In Media

By Robin Meadows | July 7, 2026

Madison Dunlap and aquatic ecologist John Durand, also at UC Davis, present an out-of-the-box idea for controlling overbite clams in hopes of boosting fish food. In a June California Water Blog post, they explore dredging the clams in Suisun Marsh, which is between the Bay and the Delta.

By Robin Meadows | May 27, 2026

A new study Phillips led shows that when managed wetlands are flooded for migrating waterfowl, they produce far more zooplankton than nearby tidal wetlands. This fish food peaks in the winter, which is perfect timing for baby Chinook salmon migrating towards the ocean.

by Kat Kerl | March 25, 2026

Suisun Marsh Study Shows Managed Wetlands Produce More Zooplankton Than Tidal Habitats

By Judith Prieve | September 6, 2023

Dutch Slough tidal marsh, halfway through development, already helping to provide safe home for salmon and other wildlife

By Aleta George | March, 2023

The passage of California Proposition 1 resulted in a push to restore wetland habitat, including the conversion of “working” wetlands to open tidal wetlands in the Suisun Marsh. Williamshen’s two-year study kicked off a series of studies that have been conducted by the Aquatic Research Collective to determine if the restoration of managed wetlands in the Suisun Marsh were achieving their goals to help native fishes 

By Nathan Frandino | September 14, 2023

Meghan Holst studies the broadnose sevengill shark, so she was naturally concerned when record-setting rain this year altered the shark's nursery grounds in San Francisco Bay.

By Maven | May 5, 2022

In this presentation, part of the Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Conservation series, Dr. Durand discussed recent studies in Suisun Marsh of phytoplankton and zooplankton of different types of wetlands, and how managed wetlands could support tidal restoration projects.

By Nate Seltenrich | April 6, 2022

Rising seas are coming for Suisun Marsh, and without careful management some of its most critical habitats could be lost forever. The  largest remaining contiguous, brackish-water marsh in western North America, Suisun Marsh is also  a critical refuge for many native fishes of the highly modified, highly invaded San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary – but for how much longer?

Harbingers of a diminishing ecosystem, the smelt are almost extinct. Now, forces within the Trump administration could usher them into oblivion

For the first time ever, research by Dr. Peter Moyle identifies Delta restoration opportunities with science-based ranking metrics.

Panel Discussion via Maven's Notebook 

John Durand looks at the effects of the 2012-2016 drought on the Delta from the environmental, economic, and stakeholder perspectives.

Dr. John Durand discusses the effectiveness of existing and proposed tidal marsh restoration sites in the Suisun Marsh and the Delta.

When extolling the Delta as a tourist destination, it is described as a place of bucolic beauty, but when its future is discussed, it is often portrayed as being on its way to an aquatic Hellscape.

California’s 2012-2016 drought and the very wet 2017 water year tested water management, driven water systems improvements, and helped water organizations and users maintain focus and discipline.

The Sacramento splittail is a distinctive endemic species that are consistently among the most abundant fishes in our samples, despite being uncommon or absent elsewhere. 

By Ian Evans | May 29, 2019

In California’s Delta, native fish face a number of challenges. Scientists Peter Moyle and John Durand of the University of California, Davis discuss those obstacles and how they might be overcome.