Native Fish Society works hard to protect native fish
By Mark Sherwood, Executive Director Native Fish Society
Thanks to your generous support Native Fish Society celebrated 2017 as the foremost grassroots advocate for native fish in the Pacific Northwest. Our River Stewards (nearly 90 strong and now in British Columbia too!) are working across the region to fix the HABITAT, HATCHERY, HYDRO, and HARVEST challenges that hold back our native fish.
In 2017 River Stewards protected 101,000 acres of habitat on public lands from strip mining in southwest Oregon - including the pristine headwaters of the Smith, Illinois, Rogue, Hunter Creek and Pistol rivers - vital homewaters for native fish! River Stewards also permanently protected 22,000 stream miles of salmon, steelhead, and lamprey habitat from suction dredge mining in Oregon. In 2018, River Stewards will advance habitat protections to end clearcutting on the steep slopes of Oregon’s state and private timberlands.
As a result of River Steward efforts 1,000,000 fewer hatchery salmon and steelhead compete with wild fish every year in Oregon and Washington rivers. In 2018 our goal is to double the area dedicated to wild steelhead in Washington by permanently ending steelhead hatcheries in the entire Skagit watershed and to support the recovery of wild fish in the Klamath River by decommissioning Iron Gate Hatchery with its four lower dams by 2020.
Earlier this year, when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission failed to consider hydro dam removal on the Eel River, River Stewards and members flooded the agency with comments, reversing the decision, and highlighting the need to reconnect steelhead and Chinook salmon with the over 200 river miles of invaluable cold-water habitats blocked by Scott Dam. In 2018, we will advocate improving water quality, habitat investments, and fish passage that supports self-sustaining runs of native fish at hydro dams on the Deschutes, upper Willamette tributaries, Yuba, and Snake rivers.
With your help in 2018 River Stewards will advance harvest protections for wild steelhead in the Columbia, Snake, John Day, and southwest Oregon rivers; support the revival of wild spring Chinook on the Rogue River, and promote the adoption of selective commercial fishing gears, like fish traps on the lower Columbia to catch more hatchery fish, safely release more wild fish, and benefit local commercial fishing communities.
More than 85% of our funding comes from individuals like you. Our promise to you is that over the next year our River Stewards and staff will advance solutions to the toughest HABITAT, HATCHERY, HYDRO, and HARVEST challenges facing our homewaters and native fish across the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia.
Ambitious? You’re darn-tootin’! But with your continued support and the proven track record of our boots-on-the-ground River Stewards, your investment in the Native Fish Society will produce measurable results for the homewaters and native fish we all cherish.
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