Here's a political movement I can get behind: "Vote With Your Fork" to protect and promote wild salmon.

This movement was cooked up by the folks who catch fish and those who cook it. They teamed up with an activist organization called "Save Our Wild Salmon."

Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., was among those leading the charge as chefs traveled to Washington, D.C., this week urging Congress to protect fish in the Pacific salmon states: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Alaska. In Seattle, Johnathan Sundstrom from Lark and Christine Keff from Flying Fish were on board early with this initiative, which took a year to pull together.

Charles Ramseyer (late of Ray's and now executive chef at NYC's hot new Wild Salmon), Riley Starks of Lummi Island's Willows Inn, and chef Greg Higgins of Portland, as well as commercial fishing industry reps and conservationists, are trying to persuade pols to support measures such as the Salmon Economic Analysis and Planning Act (H.R. 1507), which would restore declining Columbia and Snake river fisheries, once among the most abundant in the world, according to a news release from Save Our Wild Salmon.

"Wild salmon is one of the unique, authentic heritage foods of the Pacific Northwest, intricately tied to centuries of Salmon Nation culture and tribal traditions. It represents perhaps our country's last great wild meal," a portion of the letter read.

Delicious proof was served by chefs from the D.C. area at a reception Tuesday at the Capitol, which showcased Alaskan salmon from Jensen's Smokehouse in Greenwood and wild-caught chinook from a Southeast Alaska fishermen's co-op.

I'm going to cast my vote with my fork next week, when the Copper River salmon run opens. The first fish fly into area markets around May 17.