Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: New York
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

New York Project

Integration of molecular methods into predator diet analyses to advance understanding of juvenile Chinook salmon predation mortality in the Delta

September 2019 - June 2021

Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Chinook salmon stocks along the West Coast U.S. are significantly depressed relative to historical levels. A range of stressors are currently impacting these species, including predation by non-native predators in freshwater habitats. in a collaboration involving the USGS Cooperative Research Units, California Fish and Game, and NOAA, were we advance recently developed DNA mixture analyses to quantify predation rates on juvenile Chinook salmon in the Sacramento Delta. Results will inform management of threatened Pacific salmon stocks.