The OHRC is a cooperative research project between Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and Oregon State University (OSU) Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. Our mission is to:
- Understand differences between hatchery and wild fish
- Develop approaches to manage hatchery fish that conserve and protect wild fish populations
- Understand the relationships between fish and their natural environments
- Educate and train students, fishery biologists, managers, and the public
- Provide resources for fish management and stewardship
Executive Director: Seth White, Oregon State University
Board Members:
Scott Starkey, Forest Products Industry Representative
Seth Isenberg, Wild Fish Advocacy Representative
Tom Alkire, Wild Fish Advocacy Representative
Ted Simon, Agriculture Industry Representative
Steve Jacobs, Independent Scientific Community Representative
Travis Mackie, Oregon Indian Tribes Representative
Dwight Collins, Oregon Salmon Commission
Derek Wall, Columbia River Gillnet Salmon Fishery
Chuck Pavlik, Coastal Ports
Lance Kruzic, Federal Government Agencies Representative
Carl B. Schreck, OSU Representative
Shaun Clements, ODFW Representative
Peter Gruendike, Fish Habitat Restoration Representative
Randall Brummett, Sport Angling Representative
Anna Le, Sport Angling Representative
OHRC-Funded Research:
Perceptions of Hatcheries
Principal investigators: Brian Erickson (OSU), Kelly Biedenweg (OSU), Samantha Chisholm Hatfield (OSU; enrolled Confederated Tribes of Siletz; Cherokee), Megan Jones (OSU)
Effective communication requires understanding where people are coming from. This study assesses the public perceptions of salmonid hatcheries from:
1) Tribal communities and Tribal fishermen
2) Non-Tribal fishing communities, including anglers, guides, commercial fishermen, and their families
We utilized interviews, workshops, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge methods.
Findings are intended to assist in the development of outreach and education efforts around hatchery science and management for diverse groups and audiences. The OHRC manual and hosted workshops were created to share research and information geared towards this goal.
Wild-like Mate Selection
Principle investigator: Michael Banks (OSU)
This long-term project evaluates whether mimicking ‘wild-like’ mate selection in hatcheries leads to greater reproductive success for Pacific salmon. Equipped with lessons from a study of coho mate pairings in the wild, we developed methods to select ‘wild-like’ mate partners in hatcheries. We are evaluating success by comparing the number of returning offspring from wild-like pairings with those from random fathers. Results are promising for wild-like fathers so far, but many fish are returning from sea through 2024.
The outcome of this research may lead to new procedures for mating fish across hatchery programs to produce fish with increased fitness, thereby reducing negative impacts to wild populations. A companion project partially funded by OHRC called VALUE TAGGER has concurrently developed methods to automate fin-clippings for future hatchery and research use.
Timing of Release
Principle investigators: Jessica Miller (OSU), Brian Beckman (NOAA), Marc Johnson (NOAA)
Researchers are evaluating how hatchery rearing and release strategies might be modified to more accurately reflect the diversity observed in wild populations, and thereby buffer against increasing environmental variability.
To do this, tagged juvenile Chinook salmon will be released from multiple hatcheries several times each year. Performance of each release will be measured through recoveries of the tagged fish when they are sampled as adults in fisheries, at hatcheries, and on spawning grounds.
The researchers expect to generate actionable recommendations for juvenile salmon rearing and release strategies, and possibly identify infrastructure needed to implement optimal strategies at ODFW hatcheries.
Olfactory Imprinting, found in our Research tab!
