Suisun Marsh is one of the largest remaining tidal wetlands on the west coast of North America, and a hotspot for native fish diversity in the upper San Francisco Estuary. Professor Peter Moyle of UC Davis began samping fishes using trawls and seines in 1979, and the project has become one of the standard monitoring programs used for making decisions that affect water management for California. The research focuses on trends in fish and invertebrate populations that are highly affected by freshwater flows and invasive species. 

The study samples wetland habitats that are home for sensitive and listed native species like Splittail (Pogonychthys macroelpidotus) and Tule Perch (Hysterocarpus traskii) throughout their life cycles, and has served as baseline for graduate research studies on restored and historic wetlands, and helped evaluate the impact of management actions in the marsh.