Congratulations to Summer Burdick for Winning this Issue's Photo Contest!
Congratulations to Summer Burdick for winning the quarterly photo contest!
USGS Western Fisheries Research Center Scientists recently completed fieldwork for the first year of a study to better understand how young salmon use restored habitats in the Lower Columbia River Estuary. The project seeks to answer key questions about the value of specific habitat restoration actions, critical information for ensuring future work continues to be on-target and cost effective.
During the 2025 field season, researchers deployed acoustic telemetry equipment to track yearling Chinook salmon as they moved through both restored estuarine wetlands and the main Columbia River channel. The study will estimate how many Chinook salmon enter these restored areas and how long they stay.
The research team also detected other species utilizing the restored habitat, a great sign of that the benefits of this habitat extend beyond the Chinook. Steelhead, Coho salmon, Pacific lamprey, Green Sturgeon and White Sturgeon were identified: acoustic tagged for other studies but coincidentally passed through.
During the week of September 8, field crew members Collin Smith, Chris Pullano, and Ryan Tomka overcame challenges associated with shifting sands, dredging operations, and the occasional curious angler to retrieve the acoustic receivers from the estuary. Despite the challenges, the team successfully recovered nearly all the equipment and secured valuable data for further analysis.
Check out these other photos from the field, which show more scenes from the scientists' work on the lower Columbia River estuary.
