modified estuary in central California, USA, there is a critical need to evaluate how water management (e.g...
Systematic shifts in the variation among host individuals must be considered in climate-disease theory
To make more informed predictions of host–pathogen interactions under climate change, studies have incorporated the thermal performance of host, vector and pathogen traits into disease models to quantify effects on average transmission rates. However, this body of work has omitted the fact that variation in susceptibility among individual hosts affects disease spread and long-term...
The transition from resistance to acceptance: Managing a marine invasive species in a changing world
Marine invasive species can transform coastal ecosystems, yet mitigating their effects can be difficult, and even impractical. Often, marine invasive species are managed at poorly matched spatial scales, and at the same time, rates of spread and establishment are increasing under climate change and can outpace resources available for population suppression. These circumstances challenge...
Science
USGS Research on 6PPD-quinone: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Stormwater and road runoff are recognized forms of pollution that can contain chemicals harmful to fish and other aquatic animals. This includes 6PPD-quinone, the oxidized form of the chemical compound 6PPD that is used to prevent tires from degrading and cracking, ensuring driver safety. As 6PPD-quinone sheds from tires during normal wear it can enter streams in stormwater runoff.
Preliminary Research Sheds Light on Proper Analysis and Sample Handling for the Tire-Derived Contaminants 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone
Tire and road wear particles have been shown to cause acute effects to sensitive aquatic animals and degrade their habitats. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists developed methods to accurately identify aquatic compounds, such as 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone, that can cause acute mortality events in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch).
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Washington Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center
6PPD-quinone
6PPD-quinone is a compound used to make tires more durable and is also linked to toxicity for Coho Salmon and other aquatic species.