Images

In this photo, Paul Hershberger is conducting research in the Seattle Western Fisheries Research Center wet laboratory. He is working to study diseases in fish.

This is a photo of a cutthroat trout being measured. It will then be used in experiments to understand the sublethal effects of the toxic tire byproduct chemical, 6PPD-quinone.

This is fieldwork from a Chinook salmon egg survival pilot study in the Sacramento River. Egg boxes were placed in the river at different locations to collect data on egg-to-fry survival. Some examples of data collected include water velocity and river flow, gravel temperature, scour and deposition, and sediment type.

In this image, scientists are exposing fish to the toxic chemical, 6PPD-quinone, to better understand the toxin's effects. This work is being done at the Western Fisheries Research Center wetlab. The science is then used to develop solutions to the toxin.

This is a photo of a Chinook salmon fry taken by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Roger Tabor, a Fish Biologist at the Western Washington FWCO.

This is a photo of fieldwork on the pilot Chinook egg survival study occurring in the Sacramento River, California.

This is a fish lifecycle diagram with the redd (egg), alevin, fry, and adult stages shown.

Salmon life cycles from egg to spawning adults with text explaining each life phase. 

This is the lower Granite Lock and Dam. Lower Granite Lock and Dam was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 1945. The project includes a dam, a navigation lock, powerhouse, a fish ladder and associated facilities. It provides hydropower, navigation, flood risk management, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and incidental irrigation.

This is the chemical structure of 6PPD-quinone, a toxic byproduct of the tire additive, 6PPD, which is used to make vehicle tires strong and safe on the roads. This toxic byproduct gets into runoff and into streams. This causes mortality in certain salmonids.

This is an infographic showing different fish and their sensitivity to 6PPD-quinone, on a logarithmic scale.

This is the tire chemical 6PPD. 6PPD is a common rubber antiozonant found in vehicle tires. It is mobile within the rubber and slowly migrates to the surface via blooming. On the surface it forms a "scavenger-protective film" that reacts with the ozone more quickly than the ozone can react with the rubber.

This is a diagram of a cross section of a dam. This diagram is to show where gas bubble trauma could occur.

Since the early 1990s, WFRC has supported state and federal agencies by providing regular assessments of gas bubble trauma in salmon. But salmon aren’t the only fish affected. In 2020, scientists at the Cook lab began monitoring GBT in resident species like sculpin, northern pikeminnow, and three-spined stickleback.

To understand gas bubble trauma, imagine scuba divers surfacing too quickly. As pressure decreases, dissolved gases in their blood can form bubbles, causing joint pain, paralysis, and even death—a condition commonly known as “the bends.” Fish can experience something similar. 

This is a photo of a fish with gas bubble trauma. For decades, scientists at the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) have worked alongside dam operators to monitor a lesser-known threat to fish in the Columbia and Snake rivers: gas bubble trauma.

Invasive species present a growing threat to ecosystems worldwide, and the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) is no exception. First detected in the U.S. in 1964, African clawed frogs have now made their way to Washington State where they pose a growing threat to local ecosystems.

The Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) research helps uncover the spread and impact of invasive African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis) in Washington. First detected in the U.S. in 1964, African clawed frogs have now made their way to Washington State where they pose a growing threat to local ecosystems.

This is fieldwork from a Chinook salmon egg survival pilot study in the Sacramento River. Egg boxes were placed in the river at different locations to collect data on egg-to-fry survival. Some examples of data collected include water velocity and river flow, gravel temperature, scour and deposition, and sediment type.

Scientists get ready to collect samples from a bat to test for Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome.

Scientists look for damage on the skin of a bat's wing as an indicator of white-nose syndrome infection. This bat has no wing damage.