Upwards of 80 million salmon return to Bristol Bay each year. (Flyout Media)
Alaska
Overview
Alaska is home to some of the world’s most remarkable wild rivers and fisheries. Bristol Bay’s intact watersheds produce more than half the world’s sockeye salmon, while nearly 13,000 miles of salmon and steelhead streams flow through the Tongass National Forest. Across southcentral and western Alaska, world-class rainbow trout fisheries draw anglers from around the globe. Alaska represents some of the best of what’s left, and we are committed to keeping it that way. Through advocacy, partnerships and on-the-ground restoration, we are protecting intact watersheds and restoring trout and salmon habitat affected by mining, logging and development.
Fish We're Protecting
Threats & Opportunities
Alaska’s productive watersheds face threats from development that could harm trout and salmon habitat, fishing and tourism economies, and subsistence traditions. We bring science-based advocacy and public scrutiny to projects that threaten these resources while advancing strategic restoration efforts. Together, this work helps protect Alaska’s wild rivers and sustain healthy trout and salmon populations for generations to come.
What We're Accomplishing
Safeguarding Alaska’s World-Class Fisheries
We work with communities, anglers, Tribes, federal agencies and businesses to protect Alaska’s productive fish habitat and the economies and traditions it supports. In Bristol Bay, we continue our more than 20-year effort to prevent the proposed Pebble Mine. In Southeast Alaska, we advocate for management of the Tongass National Forest that sustains healthy fisheries and local communities. Statewide, we work to address emerging threats to critical fish habitat.
Restoring Salmon Habitat Damaged by Historic Mining
Working with partners, we have restored more than two miles of Chinook salmon spawning and rearing habitat in Resurrection Creek, reversing damage from historic mining. Through our Alaska Abandoned Mine Partnership with Kinross Gold, we helped launch one of Alaska’s largest restoration efforts, bringing together federal agencies, conservation organizations and mining companies. Across the Kenai River, Resurrection Creek and Montana Creek, we have restored 85 acres of riparian habitat.
Reconnecting Salmon and Steelhead Habitat
Across Alaska, we are replacing failing culverts that block fish migration and access to spawning and rearing habitat. We have replaced 15 culverts, reconnecting more than 50 miles of habitat for salmon and trout in communities across Southeast, Southcentral and Interior Alaska. Additional fish passage projects are planned to expand these benefits.
Connecting Alaskans to Fishing and Conservation
We engage an average of 5,000 Alaskans annually through community planting days, stream cleanups, fishing outings and education events. Our programs have introduced hundreds of veterans, women and children to fishing, while initiatives like the Mayfly Project provide mentorship and outdoor experiences for youth in foster care.
Using Community Science to Protect Salmon Habitat
Working with volunteers, we are identifying and documenting previously unmapped salmon and steelhead habitat to inform conservation priorities. We have officially documented more than 100 miles of habitat, helping strengthen protections for the clean water and connected streams these fish need to thrive.
How You Can Help
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Alaska Conservation Team
Nelli Williams
Alaska State Director
Alaska State Director
50
miles of fish habitat reconnected
100
miles of habitat documented
80M
wild fish protected
Priority Waters
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Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay supports the world’s most productive wild salmon fishery, fueling a $2 billion fishing economy, subsistence traditions and world-class rainbow trout populations. For more than two decades, we have worked to protect the watershed from industrial-scale mining, helping secure Clean Water Act protections that halted the proposed Pebble Mine. We continue to defend these protections in court while advocating for permanent safeguards across the watershed.
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Tongass National Forest
Part of the world’s largest remaining intact temperate rainforest, the Tongass hosts abundant wild salmon and steelhead runs in its tree-lined rivers and streams. The forest also stores an immense amount of carbon and plays an important role in buffering the effects of climate change. We advocate for a logging-free future for the Tongass and we work to restore habitat that has been degraded and disconnected by logging and road building.
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Kenai Peninsula
Trophy rainbow trout and strong salmon runs draw visiting and resident anglers to the Kenai River, Alaska’s most popular sportfishing destination. The river sees more than 400,000 angler days per year and more than 600,000 salmon are harvested. We are working to educate and engage anglers, especially youth, in better caring for fish and their habitat to ensure one of Alaska’s most productive rivers stays healthy and thriving. In 2020, we launched our first Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative project on Resurrection Creek and are restoring 2.2 miles and 74 acres of riparian habitat important to Chinook salmon.
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Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley
Over half of Alaska’s population lives near these watersheds, and salmon populations here are some of the most threatened in the state. We are responding to emerging threats like the West Susitna Industrial Access Road, a 100+ mile road across more than 80 salmon streams. We are proud supporters of the MatSu Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership. Our major restoration effort on the Eklutna River is working to bring flows back to a river that has run dry for over 60 years and reestablish all five Pacific salmon species that traditionally supported the Native Village of Eklutna.
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Yukon River
The Tongass is part of the world’s largest remaining intact temperate rainforest and supports some of the planet’s most productive salmon and trout habitat. Historic logging and deteriorating roads have degraded and fragmented streams, threatening fisheries that sustain Southeast Alaska’s communities, cultural traditions and economy. With fishing and tourism supporting 26% of regional employment, we advocate for forest management that protects healthy watersheds while restoring degraded streams and reconnecting critical fish habitat.
Stories
