What is Spinning Salmon?

As scientists investigate the cause of a thiamine deficiency in Pacific salmon, high school classrooms in and around Sacramento County are given the unique opportunity to contribute data to this ongoing research. Thiamine Deficiency Complex (TDC), a compound critical for essential metabolic processes, was first documented in California’s salmon in 2020. Symptoms in TDC juveniles manifest as spinning, lethargy and eventual death. As scientists investigated the cause, the team at the UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science, in collaboration with researchers at the UCD Center for Watershed Sciences, NOAA Fisheries and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, created the Spinning Salmon program. The team developed an observation protocol and lesson sequence as part of the Classroom Aquariums Education Program, where submitted student data will be used to quantify the relationship between egg thiamine and juvenile survival, a missing piece of information needed  to solve the TDC puzzle. Click here to learn more about the project.

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This project is funded by Gear Up - STEM Rural Valley Partnership, NOAA B-WET Grant (Solano County Office of Education), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.