Native Fish Society

ABOUT NATIVE FISH SOCIETY

Mission: Guided by the best available science, Native Fish Society advocates for the protection and recovery of wild, native fish and promotes the stewardship of the habitats that sustain us all. 

Vision: We envision a future with abundant wild fish, free-flowing rivers, and thriving local communities. 

What is a Wild, Native Fish? And why are they important?

A wild, native fish completes its entire lifecycle naturally, without human intervention and is a fish species that occurred naturally within a lake, stream, or river historically—not placed there by humans.

Wild, native fish are keystone species—meaning they’re uniquely entwined in a natural relationship with people and wildlife. Their wellbeing and success affect us all.

Today, the majority of the Pacific Northwest’s iconic native fish hover at just 1-10% of their historic abundance. The fate of native fish will be decided within our lifetimes. The revival of native fish is more than an environmental movement, it’s about preserving our shared cultures.

Conservation Programs:

River Steward Program: 75 place-based volunteers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California. Stewards are empowered as local leaders enacting change in their homewaters. 

Native Fish Fellowship Program: 13 skills-based volunteers. Leveraging skills and talents to accelerate the revival of wild, native fish. 

Women for Wild Fish Initiative: Connect and promote 1,000 women in 2019 as leaders in science-based education and the conservation of wild, native fish and their homewaters. 

Notable accomplishments include:

• Safeguarding 101,000 acres of public lands from strip mining in the headwaters of remarkable salmon and steelhead rivers including the Illinois, Smith, Pistol rivers and Hunter Creek
• Designating the Molalla and Chetco rivers as State Scenic Waterways
• Advancing 150 miles of new Wild & Scenic rivers critical for wild salmon and steelhead including the Molalla River and tributaries to the Rogue River.