Wild Salmon Center
Encyclopedia
The Wild Salmon Center is an international non-profit organization that works to protect wild salmon
, steelhead, char
, trout
and the ecosystems on which these species depend. Headquartered in Portland
, Oregon
, United States, the WSC partners with communities, businesses, governments, and other non-profits to protect and preserve healthy salmon ecosystems in the North Pacific. WSC programs range in location from the Russian Far East and Kamchatka to areas of Japan, British Columbia, Alaska, and North America.
and started to expand their salmon habitat conservation
efforts. The organization expanded rapidly between 1999 and 2003, as the budget of the Wild Salmon Center increased from $631,000 to $4.2 million respectively. A new organization called The Conservation Angler was created in 2003 to take over the ecotourism
programs, allowing the WSC to focus solely on science and conservation. One of the WSC programs, State of the Salmon, a science-based program created in 2003 in collaboration with Ecotrust
, uses data to track the health and trends of wild salmon populations. This data is then analyzed, and used to inform salmon management and conservation throughout the Pacific Rim
.
. Salmon strongholds refer to river ecosystems that contain the most abundant and biologically diverse populations of wild salmon. Kamchatka, home to the 550,000 acre Kol River Salmon Refuge created in 2006, has been an area of focus for the WSC, as it is considered one of the healthiest salmon
ecosystems in the world. Other regions considered salmon strongholds are areas of Bristol Bay
, Alaska
, Kamchatka and select parts of the Russian Far East
. In identifying and then protecting salmon strongholds, the WSC aims to conserve healthy salmon stocks before they decline and ensure sustainable fish populations survive for the long term.
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, steelhead, char
Char
Char is the solid material that remains after light gases and tar coal tar have been driven out or released from a carbonaceous material during the initial stage of combustion, which is known as carbonization, charring, devolatilization or pyrolysis.Further stages of efficient combustion are...
, trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
and the ecosystems on which these species depend. Headquartered in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States, the WSC partners with communities, businesses, governments, and other non-profits to protect and preserve healthy salmon ecosystems in the North Pacific. WSC programs range in location from the Russian Far East and Kamchatka to areas of Japan, British Columbia, Alaska, and North America.
Background
The WSC was founded as a non-profit by Pete Soverel and Tom Pero in 1992, and was run entirely by volunteers during its first five years. Originally the WSC received funding for research and conservation through partnership with anglers. In 1998 the WSC received grants from the National Fish and Wildlife FoundationNational Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation protects, sustains and restores the wildlife, plants and habitats of the United States. Established by Congress in 1984, the Foundation directs public conservation dollars to critical environmental needs and matches those investments with private...
and started to expand their salmon habitat conservation
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
efforts. The organization expanded rapidly between 1999 and 2003, as the budget of the Wild Salmon Center increased from $631,000 to $4.2 million respectively. A new organization called The Conservation Angler was created in 2003 to take over the ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
programs, allowing the WSC to focus solely on science and conservation. One of the WSC programs, State of the Salmon, a science-based program created in 2003 in collaboration with Ecotrust
Ecotrust
Ecotrust is a conservation organization based in Portland, Oregon that works to foster prosperous communities along the West Coast of North America.-History and Programs:...
, uses data to track the health and trends of wild salmon populations. This data is then analyzed, and used to inform salmon management and conservation throughout the Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
.
Salmon strongholds
The WSC is currently focused on a proactive "salmon stronghold" conservation strategy to complement the Endangered Species ActEndangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
. Salmon strongholds refer to river ecosystems that contain the most abundant and biologically diverse populations of wild salmon. Kamchatka, home to the 550,000 acre Kol River Salmon Refuge created in 2006, has been an area of focus for the WSC, as it is considered one of the healthiest salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
ecosystems in the world. Other regions considered salmon strongholds are areas of Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Kamchatka and select parts of the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. In identifying and then protecting salmon strongholds, the WSC aims to conserve healthy salmon stocks before they decline and ensure sustainable fish populations survive for the long term.