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
Sign up to take action on behalf of Bristol Bay.
TAKE ACTIONStay up to date about how you can help us care for and recover Alaska’s Priority Waters.
Alaska Conservation Team
Nelli Williams
Alaska State Director
Alaska State Director
50
miles of fish habitat reconnected
100
miles of salmon, steelhead habitat documented
80M
wild fish protected
Priority Waters
-
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.
-
Tongass National Forest
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.
-
Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai River is Alaska’s most popular sportfishing destination, drawing anglers with trophy rainbow trout and abundant salmon runs. With more than 400,000 angler days and 600,000 salmon harvested annually, we are engaging anglers, especially youth, in protecting fish and their habitat. Through our Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative, we are also restoring 2.2 miles of Resurrection Creek and 74 acres of riparian habitat critical to Chinook salmon.
-
Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley
More than half of Alaska’s population lives near these watersheds, where salmon face some of the state’s greatest threats. We are addressing proposed developments, including the West Susitna Industrial Access Road, which would cross more than 80 salmon streams. As a partner in the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership, we are advancing conservation and restoration efforts, including work to restore flows to the Eklutna River after more than 60 years and support the return of all five Pacific salmon species that historically sustained the Native Village of Eklutna.
-
Yukon River
The Yukon River, North America’s third-longest river, flows from Canada through Alaska to the Bering Sea, providing a vital food source for local and Indigenous communities. Declining salmon populations and the collapse of two salmon fisheries have threatened food security, while historic and ongoing mining have degraded critical habitat. We are working with local and federal partners to identify, protect and restore important fish habitat, particularly for Chinook salmon, throughout the Yukon River’s tributaries.
Stories
