Chinook salmon are renowned as a recreational gamefish, but they also play a critical role in the culture and ecology of the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, salmon fisheries in the region are struggling. In this video, Ashley Lewis and Tyler Hicksโboth kayak anglers and Old Town ambassadorsโreview the ongoing efforts to restore salmon fisheries in the region. Watch and learn how anglers and non-anglers alike can help to save this keystone species.
The Struggle to Save Pacific Northwest Salmon
โQuinaults are salmon people,โ Ashley Lewis says by way of introduction. The Indigenous angler spent eight years working as a guide for the Quinault Nation, exploring her culture through the lens of salmon and steelhead fishing. โThe first time I came down on the river and saw salmon rolling,โ she says, โit just absolutely blew my mind.โ
How important can salmon really be to the broader ecosystem? As part of their wild run each year, migrating salmon travel thousands of miles from Alaska to California and as far inland as Idaho. Moving from oceans into rivers, Lewis describes how the fish bring โnutrients that make those trees and our forests healthy. All of those nutrients are moving out into the forest adjacent to the river.โ
Hatcheries Help, but Itโs Not Enough
Ecologist Tyler Hicks takes us to a salmon hatchery, showing how hatchery fish can help to supplement the commercial catch and provide recreational fishing opportunities. But the ultimate goal is a sustainable wild population, and the critical factor for wild salmon is habitat restoration.
Access to suitable spawning grounds will help safeguard the future of salmon fisheries. โWe are seeing dam removal in rivers across the Pacific Northwest, on the Olympic Peninsula in the Columbia River Gorge,โ Hicks says, โand that is key to restoring access to that habitat.โ
Working Toward Sustainable Salmon Populations
Beyond habitat restoration, Lewis suggests anglers need to change how they think about sustainable fishing in general. โSo my challengeโฆis to think about how we can cultivate new anglers in a way thatโs going to help us all,โ she says.
โThe fish are the thing that bind the landscape together.โ
Non-anglers can use their voices too, by lobbying local politicians and getting involved in conservation groups. When we work together, โthatโs when we can really have what we all want,โ concludes Lewis, โwhich is more fish.โ