Images

This is a diagram of a cross section of a dam. This diagram is to show where gas bubble trauma could occur.

To understand gas bubble trauma, imagine scuba divers surfacing too quickly. As pressure decreases, dissolved gases in their blood can form bubbles, causing joint pain, paralysis, and even death—a condition commonly known as “the bends.” Fish can experience something similar. 

Since the early 1990s, WFRC has supported state and federal agencies by providing regular assessments of gas bubble trauma in salmon. But salmon aren’t the only fish affected. In 2020, scientists at the Cook lab began monitoring GBT in resident species like sculpin, northern pikeminnow, and three-spined stickleback.

This is a photo of a fish with gas bubble trauma. For decades, scientists at the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) have worked alongside dam operators to monitor a lesser-known threat to fish in the Columbia and Snake rivers: gas bubble trauma.

Invasive species present a growing threat to ecosystems worldwide, and the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) is no exception. First detected in the U.S. in 1964, African clawed frogs have now made their way to Washington State where they pose a growing threat to local ecosystems.

The Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) research helps uncover the spread and impact of invasive African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis) in Washington. First detected in the U.S. in 1964, African clawed frogs have now made their way to Washington State where they pose a growing threat to local ecosystems.

This is fieldwork from a Chinook salmon egg survival pilot study in the Sacramento River. Egg boxes were placed in the river at different locations to collect data on egg-to-fry survival. Some examples of data collected include water velocity and river flow, gravel temperature, scour and deposition, and sediment type.

Scientists get ready to collect samples from a bat to test for Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome.

Scientists look for damage on the skin of a bat's wing as an indicator of white-nose syndrome infection. This bat has no wing damage.

The Yuma myotis bat, Myotis yumanensis, has a body length of only 1.5-1.9 inches and they weigh less than half an ounce.

Scars on the skin of this bat's wing suggest white-nose syndrome infection over the previous winter.

Individual bats are tested for Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, by wiping a sterile swab across the skin of a bat's outstretched wing and muzzle.

Yuma myotis has a wide range throughout western North America, from the Southwestern regions of Canada into Mexico. 

This is a photo from our scientists working with the Yakama Nation to remove smallmouth bass and other invasive salmon-eating predators. The work involves taking fin clips, scales, diet samples, and tagging and releasing larger fish. This fieldwork will continue through late May 2025. The crew shown in the photos are Ben, Becky, Jeff, and Chloe. 

Justin Greer is a Computational Biologist at the Western Fisheries Research Center. He conducts research on the effects of environmental stressors on the health of aquatic populations. Current research focuses on the effects of stormwater pollutants on salmonid health and strategies to reduce toxic stormwater inputs.

This is a photo of Ellie Dalsky, a biological technician at the Western Fisheries Research Center.

California Department of Fish & Wildlife boat on Shasta Reservoir partnering with USGS Western Fisheries Research Center to conduct telemetry studies.

Mitchell Morse and Caitlin Stockwell drove down to Redding, CA to wrap up the Shasta Reservoir fish telemetry project. They worked with California Department of Fish and Wildlife partners to remove 16 submersible acoustic telemetry receivers within the reservoir, and 5 receivers installed on Shasta Dam.

A photo of the McCloud arm looking upstream from one of the telemetry deployment sites.

This is Shasta Dam in California. Mitchell Morse and Caitlin Stockwell drove down to Redding, CA to wrap up the Shasta Reservoir fish telemetry project. They worked with California Department of Fish and Wildlife partners to remove 16 submersible acoustic telemetry receivers within the reservoir, and 5 receivers installed on Shasta Dam.

Northwestern pond turtles are sexually dimorphic (females and males look different). One way to tell female and male turtles apart is that they often have different color patterns on their face and throats. Females have a more speckled throat, while males throats tend to be more solidly white/yellow.