On January 31st, the Department of the Interior welcomed our new Secretary, former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. From the halls of Udall Building in Washington D.C., Secretary Burgum delivered opening remarks that highlighted a commitment to sustainable natural resource development, protecting public lands (and their ecosystems), and upholding Trust responsibilities with our Tribal nations.  

These same principles guide our work at the Western Fisheries Research Center, where we have and will continue to deliver impartial, high-impact science that upholds the mission of the U.S. Geological Survey and informs resource management of the Department of the Interior and other federal, state and Tribal entities responsible for sustaining our aquatic environments.    

The keystone of this work remains the many partnerships between our scientists and the research and management community along the Pacific Coast. For example, in this issue of Something Fishy we highlight our growing partnership with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and between USGS and the four fisheries commissions across the country.

Also in this issue:  

In the Columbia River Basin, where invasive mussels were recently found for the first time, WFRC scientists worked with others throughout the USGS to model and assess the potential threat to ecosystems. 

Farther south, four dams on the Klamath River have been removed, opening significantly more habitat to migrating salmon for the first time in over a hundred years. How will salmon populations respond and how should water management change in this new era? WFRC scientist Summer Burdick has been working with the Yurok, Hoopa, and Karuk Tribes to track how young Chinook salmon move down the newly opened river. Upstream at the remaining Keno Dam, WFRC scientists are investigating how adult salmon are performing as they access the fish ladder there, with opportunity to pass and reach new habitat upstream.

We also take the opportunity to highlight Sarah Flores, a Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission employee who has partnered with WFRC scientist Jan Lovy to investigate potential causes of mortality of juvenile suckers in Upper Klamath Lake. These suckers are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

While these stories showcase some of the recent work of the Center, they’re just a small element of the science we do in partnership with our collaborators. Thank you to all our partners for making our science so successful!