Dr. Peter Kiffney has been working in the Watershed Program at National Marine Fisheries Service’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center for over 20 years, and he has done extensive research on the habitat needs of salmon and other species of the Pacific Northwest. He received his B.S. degree in Geology from the University of North Carolina and his M.S. in Aquatic Science from the University of California-Davis, followed by a Ph.D. in Fishery and Wildlife Biology and Ecology at Colorado State University.

After a 2‑year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia, he joined the Watershed Program in 1998. His interests in aquatic ecology are broad but primarily focus on the rearing ecology of Pacific salmon and trout. He is especially interested in understanding the food system that supports Pacific salmon and trout so that we can improve management strategies for conserving these species in the face of rapid environmental change.