Membership is what gives Wild Fish Conservancy the standing, strength, and independence to act when wild fish are at risk. Together, our members ensure wild fish and the ecosystems they depend on have a voice where decisions are made.
Membership is based on annual dues, which help sustain our collective work. A contribution of $50 or more establishes a one-year Wild Fish Conservancy membership, and a contribution of $1,000 or more establishes lifetime membership.
Many members choose to set up a recurring annual contribution as a way to keep their membership active year after year—ensuring continuity, reducing administrative burden, and allowing them to stay focused on the work rather than renewal dates.
Membership dues support participation in the organization. Members are always welcome to make additional contributions at any time to support specific efforts or urgent work, but membership and additional giving are separate and always optional.
Membership turns concern into action—and ensures that wild fish, clean water, and future generations are represented when it matters most.
Under laws like the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and key state environmental laws, organizations can only bring meaningful legal cases if they represent people who are directly affected by environmental harm. Our members provide that legal standing. Without a strong, engaged membership, Wild Fish Conservancy could not bring the cases that force accountability or stop unlawful actions that threaten wild fish and their ecosystems.
That people-powered standing has made a real difference. Since our founding in 1989, Wild Fish Conservancy has brought over 100 legal cases on behalf of wild fish, clean water, and the communities that depend on healthy ecosystems. In nearly every case, these actions have resulted in stronger safeguards for wild fish, important legal precedents, or increased accountability from government agencies and industry. None of this would be possible without the dedication and support of our members.
At a time when environmental protections are under sustained attack, enforcement is being weakened, and climate change is accelerating pressures on already-stressed ecosystems, this collective power is more critical than ever. Membership ensures that when agencies and industry fail to follow the law—or when political winds shift—there is still a strong, independent public voice capable of stepping in and demanding compliance.
Here are just a few examples of the impact our members have made possible through collective, people-powered legal action:
Developed a foundational body of legal precedent governing hatchery practices, enabling large-scale, strategic challenges to systemic impacts on wild salmon, steelhead, orcas and their ecosystems.
Won a landmark federal court ruling exposing government-authorized unsustainable harvest in the world’s largest Chinook fishery—finding Endangered Species Act violations that jeopardized endangered Southern Resident killer whales and wild Chinook, and shattering decades of false sustainability claims by certifiers and the industry.
Turned a catastrophic net pen collapse that released 260,000 non-native, viral-infected Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound into accountability—securing $2.75 million in Clean Water Act penalties against billion-dollar seafood corporation Cooke Aquaculture to support Southern Resident killer whale recovery.
Membership provides the people power that makes our work effective—especially when political pressure is high and environmental protections are being weakened. A broad, engaged membership ensures we can respond immediately, speak with authority, and act independently when public resources and wild fish are at risk.
A strong membership base:
Allows rapid, independent response to emerging and time-sensitive threats—enabled by unrestricted membership support that gives us the agility to act when law, science, or the public interest demands it, regardless of funding trends or political headwinds.
Allows us to take on emerging threats before they are widely understood or funded—supporting early, often unseen work that is critical to preventing long-term harm to wild fish and public resources.
Strengthens our influence in agency decision-making and rulemaking.
Ensures our advocacy remains science-based and independent of industry or political pressure.
Builds credibility and leverage in coastwide coalitions and partnerships.
Gives weight to our testimony and staying power to the long, often unseen work required for lasting change.
Positions us to respond to climate-driven threats—such as warming waters, shifting ocean conditions, and increasing extinction risk—before they become irreversible.
Membership gives you a voice and a role in this work—speaking up for wild fish and the ecosystems that cannot speak for themselves. As a member, you receive representation in legal and policy arenas, opportunities to engage when it matters most, and regular updates on the work your support makes possible.
