Launching Heart of Steel Part II: A Steelhead Origin Story

What's a half-pounder? Technically, it's a steelhead—because this young rainbow trout took the ocean plunge that triggers its transformation to saltwater. What's different is that after three to five months, the half-pounder came back, as if for a gap year. Half-pounders exist in just three rivers in North America: the Rogue, Klamath, and Eel, all in a steep mountain region straddling the Oregon/California border. There's much we still don't know about steelhead. Some say answers may rest here: in a region of such next-level biodiversity that it could just be the wellspring of this species. Read more in Part II of our Heart of Steel story series.

At the White House, We Celebrate the End of Pebble Mine

It doesn’t get more official than marking the defeat of Pebble Mine in the White House Rose Garden. On May 11, 2023, President Joe Biden hosted Alaska Native Tribal leaders from Bristol Bay, along with conservation groups, commercial fishermen, and other advocates, to celebrate a future for the world’s greatest sockeye fishery safe from the threat of this toxic open pit mine. “For many of you, this has been the fight of your lifetime,” President Biden acknowledged. “I’m sure along the way you were told this mine was inevitable, that you should just accept it, that you should give up. But you didn’t.”

Launching Our Strategic Action Plan For Oregon's Nehalem River

Years in the making, our comprehensive restoration plan for Oregon's Nehalem River is now live. The Nehalem River is Oregon's third-longest coastal river, and home to an independent population of Oregon Coast Coho salmon. This plan, developed with the WSC-led Coast Coho Partnership, outlines key habitat restoration strategies to enact over the next 20 years to address the decline of Nehalem coho populations, while supporting the social and economic needs of the Nehalem River community. Read the plan here.

Our Gear Store is LIVE

Announcing Wild Salmon Center’s official gear store! You've been asking us how you can rep WSC gear year-round. Now, we have the answer: shop our new store any time you like. From warm beanies and sweatshirts to cool tank tops and water bottles, we’ve got your salmon country adventures covered. Check out what we have in stock today.

The mission of the Wild Salmon Center is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wild salmon ecosystems across the Pacific Rim.

Photo/video still credits (from top): Steelhead illustration (Kate Spencer, modified); U.S. President Joe Biden and Alannah Hurley, Executive Director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, May 11, 2023 (Courtesy CSPAN); Wild Salmon Center swag (WSC & Antti Rastivo); Trillium (Dee Browning / Alamy).

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