Images

This is an image of a scientist holding a Pinto Abalone. Pinto abalone, once a familiar presence in Washington’s coastal ecosystems, have suffered a decline since.

This is a photo of Melanie Prentice and Grace Crandall working in the lab at the Western Fisheries Research Center Marrowstone Marine Field Station to find the causative agent behind Sea Star Wasting Disease, a bacteria called, Vibrio pectenicida.

In this photo, Paul Hershberger is conducting research in the Seattle Western Fisheries Research Center wet laboratory. He is working to study diseases in fish.

Jake Gregg manages the research aquaculture system at the Western Fisheries Research Center's Marrowstone Marine Field Station, which produces Specific Pathogen Free marine fish.

This is a photo of Paul Hershberger at Marrowstone Marine Field Station Lab. Dr. Hershberger studies diseases in fish.

Photo (left to right): Dr. David Paez, Joanne Salzer, Jossline Aranda-Jackson (SEALASKA intern), and Dr. Gael Kurath sampling a patch of sea asparagus near the Western Fisheries Research Center’s Marrowstone Marine Field Station (MMFS).

Two groups of sea lions can be seen some distance away from the shore in deeper water. Sea lions are herring predators, feeding on herring while they spawn. Therefore, the presence of sea lions can be indicative of the presence of herring. However, herring schools are absent in this image.

Ashley MacKenzie, U.S. Geological Survey, watches as Heather Scannell, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and Jenni Morella, ADF&G pull the purse seine onto the deck of the research vessel R/V Solstice after setting on a school of Pacific herring in Prince William Sound Alaska.

Northern lights above Hawkins Island, Alaska. Large purse seine net is deployed from the stern of the research vessel R/V Solstice (owned and operated by Alaska Department of Fish and Game) during a joint collection effort with the USGS to sample fish for an annual disease survey in the sound.

Purse seine net filled with Pacific herring in Prince William Sound Alaska. The seine net is deployed off the research vessel R/V Solstice (owned and operated by Alaska Department of Fish and Game) during a joint collection effort with the USGS to sample fish for an annual disease survey in the sound. Collection of herring is rare during the daytime.

U.S. Geological Survey, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game researchers perform disease sampling on herring collected from a purse seine in Prince William Sound Alaska. Sampling includes length, weight, sex, age, blood for VHSV antibodies and VEN slides, gills/kidney/spleen for VHSV, and hearts for Ichthyophonus.

Large purse seine net being loaded onto the research vessel R/V Solstice (Cordova Alaska). This net is used to collect Pacific herring throughout Prince William Sound. The herring disease surveys are the beginning of the field season for Alaska Department of Fish & Game in Cordova AK.

Using an ultra-light plane, researchers are looking at the landscapes where herring spawn in Prince William Sound Alaska.

Using an ultra-light plane, researchers are looking at the landscapes where herring spawn in Prince William Sound Alaska.

Using an ultra-light plane, researchers are looking at the landscapes where herring spawn in Prince William Sound Alaska.

Dr. David Paez observes as Chinook salmon undergo a swim performance trial. Water velocity in the swim chamber is increased over a prescribed period to determine time of exhaustion for each individual fish. Virus-exposed and healthy control fish are swum together in a small group and must be watched carefully.

(Left to Right) Dr. David Paez, Joanna Salzer, Dr. Jee Youn Hwang and Bill Batts observe as Chinook salmon are conditioned in the swim flume prior to swim performance trials.

Chinook salmon orient into the water current of the swim flume during a performance trial.

(Left to Right) Bill Batts, Joanna Salzer, and Dr. Jee Youn Hwang sample fish during a swim performance trial. Once fish have completed swim trials they are euthanized and kept fresh on ice. Sampling includes length and weight measurements, and collection of a small portion of tissues to confirm the presence of virus.

Multi-tribal ceremonial release of adult Chinook to the Spokane River during 2022 National American Fisheries Society meeting. Here, fish biologist, Jill Hardiman, participates in the event by releasing an adult Chinook salmon into the Spokane River.

Multi-tribal ceremonial release of adult Chinook to the Spokane River during 2022 National American Fisheries Society Meeting. Here, people line up to participate in ceremonial multi-tribal fish release in the Spokane River.