PROTECTION FOR SALMON Wild salmon continue to fight for survival in the face of open net-pen fish farms. Waste products from farming pens are released into surrounding waters, changing the chemical makeup and damaging the biological diversity of our rivers, estuaries and oceans.
To help protect this valuable species, the Foundation recently awarded three grants to nonprofits with a proven track record of protecting salmon.
Wild Salmon Center, Portland, Oregon The Wild Salmon Center is an international conservation organization with a mission to protect wild salmon, steelhead and the ecosystems they depend on. Its efforts reach across the Pacific Rim, where approximately 500 million salmon return yearly to spawn. The Foundation provided $ 2 million in funding to help conserve 20 rivers in the area through initiatives like stock fishery monitoring and watershed management and restoration programs. The project is designed to secure habitats for an annual salmon run of 120 million fish, or 25 % of the world’ s remaining wild salmon. will help the organization lead a national campaign to restore floodplains, some of the world’ s most productive ecosystems. If successful, the project would save billions in flood damage and restore fish and waterfowl habitats.
MOVING FORWARD Cox Biodiversity is making a meaningful impact on the world. Together with current and future nonprofit partners, we will lead positive environmental, economic and human change.
“ Helping maintain a balance within these ecosystems is important to the future of salmon, ducks and their habitats,” said Alex Taylor.“ Our goal is to do as much as we can in the near term and leave a legacy of conservation and wildlife management for the next generation.”
North Atlantic Salmon Fund, Jacksonville, Florida The North Atlantic Salmon Fund is a nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1989. It works with a network of international volunteers to protect wild salmon by battling the expansion of open net-pen farming and closing unsustainable fisheries. The Foundation’ s gift of $ 1.25 million is expected to help the organization remove 80 % of open net-pens.
American Rivers, Washington, D. C. American Rivers works to prevent the construction of unnecessary dams that impede rivers and jeopardize the wildlife that depend on them for survival. The $ 1.2 million gifted by the Foundation
Fish that escape from open net-pen fish farms( pictured at right) cause irreversible harm on wild stocks.
As part of conservation efforts, wildlife filmmaker Rick Rosenthal films salmon for an upcoming documentary.
14 SPRING 2025