Speaker: Ken Zillig, Postdoctoral Researcher, Fish Physiology Lab, University of California, Davis.

Topic: Conservation Physiology of Anadromous West Coast Fish

The application of physiological techniques to inform the management and conservation of fish species is a developing field. I used ecophysiological techniques (metabolism, CT_MAX, growth) to investigate the thermal performance of eight populations of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) juveniles and investigate patterns of local adaptation and interpopulation variation. We identified environmental drivers associated with population differences which support local adaptation among Chinook salmon populations. In a separate study we investigated the effect of feed rationing on the metabolism of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), a species sympatric with the critically endangered winter-run Chinook salmon. Our results support a conservation conflict between these two endangered species and highlight the challenge for setting thermal regulations for an ecosystem.