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

How harvesting immature Chinook salmon can shrink size and reduce future returns

A backgrounder on a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers from the Wild Fish Conservancy and Raincoast Conservation Foundation. This new research identifies fisheries practices that may be contributing to long-term declines in the age and size of Chinook salmon across the northeast Pacific.

June 10, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

Building Like a Beaver: Bringing Habitat Back to the Chehalis Watershed with Beaver Dam Analogs

In 2025, Wild Fish Conservancy and partners installed 36 beaver dam analogs (BDAs) in three Chehalis River tributaries as part of a rigorous, multi-year project to monitor and document the effectiveness of BDAs for restoring aquatic habitat that supports fish, amphibians, and waterfowl.

May 28, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

Seeing the Ancient: How Photography Is Changing the Future of Pacific Lamprey

Wild Fish Conservancy partnered with renowned underwater photographer David Herasimtchuk to create a definitive visual portfolio of Pacific Lamprey—one of the Pacific Northwest’s most ancient and imperiled fish. The resulting archive is now available to partners, Tribal organizations, and anyone working on lamprey recovery.

May 27, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

State Water Typing Rules Get an Overdue Refresh

After more than 25 years, Washington state finally has a permanent water typing rule and guidance that went into effect in March 2026, informed in part by years of Wild Fish Conservancy field work and technical expertise.

March 27, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

National Grant Award Advances Finn Creek Estuary Restoration Project on Kitsap Peninsula

Wild Fish Conservancy has secured a prestigious national grant award to advance a critical fish habitat restoration project in the Finn Creek Watershed on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state.

February 26, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

Statement from Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler on Federal 12-Month Endangered Species Act Finding for Olympic Peninsula Steelhead

Today, federal government issued its 12-month finding on the petition to list Olympic Peninsula steelhead under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA determined that Olympic Peninsula steelhead qualify as a distinct population segment under the ESA and acknowledged long-term population declines, reduced productivity, and substantial uncertainty, but concluded that listing is not warranted at this time.

January 13, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

Federal Court Extends Deadline for Endangered Species Act Decision on Olympic Peninsula Steelhead

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 Release

December 11, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

Partnership and Science-Based Planning Lead to Action in Springbrook Creek

When strong partnerships and sound science come together, the path to healthier watersheds becomes possible.

November 21, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

Good Statistics, Flawed System: A Deeper Look at Salmon Management for Oregon Coast Coho

Read Wild Fish Conservancy’s recent comments on the management of Oregon Coast coho salmon.

November 19, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

Protected: Advancing Selective Fishing: An Update on the Skeena River Floating Fish Trap Project

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

November 18, 2025 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

Fish Trap Journal

Working Against the Current—A New Experiment Brings Hope for Sustainable Fishing

Earlier this year, Wild Fish Conservancy proudly announced the implementation of Washington’s State’s second commercial fish trap since 1934. The new trap located near Hunting Islands is part of the state’s historic Emerging Commercial Fishery—the first of its kind in nearly a century.

October 20, 2025 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

Commercial Fish Traps Advance Sustainable Fishing and Wild Fish Recovery in Historic First Year

History continues to be made on the lower Columbia River this month with the first commercial fish traps since 1934 now operating at three sites in Washington and Oregon.

September 19, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

How a Petition to Protect Native Resident Trout from Harvest May Actually Lead to Increased Harvest Opportunities on Vulnerable Populations

Here’s how Wild Fish Conservancy is working to ensure the Washington Fish & Wildlife Department’s Resident Native Trout Harvest Management Policy doesn’t harm imperiled native resident trout.

September 16, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

Our Debt to the River: The Scientific Case Against Industrial Salmon Hatcheries

Anyone who spends time on our rivers understands the profound story they tell—a story of return, resilience, and relationships as old as the mountains. But

September 12, 2025 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

After Nearly 100 Years, Commercial Fish Traps Make Historic Comeback on the Columbia to Aid Wild Fish Recovery

Nearly a century ago, fish traps were banned in Washington State due to poor management that led to overharvest and the decline of wild salmon populations. Now, in a historic moment, fish traps will return to the Columbia River for the first time since 1934—this time as a tool to advance the protection and recovery of the basin’s threatened wild salmon and steelhead.

August 4, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

Today and Tomorrow, Give Big to Aid Wild Salmon Recovery & Help Commercial Fishers Transition to a Sustainable Future

May 6, 2025 No Comments

Fish Trap Journal

Columbia River Fish Traps Return for the Recovery of Wild Fish and Fishing Economies

Making history this summer season, local fishers will operate fish traps (otherwise known as pound nets) on both shores of the lower Columbia River in

May 5, 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

Thanks to you, We Made History for Wild Salmon, Orcas, Tribal Food Security, and the Health of Puget Sound

This week, the WA Board of Natural Resources cast a historic vote to permanently ban commercial net pen aquaculture in Washington marine waters. Washington is the first—and only—place in the world to successfully remove and permanently ban this practice to protect public waters.

January 9, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

SEATTLE TIMES | OPINION: Protect WA’s waters and tribal sovereignty: Ban commercial finfish net-pen aquaculture

On behalf of the Our Sound, Our Salmon we want to extend our sincere appreciation to Chairwoman Frances Charles, Chairman Leonard Forsman, and Chairman Steve Edwards for their inspiring and compelling op-ed in today’s Seattle Times titled, ‘Protect WA’s waters and tribal sovereignty: Ban commercial finfish net-pen aquaculture.’

January 5, 2025 No Comments

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