Crossposted from Headwaters

This spring, scientists from the Science Section’s Watershed and Ecological Assessment Team (WEAT) went looking for juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in streams where they have not been previously documented. The team spent 29 days in the field, ultimately completing 97 surveys across 20 different streams.

Studies like this are time sensitive. The right fish are only in the right places at the right time and even then, they’re very hard to find. To make the best use of small timeframe, agencies like ours rely on seasonal support from early career professionals like Lauren Hodges. See Lauren’s bio here.

After 26 days of wading, zapping, netting, and measuring, we asked Lauren to share a day in the life of a field biologist looking for small salmon in surprising places. Read more.

Pictured: From left, Lauren tallies fish with lead biologist Aaron David.