April 15, 2025 | Portland, Oregon — A groundbreaking study recently published in the journal Fisheries offers compelling evidence supporting a strategic approach to ecosystem conservation centered on the protection of Pacific salmon strongholds. This innovative conservation model, known as the stronghold strategy, targets the preservation of the planet’s most vital salmon, steelhead, and trout watersheds across the North Pacific. These ecologically rich systems, numbering 119 distinct watersheds, are crucial not only to sustaining wild fish biodiversity but also to advancing global environmental goals related to climate resilience and food security.
The stronghold strategy emerges as a proactive paradigm in conservation biology, emphasizing the preemptive safeguarding of aquatic ecosystems before they succumb to degradation pressures. Salmonids have been selected as the keystone species around which this strategy revolves, given their iconic status and pivotal role in maintaining ecosystem integrity. For over a quarter century, the Wild Salmon Center (WSC) has harnessed this approach, protecting millions of acres of habitat and influencing the health of entire watersheds, which in turn supports biodiversity far beyond the immediate rivers.
One of the core scientific premises of the strategy is that intact salmon rivers act as linchpins for watershed health, bolstering ecosystem services that directly influence climate regulation, species diversity, and food systems. Salmon populations contribute to nutrient cycling and energy flow, thereby reinforcing the resilience of these landscapes against environmental perturbations. The study underscores that safeguarding salmon strongholds equates to preserving critical carbon sinks, which collectively sequester approximately 6.1 billion tons of greenhouse gases—an amount roughly equivalent to 3.5 years of total U.S. emissions.
Ecologically, strongholds are distinguished by their robust populations of wild salmon and their habitat quality, which collectively promise the persistence of these species for decades. These strongholds include globally significant regions such as Bristol Bay in Alaska and the Skeena and Dean river basins in British Columbia. Their protection delivers far-reaching biodiversity benefits, not only conserving genetic variation within salmonid populations but also supporting complex ecological interactions among aquatic and terrestrial species reliant on these river ecosystems.
The study points to the strategic alignment of the stronghold strategy with international conservation ambitions, notably the “30 by 30” initiative that seeks to protect 30% of the planet’s lands and waters by 2030. Salmon strongholds represent some of the last remaining large scale, relatively intact landscapes on Earth, making their conservation imperative from a macroecological perspective. By maintaining ecosystem connectivity and functional diversity, these stronghold systems act as bulwarks against accelerating biodiversity loss and cascading ecological failures.
In practical terms, the success of the stronghold approach rests on three foundational pillars identified by the research: first, layered habitat protection and restoration mechanisms that endure political and economic fluctuations; second, fisheries management that prioritizes the genetic and life history diversity intrinsic to wild salmon populations; and third, fostering a culture of local stewardship that ensures continual community engagement and defense of these ecosystems. This triad provides the durability necessary for long-term sustainability, recognizing that ecological and social dimensions are intricately linked in conservation outcomes.
Significant emphasis is placed on the genetic diversity of salmon as a critical factor enabling species adaptability to climatic and environmental changes. This life history diversity functions as a biological buffer, enhancing their survival through cycles of ice ages, floods, and contemporary climate shifts. Fisheries management practices that preserve this diversity are paramount to the species’ continued viability, highlighting the importance of ecosystem-based, rather than solely harvest-centered, management frameworks.
Local stewardship plays a central role in the stronghold model, where communities act as vigilant guardians of their watersheds. This social dimension creates what WSC’s leadership terms a human “immune response,” whereby community members rapidly respond to threats such as habitat disruption or overfishing. Empowering local stakeholders through education, resource access, and collaborative governance strengthens resilience and fosters a reciprocal relationship between human livelihoods and ecosystem health.
The strategy does not seek to replace efforts aimed at recovering salmon populations in heavily degraded systems; rather, it complements these by focusing on proactive preservation where wild fish and their habitats remain relatively intact. This prevents the need for costly and often uncertain restoration efforts by maintaining ecosystem functions before critical thresholds are crossed. The WSC’s protection of 35.7 million acres over 89 rivers exemplifies the scale and effectiveness of this preventive approach.
Case studies detailed within the research illuminate tangible impacts of the stronghold strategy. For example, in Oregon, the expansion of coastal “wild fish zones” has correlated with increased diversity and population stability in coho salmon. In Russia, the designation of the Kol watershed as the first World Heritage Site dedicated to salmon has set a precedent for large-scale, whole-watershed protection and inspired replicative conservation efforts across the Russian Far East. These successes underscore the replicability and adaptability of the strategy in various geopolitical contexts.
The authors affirm that the long-term viability of these strongholds remains contingent on sustained stewardship and adaptive management in the face of intensifying threats such as habitat fragmentation, pollution, and climate change. The environmental window to secure these ecosystems is narrowing, making expanded investment and prioritization urgent. As the climate crisis accelerates, the intrinsic value and utility of these wild salmon strongholds as reservoirs of biodiversity and natural climate solutions become increasingly apparent.
Ultimately, the stronghold strategy represents one of the most cost-effective and scientifically robust investments humanity can make to safeguard ecosystem health for future generations. Beyond conserving iconic species, it embodies a commitment to preserving wild rivers and landscapes that define natural heritage and ecological stability. As Dr. Matthew Sloat, co-author and science director at WSC, highlights, these ecosystems offer a multifaceted return—supporting fisheries, conserving biodiversity, and mitigating climate impacts for communities worldwide.
The research articulates a compelling call to action: to recognize salmon strongholds not merely as isolated conservation targets but as integral components of a resilient and interconnected biosphere. Their protection reinforces global environmental security and exemplifies how proactive, science-driven conservation models can bridge ecological complexity with human well-being. The stronghold strategy, therefore, stands as a vital blueprint for future efforts to conserve aquatic ecosystems and the services they provide.
As human activities continue to transform landscapes and waterways at an unprecedented pace, the lessons from salmon strongholds offer critical insights into sustaining ecological integrity. These systems demonstrate that strategic, targeted conservation rooted in scientific understanding and community engagement can yield measurable outcomes. In this way, the stronghold strategy emerges not only as a beacon of hope but as a practical framework for preserving biodiversity, ensuring food security, and combating climate change in the 21st century.
Subject of Research: Animals
Article Title: Strongholds for Pacific salmon: A proactive conservation strategy for ecosystem health, food security, biodiversity, and climate resilience
News Publication Date: April 15, 2025
Web References: https://academic.oup.com/fisheries/advance-article/doi/10.1093/fshmag/vuaf011/8090126
References: Wild Salmon Center study published in Fisheries journal, March 2025
Image Credits: Available via Wild Salmon Center media assets: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1K_GhkG4B37qlrG4otfOHaiBP3Q8XjOFU
Keywords: Conservation ecology, Biodiversity conservation, Biodiversity threats, Fresh water fishes, Animal habitats, Conservation policies, Aquatic ecology, Fishing, Aquatic ecosystems, Climate change mitigation, Ecological interdependence, Ecological stability, Fisheries management, Watersheds, Conservation biology, Carbon sinks
Tags: aquatic ecosystem safeguardingbiodiversity and climate resilienceconservation biology innovationsecological health and food securitykeystone species conservationNorth Pacific ecosystem strategyPacific salmon strongholdsProactive salmon conservationsalmon habitat protection benefitssteelhead and trout preservationwatershed protection initiativesWild Salmon Center efforts
