ABSTRACT
Over 100 years ago, a plea was made by salmon conservationist Livingston Stone to create a system of refuges that would protect wild salmonids from the effects of development and a burgeoning Northwest population. His plea went unheeded, and artificial propagation of salmon through hatchery operations was used instead to mitigate for habitat loss. This chapter traces the history of the fish refuge concept over the last century, explores its application to current salmonid recovery efforts, and examines the challenges of implementation. We present a definition of a salmon refuge that creates, for the first time, a blueprint for the protection of salmonids and their habitats that is uniquely suited to the specific needs and complex life histories of anadromous species. We propose a three-step process to identify, prioritize, and establish refuges that will protect terrestrial and freshwater habitats and associated populations of salmon.
