FishWise, Santa Monica Seafood and Trout Unlimited Join Forces to Conserve Bristol Bay Salmon

FishWise was contracted by Santa Monica Seafood in October, 2010 as a third-party manager of the Responsible Sourcing Vendor Partner (RSVP) marine conservation fund in order to help maintain program integrity. FishWise is responsible for the critical and objective assessment of RSVP funding candidates, which includes: a review of objectives, timelines, multi-stakeholder involvement, and social, environmental and economic implications. FishWise also initiates funding, reports on progress of funded projects, and facilitates information sharing with vendors and customers.

The RSVP program is based on funding from a $.02 per pound bill-back to Santa Monica Seafood vendors on all pounds purchased, with revenues exceeding $120,000 per year. To support these objectives, Santa Monica Seafood funds projects that facilitate community development, educate target audiences, or that fit one or more of the following categories for key products: fisheries management, gear improvement, stock enhancement and sourcing qualification.

Recognizing Bristol Bay, Alaska as one of the last pristine freshwater habitats for wild salmon, and with a mind to ensure that this 125 year old fishery can be perpetually productive, the RSVP program, with our recommendation, has decided to fund Trout Unlimited, one of the nation’s largest and oldest coldwater fisheries conservation organizations.

Along with local Bristol Bay Native tribes and corporations, commercial salmon fishermen, seafood processors, chefs (including Alice Waters, Tom Colicchio and Mark Bittman) and others around the country, Trout Unlimited are working hard to ensure that Bristol Bay’s fishery gets the protection that it deserves so that future generations may enjoy this irreplaceable source of healthy and delicious wild salmon.

Funding will go towards establishing, with the help of Dr. Carol Ann Woody, one of Alaska’s top fishery biologists, which streams in the Bristol Bay watershed have ideal habitat necessary for wild salmon to thrive. This information will then be added to the State of Alaska’s Anadromous Waters Catalog, which is used to help guide management and conservation decisions.

We are proud and excited to be working with Santa Monica Seafood and Trout Unlimited to ensure that wild salmon populations survive into the future.