The William J. McNeil Papers are comprised of materials documenting the work of alumnus and fisheries professor William J. McNeil. The article reprints, correspondence, reports, research data, and studies that constitute this collection reflect McNeil's research on salmon habitat, spawning, and migration. McNeil attended Oregon State College, receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in 1952 and 1956, respectively. He worked for OSU as Director of the Pacific Marine Fisheries Laboratory (1966 to 1972) and the Director of the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies (1985 to 1991).
Scope and Content Notes
The William J. McNeil Papers are comprised of materials documenting the work of alumnus and fisheries professor William J. McNeil. The article reprints, correspondence, reports, research data, and studies that constitute this collection reflect McNeil's research on salmon habitat, spawning, and migration. Much of the research documented in this collection resulted from projects commissioned by non-OSU organizations, such as the Direct Service Industries Inc., the Yakima River Basin Coalition, and the Federal Claims Coalition. Subjects covered in this research include: the Yakima Fisheries Project, the impact of the Columbia River power system upon fish runs, the influence of hatcheries upon salmon productivity, and the Endangered Species Act.
Biographical / Historical Notes
Born in 1930 and raised in Salem, Oregon, William J. McNeil attended Oregon State College where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in fisheries and game management in 1952 and 1956, respectively. McNeil went on to pursue doctoral work at the University of Washington and there began to research salmon aquaculture and hatchery management. Completing his dissertation in 1962, McNeil's study on the ecology of spawning salmon in Southeast Alaska was considered to be a groundbreaking contribution in the field of fisheries science.
In 1966, McNeil returned to Oregon to serve as Director of the Pacific Marine Fisheries Laboratory at the newly established Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC). Among his projects at HMSC was the development of a gravel incubator hatchery for Chum Salmon at the Netarts Bay Fisheries Laboratory. Wanting to study ways to improve procedures in aquaculture at the site of his doctoral research, McNeil left HMSC in 1972 to take a position at the Auke Bay Laboratory of the National Marine Fisheries Service in Juneau, Alaska.
By 1977, after nearly two decades in academia and government, McNeil switched gears and pursued aquaculture as part of a business venture. That year, he became the General Manager of Oregon Aquafoods, a company engaged in large scale salmon aquaculture. Aquaculture as an economic activity was not wholly unfamiliar to McNeil, as he had co-authored a book on private aquaculture, The Salmon Rancher's Manual, with Jack Bailey in 1975. The business failed to turn a profit, however, and was closed in 1985.
McNeil returned again to OSU in 1985 to serve as the Director of the OSU Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies. His work at HMSC continued to involve salmon aquaculture research. He became professor emeritus in 1991.
Thoroughout his career, McNeil worked as a consultant on a number of projects where he was brought in to assess the ecological impact of developments and measures upon salmon populations. This activity brought McNeil into contact with a variety of governmental, tribal, and private organizations. McNeil's personal committment to the restoration and health of Oregon salmon populations is reflected in his co-founding of the Salmon For Oregon Association.
McNeil died in 2013.
Author: Karl McCreary
