Wild Spring Chinook Salmon on the Oregon Coast. Photo: Duncan Berry

Wild. Abundant. Local.

Join the groundswell of public support for abundant wild fish, free-flowing rivers, and thriving Northwest communities.

What We Stand For

Abundant Wild, Native Fish

Reviving the Pacific Northwest’s native fish species to natural abundance.

Healthy, Free-Flowing Rivers

Reconnecting, protecting, and restoring the watersheds that sustain us all.

Sustainable, Climate-Resilient Fisheries

Working with decision-makers to ensure fisheries are data driven, grounded in traditional cultural knowledge, and resilient to a changing climate.

Show your wild fish passion - Join the call to action

Until all our Pacific Northwest communities enjoy healthy homewaters with abundant wild fish, we’re asking you to take the pledge and join with local voices, take collective action, and advance science-based solutions to the root challenges facing native fish. Take the Wild Fish For All Pledge today!

Wild Is The Future

We support short-term hatchery programs that serve as life support operations for endangered populations or reintroducing extirpated fish populations, and long-term hatchery programs on lakes and other landlocked waterbodies that lack wild counterparts.

In the long-term, the industrial approach to river and fisheries management that relies on fish hatcheries does not lead to abundant fisheries, nor healthy ecosystems, nor thriving communities.

The best hatchery is a healthy river.

To revive abundant fish and thriving local communities, we need to invest in a model of stewardship that protects and restores healthy, free-flowing rivers and sustainable fisheries management focused on wild fish.

Conservation Campaigns

North Umpqua River: Winchester Dam Removal

Intro

The North Umpqua River and its wild fish are invaluable public treasures for our community and our state. For decades, these resources have been diminished by Winchester Dam, a structure whose sole purpose is to provide recreation for a few private homeowners. The dam owners, Winchester Water Control District, have failed to maintain the structure for the past 30 years. This neglect has resulted in major infrastructure problems that threaten our fish, water quality, and community safety. In 2023, attempted dam maintenance resulted in the mortality of hundreds of thousands of Pacific Lamprey, water quality violations, and blocked volitional fish passage. But there is hope. Native Fish Society is invested in our mission of restoring the North Umpqua River to its former glory, reviving wild, native fish population and returning the river to a free-flowing state, providing unimpeded access to more than 160 miles of cold water habitats for native fish.

Reviving Wild Abundance: An All-Wild Steelhead North Umpqua River

Intro

The North Umpqua River and its wild fish are invaluable public treasures for our community and our state. Wild fish species, such as summer steelhead, play a critical role in the ecosystem of the North Umpqua River in Oregon. They provide a source of food for other animals, help to maintain water quality, and serve as indicators of the overall health of the ecosystem. By protecting and restoring wild fish populations, we can ensure the continued health and productivity of the North Umpqua River and its ecosystem. However, native fish populations in the North Umpqua River face significant threats due to hatchery fish that are putting their survival at risk. To protect these important species, it is important to reduce the number of hatchery releases, implement sustainable fishing practices, and conserve critical habitats to support healthy populations of wild, native fish in the North Umpqua River.

ReWild the Willamette

Intro

Native Fish Society is fighting to recover Oregon's most imperiled wild fish by building a groundswell of public support to advocate for effective fish passage at the 13 federally owned and operated dams in the basin. And we are holding the management agencies accountable in court, assuring that they take action now to provide relief to struggling populations and ensuring that they develop and implement a long-term plan to recover the species.

Find your homewaters

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

Get Involved

Join River Stewards Near You

Native Fish Society educates, activates, and inspires a region-wide network of local grassroots advocates dedicated to science-based solutions for their Northwest homewaters and wild, native fish.

“You can make a lasting impact by speaking for your backyard river and its native fish!”

Our Impact
Grassroots River Stewards taking care of their backyard rivers and native fish.
75
victories safeguarding habitat and restoring fish passage.
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Partners for a Wild Future

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Equity & Inclusion

The Native Fish Society is dedicated to cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive groundswell of public support for reviving abundant wild fish, free-flowing rivers, and thriving communities.

Learn More

$10 per month helps steward your homewaters.

Win a Bob Clay Spey Rod for Only $100 and Support the Revival of Wild, Native Fish! Bamboo Spey Rod Raffle is on NOW! *Only 250 tickets will be sold | Tickets are $100 each | Drawing held on October 31st, 2024 at 3pm.*