2026 IEP Workshop Poster Exhibits

Below are some of the posters and abstracts from the 2026 IEP Annual Workshop that authors have made available for viewing. If an author did not share their poster for exhibit, you can contact them directly using their contact information in the Abstract Booklet (PDF).

Best Poster Presentation Winners

  • Pachia Lee (DWR) [Available - see category New Technologies]
  • Lalayna Hablutzel (CDFW) [Available - see category Delta or Longfin Smelt]
  • Andres Mendoza (USFWS) [Not Available - contact author directly]

How to Find an Author or Poster

  • You can use the search box to search by an author's name or subject matter.
  • You can select one of the listed categories and scroll by author in the list at the right.
  • You can scroll through the list of posters. Click on one. To open the poster (larger screen) and see the abstract, click on the text (white font) at the top of the poster image. Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the page to move left and right across the screen.

Search

Categories

Lalayna Hablutzel -- Phenology of Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys)

published on APRIL 24, 2026
0
Like 0
APRIL 24, 2026

Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thalieichthys) are a protected species in their southernmost range in the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta (Delta) of California. The observed decline of the Longfin Smelt (LFS) population is attributed to factors such as decreased food availability, increasing temperatures, changes in flow within the estuary, and entrainment to the federal and state water projects. Entrainment is the redirection of LFS by exported water diversions out of the estuary by water projects located in the south Delta, and researchers are attempting to determine what proportion of the LFS population is vulnerable to entrainment. The California Dept. Of Fish and Wildlife and the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) monitors the spatial distribution and presence of larval LFS across the Delta with the Smelt Larva Survey (SLS) and the Larval Entrainment Study (LES). Both were established to improve our understanding of factors influencing larval LFS entrainment. Here, we aim to measure the start and end of spawning periods by examining trends in the timing of larval LFS presence and abundance in the south Delta. We estimate spawning starts using the developmental rate of LFS eggs in conjunction with larval LFS observations. We compare data from LES to those of SLS, specifically focusing on the south Delta region. We expect LFS with yolk sacs to appear in clusters throughout each sampling season in the south Delta with corresponding abundances of growing LFS later in the season. Furthermore, spawning periods are expected to vary in length across years in response to environmental variables such as precipitation and river temperatures. Preliminary work suggests that recently hatched larvae are still present, and at risk of entrainment, in the south Delta following the end of the SLS season. A clearer understanding of LFS spawning trends, presence, and abundance will improve monitoring efforts and inform management of LFS.

Authors:
• Lalayna Hablutzel*†, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Lalayna.hablutzel@wildlife.ca.gov
• Virginia Afentoulis, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Walter Kyle Griffiths, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Morgan Gilbert, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Tariq Celeste, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Tim Malinich, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

*Presenting author

Categories:Delta or Longfin Smelt

Showing 0 Comment