Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus (ISAv) Update 

The first public report of Infectious Salmon Anemia virus (ISAv) in the Pacific NW was on October 15, 2011, from juvenile sockeye salmon from the west coast of Vancouver Island, BC.  Within 10 days, the virus was also detected in adult Chinook, coho, and chum salmon from a tributary of the Fraser River, BC. Now it appears that the virus has been present in BC - all the way north to the Bering Sea - since at least 2002, and Canada's federal Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) failed to report it. The presence of this virus poses a serious threat to native salmon species that are already in decline or endangered.    

WFC has moved quickly to raise awareness of the threat and to encourage state and federal agencies to begin sampling immediately and establish a laboratory to analyze ISAv samples. WFC staff have already started sampling in Washington waters, focusing on the Skagit River because of its proximity to the Fraser River basin.  

To learn more about this threat and what you can do to help, read the entire ISAv Update and check out the ISAv FAQ's. 

All-Wild Elwha Campaign Update - We Did It!  

Thank you for helping us reach our goal of $20,000! The All-Wild Elwha Campaign was a huge success. We had an amazing outpouring of support that enabled us to meet our goal within the 30 day deadline. Your support ensures that we can continue the fight to keep non-native Chambers Creek steelhead out of the restored Elwha and push for the eventual removal of all hatchery fish. This also includes an Adaptive Management Strategy that in the interim maximizes wild fish recovery, provides funding for on-going monitoring, and sets goals and triggers with the intent of shutting down the hatchery as soon as possible. Thanks again. Together we can ensure an all-wild Elwha future.   

2011 Wild Fish Journal Online Version Now Available     

The 2011 Wild Fish Journal (WFJ), our annual report to our members and other supporters, illuminates our coast-wide efforts on hatcheries and harvest, but also places a special emphasis on the risk they pose to the recovery of the Elwha ecosystem.  

This edition of the WFJ also includes a mix of articles where we describe some of our new and ongoing projects and some of our other dogged efforts to influence policy in favor of wild fish. We've studied the fish of streams in northern Oregon, the mighty Skagit of northwest Washington, and the nearshore habitats of Puget Sound.

Our Harvest Reform Campaign has been analyzing how, where, when, and in some cases even why we harvest fish. This coast-wide assessment has been a very time-consuming and complex project but it has revealed incredible opportunities, with the potential to benefit both fishermen and wild fish alike. This edition of the WFJ discusses some aspects of the project, focusing on why ocean harvest reform will be necessary for Chinook recovery. Take a look at these stories and a whole lot more.   

Puget Sound Recovery

In 2008, the Puget Sound Partnership released its "Action Agenda," the agency's plan to restore the Sound by 2020.  That date, like the development of the Action Agenda, was mandated by the legislation that created the Partnership. The law also directed the Action Agenda be periodically updated, and the Partnership is scheduled to release its first new draft this month.  According to the Partnership's website, the update "will focus on developing strategies and actions that help achieve targets for reducing five pressures on the ecosystem," and the pressures include 1) land development; 2) shoreline alteration; 3) runoff from the built environment; 4) wastewater; and 5) loss of floodplain function.  

Let's first address what is not included in this list.  "Salmon recovery" was included in the original Action Agenda, and since then, the entire "Shared Strategy" process, which produced the recovery plan for Puget Sound Chinook salmon, has been moved into the Puget Sound Partnership; it is explicitly recognized that "salmon recovery" is part of Puget Sound Recovery.  So far, so good... Read the entire article.  

Consider an End of Year Gift

As we close out 2011 we want to thank you for your commitment to this cause. 2011 was another successful year for wild fish! But we can't stop the momentum moving into 2012. There's too much work to be done, and we can't do it with out the support from people like you, people that understand what's at stake. That's why at year-end, your special gift will give us a significant boost as we set our course for 2012. Remember, every gift is appreciated, and every gift makes a difference. Don't forget: If your gift is postmarked by December 31st, it's still tax-deductible for 2011. Thank you. Donate Now! 

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