Photograph of a fish release at the Keller Ferry Marina, Lake Roosevelt, Lincoln County, Washington.
Tobias J Kock
Tobias Kock is a Supervisory Research Fish Biologist at the Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL) in Cook, Washington. His research team works on studies focused on Pacific salmon, dams, fish ecology, and salmon reintroductions throughout the western United States. His research is highly collaborative and typically involves State, Federal and Tribal partners.
Tobias Kock's research team conducts investigations into dam passage and survival for juvenile and adult Pacific salmon, assesses fish collection and passage devices, researches the ecological effects of high-head dams and reservoirs on anadromous fish, and evaluates various aspects of salmon and steelhead reintroductions upstream of impassable dams. He is currently working on studies that evaluate the effects of flow management on juvenile salmon survival, the responses of adult salmon and steelhead to trap-and-haul, assessment of dam-passage survival of juvenile salmon, and developing methods to estimate survival of salmon fry in reservoirs. His research is highly collaborative. Kock works closely with Tribal, State and Federal partners to provide unbiased science for use by a diverse group of partners in several watersheds across the western United States.
Professional Experience
2016-Present – Supervisory Research Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA
2002 to 2016 - Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Science Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA
2000-2002 - Graduate Student, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
1998-2000 - Biological Science Technician, University of Idaho and U.S. Geological Survey
Education and Certifications
M.S. 2004. Fisheries Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
B.A. 2000. Biology, Minor in Religion, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society
AFS-BES/ASCE-EWRI Joint Committee on Fisheries Engineering and Science (Webinar Task Group Member)
Science and Products
Willamette FIP Effectiveness Monitoring Framework
Scientific Support of Salmon and Steelhead Reintroductions in Impounded River Basins of the Pacific Northwest
Steelhead and Spring Chinook Adult Spawning Migration Study in the Klickitat River (Washington)
Acoustic-tagged juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) detections in Lookout Point Reservoir and downstream in the Middle Fork Willamette River, Oregon
Photograph of a fish release at the Keller Ferry Marina, Lake Roosevelt, Lincoln County, Washington.
Photograph of the Sanpoil River in northeast Washington State. The Sanpoil River is upstream of Grand Coulee and is a tributary of the Columbia River.
Photograph of the Sanpoil River in northeast Washington State. The Sanpoil River is upstream of Grand Coulee and is a tributary of the Columbia River.
USGS researchers from the Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory and the Oregon Water Science Center recently completed a study that reviewed existing fisheries datasets and provided an overview of research approaches for estimating habitat availability and carrying capacity of Pacific salmon in the Willamette River Basin.
USGS researchers from the Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory and the Oregon Water Science Center recently completed a study that reviewed existing fisheries datasets and provided an overview of research approaches for estimating habitat availability and carrying capacity of Pacific salmon in the Willamette River Basin.
The Cle Elum River, a tributary of the Yakima River in Washington state. Sockeye salmon reintroduction efforts were initiated in the Cle Elum River by the Yakama Nation and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2009.
The Cle Elum River, a tributary of the Yakima River in Washington state. Sockeye salmon reintroduction efforts were initiated in the Cle Elum River by the Yakama Nation and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2009.
Sunrise on Pompey Peak, Washington.
Sunrise on Pompey Peak, Washington.
Using parentage-based tagging to estimate survival of Chinook salmon fry in a large storage reservoir
Expansion of smallmouth bass distribution and habitat overlap with juvenile Chinook salmon in the Willamette River, Oregon
Survival implications of diversion entrainment for outmigrating juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss)
Science to support conservation action in a large river system: The Willamette River, Oregon, USA
Spatial and temporal overlap between hatchery- and natural-origin steelhead and Chinook salmon during spawning in the Klickitat River, Washington, USA
Behavior and movement of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) near Bonneville Dam, Columbia River, Washington and Oregon, March–October 2022
Assessment of habitat use by juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Willamette River Basin, 2020–21
We conducted a field study during 2020–21 to describe habitat use patterns of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the mainstem Willamette, McKenzie, and Santiam Rivers and to evaluate how habitat suitability criteria affected the predictive accuracy of a hydraulic habitat model. Two approaches were used to collect habitat use data: a stratified sampling design was used to ensure
Assessing the efficacy of using a parentage-based tagging survival model to evaluate two sources of mortality for juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Lookout Point Reservoir, Oregon
Juvenile green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) movement during autumn and winter in the lower Sacramento River, California, 2016–20
Monitoring framework to evaluate effectiveness of aquatic and floodplain habitat restoration activities for native fish along the Willamette River, northwestern Oregon
Assessment of habitat availability for juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) in the Willamette River, Oregon
Monitoring the movements of juvenile Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) in the Yakima River, Washington, using acoustic telemetry, 2019–20
Science and Products
Willamette FIP Effectiveness Monitoring Framework
Scientific Support of Salmon and Steelhead Reintroductions in Impounded River Basins of the Pacific Northwest
Steelhead and Spring Chinook Adult Spawning Migration Study in the Klickitat River (Washington)
Acoustic-tagged juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) detections in Lookout Point Reservoir and downstream in the Middle Fork Willamette River, Oregon
Photograph of a fish release at the Keller Ferry Marina, Lake Roosevelt, Lincoln County, Washington.
Photograph of a fish release at the Keller Ferry Marina, Lake Roosevelt, Lincoln County, Washington.
Photograph of the Sanpoil River in northeast Washington State. The Sanpoil River is upstream of Grand Coulee and is a tributary of the Columbia River.
Photograph of the Sanpoil River in northeast Washington State. The Sanpoil River is upstream of Grand Coulee and is a tributary of the Columbia River.
USGS researchers from the Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory and the Oregon Water Science Center recently completed a study that reviewed existing fisheries datasets and provided an overview of research approaches for estimating habitat availability and carrying capacity of Pacific salmon in the Willamette River Basin.
USGS researchers from the Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory and the Oregon Water Science Center recently completed a study that reviewed existing fisheries datasets and provided an overview of research approaches for estimating habitat availability and carrying capacity of Pacific salmon in the Willamette River Basin.
The Cle Elum River, a tributary of the Yakima River in Washington state. Sockeye salmon reintroduction efforts were initiated in the Cle Elum River by the Yakama Nation and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2009.
The Cle Elum River, a tributary of the Yakima River in Washington state. Sockeye salmon reintroduction efforts were initiated in the Cle Elum River by the Yakama Nation and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2009.
Sunrise on Pompey Peak, Washington.
Sunrise on Pompey Peak, Washington.
Using parentage-based tagging to estimate survival of Chinook salmon fry in a large storage reservoir
Expansion of smallmouth bass distribution and habitat overlap with juvenile Chinook salmon in the Willamette River, Oregon
Survival implications of diversion entrainment for outmigrating juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss)
Science to support conservation action in a large river system: The Willamette River, Oregon, USA
Spatial and temporal overlap between hatchery- and natural-origin steelhead and Chinook salmon during spawning in the Klickitat River, Washington, USA
Behavior and movement of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) near Bonneville Dam, Columbia River, Washington and Oregon, March–October 2022
Assessment of habitat use by juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Willamette River Basin, 2020–21
We conducted a field study during 2020–21 to describe habitat use patterns of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the mainstem Willamette, McKenzie, and Santiam Rivers and to evaluate how habitat suitability criteria affected the predictive accuracy of a hydraulic habitat model. Two approaches were used to collect habitat use data: a stratified sampling design was used to ensure
Assessing the efficacy of using a parentage-based tagging survival model to evaluate two sources of mortality for juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Lookout Point Reservoir, Oregon
Juvenile green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) movement during autumn and winter in the lower Sacramento River, California, 2016–20
Monitoring framework to evaluate effectiveness of aquatic and floodplain habitat restoration activities for native fish along the Willamette River, northwestern Oregon
Assessment of habitat availability for juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) in the Willamette River, Oregon
Monitoring the movements of juvenile Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) in the Yakima River, Washington, using acoustic telemetry, 2019–20
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government