Barry Berejikian, Ph.D.

Background

Barry Berejikian leads the Behavioral Ecology Team at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Barry received a B.S. degree in Environmental and Systematic Biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1990, and his M.S. degree (1992) and Ph.D. degree (1995) in Fisheries from the University of Washington. Barry joined the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in 1995 and began work on a number of projects aimed at quantifying the effects of artificial propagation of salmon and steelhead on natural populations. Studies have compared the reproductive behavior and breeding success of hatchery and wild salmon, assessed competitive interactions among juveniles, and evaluated the effectiveness of alarm substances on conditioned anti-predator responses. In 2004, the Behavioral Ecology Team initiated the first studies on the benefits and risks of stock enhancement for marine species (Pacific cod and lingcod) in Puget Sound. In 2010, the team began applying behavioral studies of larval sablefish to improve the efficiency and success of marine aquaculture. Barry served on the Northwest Fisheries Science Center's Research Council from 2007 to 2012.

Current Research

The Behavioral Ecology Team's research centers on three projects. The Hood Canal Steelhead Project is a before-after-control-impact experiment to quantify the effects of artificial propagation on natural population abundance, productivity, genetic diversity and life history. The project also assesses potential factors limiting the productivity of natural populations, including telemetry-based studies of migratory behavior and survival in the marine environment. The Methow River Steelhead Project evaluates the effectiveness of alternative juvenile rearing strategies in improving smolt survival, reducing residualism and precocial male maturation, and minimizing domestication selection. Studies to improve larval sablefish survival in aquaculture systems use behavioral assessments and other methods to determine the effects of light levels, odorants, and temperature on larval survival and juvenile development.