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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. 

News

Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025

Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025

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

Publications

Calibration of the Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) model to estimate annual survival, movement, and food consumption by juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the restoration reach of the Trinity River, California, 2006–18

Executive SummaryThe Trinity River is managed in two sections: (1) from the upper 64-kilometer “restoration reach” downstream from Lewiston Dam to the confluence with the North Fork Trinity River, and (2) the 120-kilometer lower Trinity River downstream from the restoration reach. The Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) has been previously applied to these reaches and the Klamath River. To...
Authors
John M. Plumb, Russell W. Perry, Kyle De Juilio

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...
Authors
Adam Pope, Russell Perry, Dalton J. Hance, Rebecca A. Buchanan

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...
Authors
Joseph R. Mihaljevic, David James Páez

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.
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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.
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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).
link

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).
Learn More

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.
link

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.
Learn More
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