Over 40 years of applied research and monitoring to support native fish conservation.
The Statewide Native Fish Investigations Section conducts applied research and monitoring to support the effective management and conservation of Oregon's native, non-anadromous freshwater fish. Oregon has roughly 83 such species, of which only about one in four has no special state or federal conservation status. Six species are federally listed as threatened or endangered, several more have been petitioned for listing, and dozens are identified as species of concern or data gap species under the Oregon Conservation Strategy. Our work also addresses the non-native species that threaten native fish through competition and predation.
Our work spans the state — from the floodplain sloughs of the Willamette Valley to the remote desert springs of southeastern Oregon — and covers a range of species including Bull Trout, Oregon Chub, Warner Sucker, Foskett Speckled Dace, Borax Lake Chub, Redband Trout, Pacific Lamprey, and others.
Native Fish Investigations is a section within the Inland Fish Science Program in ODFW's Fish Division. We are based in Corvallis, Springfield, and Enterprise, Oregon. The section includes seven full time researchers and up to 18 seasonal staff.
We use a range of field and laboratory methods to investigate native fish ecology, population status, and conservation needs. Our work includes population monitoring and status assessment, conservation genetics, environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys, PIT-tag tracking of movement and passage through barriers, habitat evaluation and stream temperature monitoring, reintroduction planning and post-release monitoring, and non-native species management research.
Our projects are designed to provide the scientific information that managers need to make effective conservation decisions. We publish our findings in peer-reviewed journals and ODFW technical reports, and collaborate closely with federal, state, tribal, and academic partners. This research has contributed directly to conservation success — four fish species in Oregon have been removed from the federal endangered species list due to recovery, and NFI's work played a key role in supporting three of those delisting decisions: Oregon Chub (2015), Foskett Speckled Dace (2019), and Borax Lake Chub (2020).
NFI projects are rarely conducted alone. We work closely with agency, tribal, academic, and non-profit partners across Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The section is supported by a combination of state lottery funds and grants and contracts from federal and other sources.