From Wild Fish Conservancy: “Conventional fishing practices in mixed-stock commercial salmon fisheries often result in bycatch mortality, impeding wild salmon recovery, altering ecosystem dynamics, and constraining coastal fisheries. This short film describes the mixed-stock harvest problem and documents Wild Fish Conservancy’s research of fish traps for selective harvest of hatchery-origin fishes and reduction of wild salmon bycatch mortality. Ultimately, a return to this historical fishery in the Pacific Northwest may prove to be a win-win for fishermen, coastal communities, threatened wild salmon stocks, and the environment.

This project was made possible by funding received under award NA17NMF4720255 and NA19NMF4270028 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, in cooperation with the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program and the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program. Additional support was provided by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations from this film are those of Wild Fish Conservancy and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders.”

Video Produced by North Fork Studios