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Aquatic Animal Health

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Drivers of Ecosystem Change

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Restoration Ecology and Species Recovery

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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. 

WFRC Research Laboratories

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Peer Reviewed Publications

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Dive into our research through our rich and diverse publications.

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WFRC Quick Links

News

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Institutional Biosafety Committee Meeting - April 24, 2023

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Something Fishy from the Western Fisheries Research Center – Spring 2023

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Evaluating Actions to Improve the Productivity of Snake River Fall Chinook

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Publications

Establishing an in vitro model to assess the toxicity of 6PPD-quinone and other tire wear transformation products

The tire wear transformation product 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ) has been implicated as the causative factor for broad scale mortality events for coho salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Highly variable sensitivity to 6PPDQ in closely related salmonids complicates efforts to evaluate the broader toxicological impacts to aquatic ecosystems. Our goals were to (1) validate the large range of in vivo species se
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Justin Blaine Greer, Ellie Maureen Dalsky, Rachael F. Lane, John Hansen
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Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Kansas Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Toward a national eDNA strategy for the United States

Environmental DNA (eDNA) data make it possible to measure and monitor biodiversity at unprecedented resolution and scale. As use-cases multiply and scientific consensus grows regarding the value of eDNA analysis, public agencies have an opportunity to decide how and where eDNA data fit into their mandates. Within the United States, many federal and state agencies are individually using eDNA data i
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Ryan Kelly, David M. Lodge, Kai Lee, Susanna Theroux, Adam J. Sepulveda, Chris Scholin, Joseph M. Craine, Elizabeth Allan, Krista M. Nichols, Kim M. Parsons, Kelly D Goodwin, Zachary Gold, Francisco P. Chavez, Rachel T. Noble, Cathryn Abbott, Melinda R. Baerwald, Amanda Naaum, Peter Thielen, Ariel Simons, Christopher L. Jerde, Jeffrey J. Duda, Margaret Hunter, John Hagan, Rachel Meyer, Joshua Steele, Mark Stoeckle, Holly Bik, Christopher Meyer, Eric D. Stein, Karen James, Austen Thomas, Elif Demir-Hilton, Molly Timmers, John Griffith, Michael J Weise, Steve Weisberg
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Seasonal shifts in diel vertical migrations by lake-dwelling coastal cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii, reflect thermal regimes and prey distributions

Lakes provide important habitat for salmonids that may use them as a primary feeding area between periods of reproduction. The seasonal changes in vertical thermal structure in lakes can affect the distribution of salmonids on seasonal and diel time scales as they search for, consume, and digest prey that also exploits the water column's distribution of food, temperature and light. Our goal was to
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Zachary R. Thomas, David Beauchamp, Casey P. Clark, Thomas P. Quinn
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center
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Science

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Western Fisheries Research Center 2023-2027 Strategic Plan

WFRC Strategic Plan for Science 2023-2027

This strategic plan establishes a template for our science portfolio for the next five years.
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Western Fisheries Research Center
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WFRC Strategic Plan for Science 2023-2027

This strategic plan establishes a template for our science portfolio for the next five years.
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COVID-19 Pathways and Wildlife Dynamics

Below are the USGS 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) research projects related to COVID-19 pathways and wildlife dynamics. Select tabs above for related items.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center
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COVID-19 Pathways and Wildlife Dynamics

Below are the USGS 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) research projects related to COVID-19 pathways and wildlife dynamics. Select tabs above for related items.
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2020 CARES Act

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law on March 27th, 2020, to aid response efforts and ease the economic impact of COVID-19. The Department of the Interior received funds to “prevent, prepare for, and response to coronavirus, domestically or internationally including, “biosurveillance of wildlife and environmental persistence studies.” The USGS...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Environmental Health Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Fisheries Research Center
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2020 CARES Act

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law on March 27th, 2020, to aid response efforts and ease the economic impact of COVID-19. The Department of the Interior received funds to “prevent, prepare for, and response to coronavirus, domestically or internationally including, “biosurveillance of wildlife and environmental persistence studies.” The USGS...
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