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Lisa Wetzel

I see fish as an interesting and integral part of our world; for recreation, as a food source and for ecosystem function. I have worked as a fishery biologist for over 25 years and have expertise in life history analysis, specifically using otoliths (microstructure and microchemistry) to gain insight into fish age, growth, habitat usage, and migration history.

Research Interests:

I am interested in evaluating life history characteristics of fish to increase our understanding of how populations function within their ecosystem and how we can best support and restore them. I am also interested in the impact that hatchery, introduced or invasive species have on native populations and food webs.

I have experience with various fisheries field and laboratory techniques including: beach seining, fyke netting, lampara netting, electrofishing, weir design and installation, hatchery spawning and rearing techniques, cryopreservation of milt, scale mounting, otolith polishing, fish aging (otoliths, scales and fin rays), microstructural analysis of otoliths using an imaging system, microchemical analysis of otoliths (LA-ICPMS, MC-LA-ICPMS).

Other duties have included:

  • Supervision of field crews
  • Coordination with collaborators
  • Budget tracking
  • Proposal writing & project development
  • Lab management-equipment maintenance and supply purchasing
  • Field sampling, including boat operation (MOCC certified)
  • Data analysis, writing for report and article submission, presentation of project results orally and through posters.

Professional Experience

  • 1991 to Present - Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA

  • 1987-1991 – Fisheries Technician and Research Assistant, University of Washington School of Fisheries, Seattle, WA

  • 1987-1990 – Field crew, Alaska Salmon Program, University of Washington, School of Fisheries, Seattle, WA

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. 1993. Fisheries, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

  • B.S. 1989. Fisheries, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Science and Products

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Juvenile Chinook scale

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...
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center
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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...
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Influence of urbanization on the health of juvenile salmonids in Pacific Northwest perennial streams

Physical and chemical changes affect the biota within urban streams at varying scales ranging from individual organisms to populations and communities creating complex interactions that present challenges for characterizing and monitoring the impact on species utilizing these freshwater habitats. Salmonids, specifically cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch),
By
Washington Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center
Filter Total Items: 29

Investigation of otolith microstructure and composition for identification of rearing strategies and associated Baker Lake sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) smolt production, Washington, 2016–17

Baker River (Washington, USA) sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) are a recovering Puget Sound stock that are aided by trap-and-haul and hatchery programs to mitigate for the presence of a high head dam. The relative contribution of hatchery and natural adults to overall production of smolts and recruits is unknown. The ability to identify three different sockeye production groups (natural product
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Juvenile coho salmon growth and health in streams across an urbanization gradient

Expanding human population and urbanization alters freshwater systems through structural changes to habitat, temperature effects from increased runoff and reduced canopy cover, altered flows, and increased toxicants. Current stream assessments stop short of measuring health or condition of species utilizing these freshwater habitats and fail to link specific stressors mechanistically to the health
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Migratory behavior of Chinook salmon microjacks reared in artificial and natural environments

Emigration was evaluated for hatchery Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) microjacks (age-1 mature males) and immature parr (age-1 juveniles, both sexes) released from both a hatchery and a natural stream (fish released as fry). In the hatchery, volitional releases (∼14 to 15 months post-fertilization) to an adjacent river occurred during October–November. The hatchery release was monitored
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Spatio-temporal variability in movement, age, and growth of mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) in a river network based upon PIT tagging and otolith chemistry

Connectivity of river networks and the movements among habitats can be critical for the life history of many fish species, and understanding of the patterns of movement is central to managing populations, communities, and the landscapes they use. We combined passive integrated transponder tagging over 4 years and strontium isotopes in otoliths to demonstrate that 25% of the mountain whitefish (Pro
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

A test for the relative strength of maternal and stock effects in spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from two different hatcheries (Study site: Warm Springs Hatchery; Stocks: Warm Springs Hatchery and Carson Hatchery; Year class: 1993)

An experiment was undertaken to determine the relative strength of maternal and stock effects in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) reared in a common environment, as a companion study to our investigation of hatchery and wild Chinook salmon. Pure-strain and reciprocal crosses were made between two hatchery stocks (Carson and Warm Springs National Fish Hatcheries). The offspring were reared
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Testing for genetic differences in survival and growth between hatchery and wild Chinook salmon from Warm Springs River, Oregon (Study sites: Warm Springs Hatchery and Little White Salmon River; Stocks: Warm Springs hatchery and Warm Springs River wild; Y

The program at Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery in north - central Oregon was initiated with spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from the Warm Springs River. Managers included wild fish in the broodstock most years and avoided artificial selection to minimize genetic divergence from the wild founder population. We tested for genetic differences in survival and growth between the hatc
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Effect of size of unfed fry at release on survival and growth of juvenile steelhead in streams and a hatchery (Study sites: Dworshak Hatchery, Silver Creek, and Twenty-Mile Creek; Stock: Dworshak hatchery; Year classes: 1996 and 1999)

We tested whether differences in size of unfed fry at release affected survival and growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in hatchery ponds and streams. Differences in fry size were produced by selecting and spawning females that differed in the mean size of their eggs. Experiments were initiated in 1996 and 1999 with hatchery steelhead returning to the Clearwater River, Idaho. Fry size
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Effect of developmental stage of unfed fry on survival and growth of steelhead released in a stream and hatchery ponds (Study sites: Dworshak Hatchery and North Fork Palouse River; Stock: Dworshak hatchery; Year class: 1996)

We tested whether differences in developmental stage of unfed fry at release affected subsequent survival and growth of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in a stream and hatchery ponds. Differences in development were created by artificially spawning hatchery steelhead from the Clearwater River, Idaho, and incubating their progeny at three different temperatures (means=10.9, 11.3, and 11.7°C). Time be
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Effect of incubation temperature on post-embryonic survival and growth of steelhead in a natural stream and a hatchery (Study sites: Dworshak Hatchery and North Fork Palouse River; Stocks: Dworshak hatchery; Year classes: 1994 and 1995)

We tested whether varying incubation temperatures to match development between embryos from different spawning dates affected survival and growth of unfed steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss fry released in a stream and in hatchery ponds. Hatchery steelhead returning to the Clearwater River, Idaho were artificially spawned on two dates separated by a four week interval. Progeny from the early date (ExE
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Predicted time from fertilization to maximum wet weight for steelhead alevins based on incubation temperature and egg size (Study site: Western Fishery Research Center, Seattle; Stock: Dworshak hatchery; Year class: 1996)

The accuracy of a model that predicts time between fertilization and maximum alevin wet weight (MAWW) from incubation temperature was tested for steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from Dworshak National Fish Hatchery on the Clearwater River, Idaho. MAWW corresponds to the button-up fry stage of development. Embryos were incubated at warm (mean=11.6°C) or cold (mean=7.3°C) temperatures and time between
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Genetic differences between hatchery and wild steelhead for survival, growth, dispersal, and male maturation in a natural stream (Study site: Twenty-Mile Creek; Stocks: Dworshak hatchery and Selway River wild; Year classes: 1994 and 1995): Chapter 3

This study was initiated in the early 1990s to provide managers with data comparing genetic fitness for natural rearing, as measured by survival of juveniles in freshwater, between steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from Dworshak National Fish Hatchery and wild steelhead from the Clearwater River, Idaho. We artificially spawned hatchery steelhead and wild steelhead from the Selway River, a Clearwater R
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Genetic differences between hatchery and wild steelhead for growth and survival in the hatchery and seaward migration after release (Study sites: Dworshak Hatchery and Clearwater Hatchery; Stocks: Dworshak hatchery and Selway River wild; Year classes: 199

Various studies suggest that sea ranching of anadromous salmonids can result in domestication (increased fitness in the hatchery program) and a loss of fitness for natural production; however, the mechanism has not been characterized adequately. We artificially spawned hatchery and wild steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from the Clearwater River, Idaho, reared the resulting genetically marked (at the
By
Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Pre-USGS Publications

Wetzel, L. A. 1993. Genetic, Morphometric, and Life History Characteristics of Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Wood River Lake System, Alaska. Master of Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. (Master’s Thesis).

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