Kim is a Fish Biologist at the Western Fisheries Research Center.
Research Interests:
Otolith Research Coordinator: In this position I oversee all research projects regarding scale analysis and analysis of otolith microstructure and microchemistry focusing on the population ecology of fishes within the Pacific NW. Otoliths and scales have been used as research tools for understanding various life histories and habitat importance as they relate to the protection, preservation, and restoration of those habitats. Research techniques include: collection and preservation of specimens from both natural habitats and culture based environments, otolith preparation and analysis of age, thermal marks, daily increment patterns and microchemistry, and scale preparation and analysis of age and spawning all aided by computerized imaging. These techniques have been employed on several projects: thermal marking for stock identification of steelhead trout as part of a hatchery supplementation study in Idaho streams, identification of unique microstructural patterns related to life history events and estuarine residence and growth in wild Chinook salmon of the Skagit, Nisqually, Snohomish, and Elwha rivers, WA state, the pioneering of in depth microstructural pattern analysis related to developmental events in larval salmonids, migration and rearing histories of salmonids determined by ion microprobe and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectometry (ICPMS), and the life history investigation of whitefish and non-native west coast American Shad of the Columbia River, WA.
Ecological Researcher: I work as a member of a team of multi-disciplined personnel investigating the population ecology of Pacific NW fishes. We conduct field and laboratory experiments concerned with population genetics, hatchery supplementation, habitat utilization, and life history documentation.
Science and Products
Life History of Pacific Northwest Fishes through Age and Growth Structures
Puget Sound Fall Chinook Estuarine Utilization
Science and Products
- Science
Life History of Pacific Northwest Fishes through Age and Growth Structures
The focus of our research is the ecological analysis of Pacific Northwest fishes through age and growth structures such as: scales, fin rays and otoliths (small calcium carbonate deposits beneath the brain used in hearing and balance that grow in proportion to the overall growth of the fish). These structures are utilized as research tools for understanding life histories and habitat importance...Puget Sound Fall Chinook Estuarine Utilization
The WFRC has partnered separately with both the Skagit River System Tribal Cooperative and the Nisqually Tribe to research the use of otoliths (calcium carbonate deposits beneath the brain used in hearing and balance that grow in proportion to the overall growth of the fish) as a tool in examination of Puget Sound Fall Chinook salmon life history. - Data
- Publications
- News