Tongass

Southeast Alaska Salmon and Trout: A $1 Billion Economic Engine That Deserves Protection

A new study, commissioned by Trout Unlimited, finds that Southeast Alaska's healthy salmon and trout populations pump nearly $1 billion into the local economy every year and account for more than one in ten jobs. This first-of-its-kind study takes a combined look at the economic value of all four sectors of the region's salmon and trout fisheries – commercial, sport, subsistence/personal use and hatchery production. Previous studies have looked at each of the sectors separately.

"The study shows the healthy and abundant salmon and trout populations of Southeast Alaska are a huge driver of the regional economy. The reason we have such rich and sustainable fisheries is careful harvest management as well as a lack of the dams, pollution, and agricultural and urban development that have decimated so many runs in the Lower 48," said Tim Bristol, director of Trout Unlimited Alaska.

The study underscores the fact that Southeast Alaska is a salmon success story and the critical importance of coldwater fish to the economy, ecology and identity of this region. The report notes that limiting habitat degradation, restoring streams and riparian areas damaged by past logging, and minimizing the negative impacts of climate change will be key to ensuring that Southeast Alaska's salmon and trout continue to thrive for future generations.

"Salmon and trout are a cornerstone of the Southeast Alaska economy," said Bruce Wallace, a Juneau purse seiner. "Maintaining and enhancing the conditions that allow these fish to thrive should be a key goal for land managers and everyone else who cares about jobs in this state."

Read the press release, the full report, or an executive summary.

Scientific Case for Salmon Conservation at the Watershed Scale in the Tongass

Mason Bryant, Ph.D., recently reviewed scores of scientific studies conducted in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska that support the case for salmon conservation at the watershed scale. Bryant created an 88-page searchable bibliography that includes a complete citation and abstract for each study. Based on this literature review and his own research, Bryant argues the numerous and diverse watersheds of Southeast Alaska, unlike those throughout the Pacific Northwest, still support abundant and diverse salmon populations because many of these watersheds--entire drainages that stretch from ridge top to ridge top and from river headwaters to river mouths--are intact and fully functioning.

Read the summary.

Read the bibliography.

Photo credits: Heather Hardcastle