Hot or Not? On the Quillayute River, Tribal Scientists Test the Water

Cold water is critical for fish, but getting good river temperature data is way harder than you think. With support from Wild Salmon Center and other partners, a groundbreaking new project led by the Quileute Tribe is showing what's possible in watersheds up and down the Washington Coast.

New Research Finds Taimen's Supersized Strength in DNA

Taimen, the world’s largest salmonid, have survived for tens of millions of years. Through genetic science, we’re now able to read more of their epic saga. In a new research paper published in Nature Scientific Reports, Wild Salmon Center Science Director Dr. Matt Sloat and a team of scientists analyzed Siberian taimen DNA from three remote Russian and Mongolian river systems. Their findings offer fresh insights for conservationists working to ensure that taimen survive the challenges of modern climate change.

Salmon School, COP 26, and the Road Forward on Climate

COP 26 is a wrap and, unfortunately, international delegates left Glasgow with a lot of unfinished business. That’s even as the world—including states and provinces across the range of salmon—has experienced some of the worst climate impacts ever recorded over the last year. Yet we continue to see salmon and ecosystem conservation as a key vehicle for adapting to and slowing climate change. Here's why we're hopeful.

The New Plan Is Many Plans: Driving a New Steelhead Strategy in Washington

With steelhead runs declining up and down the Washington Coast, the state's Department of Fish & Wildlife is looking for insight—and advice. Among those lending expertise is Wild Salmon Center Washington Program Director Jess Helsley. In October, WDFW recruited Helsley to join an ad-hoc committee tasked with guiding new, watershed-specific steelhead plans: a proactive approach that aims to head off the cascading crises the agency now faces.

In the U.S., a Generational Investment in Salmon

Thanks to critical leadership from the Northwest Congressional delegation, the just-passed U.S. federal infrastructure bill represents one of the biggest potential investments in wild salmon recovery in history. A Wild Salmon Center report digs into the details to identify the many opportunities this massive funding bill creates to improve the resiliency of watersheds and fish in the face of climate change. Read our report here.

In Case You Missed It: We Have a Deal on the Oregon Private Timber Accords!

In the wee hours of Saturday, October 30, history was made for Oregon forests and salmon rivers. After nine months of difficult negotiations, 13 timber representatives and 13 conservation and fishing groups reached an unprecedented conservation agreement on the Private Forest Accords. Here's what this deal means for the future of Oregon's private forests.

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

Photo/image credits (from top): Quileute Tribe biologists and field team, Quillayute River, Olympic Peninsula (WSC); Siberian taimen, Tugur River (WSC); Sockeye salmon, British Columbia (Barrie Kovish); WSC’s Jess Helsley and Dan Penn of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation on the Chehalis River (WSC); Coho salmon (Mark Conlin, Alamy); Oregon timber worker (Brian Kelley @brianfilm); British Columbia bears (Ian McAllister).

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