A 5 Rivers Odyssey: The pursuit of wild salmon

The Tongass National Forest.

It is that time of the year again. 

Building off the success of last year’s Native Odyssey campaign, Trout Unlimited is sending four of our brightest college club leaders in the TU Costa 5 Rivers Program to explore the home of the world’s largest runs of wild salmon: Alaska.

Starting July 5, these students will explore the Kenai Peninsula, Bristol Bay and the Tongass National Forest in pursuit of the five species of Pacific salmon and other native Salmonids that call Alaska home. In partnership with Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing Products, the U.S. Forest Service, Fishpond USA, and Orvis, these students will seek to unearth, document, and share the challenges facing the largest salmon fisheries in the world.

By quantifying the economic, political, spiritual and subsistence significance of the salmon runs, the students will paint a vivid picture of the necessity of protecting these natural resources for future generations. With salmon runs in global decline, and wild salmon runs in the lower 48 as a looming example of what we have already lost, it is imperative that we protect these renewable resources for future generations.

Over half of the worlds commercial, wild-caught sockeye salmon comes from Alaska and supports thousands of livelihoods across the state. We all have voice, and it is important to stand up and tell the U.S. Army Core of Engineers and the EPA to keep Bristol bay the way it is. Sign the petition at Standup.tu.org.

We will introduce the students in the coming days, and if you would like to support their trip, please visit Pig Farm INK’s crowdfunding campaign for them.

— Andrew Loffredo