Kenneth Tiffan
Snake River fall Chinook salmon were listed as “threatened” under the ESA in 1992. My entire career has focused conducting applied research to provide information that would increase our understanding of this unique stock and facilitate recovery efforts.
The work of myself and colleagues from other agencies have produced most of the contemporary information on Snake River fall Chinook salmon.
Research Interests:
The main focus of my work is understanding Snake River fall Chinook salmon life history and ecology to support recovery of this listed stock. Over the years research topics have included migratory behavior, habitat use and quantification, physiology, and feeding ecology of juvenile fish in the Snake and Columbia rivers. Other research areas have included understanding the effects of elevated flows on chum salmon spawning behavior, and investigating recent food web changes to lower Snake River reservoirs.
Professional Experience
1992 to Present – Research Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA
Education and Certifications
M.S. 1992. Fishery Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
B.S. 1987. Fishery Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Science and Products
Diel behavior of rearing fall Chinook salmon
Quantifying the behavioral response of spawning chum salmon to elevated discharges from Bonneville Dam, Columbia River, USA
Chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta that spawn in main-stem habitats below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, USA, are periodically subjected to elevated discharges that may alter spawning behaviour. We investigated behavioural responses of spawning chum salmon to increased water velocities associated with experimental increases in tailwater elevation using acoustic telemetry and a dual-frequency ide
Snake River fall Chinook salmon life history investigation, annual report 2007
A spatial model to assess the effects of hydropower operations on Columbia River fall Chinook Salmon spawning habitat
Application of the SHOALS survey system to fisheries investigations in the Columbia River
Behavioural thermoregulation by subyearling fall (autumn) Chinook salmon oncorhynchus tshawytscha in a reservoir
Water velocity, turbulence, and migration rate of subyearling fall Chinook salmon in the free-flowing and impounded Snake River
Investigating passage of ESA-listed juvenile fall Chinook salmon at Lower Granite Dam during winter when the fish bypass system is not operated
Investigating passage of ESA-listed juvenile fall Chinook salmon at Lower Granite Dam during winter when the fish bypass system is not operated. 2006 Annual Report
Science and Products
Diel behavior of rearing fall Chinook salmon
Quantifying the behavioral response of spawning chum salmon to elevated discharges from Bonneville Dam, Columbia River, USA
Chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta that spawn in main-stem habitats below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, USA, are periodically subjected to elevated discharges that may alter spawning behaviour. We investigated behavioural responses of spawning chum salmon to increased water velocities associated with experimental increases in tailwater elevation using acoustic telemetry and a dual-frequency ide