This project’s goal is to minimize hatchery straying by developing olfactory imprinting techniques that improve homing of hatchery-produced salmon.
The project previously identified safe chemical odorants that can be added to hatchery water during juvenile rearing and adult return, identified the most appropriate odors and stages of juvenile rearing for odorant exposures, and is currently measuring the effectiveness of odorant treatments for adult homing. Most control and treatment fish are still at sea and returning through 2027.
Current work also explores affordable alternatives for production-scale applications and investigates the transferability of findings to other regions in the context of climate change through mapping of environmental conditions and workshops with hatchery managers.
This project is a multi-agency collaboration between OSU, Andy Dittman (NOAA), Thomas Quinn (UW), and Marc Johnson (NOAA) and is funded by the Oregon Hatchery Research Center (OHRC).
