Our mission is to protect the world’s salmon strongholds.
Defending the Skeena River
Location: Skeena River, BC
Photo Credit: Ken Morrish
Stay Informed
Protect the Skeena River
Safeguard one of the Pacific’s most vital wild salmon rivers. Stay updated on our conservation efforts and learn how you can help preserve the Skeena’s rich ecosystem.
Location: Skeena River confluence
Photo Credit: Ken Morrish
Our Goal
Permanently Protect the Skeena System
Journey to British Columbia
Location: Skeena Sacred Headwaters, BC
Photo Credit: Ken Morrish
What’s at Stake for the Skeena
Threats to the Skeena
What We’re Doing Daily
We focus on three key areas to make the greatest impact for this vital watershed.
Advancing Indigenous Expertise
We support more land use leadership for Skeena Basin First Nations, the region’s original forest stewards.
Fighting for Permanent Protections
We aim to keep the Skeena safe by securing new provincial and national protected areas.
Sharing Salmon Science
Biodiversity is a superpower for Skeena salmon. We’re unlocking genetic codes to help keep diverse runs thriving.
The Impact at Home
Protecting wild salmon in the Skeena affects more than just fish.
A Prestige Destination
The Skeena draws fly fishers from around the world, hoping to catch steelhead that can surpass 40 pounds in size.
Sustainable Forestry
We aim to help make this region an example for how to make logging and salmon coexist better.
First Nations Fisheries
In the Skeena and beyond, First Nations are modeling the commercial potential of traditional selective fishing practices.
Skeena River Project Timeline
Explore the biggest wins and key moments since our work began.
What's Next
Expand protected area status within the Skeena watershed
We aim to advance Indigenous-led land use planning across British Columbia, help the province achieve its conservation commitments, and permanently protect key salmon rivers in the Skeena and beyond.
2025
Wild Salmon Center hires Greg Knox, launches British Columbia program
Wild Salmon Center hires Greg Knox, launches British Columbia program
The longtime SkeenaWild Executive Director joins our team to bring more support to B.C. partners and help build a shared base of power for conservation leaders across the province.
2024
Rebirth of selective fisheries
First Nations across the Skeena and Nass expand selective fisheries, merging historical fishing sites and traditional knowledge with modern technology. Selective fisheries aim to meet community food needs while protecting vulnerable salmon and steelhead.
2020
Wild Salmon Center supports Indigenous-led land use reforms
A new study from WSC partner SkeenaWild calls for more First Nations-led land use planning, to help pivot the region away from historically unsustainable forestry practices. The Gitxsan and SkeenaWild advance planning initiatives in the Skeena and Nass watersheds.
2020
Rallying to stop a risky coal mine
Wild Salmon Center supports SkeenaWild and local community group What Matters in Our Valley as they team up to daylight the risks of proposed open-pit coal mine upstream from the Telkwa’s confluence with the Bulkley River. The Tenas Project is still pending.
2017
Skeena LNG project dead
Stymied by fierce pushback to its proposed liquefied natural gas export hub in the Skeena estuary, Malaysian state oil company Petronas and its partners abandon the project.
2016
New energy projects threaten Skeena watershed
Wild Salmon Center supports work by First Nations and SkeenaWild to stop the worst in a wave of proposed energy projects in the Skeena Basin. High on the list: a new LNG expert hub in the Skeena estuary, built on top of some of Canada’s most critical salmon habitat.
News From the Skeena
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