Successful management of salmon stocks in the Pacific Northwest involves the wise use of artificial propagation technologies. The Behavioral Ecology Team conducts research to understand how captive culture environments affect salmon behavior and to determine the relative importance of genetic and environmental (e.g., learning) factors on this behavior. Survival of artificially propagated fish and the nature of their ecological interactions with wild fish depend upon the behavior of cultured fish after their release into natural environments.

The team collaborates with state, tribal and non-profit entities to conduct studies that are designed to identify the effects of artificial rearing on juvenile and adult salmon behavior and to determine how behavioral changes affect the success of salmon enhancement programs and the status of wild salmon stocks. Team members work in a variety of settings, including laboratory streams, artificial stream channels, and natural streams, and conduct experiments on adults and juveniles of several species of Pacific salmonids, including coho salmon, chinook salmon, and steelhead.

Information from these studies is used to guide the implementation of artificial propagation programs designed to augment, supplement or restore natural populations.