From the headwaters of California’s rivers to the streams and estuaries up and down the west coast and out into the Pacific Ocean, the Fisheries Collaborative Program’s research is coursing a path toward a more sustainable future for marine and freshwater fish species and their habitats. Explore what we do.

Coastal Salmonid Ecology

Big Creek
Investigating and supporting the persistence of small steelhead trout populations in dynamic environments (Big Sur, California).
Carmel River Restoration team electrofishing
Studying the ecology of steelhead trout in the Carmel River to support the conservation and management of this ESA-listed species.
Salmon fry under study at Scott Creek
Leading the conservation and recovery of coho salmon and steelhead trout throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains and coast.

Central Valley Anadromous Fish Ecology

Central Valley team on a NOAA research boat in the Delta
Supporting the conservation and management of California Chinook salmon through tracking and modeling.
River in the Central Valley
Developing detection and modeling techniques to monitor threatened green sturgeon populations in California’s Central Valley.

Marine Fish Ecology and Stock Assessment

San Diego sunset at sea
Leading innovative survey efforts to assess the population dynamics of coastal pelagic fish species.
Big Creek Beach
Investigating life histories, trophic dynamics, and management strategies for coastal pelagic and highly migratory fish species.
Juvenile Chinook Salmon
Investigating juvenile salmon distribution and survival through the integration of survey data into an ecosystem modeling framework.
Bodega Bay harbor at sunset
Using state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms to inform ecosystems-based fisheries management.
Rockfish in coral at the sea floor
Investigating the life history, reproductive ecology, and habitat associations of groundfish populations throughout the California Current.

Environmental Variability and Climate Change

Top view of a humpback whale in Monterey Bay
Linking physical processes and marine populations to inform ecosystem-based fisheries management.
Polar ice
Improving the understanding and management of the ocean's resources by facilitating the use of the environmental data provided by satellite ocean sensors.
Developing innovative water planning tools to advance sustainable, inclusive, and equitable water distribution for California.
Scuba Diver
We study how species adapt to rapidly changing environments to inform global stewardship and train the next generation of scientific leaders.

Fish Ecology and Evolution

Juvenile salmon from Scott Creek
Working at the interface of ecology and evolution to understand aquatic organisms and ecosystems.
creek
Our work focuses on understanding how different Poecillid fish species repeatedly adapt to live in toxic, sulfide-rich, streams.
Group of Chinook salmon fry
Supporting salmonid management and recovery efforts through integrated genetic monitoring and evaluation.