NWSR is committed to projects that support both wild salmon recovery and enhancement programs. We participate in research, education and public awareness activities and projects in areas where we can make measurable positive impact on improving healthy, sustainable wild and hatchery salmon returns.
Our once vibrant Chinook (King) salmon runs are rapidly declining, threatening the very existence of our Southern Resident Orcas – and this entire region’s unique salmon culture. It’s abundantly clear, the Salish Sea and ALL of the Pacific Northwest waters need more sustainable, healthy adult Chinook salmon.
Once numbering in the 1000s, our Southern Resident Killer (Orca) Whales are now fewer than 75. The Salish Sea (Puget Sound and adjacent coastal waters) is their primary home where they rely on safe, clean, waters to breed, raise their young and feed almost exclusively on Chinook (King) Salmon. We are working to improve the salmon populations which will also help save our SRKW.
It is our mission to help preserve and enhance our unique salmon culture through support of salmon research and educational activities, understanding best practices, sharing outcomes and raising public awareness about the importance of increasing the numbers of healthy, sustainable adult salmon stocks for the shared benefit of ALL stakeholders.
An education and public awareness project in collaboration with SAMI (Science and Math Institute) School, WDFW, local Indian Tribes and multiple other salmon & SRKW advocates, to engage students (from various public, private and tribes schools and programs) to raise, study and release Chinook salmon at (and from) temporary holding facilities / locations throughout Puget Sound/Salish Sea and other key watersheds. The goals are to inspire students and the public, to support the advancement of research, education and public awareness while addressing the call to action made by our most respected Environmental, Marine & Wildlife advocacy groups.
Recognizing the broader impacts of our declining healthy adult salmon populations (with an immediate call to action for more adult Chinook /King Salmon), their direct effect on the survival of our Southern Resident Killer Whales and other dependent marine life, we are identifying projects – and collaborating with other groups – to help address the need to reverse this trend and better understand the causes for the decline.
