What is the Oregon Hatchery Research Center?
The Oregon Hatchery Research Center is a state-of-the-art research facility that provides a place for scientists to study native fish recovery and hatchery programs. The Center is owned by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and is jointly operated by ODFW and Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. The Center’s fish-rearing facilities enable researchers to study both natural and hatchery environments. Facilities include four artificial streams that replicate natural channels and allow scientists to alter substrate, cover, shade and water flow to mimic a variety of natural conditions; four raceways to produce fish under traditional hatchery conditions for comparison with wild fish; and a tank farm with approximately 40 tanks for rearing groups of fish. These fish-rearing facilities and the Center’s laboratory help researchers answer questions vital to the success of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, the state’s innovative, volunteer-based effort
