Center for Watershed Sciences Content

Stop-and-Go Science: Researchers Pivot to Try to Salvage Important Work

Jocelyn C Anderson — April 27, 2026 - 9:00am

When climate change is faster than the speed of science and unstable funding threatens discovery, 51�ԹϺ�� Davis scientists pivot to try to save important research.

Managed Wetlands a Culinary Hot Spot for SF Bay Fish, But They Need Delivery Options

Katherine E Kerlin — March 25, 2026 - 3:47pm

A 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study shows that part of the San Fransisco Estuary is teeming with fish food — the managed wetlands of Suisun Marsh. Timing seasonal flood releases from them could feed more fish.

Where Do Sturgeon Go?

Andy Fell — March 24, 2026 - 10:56am

White sturgeon can grow to 12 feet long and live for a hundred years. Despite this, not a great deal is known about the lives of these ancient fish as they move between rivers, estuaries and the ocean. Recently, 51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers published a study of how white sturgeon move around the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento river system as they grow and mature. The research shows how white sturgeon face environmental hazards, fishing and other threats over their lives.

Tell Me Something Good … About Salmon

Katherine E Kerlin — January 29, 2026 - 1:22pm

For every bad thing happening in the world, there are good people trying to make things right. Sometimes they even win. That’s why I’m starting a new series on this blog called “Tell Me Something Good.”

I’m opening it up with Carson Jeffres, a 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Center for Watershed Sciences researcher who helped inspire the idea, simply by telling me something good. I needed to hear it. Maybe you do, too.

Record Returns: 2,100 Salmon Spawned in Putah Creek

Katherine E Kerlin — December 17, 2025 - 10:32am

A record-breaking 2,100 Chinook salmon returned to spawn in restored Putah Creek this fall. 51�ԹϺ�� Davis fish biologists and partners are tracking and monitoring the run.

Spring-fed Rivers, Cold Waters and Trout

Andy Fell — June 09, 2025 - 1:55pm

In an age of climate whiplash, cold streams and creeks fed by aquifers in volcanic rock could be a refuge for the survival of native species, especially salmon and trout which breed in cold mountain streams.

One source of cold stream water is of course snowmelt, but that can vary greatly from year to year. Another, more stable source comes from springs drawing on water stored in porous volcanic rocks. These volcanic aquifers can feed cold water into creeks and streams year-round, potentially supporting rainbow trout, steelhead, Coho and Chinook salmon.

California Risks Billions in Economic Losses Without Water Supply Action

Katherine E Kerlin — May 14, 2025 - 2:28pm

A new economic analysis by 51�ԹϺ�� professors shows the high cost of inaction on California’s perpetual water supply challenges. It estimates that the state could lose enough water each year to supply up to 9 million households — with economic losses totaling between $3.4 and $14.5 billion per year, depending on the severity of the scenario.

How One Word Could Strip the Endangered Species Act

Katherine E Kerlin — May 13, 2025 - 12:31pm

A rule change proposed by the Trump administration could green-light the destruction of protected species' habitats and gut the Endangered Species Act, write an ecologist and law professor.

California Rice and Conservation

Andy Fell — April 07, 2025 - 4:12pm

In 1991, the state of California largely banned burning of rice straw after harvest, and farmers turned instead to winter flooding of fields to break down straw. As a result, wildlife has flourished in rice fields which reproduce, to some extent, the wetland habitat that once covered most of California's Central Valley. Rice fields now support some 200 species including fish, birds and reptiles.

Restored Stream Supports New Wild Salmon Run

Katherine E Kerlin — March 20, 2025 - 9:00am

A 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study confirms Putah Creek origin salmon for first time, marking a win for creek restoration and wild salmon, and providing hope for other degraded streams around the globe.