The Oregon Hatchery Research Center (OHRC) is a cooperative research project between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon State University Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. It is a unique venture intended to inform hatchery management with the goal of increasing both angler opportunity and wild fish conservation. The OHRC was founded on the recognition that wild and hatchery fish runs are a vital part of each Oregonian's heritage, and that hatchery fish play a key role in meeting both fisheries and conservation objectives. Therefore, the OHRC mission is “to be an internationally recognized leader in fisheries science, conducting research to define the mechanisms that may create differences between hatchery and wild salmonids, recommending strategies to manage those differences, and educating Oregonians about the benefits, risks, roles and performance of hatcheries in fisheries augmentation and conservation”.
The OHRC was established in 2005 and originally located between Alsea and Waldport on Highway 34 of the Coast Range at a special-built ODFW facility on Fall Creek (Alsea River) that was open to the public. However, in 2023 that facility was closed due to an on-going, massive upstream landslide that impacts water quality, makes the facility unreliable for keeping fish alive and conducting experiments, and is a threat to human safety. Currently the OHRC is physically housed and conducts research at the Aquatic Animal Health Lab (AAHL), which is part of OSU and located just outside of Corvallis.
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OHRC research and activities are guided and coordinated by the OHRC Director. Dr. Seth White is the OHRC Director, as well as an Associate Professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University. He is a fisheries scientist specializing in river ecosystems and Pacific Salmon, and currently serves as an invited member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He was previously a Senior Fisheries Scientist at Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission for 13 years where he established and continues to foster relationships with tribes. He has been a Conservation Science Fellow at the Wilburforce Foundation and COMPASS, a Fulbright Fellow to Czech Republic, and a founding member of the Grande Ronde Atlas Science Advisory Committee that developed a habitat restoration prioritization method that has been widely adopted in the Columbia River basin. He is an enthusiastic angler and supports sustainable recreational, commercial, and tribal fisheries.
The OHRC Director is advised by the OHRC Board, which was established in August 2013. The Board is appointed by ODFW’s Director and consists of 15 members, including 12 voting members. Board members represent various interests and entities; a list of current Board members is linked below. The Board operates under a charter and is charged with advising the OHRC Director on operational, budget and research priorities for the center. The Board also develops annual reports describing the research projects and recommendations on hatchery management practices resulting from the center’s work. Recruitments for Board members are conducted by ODFW through news releases and coordination with interested groups.
For more information about conducting OHRC research, contact Dr. Seth White, OHRC Director, at seth.white@oregonstate.edu.
Please visit the OHRC Director’s Website for a list of OHRC’s current research, publications, and graduate work, as well as other information.
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