Images

This is an image of Kenneth Tiffan out in the field. Ken works to conduct applied research to provide information that would increase our understanding of Snake River fall Chinook salmon, listed as “threatened” under the ESA in 1992. His career has focused on this unique stock and facilitating recovery efforts. 

Artificial light at night (ALAN) can be a threat to aquatic ecosystems.  Light in the sky penetrates through the water and brightens the water column. Even small increases in light at night can dramatically improve some predators’ ability to hunt and kill their prey.

USGS Western Fisheries Research Center scientists are investigating the relationship between ALAN, predators’ hunting ability, and juvenile salmon survival in Lake Washington. This includes using a new instrument that overcomes significant issues experienced when attempting to measure light at night underwater.

These are graphs detailing the number of natural origin age-0 Chinook salmon passing Lower Granite Dam over the years.

This image is from Steve Waste's last day at the Columbia River Research Laboratory. Steve served as the Director of the Columbia River Research Laboratory, a facility of the Western Fisheries Research Center of USGS, from 2008 to 2024. He retired in 2024 and now continues to support WFRC as a Scientist Emeritus. Steve holds a Ph.D.

This is a map of the Snake River, used in the publication Back from the Brink: Estimating daily and annual abundance of natural-origin salmon smolts from 30 years of mixed-origin capture-recapture data. 

Artificial light at night (ALAN) can be a threat to aquatic ecosystems.  Light in the sky penetrates through the water and brightens the water column. Even small increases in light at night can dramatically improve some predators’ ability to hunt and kill their prey.

Artificial light at night (ALAN) can be a threat to aquatic ecosystems.  Light in the sky penetrates through the water and brightens the water column. Even small increases in light at night can dramatically improve some predators’ ability to hunt and kill their prey.

An Annual NLCD Land Cover map of centered around Lake Stevens, WA depicting 16 land cover classes.

This is Gael Kurath at her retirement party. Viruses and infectious diseases are natural components of every ecosystem. In aquatic ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a significant viral pathogen of many salmonid fish populations.

Photo shared by Dave Beauchamp from the first week of quantitative light measurements for the Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) project. This week was a big data collection push, with 2 boats out nightly Tuesday through Thursday, plus day activities and prep. 

Photos shared by Dave Beauchamp from the first week of quantitative light measurements for the Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) project:

This week was a big data collection push, with 2 boats out nightly Tuesday through Thursday, plus day activities and prep. 

This is a photo of pelicans on the Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath Falls, OR. The USGS Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) has a field station in Klamath Falls. Scientists at the WFRC monitor suckers in the Upper Klamath Lake.

This is a photo of the fisheries scientist, Paul Hershberger, fishing for salmon predators in Lake Washington.

This is a photo of Paul Hershberger at Marrowstone Marine Field Station Lab. Dr. Hershberger studies diseases in fish.

This is a photo of a sunset in August, 2024 in Klamath Falls, OR. The Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) conducts work on fish health and monitoring in this area.

Explore the underwater world of Skagit Bay eelgrass meadows where a diverse group of fish are visible, including the elegant Pacific Herring school , the unusual Snake Prickleback, the striking Pacific Spiny Dogfish, the graceful Shiner Perch, and the majestic juvenile Chinook Salmon.

Photomicrographs from a sea otter (Enhydra lutris) found dead in Washington State, USA.

Director Applegate and staff from Western Fisheries Research Center pose in front of the newly painted mural at the Western Fisheries Research Center’s headquarters. The mural features three swimming salmon, a DNA helix, a microscope, and the USGS logo. 

Director Applegate visited Western Fisheries Research Center Headquarters in Seattle, WA.

Director Applegate visited Western Fisheries Research Center Headquarters in Seattle, WA.