Ben Matthews (lead PI), Colin Brauner, Andrea Frommel and Trish Schulte win a Wall Research Awards – Team Faculty Awards
Team Project: Smell Steers the Salmon: Bringing Pacific Salmon Home in BC Using Cutting-Edge Olfactory Analysis
Pacific salmon are vital to British Columbia’s economy and cultural identity, but their populations are rapidly declining. Hatcheries release millions of juveniles annually to augment wild populations, yet many fail to return to spawn. Salmon return depends on olfactory imprinting (a chemical memory formed in early development) at the hatchery and olfactory navigation towards imprinted odorants by adults returning from sea. In conjunction with hatcheries and stream-keeper organizations, UBC researchers will investigate how stressors such as high levels of CO₂ and urban pollutants affect salmon’s sense of smell, ultimately producing recommendations to best support Pacific salmon conservation.