Close-up image of Nisqually Delta eelgrass.
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
USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project
Eelgrass and substrate characteristics in Bellingham Bay, Washington, July 2019 and July-August 2020
Data collected in 2008-2022 to assess nearshore subtidal community responses to increased sediment load during and after removal of the Elwha River dams, Washington State, USA
Data collected in 2008-2010 to evaluate juvenile salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass on the Skagit River Delta, Washington State, USA
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
Close-up image of Nisqually Delta eelgrass.
Nearshore subtidal community response during and after sediment disturbance associated with dam removal
Seasonal use of a nonnatal marine basin by juvenile hatchery chinook salmon
Impacts of suspended sediment on nearshore benthic light availability following dam removal in a small mountainous river:In situ observations and statistical modeling
Juvenile Chinook salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass habitats in a diked and channelized Puget Sound River Delta
Increased sediment load during a large-scale dam removal changes nearshore subtidal communities
2010-2015 Juvenile fish ecology in the Nisqually River Delta and Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve
Migratory behavior of Chinook salmon microjacks reared in artificial and natural environments
Effectiveness of an integrated hatchery program: Can genetic-based performance differences between hatchery and wild Chinook salmon be avoided?
Distribution of Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus in watersheds of Puget Sound Based on smolt monitoring data
Fish: Section 4.8 in Climate change and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: Interpreting potential futures.
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)
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
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.
Science and Products
USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project
Eelgrass and substrate characteristics in Bellingham Bay, Washington, July 2019 and July-August 2020
Data collected in 2008-2022 to assess nearshore subtidal community responses to increased sediment load during and after removal of the Elwha River dams, Washington State, USA
Data collected in 2008-2010 to evaluate juvenile salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass on the Skagit River Delta, Washington State, USA
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
Close-up image of Nisqually Delta eelgrass.
Close-up image of Nisqually Delta eelgrass.
Nearshore subtidal community response during and after sediment disturbance associated with dam removal
Seasonal use of a nonnatal marine basin by juvenile hatchery chinook salmon
Impacts of suspended sediment on nearshore benthic light availability following dam removal in a small mountainous river:In situ observations and statistical modeling
Juvenile Chinook salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass habitats in a diked and channelized Puget Sound River Delta
Increased sediment load during a large-scale dam removal changes nearshore subtidal communities
2010-2015 Juvenile fish ecology in the Nisqually River Delta and Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve
Migratory behavior of Chinook salmon microjacks reared in artificial and natural environments
Effectiveness of an integrated hatchery program: Can genetic-based performance differences between hatchery and wild Chinook salmon be avoided?
Distribution of Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus in watersheds of Puget Sound Based on smolt monitoring data
Fish: Section 4.8 in Climate change and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: Interpreting potential futures.
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)
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
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.