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Steve Rubin

Steve is a Fish Biologist at the Western Fisheries Research Center.

Research Interests:

My current research focusses on three aspects of Puget Sound restoration evaluation: (1) juvenile salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass and other delta tide flat and nearshore habitats, (2) response of soft-sediment intertidal benthic macroinvertebrates to Nisqually River delta dike removal and restored tidal inundation, and (3) response of shallow sub-tidal benthic microalgae, invertebrates, and fish to increased sediment delivery following removal of the Elwha River dams. Another area of research is assessing impacts of hatchery supplementation on wild salmon and steelhead.

Professional Experience

  • 1994 to Present - Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA

  • 1991-1994 - Research Associate, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Moscow, ID

  • 1986-1991 - Research Assistant, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Moscow, ID

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. 1990. Fisheries Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

Science and Products

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Elwha River flowing through former Aldwell reservoir

USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project

The Elwha River Restoration Project has reconnected the water, salmon, and sediment of a pristine river and coast of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Coordinated by the National Park Service, restoration of the Elwha River included the removal of two large dams that had blocked salmon and sediment passage for almost 100 years. The largest dam removal in U.S. history began in September 2011 and...
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Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Fisheries Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project

The Elwha River Restoration Project has reconnected the water, salmon, and sediment of a pristine river and coast of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Coordinated by the National Park Service, restoration of the Elwha River included the removal of two large dams that had blocked salmon and sediment passage for almost 100 years. The largest dam removal in U.S. history began in September 2011 and...
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Data collected in 2008-2010 to evaluate juvenile salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass on the Skagit River Delta, Washington State, USA

Data are abundance and body size (length) of juvenile salmon, forage fish, and other species captured with a lampara net in eelgrass and nearby unvegetated habitat on the Skagit River Delta monthly, April-September, 2008-2010, as well as vegetation status, water depth, temperature, salinity, and clarity for each fish netting event.
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Data collected in 2008-2014 to assess nearshore subtidal community response to increased sediment load during removal of the Elwha River dams, Washington State, USA

Data are time series of substrate grain size, remotely sensed water column turbidity, and measures of abundance (e.g., density, percent cover) of the nearshore subtidal (3-17 m depth) benthic community (vegetation, invertebrates, and fish) collected before (2008-2011) and during dam removal (2012-2014).
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center
Filter Total Items: 28

Seasonal use of a nonnatal marine basin by juvenile hatchery chinook salmon

Information on the movement patterns of fishes is essential for managers that are making critical resource decisions. We examined the frequency of a keystone species, Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha that migrated from different marine basins to the Nisqually River estuary, which lies within the southernmost marine basin (hereafter, “South basin”) in Puget Sound (Washington, USA). Hatchery‐
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Impacts of suspended sediment on nearshore benthic light availability following dam removal in a small mountainous river:In situ observations and statistical modeling

The 2011–2014 removal of two dams from the Elwha River, WA, delivered ~ 19 Mt of sediment to the marine environment, creating an opportunity to study the sensitivity of a coastal ecosystem to large-scale sediment input. Macroalgae, the primary habitat-forming species in the nearshore, disappeared from the region. It was hypothesized that this mortality event was caused by a reduction in benthic li
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Juvenile Chinook salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass habitats in a diked and channelized Puget Sound River Delta

Eelgrass Zostera marina can form extensive meadows on Puget Sound river deltas. The extent to which these meadows provide critical rearing habitat for local estuarine fishes, especially out‐migrating juvenile salmon, is not well understood. Further, delta eelgrass has been impacted by diking and river channelization with unknown consequences for fish. We sampled fish in the Skagit River delta, Was
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Increased sediment load during a large-scale dam removal changes nearshore subtidal communities

The coastal marine ecosystem near the Elwha River was altered by a massive sediment influx—over 10 million tonnes—during the staged three-year removal of two hydropower dams. We used time series of bathymetry, substrate grain size, remotely sensed turbidity, scuba dive surveys, and towed video observations collected before and during dam removal to assess responses of the nearshore subtidal commun
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Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Fisheries Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

2010-2015 Juvenile fish ecology in the Nisqually River Delta and Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve

The return of tidal inundation to over 750 acres of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (NNWR) in fall of 2009 was the crowning moment in the effort to protect and restore the Nisqually Delta. The Nisqually NWR project complemented three earlier restoration projects completed by the Nisqually Indian Tribe (Tribe) on tribal property to restore over
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Ecosystems, 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
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Effectiveness of an integrated hatchery program: Can genetic-based performance differences between hatchery and wild Chinook salmon be avoided?

Performance of wild (W) and hatchery (H) spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was evaluated for a sixth generation hatchery program. Management techniques to minimize genetic divergence from the wild stock included regular use of wild broodstock and volitional releases of juveniles. Performance of HH, WW, and HW (hatchery female spawned with wild male) crosses was compared in hatchery
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Distribution of Pacific lamprey <i>Entosphenus tridentatus</i> in watersheds of Puget Sound Based on smolt monitoring data

Lamprey populations are in decline worldwide and the status of Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) is a topic of current interest. They and other lamprey species cycle nutrients and serve as prey in riverine ecosystems. To determine the current distribution of Pacific lamprey in major watersheds flowing into Puget Sound, Washington, we sampled lamprey captured during salmonid smolt monitorin
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Fish: Section 4.8 in <i>Climate change and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: Interpreting potential futures. </i>

Summary Decreased ocean survival of Chinook and coho salmon in the coastal waters of Washington, Oregon, and California is likely based on historical and present day observations during conditions of unusually high water temperatures and reduced or delayed upwelling. Based on observations during conditions of unusually high water temperatures and reduced or delayed upwelling, highly migratory sou
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

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
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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
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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
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Chinook Salmon Use of Eelgrass Habitats Skagit River Delta Washington

The degree to which eelgrass on river deltas provides critical habitat for estuarine fishes, especially out‐migrating juvenile salmon, is an important scientific and management issue that bears on efforts to conserve and restore both eelgrass and fish.

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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center
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Western Fisheries Science News, May 2019 | Issue 7.5

Interactive Data Visualization Tool Allows Us to Explore Fish Use of Eelgrass Habitat in Puget Sound

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Western Fisheries Science News, October 2014 | Issue 2.10

Supporting Restoration with Research in the Nisqually River Delta

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