Daniel Auerbach

In REEL, I was a PhD student looking to see the capabilities of drones in fisheries, more specifically looking at subsurface detection in riverine settings.  I worked with two state agencies here in Washington and to the east in Idaho.  My work with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife aims to compare current methodologies and assess the feasibility of identifying and enumerating Summer chinook redds in the Wenatchee River.  After two years of flying in Washington, I teamed with Idaho Department of Fish and Game in Stanley, Idaho, to identify Spring chinook as well as look at environmental impacts on image quality from drones. After graduation I worked the KRITFC – the Kuskokwim River InterTribal Fish Commission and WSU as Postdoctoral Fellow being funded by the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative.

Now (2026), I work for KRITFC as a Salmon Ecologist. Our current work identifies individual sockeye for population estimates. My work focuses on the intersection of salmon escapement monitoring, emerging technologies, and collaboration with tribal communities across Alaska. I am particularly interested in advancing monitoring methods and analytical tools that improve the understanding and stewardship of salmon populations while supporting community-driven fisheries management. He is deeply passionate about fisheries science and the role it plays in sustaining both ecosystems and the cultures that depend on them. 

Contact Info:

650-793-2531 | danny@kritfc.org