Registration open for 2023 Salmon Recovery Conference

Registration is open for the ninth biennial Salmon Recovery Conference, which brings together more than 650 salmon recovery professionals to share their work and the latest science for recovering salmon.

“The slower we act, the faster our salmon will be pushed to the brink of survival,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “This conference brings together our best and brightest to develop long-term solutions that will help native salmon and steelhead recover and thrive.”

The 2-day conference begins April 18 in Vancouver, Wash. Early-bird registration is open until March 8 and registration closes April 7. Ticket prices vary and discounts are offered for student, nonprofit, tribal and virtual attendees. Visit the conference website for more information.

The Salmon Recovery Conference is offered every other year by the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Recreation and Conservation Office, Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office, Puget Sound Partnership and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. This year’s theme, “A Shared Future,” reflects the connection between people, wildlife, the spaces they inhabit, and their relationship to salmon recovery.

The conference will open with drumming and a blessing from the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Conference presentations will showcase innovative salmon recovery projects, lessons learned and best practices. Highlights will include the stories and science learned from the International Year of the Salmon’s Pan-Pacific winter 2022 high seas expedition, an effort led by five international research vessels to study salmon in the north Pacific Ocean.

Other topics include climate change, community partnerships, outreach and education, monitoring and adaptive management efforts, policy initiatives and regulations, updates on efforts to save endangered Southern Resident orcas and projects to open fish passage and restore floodplains and estuaries.

“When people think about salmon recovery they usually only think about the waterways where salmon live, but we’re actually all part of the salmon story—our families, our farms and businesses, our forests, we’re all interconnected and impact salmon recovery,” said Megan Duffy, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office. “This conference brings together people from different industries and professions with one thing in mind—figuring out how to recover our salmon populations.”