Ongoing Research and Monitoring Projects

Project summaries, reports, and other materials dated before February 2007 may reflect that from 1989 until February 2007, Wild Fish Conservancy operated under the name Washington Trout.

Coho Prespawning Mortality Assessment in Washington and Oregon

Prespawn mortality (PSM) occurs when adult salmon return to freshwater but die before they spawn. This paper examines several watershed throughout Western Washington and Oregon to gain a better understanding of PSM. Coho Prespawning Assessment (4 MB).

Ellsworth Creek Fish Distribution and Salmonid Abundance Survey

Ellsworth Creek flows into southwest Washington’s sprawling Willapa Bay, one of the few large estuary ecosystems on the West Coast left relatively undisturbed. In 2007 Wild Fish Conservancy performed a systematic assessment of fish species composition, distribution, and abundance in The Nature Conservancy’s Ellsworth Creek Preserve.  Ellsworth Final Report (7 MB).

Icicle Creek Recolonization Study

A long-term investigation in the Icicle Creek Basin of east-central Washington, measuring how the process of recolonization by migratory fish occurs, and how the return of anadromy impacts overall watershed health. Icicle Creek Year 1 Summary; Icicle Creek Year 1-Year 2 Progress Report.

Cherry Creek Pump-Facility Monitoring

Preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of Hidrostal (screw impeller) pumps in safely transporting fish from the Cherry Valley floodplain to mainstem Cherry Creek in the lower Snoqualmie River Valley. Pump Monitoring Year 1 Summary.