Conservation Efforts | Fisherman's Brew
Fisherman's Brew is proud to announce that we have partnered with 2% for conservation, certifying our commitment to salmon conservation efforts in the Pacific Northwest.
What’s the problem?
For the past several decades, wild salmon populations in the pacific northwest have been on a steady decline. All five varieties of pacific salmon, as well as the pacific steelhead have faced overfishing and environmental damage within their delicate ecosystem. This includes water pollution, habitat decay, and migration hinderances such as dams and other aquatic barriers. The combination of overfishing and habitat loss have left many fisherman in Washington State wondering if there will be salmon runs for future generations to enjoy. Fortunately, all hope is not lost. There are many dedicated individuals in our state who are working to improve this situation, and Fisherman's Brew hopes to be the next in a long line of individuals who make meaningful contributions to saving our salmon runs.
What’s the solution?
Through the federal Endangered Species Act and Washington State’s numerous fish and wildlife regulatory laws, wild salmon populations are slowly being recovered. These laws and regulations focus on two separate—but equally as important—solutions: the restoration of salmon habitats (i.e. rivers) and the development of salmon hatcheries.
The restoration of salmon habitats aims to counteract the damage their ecosystem has sustained over the years, while simultaneously assuring their habitats stay healthy for the foreseeable future. This effort is often carried out by local organizations in conjunction with Washington RCO (Recreation and Conservation Office). So far, these organizations have been able to accomplish the following in their restoration attempt:
- 1,260 barriers to migrating fish removed, opening up more than 3,200 miles of habitat.
- 425 acres of wetlands, 9,115 acres of estuaries restored.
- 23,807 acres along waterways, and 28,170 acres of uplands restored.
- 508 miles of in-stream habitat restored.
- 3,080 miles of streambank and shoreline restored.
- 456 fish screens installed to keep fish in rivers and out of irrigation ditches.
- 24,070 acres along rivers, wetlands, and estuaries cleared of invasive species.
Although the habitat restoration project is far from over, Washington wildlife officials have already noticed an improvement in wild salmon habitats across the state.
The rationale behind improving salmon hatcheries stems from the understanding that salmon runs are, and will always be, crucial to the economic and cultural identity of Washington State. Therefore instead of completely eliminating both recreational and commercial salmon fishing in Washington, it was determined that improving the hatchery salmon runs should significantly reduce the impact fishing has on wild salmon. Specifically, the proposed improvements aim to increase hatchery salmon numbers and develop better procedures for marking hatchery salmon (a visual clip of the adipose fins of salmon), all while reducing hatchery impact on wild fish.
How does Fisherman’s Brew help?
At Fisherman’s Brew, we donate 5% of all profits to salmon hatcheries and rehabilitation programs throughout our state. We believe there is no single conservation group capable of fixing every issue affecting salmon returns in Washington, hence our decision to distribute our quarterly donations to a variety of conservation efforts from the beginning. Our long-term goal is to start our own salmon conservation effort and make real strides at saving Washington's salmon runs. Our current donations will be supporting Hatchery & Wild Coexist and will occur at the end of Q4.
Past donations have been in support of Fish Northwest
How can you help?
As a coffee start up, our first few monetary donations will be limited. If you'd like to make a larger personal impact, you can donate directly to the site linked above, or to another conservation group you like. If you have more questions, and would like to chat with one of us, get in contact.
