USGS - Klamath Falls Field Station

The primary mission of the Klamath Falls Field Station (KFFS) is to conduct rigorous scientific investigations into issues related to the management and recovery of endangered Lost River and shortnose sucker populations in the Upper Klamath Basin. Populations of these species exist in a number of water bodies within the Basin, but the primary populations of interest are those located in Upper Klamath Lake (Oregon) and Clear Lake Reservoir (California). Upper Klamath Lake has become hypereutrophic due to changes in land-use practices, and poor water quality in the summer and fall appears to play a role in limiting the recovery of endangered sucker populations. Clear Lake Reservoir has also been affected by land-use changes and water management in the Upper Basin, and populations of suckers in this reservoir are receiving increasing attention. The KFFS conducts research related to all life stages of the suckers and maintains a substantial field sampling program that lends itself to collaborative investigations. A major element of KFFS research is a long-term capture-recapture monitoring program for adult suckers that uses PIT tags and remote detection systems. The sampling and data analysis expertise of the KFFS has proven to be transferrable to a variety of other species of interest, most recently for projects related to salmonids being conducted jointly with other federal and state agencies and tribes.