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Tobias J Kock

I am a Supervisory Research Fish Biologist at the Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA. I began working on fisheries studies in 1998. My research has focused on Pacific salmon, dams and ecology in the Pacific Northwest. My expertise includes the use of telemetry systems to monitor juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead. I currently work on the Columbia, Willamette, and Yakima Rivers.

My 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.  I am 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. My research is highly collaborative. I work closely with Tribal, State and Federal partners to provide unbiased science for use by a diverse group of stakeholders in several watersheds in 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

*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