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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

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 – Summer 2024

Something Fishy from the Western Fisheries Research Center – Summer 2024

Benthic Invertebrate Response to Estuarine Marsh Restoration at the Nisqually River Delta

Benthic Invertebrate Response to Estuarine Marsh Restoration at the Nisqually River Delta

Publications

Using environmental DNA to assess the response of steelhead/Rainbow Trout and Coastrange Sculpin populations to postfire debris flows in coastal streams of Big Sur, California

ObjectiveDebris flows are among the most extreme disturbances to streams and are predicted to become more frequent under climate change. We assessed the response of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss (anadromous Rainbow Trout)/Rainbow Trout (hereafter, collectively referred to as O. mykiss) and Coastrange Sculpin Cottus aleuticus populations to major postfire debris flows in two small coastal basins of
Authors
David E. Rundio, Brian C. Spence, Dorothy M. Chase, Carl Ostberg

Using parentage-based tagging to estimate survival of Chinook salmon fry in a large storage reservoir

Research efforts focusing on salmonid populations have highlighted the need to better understand demographic parameters for the fry and parr life stages. Monitoring these small fish presents a challenge because negative effects from handling and tagging can bias subsequent parameter estimates. Removal models and associated sampling designs represent one class of mark-recapture models with potentia
Authors
Adam Pope, Tobias Kock, Russell Perry, Karen M. Cogliati, Kathleen G. O'Malley, Christina Amy Murphy, Dalton Hance, Scott D. Fielding

Spatial and temporal surveys of salmon environmental DNA (eDNA) in a Seattle urban creek

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has a history of conducting traditional fish surveys in urban streams of Seattle, Washington. Limited staff resources have reduced SPU's capacity to monitor fish, and environmental DNA (eDNA) was recognized as an alternative survey method that could potentially improve the efficiency and capacity of SPU-sponsored fish surveys. We performed spatiotemporal surveys of e
Authors
Carl Ostberg, Chapin Pier, Dorothy M. Chase, Russell Perry

Science

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).
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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).
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Young and Young at Heart

Young and Young-at-Heart is an early-career group based at Moffett Field, CA.
link

Young and Young at Heart

Young and Young-at-Heart is an early-career group based at Moffett Field, CA.
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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