Fish Bio News

As temperatures continue to rise, news stories and research in California often focus on the fact that salmon thrive in colder water. Historically, many native salmon populations spawned in cool, high-elevation waters, but many upstream reaches are now blocked by dams, restricting salmon to warmer, low-elevation rivers for reproduction and rearing.

Whether you study California’s rivers or the Great Lakes, the fisheries community shares remarkably similar research interests and conservation challenges. From August 30 to September 3, FISHBIO scientists traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to attend the 156th American Fisheries Society (AFS) meeting where we got to hear about national fisheries topics.

Variety is the spice of life for juvenile Chinook salmon, whose range of life-history strategies as they grow and migrate has helped them survive despite changing conditions. In California, most juvenile Chinook journey from their birth streams through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) and the San Francisco Bay (Bay) before reaching the ocean, where they mature before returning to spawn.

The idea of toxicity often evokes images of hazardous waste barrels stamped with skull-and-crossbones warnings. However, organisms that possess their own dangerous compounds are not always so clearly marked, including toxic fish. Under the umbrella term “toxin” are two categories: poison and venom. While often used interchangeably, these two terms are different.

Common names: Rough-Skinned Newt Scientific name: Taricha granulosa Native range: Central California to Southern Alaska coastal areas Status: Least Concern Habitat: Semi-aquatic freshwater environments The rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) is a medium-sized amphibian native to the Pacific Northwest, ranging from California to Alaska. Its coloration is dark brown on the back with a bright orange or yellow underside, serving as a warning to predators.

Common names: Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog Scientific name: Rana boylii Native range: Western United States Status: Some populations Endangered Habitat: Rocky streams and rivers The foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) lives in rocky streams and rivers from southern California to southern Oregon. This species has coloration that varies by habitat, typically matching its surroundings to improve camouflage.

California’s Central Valley was once a vast mosaic of seasonal wetlands, meandering rivers, riparian forests, native grasslands, and rolling hills blanketed in wildflowers. Together, these interconnected ecosystems supported an extraordinary diversity of fish, wildlife, and plants.

Common names: Valley Gartersnake Scientific name: Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi Native range: Central California to Southern Alaska Status: Least Concern Habitat: Terrestrial with a consistent water source The valley gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi) is native to the western United States from central California to British Columbia, Idaho, and western Nevada and Montana.

Common names: American Bullfrog Scientific name: Lithobates catesbeianus Native range: Central and Eastern United States Status: Least Concern Habitat: Freshwater The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is native to the eastern United States, ranging from Florida to Nova Scotia and extending across the central United States from Texas to Wyoming. Bullfrogs are North America’s largest frogs, weighing over one pound and measuring up to nearly eight inches in length.

California’s Central Valley (CV) salmonids face many problems, and their decline can be attributed to “death by a thousand cuts.” Some of those cuts are exhibited in the high levels of mortality that juveniles face when they migrate from CV rivers to the ocean where they would ideally mature before returning to spawn. Predation, starvation, disease, and poor habitat are just some challenges these juveniles face.