Julann Spromberg to Speak on Mortality Syndrome in Coho Salmon Feb. 19 at Western
Western Washington University alumna Julann Spromberg will discuss the impact of storm water runoff on Coho salmon as part of Western’s Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19in Communications Facility 120 on Western’s campus.
The presentation is free and open to the public.
Adult Coho salmon return each fall to freshwater spawning habitats throughout western North America. The Coho spawner migration coincides with increasing seasonal rainfall, which in turn increases storm water runoff, particularly in urban and suburban watersheds. For more than a decade, adult Coho in urban spawning habitats have been dying prematurely, often at rates exceeding 50 percent of the fall run. Such high levels of mortality are a significant concern for the long-term conservation and recovery of wild Coho, particularly those population segments vulnerable to development pressures in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia.
Indirect evidence from forensic investigations and geospatial land use analyses has implicated toxic runoff as causing the mortality syndrome, which can kill an adult Coho within only a few hours. In her talk titled “Murky Water: Coho salmon and urban storm water runoff,” Spromberg will describe the results of a recent study to determine what is killing the Coho salmon—and what can be done to lower the mortality rate during spawning season.
Spromberg is a toxicologist who works at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center. She received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University and a doctorate in Toxicology from the Graduate Center for Toxicology at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on linking contaminant exposures to population-level effects in animal populations. Spromberg also provides science support for Biological Opinions and other projects promoting NOAA’s mission.
The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.
The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the 草榴社区 and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.
草榴社区’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.
For more information, please contact 草榴社区’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2554.