Fish and Fisheries

See all current research projects here.

Completed Projects

Akmajian, Adrianne, Principal Investigator

Researchers used molecular scatology and quantitative models to advance understanding of how winter and spring pinniped predation on Chinook salmon in Northwest Washington affects salmon recovery and Southern Resident Killer Whales.

Barber, Julie, Principal Investigator

Researchers created a model to determine the best place to install the first present-day clam garden in the U.S.

Beauchamp, David, Principal Investigator

This project used a novel method to study patterns in size-selective mortality of juvenile Chinook salmon in a range of habitats.

Branch, Trevor and Costello, Christopher, Principal Investigators

A group of regional researchers tracked the ecological and economic effects of a new catch–share system for West Coast groundfish fisheries.

Cordell, Jeffery, Principal Investigator

Researchers provided precise data on the benefits of Seattle seawall enhancements, enabling managers to choose the best elements for improving juvenile salmon survival and adult returns.

Dolšak, Nives, Principal Investigator

An exhaustive analysis of newspaper coverage and public comments on salmon-recovery efforts revealed extremely low participation by private interests, a significant gap in collaborative salmon management.

Essington, Timothy, Principal Investigator

Seeking to better understand the ecological consequences of hypoxia, researchers explored Dungeness crab and English sole distribution in Hood Canal during late summer periods of low dissolved oxygen.

Essington, Timothy, Principal Investigator

Researchers integrated multiple datasets to assess long-term trends in key Puget Sound fish stocks and possible causes of decline, such as fishing, coastal growth, climate change, and proliferating seals and sea lions.

Gallagher, Evan, Principal Investigator

Building off work from the previous project, “Effect of Salmon Omega-3 Fatty Acids on PBDE toxicity,” researchers used zebrafish as a low-cost model for studying the environmental and health hazards of toxic PDBEs.

Gallagher, Evan, Principal Investigator

Research tested impacts of high ocean carbon dioxide levels on the sense of smell of coho salmon and sablefish including its effects on feeding and ability to avoid predators.

Gallagher, Evan, Principal Investigator

Exploring the interaction between harmful PBDEs and helpful omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, researchers assessed the health risks and benefits of eating seafood. Results showed that antioxidants in salmon and other foods have beneficial effects in cells and may have protective properties against toxic PDBEs in vivo.

Gallagher, Evan, Principal Investigator

This study clarified the mechanisms that underlie loss of smell in coho salmon and determines the effects of increased waterborne CO2 on olfactory and navigational functions, both of which are crucial to salmons’ ability to find their way back to their home streams to spawn.

Goto, Stanford, Principal Investigator

This study examined consumer attitudes toward salmon consumption and sustainable fishing in the Pacific Northwest.

Hauser, Lorenz, Principal Investigator

Researchers identified genetic markers in Pacific cod associated with adaptation to warming waters, which will inform future conservation of depleted Puget Sound stocks.

Hauser, Lorenz, Principal Investigator

Researchers used genetic markers to establish the distribution of genetically distinct Puget Sound herring populations to identify causes for specific population declines, anticipate future threats and adjust management strategies to protect population diversity.

Hauser, Lorenz, Principal Investigator

This project brought together social and natural scientists to provide a synergistic assessment of preindustrial herring diversity and use.

Helfield, James, Principal Investigator

Engineered log jams were tested for their ability to promote shallow groundwater upwelling, which can help create cool-water refuges critical for Pacific salmon.

Johnson, Kelli Faye, Principal Investigator

Washington Sea Grant/NOAA Fisheries Fellow developed and tested frameworks to evaluate how well groundfish fisheries management strategies perform when using long-term survey data.

Kemp, Brian, Principal Investigator

Researchers from Washington State University worked to document the chronology of change in salmon DNA in relation to human impacts.

Kuriyama, Peter, Principal Investigator

Washington Sea Grant’s NOAA Fisheries Fellow studied the use of indices to improve stock assessment methods for hard to study species like rockfish.

Lin, Jocelyn, Principal Investigator

Washington Sea Grant’s NOAA Fisheries Fellow modeled evolution and population dynamics in connected sockeye salmon populations.

McDonald, P. Sean, Principal Investigator

Scientists examined the effects of changing water temperature on Dungeness crab, Washington’s most valuable harvest, and developed bioenergetic models to guide management strategies.

Meredith, Jennifer, Principal Investigator

A Washington Sea Grant-supported fellow investigated the drivers of outmigration from rural Alaskan communities and the impacts on the sustainability of rural harvesting operations.

Monnahan, Cole, Principal Investigator

A Washington Sea Grant-supported fellow investigated common fishery stock-assessment methods that may bias managers’ fishery catch decisions.

Naish, Kerry, Principal Investigator

Researchers developed tools and technologies for measuring and monitoring genetic change in fitness traits in Chinook salmon hatchery populations.

Naish, Kerry, Principal Investigator

Researchers mapped portions of the Chinook salmon genome, studying survival and adaptation and linking to tools for protection and recovery of this endangered species.

Punt, André, Principal Investigator

This research exposed bias in current Pacific sardine assessments and developed a spatially structured model that provides more accuracy and points toward changes in harvest rules.

Quinn, Thomas, Principal Investigator

Joining a collaborative team of scientists, researchers investigated a wide range of ecosystems and salmonid populations in the newly reopened Elwha river system, documenting the “before” needed to understand the “after” that will follow two historic dam removals.

Rutter, Jeffery, Principal Investigator

Washington Sea Grant’s NOAA Fisheries Fellow explored the importance of mechanisms underlying mortality, growth, and maturation of Columbia River spring Chinook salmon.

Thorson, James, Principal Investigator

Washington Sea Grant’s NOAA Fisheries Fellow spearheaded the development of a simulation model and sampling design, using newly developed underwater devices, to measure the abundance and improve the management of Pacific rockfishes.

Stawitz, Christine, Principal Investigator

Modeling somatic growth variation, Washington Sea Grant’s NOAA Fisheries Fellow spearheaded the development of a novel way to use size-at-age data from fishery or other sources to test hypotheses about growth dynamics variability.

Szuwalski, Cody, Principal Investigator

This research developed a spatially structured method for assessing Bering Sea snow crab population and tested the ability of current methods to assess this spatially dynamic species.

Waters, Charles, Principal Investigator

Washington Sea Grant’s NOAA Fisheries Fellow studied how inbreeding in salmon hatcheries may affect the productivity of wild populations.