Programs
Healthy temperate rainforests in Washington, fed by spawning salmon and rich rainfall, support up to 500 tons of living organisms per acre.
Washington Coast and Olympic PeninsulaNorth America Program
Spanning nearly four million acres, Washington's coastal rivers produce the most abundant and diverse wild Pacific salmon populations remaining south of Canada. However, the number of adult salmon has been severely reduced and scientists estimate run sizes are less than ten percent of historic levels due to a legacy of excessive resource extraction and harmful hatchery practices. Nonetheless, the region provides the best remaining habitat for all seven species of wild Pacific salmon and native species of char in North America's lower 48 states.
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The ecological gem of the Washington coast is the western portion of the Olympic Peninsula--all rivers that drain to the Pacific Ocean from Grays Harbor north to Cape Flattery. Here, wild salmon and steelhead abound. Natal habitats are largely protected and free-flowing with sixty percent of the Olympic Peninsula's land base safeguarded within the Olympic National Park--a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. The most productive wild salmon rivers include the Hoh, Quillayute, and Queets.
Background
Hoh River, Olympic Peninsula
Wild Salmon Center began working on the Olympic Peninsula in 1999 with an intensive seven-year biological assessment of salmonid distribution, habitat status and usage within the Hoh River. This effort culminated in the identification and prioritization of conservation priority areas in the Hoh River and facilitated the creation of the Hoh River Trust. Our science team also conducted assessments in the Calawah River, one of four major tributaries to the Quillayute River. Working with state, tribal, federal and conservation partners, we identified salmon strongholds within the Washington coast. Combined, these efforts have lead to the acquisition and protection of 10,344 acres of vital salmon habitat on the Olympic Peninsula.
In the past, the region has lacked a common vision directed toward the conservation of salmon strongholds and political, technical, and financial capacity was not available to safeguard the region's most productive salmon ecosystems. To help address this shortcoming, WSC collaborated with local communities to facilitate the establishment of two groups dedicated to the long-term stewardship of wild salmon ecosystems: the North Pacific Coast Lead Entity and the Washington Coast Sustainable Salmon Partnership.
Conservation Partnerships
In 50 years, we expect a network of salmon strongholds will be producing wild salmon runs that support ecological systems and sustainable fisheries that meet spawning targets. To achieve this outcome, we believe there are three fundamental goals we must reach:
- Habitat - Protect and restore enough habitat to sustain salmon health and ecosystem processes
- Management - Manage wild salmon populations for abundance, diversity and the maintenance of ecosystem health
- Stewardship - Build institutions, markets and human communities that will support wild salmon and their ecosystems over time
We are partnering with The Nature Conservancy and the Washington Coast Sustainable Salmon Partnership to develop a regional salmon plan for the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office that provides holistic solutions to wild salmon conservation on the Washington coast and western Olympic Peninsula. There is now a broad community commitment to address not only habitat issues, but systemic issues that affect wild salmon sustainability, such as harmful hatchery practices, overharvest, and negative socioeconomic drivers. In the coming years, we will promote and help implement the regional salmon plan. Specifically, we will focus our efforts on the identification and designation of Wild Salmonid Management Zones -- strongholds that are critical to the long-term protection of wild salmon and steelhead populations.
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