Nehalem: A Wild Salmon Stronghold

The Nehalem River, Oregon’s North Coast gem, is a vital salmon ecosystem where our policy and practice - of protection and restoration - come together. The Nehalem is a place where we have the opportunity to protect and recover some of the best wild salmon and steelhead runs left in the Lower 48.
From cold mountain streams to coastal estuary, the Nehalem watershed includes important tributaries for salmon like the Salmonberry River. Surrounding forests, including the Tillamook and Clatsop state forests, provide key habitat for wildlife - including endangered marbled murrelets. The North Coast’s longest river after the mighty Columbia, the Nehalem is also a cherished destination for Oregonians who hike, fish, camp, and float its clear waters.
Let Freshwaters Illustrated, a talented team of filmmakers, take you riverside to see this work first hand and hear from our critical local partners on the ground about a place they call home, in our short film “Nehalem: A Wild Salmon Stronghold.”
In 2019 a critical 17.5 mile section of the Nehalem River was designated as a State Scenic Waterway. The designation will protect flows for fish and guide wise use along the river for future generations.

[@lucasholmgrenmusic]

Habitat is everything. Cold creeks with cover gravel and clean water produce fish.

[@tylerbuckles2380]

The Nehalem holds a special place in my heart- I caught my first chinook on that river.

[@orgcoast5990]

Most people do not understand the benefits associate with health salmon runs. Photos of healthy streams and the riparin around them contrasted with a stream with out salmon is stark. I learned a lot about salmon and steelhead while working with STEP. It is a good program.

[@FishingTheSeam]

Amazing! I love the Nehalem River my Favorite!

[@robertcalamusso1603]

Thank you for you dedication and hard work

[@calebdobrava7527]

It’s great to see this kind of work being done! But we all should consider broodstock hatchery practices to rebound wild salmon. Scientifically proven, this involves spawning hatchery fish with wilds to create a stronger gene of hatchery fish that don’t compete with wilds. Over time the gene gets stronger and stronger.

[@calebdobrava7527]

Eventually, using this strong genes of hatchery fish to rebound, wild runs.

[@steveblanchard2712]

Favorite place in the world.....

[@davegeorge9538]

My brother lived there for a few years in a van down by the river, literally. We're so proud.

[@Thomas-po3wb]

Residential housing has demished the beaver population, I love on the Coast and watch the environment. I do believe it will bare it's self back with time if they band all fishing.Between the Gill netter's and the seal and sealions they have got to be slim down way down to make it happen.you can really tell what's going on by whacking the Crab's There's not much for them to eat so they don't come in like they have in the past.Yes our fish population is getting scary.

[@Thomas-po3wb]

I hate smart phones they don't spell right.

[@philipmorphew6301]

The Clearcutt State.

[@robertcalamusso1603]

☮️🇺🇸

[@calebd4317]

Thank you for understanding that Hatchery fish are not a major problem to wild fish survival. And thank you for not scapegoating hatchery’s and creating a false narrative about them.

[@Lure-Benson]

The fight to save hatchery fish is with wacko purist fly fishermen like the trout unlimited who have been filing lawsuit against Oregon Fish & wildlife to stop all releases of hatchery fish. There are other nut job groups also that fall in line with Trout unlimited and often team up with Trout Unlimited on lawsuits against state hatcheries. It was trout unlimited that filed a lawsuit against the state hatchery on the Mckinze to stop the state from raising Mckinze spring Chinook. Trout unlimited has gone on and on & on with lawsuits against the state over hatchery salmon & Steelhead released in the Clackamas River and Sandy River all the time the state used money that should have been used to fund hatcheries went to lawyers to defend the states right to raise hatchery fish. One Hugh reason Salmon are now rarely seen few miles past Tillamook on the Wilson River is Trout Unlimited with wackos from Tillamook who hate everyone not from Tillamook was due to a lawsuit won stopping the release of hatchery salmon & Steelhead past Tillamook city limits. This really pisted me off when I was one of the guides that for years donated my time to take fishermen fishing in the North coast salmon enhancement program that raised money to put in the Tuffy creek salmon ponds at the South fork Wolson prison camp that was to rase fall & spring Chinook to be released into the Wolson River which is now not possible over this lawsuit. More of the projects I donated to are now also worthless because of Trout Unlimited lawsuits to stop hatchery fish releases so I wasted my time and I paid for the gas out of my pocket to do these free fishing on my part for donations fishing events that raised money for hatch boxes - stream enhancements - small hatchery ponds ect. The reason the hatchery box program for landowners to raise salmon that also was stopped by Trout Unlimited through a lawsuit. The salmon in the fall seen past North fork of the Wilson River at Mills Bridge are remanent of hatchery fish spawned naturally then their heartier ancestors are still surviving to come back to spawn naturally.

[@joebrenner4428]

Over 200 studies done in 20 different countries say otherwise.You Co-exist meatheads get one crackpot named Ian Courter to write one article but not actually write a peer reviewed study and you go nuts with it.

[@joebrenner4428]

You're losers!

[@joebrenner4428]

You dipshits will rip the gills out of a dozen wild silvers and feed 6 of them to the crabs and sealions just to tag two fake ones.

[@joebrenner4428]

Like idiots that chase the government fish flavored free fake cheese truck.

[@bssaassin1900]

Salmon decline is from a combination of issues. Loss of access to prime spawning habitat, warm water or low flow releases(especially in california)nonnative predators such as stripers and largemouth bass,water diversions and over harvesting. Biased people like to point fingers at the other guy or even natural predators when it's really the fault of everyone. Salmon are not bass they can't thrive in degraded and heavily altered habitat but we need the water storage,flood control, electricity,agriculture and of course socal needs their golf courses and yet people blame the eagles,sea lions,otters and countless other predators that co-existed with salmon for thousands of years

[@fjt4700]

Don't leave out Asian and Native fishing trollers who over fish the salmon also. Asians fish unregulated just beyond the international boundary and natives fish unregulated within. If we are going to compare the industrial factors we need to address the cultural factors as you are right its everyone's fault but we seem to only point fingers within our boarders rather as a whole. I love fishing but im sick of watching people of certain distinction haul tons of fish into their boats getting a free pass while I'm blamed for its decline after harvesting 8 fish over the span of a short season

[@bssaassin1900]

@@fjt4700 you nailed it! I honestly didn't want to be the first one to say it but asians and Russians(not all of them)are poaching ass MFers. They don't understand the values of conservation nor do they care.

[@Lure-Benson]

@@fjt4700 Canadians take 85% of the fishing on the homeward bound to Oregon

[@davidwissman85]

Saving salmon is easy. BAN gill netting, natives and non natives. Leave the sport fishermen alone and ban all gill nets, also open season on sea lions and seals.

[@toneyfree7179]

Exactly, You can't tell me in year 2022 natives need salmon to survive!!

[@Lure-Benson]

@@toneyfree7179 How about these dirt bag natives at Cascade locks selling salmon and everyone of then have the newest model trucks and never had a job in their life because the US Taxpayer is funding their life living on booze - drugs and talking crap how they are abused by the whites. If salmon meant so much to the Natives, then why aren't they killing the sea lions that they are by treaty law allowed to do?

[@toneyfree7179]

@@Lure-Benson I wouldn't disrespect the native Americans, they have treaty rights, but I have witnessed in several rivers that they abuse those rights and they don't answer to nobody, Meanwhile game warden is on our ass every 5 minutes checking our gear and harassing us, On nisqualy river they give netting schedule but they never honor it. Same as green river and they catch way more than thier share, It is just frustrating,

[@Lure-Benson]

@@toneyfree7179 I have operated professional fishing & hunting guide services from the Pacific NW to Alaska since 1976 so I have the same issues you wrote about. The game cops are so nasty I took down my web site and my truck and 5 boats have nothing on then to indicate I am a guide. Cops from my web site tried sting operations on me to get me to commit illegal acts which I block their e mail IP addresses. the game cops once they find I am a guide and I have clients it is a complete 1 hour of my clients 8 hours fishing time used up just for the cop's harassment asking to see everything in the boat. I own a 25-ton master license by the coast guard that give federal authority over who can step on board my boat including the cops, so I've had to tell the cops NO you aren't coming on my boat! What I find shocking is none of the cops in their patrol boats have a coast guard license to operate the boats that is required by federal law of anyone who receives pay to operate a boat.

[@fjt4700]

Nailed it

[@therussian4970]

good message wrong action to save salmon. its not the habitat that is destroying salmon but the commercial fishing that gives to shits about salmon. they dont even get a slap on the wrist for double over catch and are allowed to bring it in. I say ban commercial fishing for the next 20 years and you wont have to regulate the average Goe at the river.

[@sethmiller3869]

1000% agree. I’m sure habitat loss has played a role, but nothing compared to commercial fishing, native harvest, and predators.

[@ValNanovsky]

I agree - but we need more momentum. You have to understand you are standing against a $20 billion industry. It's a start though.

[@FreshBoxLive]

Ban it forever. If you cant catch it, you don't get to eat it. Plenty of farm raised salmon for people without salmon runs.

[@Lure-Benson]

You nailed it with the absolute truth who is the blame for loss of Salmon. Why isn't pressure being put on Canada when the Canadian commercial fishing harvest 85% of Oregon salmon on the return home. Dams and loss of habitat can't be blamed on loss of Salmon in coastal streams. The effects of the Tillamook burn are long gone with habitat naturally restored on coastal rivers. The summer run of Nehalem Chinook salmon has had a steady gain in numbers of adults that return to spawn. You can even see these summer Chinook ganged up in the upper Nehalem from Vernona to Highway 26 bridge

[@JigginwithG]

That’s my backyard 🐟🙏 thank you