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Theresa "Marty" Liedtke

Worked at the Columbia River Research Laboratory for over 20 years on a variety of topics, but heavy emphasis on juvenile salmon passage and survival at hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin.

Research Interests:

Historically my research has been focused on efforts to improve juvenile salmon passage and survival at hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin.  More recently I have used telemetry to monitor the behavior and movements of adult salmonids in tributaries of the Columbia River using sensored transmitters (temperature, motion).  I am interested in the performance of fish equipped with telemetry transmitters and have conducted a variety of experiments comparing the stress response, swimming performance, buoyancy compensation, and predator avoidance ability of tagged fish to untagged fish.  Most recently I have develop a marine research program, focusing on forage fishes in Puget Sound, Washington.  My team has evaluated spawning site selection, responses to climate change, food habits, and rearing habitats.  We are currently evaluating the exposure of these fish to contaminants such as PCBs.  Additionally, we are working with Pacific lamprey in laboratory settings, evaluating rearing techniques, screening materials, and responses to dewatering.

Professional Experience

  • 1994 to Present - Research Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. Zoology/Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI

  • B.S. Biology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL

Science and Products

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Pacific sand lance

Contaminants in Puget Sound Forage Fishes and Impacts to the Marine Food Web

Toxic chemical pollutants have been released into Puget Sound for decades by human activities. There’s a wide range of contaminants, from persistent compounds like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and flame retardants to contaminants of emerging concern. Aquatic species can be exposed to and accumulate contaminants, causing disease or disruption of biological processes like growth or reproduction...
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)
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Contaminants in Puget Sound Forage Fishes and Impacts to the Marine Food Web

Toxic chemical pollutants have been released into Puget Sound for decades by human activities. There’s a wide range of contaminants, from persistent compounds like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and flame retardants to contaminants of emerging concern. Aquatic species can be exposed to and accumulate contaminants, causing disease or disruption of biological processes like growth or reproduction...
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Counts, Fish Weights, and Spectral Data from a Juvenile Chinook Salmon Polyester Microplastic Fiber Exposure Study

This release includes all data collected in support of a juvenile Chinook salmon exposure study designed to understand the retention of microplastic clothing fibers (hereon referred to as "microfibers") after feeding. To understand the potential impacts of microfiber ingestion to fish, we ran a feeding experiment with juvenile Chinook salmon to determine if ingested fibers are retained and/or dige
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Washington Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Data collected in 2010 to evaluate habitat availability for surf smelt and eelgrass in response to sea level rise on Bainbridge Island, Puget Sound, Washington, USA

This dataset includes biological variables showing surf smelt spawning presence, geological variables describing beach composition, and sample locations using RTK-GPS. This field data was also used to run the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM; Warren Pinnacle Consulting, Inc., Warren, Vt)) to predict the changes to beaches over time, and under different sea level rise scenarios. Field sampl
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Maternal transfer of PCBs in Pacific sand lance in Puget Sound, Washington

Data included in this release are from Pacific sand lance and water, sediment and suspended particulate matter collected at two sites in Puget Sound, Washington, which were evaluated for PCB concentration. PCB congener data are stored in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Environmental Contaminant Data Management System (ECDMS), accessible through the Wildlife & Environmental Contaminants Ma
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)
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Monitoring the movements of juvenile Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) in the Yakima River, Washington, using acoustic telemetry, 2019–20

Anthropogenic barriers to main-stem and tributary passage are one of the primary threats associated with declining populations of Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) in the Columbia River Basin. Juvenile lamprey are of special interest because their downstream migration to the ocean may be affected by barriers such as dams or water diversions. Telemetry studies that describe the movement and
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Collection of larval lampreys (Entosphenus tridentatus and Lampetra spp.) using a portable suction dredge—A pilot test

A portable suction-dredge and sluice-box system were used to collect larval lampreys (Entosphenus tridentatus and Lampetra spp.) from fine and coarse sediment in field and laboratory tests. We evaluated the injury rate, survival, and burrowing capability of lamprey following passage through the dredge system and used collection of lamprey from water without sediment as a control. The system used a
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Behavior and survival of hatchery rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the upper Cowlitz River Basin, Washington, 2013 and 2017

A two-year study (2013 and 2017) was conducted to determine if annual releases of hatchery rainbow trout (resident Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the upper Cowlitz River Basin, Washington adversely affected anadromous fish in the basin. Rainbow trout tagged with radio transmitters were monitored after release to describe movement patterns, entrainment rates at Cowlitz Falls Dam, and survival. Additionall
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

2011 Georgiana Slough non-physical barrier performance evaluation project report

The Sacramento River and its tributaries support populations of anadromous fish species including winter-run, spring-run, fall-run, and late fall–run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); and steelhead (O. mykiss). Several of these species are listed as threatened or endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), or both. These species spa
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Techniques for telemetry transmitter attachment and evaluation of transmitter effects on fish performance

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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center

Fish assemblages in eelgrass beds of Bellingham Bay, Washington, Northern Puget Sound, 2019

Puget Sound is a critical part of the Pacific Northwest, both culturally and economically. Eelgrass beds are an important feature of Puget Sound and are known to influence fish assemblages. As part of a larger site-characterization effort, and to gain a better understanding of the fish assemblages in Bellingham Bay, Washington, four eelgrass beds (Zostera marina) along the shoreline were surveyed.
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Maternal transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls in Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), Puget Sound, Washington

We measured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in multiple age and size classes of Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), including eggs, young-of-the year, and adults to evaluate maternal transfer as a pathway for contaminant uptake and to add to the limited information on the occurrence of PCBs in sand lance in Puget Sound. Sampling was replicated at an urban embayment (Eagle Harbor) and a sta
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Effects of dewatering on behavior, distribution, and abundance of larval lampreys

Anthropogenic dewatering of aquatic habitats can cause stranding and mortality of burrowed larval lampreys; however, the effects of dewatering have not been quantified. We assessed: (a) changes in spatial distribution, abundance, and emergence of larvae dewatered at Leaburg Reservoir (OR); (b) emergence and mortality of larvae dewatered in a laboratory; and (c) bias, precision, and interpretation
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

A standard operating procedure for the preparation of purposely killed juvenile salmon used to test survival model assumptions

This document describes a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the preparation of purposely killed juvenile salmon, implanted with telemetry transmitters, to be released into rivers, lakes, or streams to test one of the survival model assumptions. Procedures for releases of purposely killed fish (hereinafter dead fish releases) were developed by staff from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Columbia R
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Legacy and current-use toxic contaminants in Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) from Puget Sound, Washington

Forage fish are primary prey for seabirds, fish and marine mammals. Elevated levels of pollutants in Puget Sound, Washington salmon and killer whale tissues potentially could be sufficiently high to elicit adverse effects and hamper population recovery efforts. Contaminant transfer and biomagnification of the toxic compounds measured in this study likely contribute to those elevated concentrations
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Fisheries Program, Washington Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Evidence for rapid gut clearance of microplastic polyester fibers fed to Chinook Salmon: A tank study

Marine and freshwater plastic pollution is a challenging issue receiving large amounts of research and media attention. Yet, few studies have documented the impact of microplastic ingestion to aquatic organisms. In the Pacific Northwest, Chinook salmon are a culturally and commercially significant fish species. The presence of marine and freshwater microplastic pollution is well documented in Chin
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Fisheries Program, Washington Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Behavior and movement of adult winter steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the upper Cowlitz River Basin, Washington, 2017–18

Executive SummaryA 2-year radiotelemetry study was completed to monitor the movements of adult winter steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the upper Cowlitz River Basin. A reintroduction program was established to restore healthy and harvestable populations of steelhead because volitional access to the area was blocked in the 1960s after construction of dams in the lower river. A trap-and-haul progr
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Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)

Non-USGS Publications**

Allen, B., T.L. Liedtke, A. Daniel, J. Begala, M. Salway, and J. Beeman. 2001. Monitoring tailrace egress in the stilling basin, the ice-trash sluiceway, and the powerhouse of The Dalles Dam, 2000. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, OR. Contract No. W66QKZ00391996
Duran, I.N., T.L. Liedtke, and J.H. Petersen. 2002. Predator-prey interactions in The Dalles Dam tailrace. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, OR.
Smith, C.D., T.L. Liedtke, B.J. Hausmann, J.L. Schei, J.R. Lyng, L.P. Gee, and J.W. Beeman. 2004. Tailrace Egress of yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead following juvenile bypass system passage at John Day Dam, 2002. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, Portland, OR.
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Western Fisheries Science News, June 2016 | Issue 4.6

New USGS and NOAA Collaboration in Alaska Will Help Gain Insight into Juvenile Chinook Salmon Distributions and Migrations

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**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.