The Voice for Native Fish

Conserving biological diversity of native fish and protecting their habitats

The Native Fish Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1995 whose purpose is to protect and restore native, wild fish and their habitats. Our goal is the conservation, preservation and restoration of wild fish in the Pacific Northwest. We work to establish effective fish management policies based on the latest scientific research, and we encourage the public to get involved in this process.

conservation, preservation, restoration

Now — more than ever — salmon, steelhead, trout and other native species need your help to survive. Click on the link above to become part of this important effort.

“All of us in the Northwest, no matter where we live, are bound together by the silver threads of native salmon and steelhead runs. We share a common vision to bring these magnificent animals, our regional icon, back from the brink of extinction. The job is difficult and the obstacles are many and formidable. The salmon and the steelhead need a strong and unwavering advocate now more than at any time of their history. The Native Fish Society fills that need.”

 --  Jim Lichatowich; Author and Native Fish Society Member

Our Purpose
The Native Fish Society's purpose is to protect and restore native, wild fish and their habitats in the Pacific Northwest. NFS works with public agencies and governments to get native fish conservation policies implemented and to ensure that native fish policies are indeed followed once implemented.

The Native Fish Society is involved in public policy decisions and promotes scientifically-based solutions to fish management problems. We also encourage the involvement at both the administrative and personal levels by the public by educating them about the beauty, mystery and value of native fish and their environment.

Our Mission

  • To advocate scientifically sound conservation, protection and recovery actions for native fish and their habitats in the Pacific Northwest
  • To monitor and influence public agency management decisions in favor of native fish
  • To produce educational materials on native fish conservation through scientific reports, newsletters, action alerts, and the media
  • To inventory and monitor the status and health of native fish populations and improve our understanding of native fish ecosystem function

Must read study

Lichatowich: Failures to Incorporate Science into Fishery Management and Recovery Programs: Lessons from the Columbia River

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NFS: The Basics

A Summary of the Issues We Face

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RIST

2009 Hatchery

Reform Science
Recent study that examins the ecological impacts of hatchery programs including the changes in abundance, productivity, diversity and spatial structure of populations that arise from altering environmental conditions and species interactions by capturing, rearing, and releasing hatchery fish. Such effects are wide ranging and have been shown to occur even in cases where hatchery fish do not interbreed with wild fish. These effects include the following: direct predation, support of increased predator populations, predator “swamping”, support of increased fisheries, competition among juveniles or adults, and hatcheries as vectors of fish disease pathogens.

Click here for the whole study

Click here for selected quotes

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Reality Check

Information, hard science, studies and peer reviewed reports.

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Use GoodSearch Instead of Google!

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logo: 1% For the Planet

Keep Earth in Business

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