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College of Natural Resources

Physical Address:
975 W. 6th Street
Moscow, Idaho

Mailing Address:
875 Perimeter Drive MS 1138
Moscow, ID 83844-1138

Phone: 208-885-8981

Fax: 208-885-5534

Email: cnr@uidaho.edu

Web: College of Natural Resources

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Christopher Caudill

Christopher Caudill, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Fisheries

Office

CNR 105C

Phone

208-885-7614

Mailing Address

Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences
University of Idaho
875 Perimeter Drive MS 1136
Moscow, ID 83844-1136

Degrees

  • Ph.D. (2002) Cornell University, Ithaca NY, Entomology 
  • M.S. (1995) University of New Hampshire, Durham NH, Zoology 
  • B.S. (1991) University of Maryland, College Park MD, Biology 

Research Interests

  • Animal movement and population biology
  • Fish migration and fish passage
  • Life history variation
  • Climate effects
  • Conservation and management of freshwater resources
  • Endangered species

Seminal Publications

Keefer, M.L., C.C. Caudill. Homing and straying by anadromous salmonids: a review of mechanisms and rates. 2104. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. 24(1): 333-368. DOI 10.1007/s11160-013-9334-6

Caudill, C. C., M. L. Keefer, T. S. Clabough, G. P. Naughton, B. J. Burke and C. A. Peery. 2013. Indirect Effects of Impoundment on Migrating Fish: Temperature Gradients in Fish Ladders Slow Dam Passage by Adult Chinook Salmon and Steelhead. PLOS One 8(12): 1-13; e85586. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0085586

Recent Publishing Accomplishments

Benda, S.E.*, M.L. Kent, C.C. Caudill, C.B. Schreck, and G.P. Naughton. Cool, pathogen free refuge lowers pathogen associated prespawn mortality of Willamette River Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. In press, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.

Keefer, M.L., C.C. Caudill, Estimating thermal exposure of adult summer steelhead and fall Chinook salmon migrating in a warm impounded river. In press, Ecology of Freshwater Fish.

Kirk, M.A.*, C.C. Caudill, E.L. Johnson, M.L. Keefer, and T.S. Clabough. Characterization of adult Pacific Lamprey swimming behavior in relation to environmental conditions within large dam fishways. In press for Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 144:998–1012. DOI: 10.1080/00028487.2015.1059368.

Keefer, M.L., T.S. Clabough, M.A. Jepson, G.P. Naughton, T.J. Blubaugh, D.C. Joosten, and C.C. Caudill. 2015. Thermal exposure of adult Chinook salmon in the Willamette River basin. Journal of Thermal Biology 48: 11-20. DOI 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2014.12.002

McIlraith*, B.J., C.C. Caudill, B.P. Kennedy, C.A. Peery, and M.L. Keefer. 2015. Seasonal migration behaviors and distribution of adult Pacific Lamprey in unimpounded reaches of the Snake River basin. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 35: 123-134. DOI 10.1080/02755947.2014.986344

Hess, J.E., C.C. Caudill, D.A. Close, M.L. Keefer, B.J. McIlraith, M.L. Moser, and S.R. Narum. 2014. Genes predict long distance migration and large body size in a migratory fish, Pacific lamprey. Evolutionary Applications 7: 1192-1208. DOI 10.1111/eva.12203

Bourret, S.L.*, B.P. Kennedy, C.C. Caudill, and P.M. Chittaro. 2014. Assessing the Feasibility of Geochemical Signatures to Distinguish Early Freshwater Movement, Habitat Use, and Life History of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Journal of Fish Biology 85: 1507-1525. DOI 10.1111/jfb.12505

Keefer, M.L., C.C. Caudill, and M.L. Moser. 2014. Bottleneck relief models: prioritizing fishway passage improvements for Pacific lamprey. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 143(4): 1049-1060. DOI 10.1080/00028487.2014.911210

Caudill, C.C., M.A. Jepson, S.R. Lee, T.L. Dick, G.P. Naughton, and M.L. Keefer. 2014. A field test of eugenol-based anesthesia versus fish restraint in migrating adult Chinook salmon and steelhead. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 143(4): 856-863. DOI 10.1080/00028487.2014.892533

Zabel, R.W., B.J. Burke, M.L. Moser, and C.C. Caudill. 2014. Modeling temporal phenomena in variable environments with parametric models: an application to migrating salmon. Ecological Modeling 273: 23-30. DOI 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2013.10.020

Moser, M. L., M. L. Keefer, C. C. Caudill, and B. J. Burke. 2013. Migratory behavior of adult Pacific lamprey and evidence for effects of individual temperament on migration rate. Pages 132-151 in H. Ueda and K. Tsukamoto, editors. Physiology and Ecology of Fish Migration. CRC Press, Boca Raton.

Keefer, M.L., C.C. Caudill, T.S. Clabough, M.A. Jepson, E.L. Johnson, M. Higgs, and M. Moser. 2013. Fishway passage bottleneck identification and prioritization: a case study of Pacific lamprey at Bonneville Dam. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 70(10): 1551-1565. DOI 10.1139/cjfas-2013-0164

37. Keefer, M.L., C.C. Caudill, C.A. Peery, and M.L. Moser. 2013. Context-dependent diel behavior of upstream-migrating anadromous fishes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 96: 691-700. DOI 10.1007/s10641-012-0059-5

Keefer, M. L., G. A. Taylor, D. F. Garletts, C. Helms, G. A. Gauthier, T. M. Pierce, and C.C. Caudill. 2013. High-head dams affect downstream fish passage timing and survival in the Middle Fork Willamette River. River Research and Applications 29: 483-492. DOI 10.1002/rra.1613

Keefer, M.L., C.T. Boggs, C.A. Peery, and C.C. Caudill. 2013. Factors affecting dam passage and upstream distribution of adult Pacific lamprey in the interior Columbia River basin. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 22: 1-10. DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2012.00586.x

Laitala, K. L., T. S. Prather, D. Thill, B. Kennedy and C. Caudill. 2012. Efficacy of Benthic Barriers as a Control Measure for Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum). Invasive Plant Science and Management 5(2): 170-177. DOI 10.1614/IPSM-D-09-00006.1

Clabough, T.S., M.L. Keefer, C.C. Caudill, E.L. Johnson, and C.A. Peery. 2012. Use of night video to enumerate adult Pacific lamprey passage at hydroelectric dams: challenges and opportunities to improve escapement estimate. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 32(4): 687-695. DOI 10.1080/02755947.2012.690820

Keefer, M. L., G. A. Taylor, D. F. Garletts, C. K. Helms, G. A. Gauthier, T. M. Pierce and C.C. Caudill. 2012. Reservoir entrapment and dam passage mortality of juvenile Chinook salmon in the Middle Fork Willamette River. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 21(2): 222-234. DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2011.00540.x

Keefer, M.L., R.J. Stansell, S.C. Tackley, W.T. Nagy, K.M. Gibbons, C.A. Peery, and C.C. Caudill. 2012. Use of radiotelemetry and direct observation to evaluate sea lion predation on adult Pacific salmonids at Bonneville Dam. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141(5): 1236-1251. DOI 10.1080/00028487.2012.688918

30. Hyun, S-Y, M.L. Keefer, M.A. Jepson, C.C. Caudill, J.K. Fryer, R. Sharma, J.M. Whiteaker, and G.P. Naughton. 2012. Population-specific escapement of Columbia River fall Chinook salmon: tradeoffs among estimation techniques. Fisheries Research 129-130: 82-93. DOI 10.1016/j.fishres.2012.06.013 (30)

Johnson, E.L., C.C. Caudill, M.L. Keefer, T.S. Clabough, C.A. Peery, M.A. Jepson, and M.L. Moser. 2012. Movement of radio-tagged adult Pacific lampreys during a large-scale fishway velocity experiment. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141(3):571-579 DOI 10.1080/00028487.2012.683468

Naughton, G. P., M. L. Keefer, T. S. Clabough, M. A. Jepson, S. R. Lee, C. A. Peery and C.C. Caudill. 2011. Influence of marine mammal injuries on the survival of Chinook salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River basin. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 68(9): 1615-1624. DOI 10.1139/F2011-064

Johnson, E.L., T.S. Clabough, C.A. Peery, C.C. Caudill, M.L. Keefer, and M.C. Richmond. 2010. Migration depths of adult steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in relation to dissolved gas supersaturation in a regulated river system. Journal of Fish Biology 76(6): 1520-1528. DOI 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02578.x

Keefer, M.L., G.A. Taylor, D.F. Garletts, G.A. Gauthier, T.M. Pierce, and C.C. Caudill. 2010. Prespawn mortality in adult spring Chinook salmon outplanted above barriers dams. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 19: 361-372. DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2010.00418.

2013 American Fisheries Society Fisheries Engineering Committee Distinguished Project in Fisheries Engineering and Ecohydrology, Honorable Mention for Lamprey passage at migration barriers on the Columbia River (multiagency award shared with 32 other federal and tribal biologists and engineers including 2 graduate advisees, H. Zobbot and C. Symms).

2005 Zayed International Prize for the Environment, co-recipient as participant in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

Research

Comparative survival of reservoir reared and reservoir bypassed spring Chinook salmon in the Willamette River basin: Phase 1: Use of otolith and scale analyses to characterize life history variation in spring Chinook salmon in three Willamette Valley Project reservoirs and tributaries. 2009. Caudill, C.C. and B.P. Kennedy. $146,680 awarded to UI. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Anadromous Fish Evaluation Program, Portland District.

Migration of adult Chinook salmon and Steelhead in Hood River, Oregon, 2009. C.C. Caudill. $41,631. Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon.

Juvenile fall Chinook telemetry monitoring (continuation of Telemetry evaluation of habitat use by juvenile Snake River Fall Chinook salmon in reservoirs). 2009. Caudill, C.C. $177,530. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District.

Condition and spawning success of adult spring Chinook salmon in the Willamette River-2009. 2008. Caudill, C.C., C.B. Schreck, and M. Kent. $156,501 awarded to U.I. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Anadromous Fish Evaluation Program, Portland District.

Evaluation of adult salmon and steelhead delay and fallback at Snake and Columbia river dams, 2009. 2008. Caudill, C.C., and B.J. Burke; $306,260 awarded to U.I. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Anadromous Fish Evaluation Program, Portland District.

Improving adult Pacific lamprey passage and survival at lower Columbia River dams, 2009. 2008. Caudill, C.C., and M.L. Moser. $314,943. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Anadromous Fish Evaluation Program, Portland District.

Evaluation of adult Pacific lamprey passage success at McNary and Ice Harbor dams, 2009. 2008. Caudill, C.C. and M.L. Moser. $221,608. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Anadromous Fish Evaluation Program, Walla Walla District.

Telemetry evaluation of habitat use by juvenile Snake River Fall Chinook salmon in reservoirs as part of Aquatic Monitoring of Navigation Channel Maintenance Sites, Snake River, WA. (FY 2008-2009). Caudill, C.C. & D. Bennett. $292,034. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District.

Improvement in estimates of Columbia River fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) escapements. $70,218 (FY2009-2010). Collaborative with Columbia River Inter-tribal Fisheries Commission (S.-Y. Hyun, lead CRITFC P.I.), funded by Pacific Salmon Commission.

Development and implementation of water quality monitoring protocols for the National Park Service I&M program: Upper Columbia Basin Network (UCBN). Caudill, C.C., $109,100 (FY 2005- 2007).

Ecology and distribution of migratory fishes in the Mekong River. Hogan, Z, G.P. Naughton, C.A. Peery, and C.C. Caudill. 2005. $70,000, IUCN World Conservation Union Mekong Wetlands Biodiversity Program.

Habitat use and migration behavior of adult salmon in the Columbia River Estuary as a test of the National Marine and Estuary Classification. C. Peery, N. Wright, and C.C. Caudill. 2004-2006. $196,000, NOAA Coastal Services Program.

Outreach

Organizer of screening of Blackfish at the Kenworthy Theater, Moscow, ID and host/moderator for panel discussions with three cast members of the movie. October 16-17 2014, Moscow, ID. Co-sponsored by UI Fish and Wildlife Sciences and the Moscow Food Co-op.

Caudill, C.C. and M.L. Keefer. 2014. Conversion of radio-tagged adult salmon and steelhead through the Federal Columbia River Power System. Bilateral Okanagan Technical Work Group, 27 March 2014.

Zobott, H. and C.C. Caudill. 2014. Lamprey Synthesis Model: Bringing Together Biology, Engineering, Dam Management, and Fishery Management. Workshop for USACE Studies Review Working Group (SRWG), 12 February, Bonneville Dam, WA.

Participant, Lamprey Technical Work Group and Lamprey Passage Metrics Standards Subcommittee, both subcommittees of the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority’s Anadromous Fish Advisory Committee, 2009-2010.

Invited seminars:

 Caudill, C.C. 2014. Pink fish for blackfish: A short history of Pacific Northwest Salmon. Super Pod Three (A group of orca activists and conservationists associated with the movie Blackfish), The Whale Museum, Friday Harbor, WA.

Caudill, C.C. 2014. Snake River Steelhead: Trials and tribulations of migration in the modern world. Clearwater Flycasters, Moscow, ID.

Contact Us

College of Natural Resources

Physical Address:
975 W. 6th Street
Moscow, Idaho

Mailing Address:
875 Perimeter Drive MS 1138
Moscow, ID 83844-1138

Phone: 208-885-8981

Fax: 208-885-5534

Email: cnr@uidaho.edu

Web: College of Natural Resources

Directions