The first public salmon hatchery, the forerunner of Hokkaido
Salmon Hatchery, began its operation in the upstream of the
Chitose River.
1952
The Hokkaido Salmon Hatchery belonging to the Fisheries Agency
of Japan was established under the Fish Resource Conservation Law.
1962
Artificial feeding experiment for chum salmon fry was
launched.
1964
Coastal researches started to specify the habitat environments
of juvenile chum salmon.
1967
Dry pellets were introduced to feed salmon fry in hatcheries.
1974-1986
Japan-Chile Salmon Enhancement Project was conducted in the
southern Patagonia.
1975
Coastal juvenile salmon researches emphasized a proper timing
of hatchery releases to improve the early marine survival of salmon.
1980
Fish Pathology Section was established to examine the epidemiology
and prevention of salmonid diseases.
1984
Active research and propagation of masu and sockeye salmon started.
1994
Gene Conservation Section was initiated to study and conserve
the genetic diversity of salmon.
1995
Genetic stock identification of chum salmon was initiated in
the high seas of the North Pacific Ocean to identify the oceanic
migration route of Japanese stock.
1997
The Hokkaido Salmon Hatchery was reorganized to the National
Salmon Resources Center (NASREC).
Fisheries Economical Section was established to study salmon
market systems.
Survey on the natural spawning of chum salmon was initiated
in the Yurrapu River.
A concept for the conservation of genetic diversity was developed
for proper salmon enhancement.
1999
Mass thermal otolith marking technology was introduced in the
Chitose Field Station to survey the stock-specific migration and
ecology of salmon.
2000-2002
Juvenile salmon survey by genetic and otolith marks confirmed
the distribution of Japanese chum salmon juveniles in the Okhotsk
Sea during the fall.
2001
The NASREC was reformed as an Independent Administrative Institution.
2002-2006
As a result of participating in the Bering-Aleutian Salmon International
Surveys (BASIS), the distribution of Japanese chum salmon centered
in the Bering Sea was clarified by genetic and otolith marks.
2005
All NASREC field stations were equipped with a thermal otolith
marking facility to identify hatchery-specific individuals.
2006
The NASREC incorporated with the Fisheries Research Agency.
Salmon Resources Research Section was established at the Japan Sea
National Fisheries Research Institute and the Tohoku National Fisheries
Research Institute to research and monitor salmon in Honshu.
Chitose Field Station at the time of establishment
Chitose Field Station (September 14, 2007 photography)
