Fish Research Plans Outlined
Plans are shaping up rapidly
for the opening of the fish re­
search center at the old Coast
Guard boathouse, Dr.William
J. McNeil, head of the Pacific
Fisheries Laboratory at Newport,
said Monday after an inspection
of the property. In the inspection
party -.with McNeil was W. P.
Breeze, Ass't Professor at OSU;
Nelson E.Stewart, Ass't in Fish­
eries; Dr. John R. Donaldson,
Ass't Professor at OSU; Robert
P. Courtright, Ass't in Fisheries,
biologist and marine-life sculp­
tor. Courtright has been selected
to man the research center and
will return here permanently a-
bout the first of December.
Dr. McNeil said a work party
w o u ld return in about three
weeks to begin installing lab
equipment to be gin the study of
culturing fall chinook salmon
in salt water. McNeil said this
would be the first study of its
kind ever attempted and, with
success,the Dr.envisions a string
of such culture stations along
the entire Oregon coast.
OSU has completed negotia­
tions with the Coast Guard for
a five-year lease permit on the
Coast Guard station to allow
time for transfer of the property
to the university, McNeil said.
Courtright w ill occupy the
single family dwelling at the
station while conductmg r e ­
search studies at the lab.
Following is an outline of the
research to be conducted here as
prepared by the Department of
Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon
Following is an outline of the
research to be conducted here as
prepared by the Department of
Fisheries and Wildlife, Oegon
State University.
Experiment Station and $5, (XX)
from Curry County to initiate
the studies.
PROPOSED PROGRAM
Three questions important to
the culture of fall chinook sal­
mon in marine waters w ill be
investigated:
( 1 ) Hatching Eggs and Rearing
Alevins:Laboratory experiments
w ill identify procedures for pro­
ducing fall chinook salmon fry
of highest quality.
In hatcheries, salmon eggs are
typically placed in open trays
or troughs with rapid flowing
water. In spawning beds,eggs re­
pose in gravel with slow flowing
water. Salmon e g g s w ill be
INTRODUCTION
Pacific salmon reproduce in
fresh-water streams and lakes
and obtain their growth at sea.
Oregon's fishermen account for
only two per cent of the North
American production of Pacific
salmon e v e n though nursery
grounds of salmon originating
from Oregon coastal waters ex­
tend over an area of the North
Pacific Ocean equal in size to
the continental United States.
Pacific salmon have tradition­
ally been cultured only in fresh
water. Cregon State University
is proposing to provide increas­
ed production of Pacific salmon
under Sea Grant P r o g r a m s
through development of a tech­
nology for culturing salmon in
marine waters. Our intentions
are to hatch the eggs and condi­
tion the young to return to O e -
gon coastal waters by exposing
them to fresh water early in
development and to rear the
young in marine waters. The
young may be reared in protect­
ed marine hatchery ponds or in
unprotected estuaries and era-
bayments.
Salmon spawning occurs in
Oregon mostly in autumn and
winter when there is an abun-
hatched in rapid and slow flow­
ing water of high and low sal­
inity. Hatching o f eggs and
growth of embryo« and alevins
w ill be compared. Group« of fry
which had been exposed to var­
ious conditions of water flow
and salinity as embryos and al­
evins will be tested for vigor
and stamina in exercise cham­
bers.
(2) Growingjuveniles in Mar­
ine Water«: Laboratory experi­
ments will identify procedures
for growing young fall chinook
salmon in marine hatcheries
after they begin to feed.
Fry will be grown in labora­
tory tanks at various levels of
salinity and population density
and rates of feeding. Other ex­
periments will test the effects
of diet on their growth in salt
water.
(3) Conditioning Juveniles for
Supplemental Feedings Labora­
tory and field experiments will
establish if artificial foods can
be used to supplement natural
foods for the period that young
fall chinook salmon are in es­
tuaries and bays.
Juveniles used in laboratory
experiments on feeding w ill be
conditioned to feed in response
to sound or other stimuli. After
the test fish have been condi­
tioned to feed in response to a
stimulus, they w ill be released
in a bay or estuary near a feed­
ing station. The stimulus will
be applied on an established
scheduled to attract the fish to
the feeding station.
OTHER STUDIES
Much-needed information on
fall chinook salmon is provided
by other studies. Tolerance of
embryos to low water flow and
low levels of dissolved oxygen
and tolerance of juveniles to
high salinity is known. Studies
are now in progress on the phy­
siological adaptations of young
salmon which allow them to
l i v e in salt water as well as
fresh water. Research on adap­
tation of salmon embryos and
alevins to salt water w ill begin
in laboratories on the Corvallis
campus in autumn 1967.
A Fish Commission study of
th e ecology of fall chinook
salmon has been active at Sixes
River near Port Crford for sev­
eral years. The commission will
soon undertake similar studies
at Winchuck and Pistol Rivers
near Brookings and Elk River
near Port Crford
Diets for juvenile salmon
have been developed for fresh­
water hatcheries through coop­
erative studies of the F ish Com­
mission and the University. The
Came Commission is experi­
menting with the rearing of fall
Chinook salmon in a salt-water
lagoon near Waldport. The U. S.
F is h and Wildlife Service has
experimented extensively with
techniques for culturing fall
Chinook salmon in fresh-water
hatcheries on t h e Columbia
River.
.
This program of research is
intended to complement other
research on fall chinook salmon.
Periodic review of our research
with personnel mother agencies
w i l l insure that this program
will provide for the orderly ad-
Port Orford News, Thursday, September 14, 1967—3
vancement of culture of Pacif­
ic salmon in marine waters.
MANPOWER AND FACILITIES
Research will be directed
Thursday
th r o u g h the Department of CWF Com. Church, 7:30p.m.
F is h e r ie s and Wildlife. One
Friday
graduate student will be em ­ Home Extension, 10:30 a. m.
ployed initially, on a half-time
Saturday
basis.
Eastern Star, 8 p. m.
The Coast Guard boat house Football, St. Francis, there
Monday
at Port Orford will be the site
of laboratory studies. Fresh and Job's Daughters, 7:30 p. m.
salt-water systems will be con­ Senior Citizens
Tuesday
structed and facilities for hatch­
ing eggs and for rearing juven­ Rotary, 12:10 p. m.
ile salmon will be provided Am. Legion & Aux. 8 p. m.
Wednesday
Bachelor quarters for the student
will be provided in the base­ Lions, 7:30 p. m.
ment of the large dwelling at St. Christopher's G ld ,7:30p .m ,
P. O. Bridge Club, 8 p. m.
the Coast Guard station.
MIRACLE W HIP
NAR&ARINE ;
A
COFFEE
A H I T t f PiuWdq on. 31
TOMATO SOUP ■
ram chops
".g g B a A llt? FOWL LOIN (LOMT OK
C#UNTIW *Tne SWMRIBB
Mo ICAVS
PRESERVES
NEMfiGAltS
BACON
SQUARES
SMWVKS FRANKS
STRAWKW, APtlCOT'PINftWl-t
W W R M * &RAPE: JELLM
3-lbPICNIC Q N t f M H t * *
PORK 5MIÇA6E ROLLS
*«««“*
39?
5’ lb.
PICNIC
VMtrM AAcXAM COUPON
propriated funds in 1967 to con­
struct a one-half m illion dollar
hatcherywithmatching Federal
funds on Elk River, an important
salmon spawning stream near
P o rt Crford. The Oregon Fish
Commission w ill produce juv­
enile fall chinook salmon in the
hatchery. There are few addi­
tional sites in southwestern Ore­
gon where fresh-water salmon
hatcheries can be constructed
Even the Elk River hatchery
m a y experience problems in
growing fish because of warm
water in summer.
Oregon State University has
negotiated w it h t h e United
States Coast Guard to obtain
the ir stat.jn at Port Orford. Cur­
ry County supported the Uni­
versity in the negotiations and
it is anticipated that the Coast
Guard w ill transfer the property
and facilities to the University.
Included in the facilities are
two large dwellings and a boat
house. The boat house is sup­
plied with freshwater and is lo­
cated on a protected cove where
salt water could be obtained at
low cost. The location is suit­
able for studies with fall chi­
nook salmon.
The growing demand for rec­
reational and commercial sal­
mon fisheries make this an op­
portune time to initiate studies
at Port Crford on the culture of
fall chinook salmon in marine
waters. This proposal requests
<5.000 from the Agricultural
ittnm wm 5 ‘i
NIXtP MtLONS
AMBERS SÛUMH I RtP AfplfS
« W i ¡5ÏÏ
*1
ÜN6CL FOOD CM£ MIX SWAtóOOM
LIBBY'S VEGETABLES
*
COOL WHIP TOPPING
3 618 8
1