WFC

News & Announcements

Wild Fish Conservancy Sues National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Protect Toutle River Salmon and Steelhead from Dam Expansion

Wild Fish Conservancy and local conservationist Mark Smith have sued the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect wild salmon and steelhead from a project to raise the height of the Mount St. Helens Sediment Retention Structure’s spillway crest on the North Fork Toutle River.

July 14, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

Bonneville Power Administration’s Decision to End SAFE Hatchery Funding Marks a Step Toward Wild Fish Recovery

Wild Fish Conservancy welcomes the Bonneville Power Administration’s decision to end funding for the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) hatchery program—which releases more than seven million hatchery Chinook and coho into the lower Columbia River each year—as an overdue shift away from hatchery-dependent harvest and toward the habitat restoration, fish passage, and harvest reform that wild salmon, steelhead, and Southern Resident killer whales need to recover.

July 2, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

Snorkeling for Steelhead: How Immersive Fieldwork Shapes Wild Fish Conservation

After conducting snorkel surveys for more than 25 years, Wild Fish Conservancy has learned a lot about steelhead populations’ status, trends, and the number of hatchery fish that stray into wild rivers.

October 30, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Conservation Advocates Serve Notice of Intent to Sue Over Feds Continued Failure to Protect Wild Salmon, Steelhead, and Orcas from Harmful Columbia River Hatcheries

Contacts:Emma Helverson, Wild Fish Conservancy, 484-788-1174, emma@wildfishconservancy.orgJohn McMillan, The Conservation Angler, 360-797-3215, john.mcmillan@theconservationangler.orgBrian Knutsen, Kampmeier & Knutsen PLLC, 503-841-6515, brian@kampmeierknutsen.com For Immediate ReleaseSeptember 12, 2025PDF

September 12, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

We’re Taking Action to Ensure Wild Fish Receive the Protection They Deserve

Through two significant legal actions, we are holding the federal government accountable for its responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)— one of the most effective tools we have to prevent extinction, but it only works when it’s enforced..

February 13, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

Court Rules In Favor of Short-Term Economics over Endangered Species Protections for Southern Resident Killer Whales and Wild Chinook

In a disappointing ruling for Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections, a Ninth Circuit Court granted a request by NOAA Fisheries, the State of Alaska, and the Alaska Trollers Association to continue overharvest of threatened Chinook salmon that is jeopardizing critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

June 22, 2023 No Comments

News & Announcements

Landmark Legal Victory Ending Overharvest Marks Turning Point for Southern Resident Orcas & Wild Chinook Recovery

In an international, coastwide environmental victory, Seattle federal Court issued a landmark order halting the overharvest of Chinook salmon in Southeast Alaska that has persisted for decades, jeopardizing the survival of federally-protected Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) and wild Chinook populations coastwide. This significant decision will immediately allow the starving Southern Resident population far greater access to these Chinook which are the whale’s primary prey, marking a turning point for their recovery.

May 3, 2023 No Comments

News & Announcements

Commissioner Hilary Franz Recognized Again as a Leader in Wild Salmon Recovery for Zero-Discharge Aquaculture Commitment

Today, WA Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz announces new commitment to exploring zero-discharge, land-based aquaculture facilities as an alternative to open water net pens.

April 11, 2023 No Comments

Wild Fish Conservancy

Draft Environmental Impact Statement Comments on the Proposed Burley Lagoon Geoduck Farm

Wild Fish Conservancy staff recently submitted comments to the Pierce County planning department on a draft Environmental Impact Statement regarding a proposed geoduck aquaculture project

December 9, 2021 No Comments

Press Releases

Congress on Track to Approve Catastrophic Investment in Northwest Hatcheries, Undermining Wild Salmon Recovery

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives released text of the draft reconciliation bill revealing Congress is on track to make the largest investment in northwest hatchery infrastructure on record that could cause irreparable damage to wild fish populations and to endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

November 1, 2021 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

A New Experiment

Research is underway at Oregon’s first fish trap in over 70 years on the lower Columbia River. At present, Wild Fish Conservancy biologists and our

September 10, 2021 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

Oregon’s First Fish Trap Since 1948

We are thrilled to announce that Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) has installed the first fish trap in the Columbia River, Oregon since 1948. That’s right,

August 18, 2021 No Comments

Press Releases

Cooke Aquaculture Secures Permit to Stock Risky Washington Fish Farm

Despite ongoing litigation and timing questions regarding the lease for the facility, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has granted fish farming giant Cooke Aquaculture a permit to stock its Hope Island facility in-water net pens with steelhead.

August 6, 2021 No Comments

Press Releases

Salmon Fishery Plan Change Proposed to Protect Endangered Orcas

Fishing in Pacific Northwest Would Be Limited if Salmon Population Drops

June 1, 2021 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

Want to Build a Fish Trap?

In an historic moment in late-April 2021, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind officially announced the agency will designate an

May 28, 2021 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

The Fish Trap Moves Forward to Legalization

Washington state is taking an historic step forward to legalize fish traps for sustainable commercial fishing on the Columbia River. This week, Washington Department of

May 3, 2021 No Comments

Press Releases

Washington Takes Historic Step to Legalize Fish Traps for Sustainable Commercial Fishing on the Columbia River

Washington state is taking a historic step forward to legalize fish traps for sustainable commercial fishing on the Columbia River.

April 30, 2021 No Comments

News & Announcements

Rep. Simpson’s “Concept” to Breach the Lower Snake River Dams Would Undermine the Very Wild Salmon and Steelhead it Aims to Protect and Recover

Proposal would breach the four lower Snake River dams at the cost of suspending bedrock environmental laws and exposing communities across the Columbia River basin to environmental and health hazards.

April 10, 2021 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

Legalizing Sustainability

By Kurt Beardslee, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy A momentous decision awaits the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) this month as the

March 5, 2021 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

New Beginnings

Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) is pleased to announce the beginning of a new adventure on the lower Columbia River! This winter, pilings were driven in

March 2, 2021 2 Comments

Press Releases

Cooke Aquaculture Faces New Lawsuit Over Puget Sound Net Pens Harm to Threatened and Endangered Orcas, Chinook, Steelhead, and Other Protected Wild Fish

We’re holding Cooke Aquaculture responsible for Endangered Species Act violations resulting from their net pen operations.

February 10, 2021 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

New Publication Suggests that a Return to Historical Indigenous Fishing Practices Can Help Recover Pacific Salmon Fisheries

A publication recently released in BioScience suggests that a return to historical Indigenous fishing practices and systems of salmon management may be key to revitalizing

February 3, 2021 No Comments

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