Are wild salmon smarter than hatchery salmon? Some researchers at Oregon State University say think so, especially when it comes to picking the perfect mate.

The study found that wild Coho salmon have the ability to seek out mates that will give them the most offspring, specifically mates with certain types of disease resistant genes different than their own.

According to the study, it's a survival technique that hatchery salmon don't have.

“The wild salmon appear a little smarter than the hatchery ones,” said Michael Banks, Oregon State University professor and co-author of the study. “We were able to demonstrate that when wild fish mated with other wild fish they had more offspring than when hatchery fish mated with hatchery fish.”

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