Global conservation coalition issues joint statement: Wild salmon need healthy rivers now
The Pacific Salmon Foundation reports that a global coalition of salmon conservation organizations is calling for faster action to restore the rivers, streams, and estuaries wild salmon need to survive.
Released ahead of International Wild Salmon Day, the joint statement warns that wild salmon across the Northern Hemisphere are facing severe pressure from habitat degradation, climate change, drought, flooding, wildfires, and other human impacts. It notes that two-thirds of Pacific salmon populations in B.C. and Yukon are in long-term decline, while Atlantic salmon returns in the U.K. and eastern North America were among the lowest on record in 2025.
The coalition points to restoration success stories, including dam removals in the Klamath Basin and community-led recovery work on Vancouver Island’s Cowichan River, as proof that salmon can rebound when habitats are protected and restored. The message is clear: wild salmon recovery requires urgent, coordinated investment in healthy rivers from mountain headwaters to the sea.