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The North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership accelerates protection and restoration in our healthiest rivers and core centers of wild salmon abundance and diversity.

North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership

The North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership unites public and private resources in a voluntary, incentive-based approach to protect the healthiest remaining salmon ecosystems in North America. The Partnership includes local communities, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, tribes, business interests and private landowners who are working collaboratively on salmon conservation and restoration activities across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Alaska and British Columbia.

Focusing on Salmon Strongholds

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The North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership complements salmon recovery activities by supporting proactive, collaborative conservation projects, and focusing resources on a network of our most abundant, productive and diverse salmon river ecosystems--America's wild salmon strongholds.

While recovery of threatened and endangered wild Pacific salmon populations is vital, this approach needs to be supplemented with a strategy to conserve the strongest populations of wild salmon to keep them healthy and prevent them from declining. The Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act introduced in April 2009 will create a new, proactive U.S. policy to focus federal support and resources on the protection and restoration of salmon strongholds, as a complement to recovery.

By working with communities to conserve these key salmon ecosystems, we will ensure these rivers continue to provide sustainable environmental and economic services for generations to come. These services include fresh water, timber, and the fish and wildlife that generate long-term revenue and sustainable recreational and commercial fisheries.

Community-Driven

Local community involvement is essential to long-term salmon conservation and river restoration efforts. The North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership is engaging local communities in creating a sustainable, incentive-based conservation approach that includes all stakeholders to protect salmon ecosystems.

The Partnership will enhance coordination among local communities, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, tribes, business interests and private landowners. The Partnership is committed to helping local communities accomplish salmon conservation goals while sustaining their livelihoods and economies.

The Partnership coordinates with multiple agencies and land managers to accelerate complex conservation actions across federal, state, tribal and private lands that would be difficult to handle at the local level. The Partnership also provides resources and expertise in prioritizing and implementing high-value conservation activities in stronghold basins. See Stronghold Partnership Charter.

Stronghold Identification

WSC has been working closely with a range of partners in North America to bring cutting-edge science to the identification and protection of wild salmon strongholds. The identification process relies on local and regional experts to "score" wild salmon populations based on three criteria: population abundance; life cycle diversity; and percent natural origin (a measure of hatchery influence). By combining the data with other factors like watershed health and distribution across eco-regions, we are able to identify wild salmon strongholds.

Together with regional experts we have evaluated over 800 distinct wild salmon populations in river systems throughout California, western Washington, and Oregon. In 2010, the North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership formally recognized six strongholds across California’s six eco-regions. With our partners we are now identifying common threats across the strongholds and seeking the technical, financial, and political resources necessary to secure their long-term health.

Partnership Steering Committee

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Bonneville Power Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
US Forest Service
Columbia Intertribal Fish Commission
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game
Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
Washington Salmon Recovery Office
Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Governor's Office
Idaho Office of Species Conservation
California Dept. of Fish and Game
Northwest Power and Conservation Council
Trout Unlimited
The Nature Conservancy
Wild Salmon Center
Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council-Ex Officio

Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act

The Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act will establish a new, proactive U.S. policy recognizing the need for conservation of salmon strongholds as a complement to recovery of federally-listed salmon populations. It will also create a grants program to support cooperative conservation efforts that implement locally-led, high value conservation actions in healthy wild salmon ecosystems across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Alaska.

In April 2009, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and the entire West Coast Senate delegation introduced federal legislation to protect and restore the healthiest remaining wild Pacific salmon ecosystems in North America—"Salmon Strongholds." A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. House on April 22nd by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA 1st) and Mike Simpson (R-ID 2nd), with co-sponsorship from members in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California.

In June 2009, the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans, and Wildlife held a favorable hearing on the Act. Three of our partners, Sara LaBorde (North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership; WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife), Jack Williams (Trout Unlimited), and Tom Weseloh (California Trout), testified in support of the legislation. The National Marine Fisheries Service's Acting Assistant Administrator and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Director of Fisheries and Habitat Conservation also testified in favor of the salmon stronghold strategy, signaling support from the Obama Administration.

The Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard in the Senate Commerce Committee heard testimony on the legislation on April 15, 2010. Guido Rahr, Wild Salmon Center's President & Chief Executive, testified on behalf of the legislation, along with Dr. Gordon Reeves (U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station), Sara LaBorde (WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife), and Joe Childress (United Fisherman of Alaska).

In December 2010, during the final week of the last Congressional session, WSC was successful in getting the Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act included in a natural resources omnibus bill ("America's Great Outdoors Act"), a package of over 100 conservation bills introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Despite broad bipartisan support behind many bills in the package, a blanket hold was placed on all bills with new funding authorizations and programs, effectively preventing passage of the legislation.

In July 2011, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and the entire West Coast Senate delegation reintroduced the bill.

Next Step: In November, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation reviewed the Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act (S. 1401) and reported the bill out of committee favorably, without amendment. A companion bill will likely be introduced in the U.S. House after the Congressional recess.

Take Action: To learn more about what you can do to support this legislation, contact Laurele Fulkerson at lfulkerson@wildsalmoncenter.org.

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