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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

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Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Meeting (IACUC) - October 11, 2023 (Date contingent upon potential government shutdown)

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Institutional Biosafety Committee Meeting - September 18, 2023

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Elwha River: New Study Examines Effects of Dam Removals on Coastal Ecosystems

Publications

Characteristics of a sea louse (Caligus clemensi) epizootic in wild Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii)

We characterized a natural sea louse epizootic of Caligus clemensi and the effects of parasitism on Pacific herring Clupea pallasii in Port Angeles Harbor, WA, USA. Infestation prevalence on newly metamorphosed age 0 Pacific herring reached 100% prevalence by mid-August. At this time, the mean louse intensity was 4.6 lice/fish, and a positive correlation occurred between louse intensity and herrin
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David James Páez, Jacob L. Gregg, Ashley MacKenzie, Sophie Amanda Hall, Paul Hershberger

A new sturgeon herpesvirus from juvenile Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens displaying epithelial skin lesions

Herpesvirus infections of sturgeon pose a potential threat to sturgeon culture efforts worldwide. A new epitheliotropic herpesvirus named Acipenser herpesvirus 3 (AciHV-3) was detected in hatchery-reared Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens displaying skin lesions in central Canada. The growths were discovered in the fall, reached average prevalence levels of 0.2–40% and eventually regressed. No unu
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Sharon Clouthier, Marek Tomczyk, Tamara Schroeder, Cheryl Klassen, André Dufresne, Eveline J. Emmenegger, Thomas Nalpathamkalam, Zhuozhi Wang, Bhooma Thiruvahindrapuram

Lock 19 underwater acoustic deterrent system study—Interim project update, through 2022

Invasive carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis [Richardson, 1845; Bighead Carp], H. molitrix [Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1844; Silver Carp], Ctenopharyngodon idella [Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1844; Grass Carp], and Mylopharyngodon piceus [Richardson, 1846; Black Carp]) expansion threatens the Laurentian Great Lakes and other major waterways. Numerous tools and techniques ar
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Marybeth K. Brey, Christa M. Woodley, Jessica C. Stanton, Andrea K. Fritts, Matthew Sholtis, Theodore Castro-Santos, Jonathan M. Vallazza, Janice L. Albers

Science

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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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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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.
Learn More

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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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...
Learn More