Chinook eDNA Sampling

An innovative monitoring technique, known as environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, now allows for rare or cryptic species to be detected in freshwater ecosystems.

CWC will be utilizing this technique, in partnership  with the National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, to assess the Chinook salmon population in the Calapooia River.

The population of spring Chinook in the Calapooia River was listed as Threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2005 and once numbered as many as 9,000 returning adults. Today, spring Chinook have been nearly extirpated from the Calapooia River and little is known about their current status.

This project will provide fisheries managers and habitat restoration professionals with a detailed understanding of their distribution and habitat use at a fraction of the cost of traditional monitoring methods.