Images

Scientists prepare for a geophysical survey of the shoreline at Sinclair Inlet, WA. The survey will provide information about the interactions between groundwater and surface water in this complex tidal system.

USGS Ecologist Julia David collects water quality data in the lower Stillaguamish Estuary near Stanwood, WA. Data will support a baseline assessment of PAH concentrations in fish in the Stillaguamish River, WA.

Toby Kock (right, in plaid shirt) listens to a question during the Fish Passage Tour while standing on the North Shore Collector in the forebay of Cowlitz Falls Dam. The group discussed various ways that migrating juvenile salmon approach and pass the dam.

Participants of the Fish Passage Tour view the North Shore Collector separator at Cowlitz Falls Dam, WA. Fish are collected here to allow staff to count, determine species, and sample fish as they migrate downstream.

Group photo of USGS staff and partners who participated in the Fish Passage Tour sponsored by the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center.  Partners: NOAA Fisheries, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S.

View of the forebay of the North Fork Dam of the Clackamas River Dam Complex, OR. An orange buoy system is seen on the right side of the image showing an exclusion net to prevent fish from getting behind the collector.

(Left to Right) Dr. David Paez, Joanna Salzer, Dr. Jee Youn Hwang and Bill Batts observe as Chinook salmon are conditioned in the swim flume prior to swim performance trials.

Chinook salmon orient into the water current of the swim flume during a performance trial.

(Left to Right) Bill Batts, Joanna Salzer, and Dr. Jee Youn Hwang sample fish during a swim performance trial. Once fish have completed swim trials they are euthanized and kept fresh on ice. Sampling includes length and weight measurements, and collection of a small portion of tissues to confirm the presence of virus.

Dr. David Paez observes as Chinook salmon undergo a swim performance trial. Water velocity in the swim chamber is increased over a prescribed period to determine time of exhaustion for each individual fish. Virus-exposed and healthy control fish are swum together in a small group and must be watched carefully.

USGS scientist setting up underwater video cameras in an eelgrass meadow on the Skagit River Delta. Eelgrass grows in shallow marine and estuarine waters where it forms structurally complex habitats that support many other aquatic species by providing attachment substrate, food, refuge from predation, and nursery areas.

USGS scientist setting up underwater video cameras in an eelgrass meadow on the Skagit River Delta. Eelgrass grows in shallow marine and estuarine waters where it forms structurally complex habitats that support many other aquatic species by providing attachment substrate, food, refuge from predation, and nursery areas.

Pacific Lamprey ammocoetes in a measurement tank. Tissues collected from the lamprey will be analyzed for mercury as part of a study on mercury contamination in the Columbia River Basin.

Multi-tribal ceremonial release of adult Chinook to the Spokane River during 2022 National American Fisheries Society meeting. Here, fish biologist, Jill Hardiman, participates in the event by releasing an adult Chinook salmon into the Spokane River.

Multi-tribal ceremonial release of adult Chinook to the Spokane River during 2022 National American Fisheries Society Meeting. Here, people line up to participate in ceremonial multi-tribal fish release in the Spokane River.

Multi-tribal ceremonial release of adult Chinook to the Spokane River during 2022 National American Fisheries Society Meeting. Here, fish biologist Ian Jezorek participates in ceremonial multi-tribal fish release in the Spokane River.

Overhead view of the Spokane River, where adult Chinook salmon were released during a multi-tribal ceremonial fish release. During 2022 National American Fisheries Society, many scientists and citizens took part in a ceremonial fish release. Adult Chinook salmon are currently blocked by dams and unable travel upstream to their historic range.

Map showing principal aquifers (PAs) and wells that were sampled as part of a Nationwide assessment of the quality of groundwater used for public supply.  

A shovel leans against the bank of the Conconully Reservoir in Okanogan County, Washington. Layers of legacy sediment are visible in the bank exposure.

The sun setting behind the Olympic Mountains from a beach on Hood Canal, Washington.  A beautiful ending of another day.

Coho salmon migrating on the Sol Duc River, Washington to spawning grounds upstream. Fish must leap through a series of small waterfalls called the Salmon Cascades in Olympic National Park to reach the waters where they were born to complete their life cycle by spawning the next generation.