Why Wild |

Why Wild?

WhyWild is part of Trout Unlimited's Western Conservation Program with the purpose to engage the salmon marketplace in Trout Unlimited's wild salmon and steelhead conservation efforts in California, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. Through WhyWild, Trout Unlimited educates salmon consumers, chefs, retailers, seafood processors, fishermen, and others around the country about the values of wild salmon and why voting with your fork for wild salmon is a critical way of sustaining our wild salmon fisheries and ensuring that we really can have our salmon and eat it, too.

Salmon in the News

Are Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Doomed?

Date: May 21, 2012

The 37 million or so sockeye salmon that spawn in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed are back in the news this week, after the U.S. Environmental...

Bristol Bay mining would harm Alaska salmon habitat, EPA analysis says

Date: May 18, 2012

Large-scale mining operations in Alaska's Bristol Bay will harm habitat for wild salmon, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded in a draft...

The Main Course (Heritage Food Radio) - Save Bristol Bay

Date: April 1, 2012

Find out how sport fisherman and commercial fisherman are uniting to protect Bristol Bay against potential sulfide deposits, acid mine drainage and...

Chef Spotlight

Wayne Johnson

Chef Wayne Johnson (formerly of Andaluca Restaurant in Seattle) just recently joined the team at one Seattle's favorite seafood restaurants, Ray's Boathouse. Chef Johnson has been a longtime champion of Bristol Bay salmon, one of the first chefs in Seattle to feature it on his menu during past Savor Bristol Bay weeks. Passionate about unique flavors inspired by international cuisine, Chef Johnson appreciates wild salmon as an important sustainable seafood source that is iconic to Pacific Northwest cuisine. Try Chef Johnson's Bristol Bay salmon cakes recipe, featured at the Seattle screening of Red Gold in October 2011.

Fishermen Spotlight

Matt Aboussie

Matt Aboussie has been bringing flash frozen, high quality Bristol Bay salmon home to Colorado for several years. In the summer, Matt and his crew operate a set net site on Ekuk Beach near Dillingham. After the fishing season Matt returns to Colorado, where his business Wild Alaska Salmon sells to customers who are interested in supporting a local fisherman who markets a sustainable product. Matt is committed to promoting sustainable seafood, in his words: "Bristol Bay salmon support me, and I do my best to support them through promoting sustainably caught seafood, and high quality Alaskan salmon".

Grower Spotlight

Martorana Family Winery

Martorana Family Winery has demonstrated its commitment to land and water stewardship and its enthusiasm for protecting and restoring high-quality habitat for salmon. Located in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, the Martorana Family practices organic farming and has undertaken a whole suite of restoration projects. Most recently, the vineyard made a dramatic change in its water management for frost protection. The project serves as a model for sustainable water use and will benefit endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout in the Russian River watershed. Find more about Martorana.

Stay Informed

Stay informed about what's happening in the salmon marketplace and ways you can help us protect and restore our wild salmon fisheries.

What's New

EPA releases draft Bristol Bay risk assessment. The EPA has just released their draft Bristol Bay risk assessment, which concluded that large-scale mining would destroy many miles and thousands of acres of salmon habitat in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska. The EPA is accepting public comments until July 23rd, so now's your chance to share with the EPA and Obama Administration what wild salmon means to you and why it's a food source you want to see protected. Submit your comments here

Bristol Bay Salmon coming to a restaurant near you. Trout Unlimited, Chefs Collaborative, the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, and Sea To Table are teaming up this July to bring Bristol Bay's salmon and story to restaurants around the country. Find out which of your local restaurants are participating by going here.