For over 25 years, Salmon Enhancement has been Enhancing Fisheries while Improving the Environment. The cornerstone of our work has always been our Salmon rearing program. Each year we look forward to receiving salmon fingerlings in May, and raising and releasing them into Avila Bay. The devastating closure of last year’s salmon season meant no fish were available for any of the cooperative pen rearing projects. Now, once again, we are facing a year with even lower salmon returns and in all likeliness a closure of the salmon seasons and our cooperative pen rearing program. 

Yet, our dedication to enhancing the salmon fisheries continues. While our pens are out of operation we are repairing them and preparing for a hopeful batch of fish in 2010. And as current members know, Salmon Enhancement’s approach to enhancing fisheries is about much more then pen rearing. Our Education Programs teach our children about what we need to do to have healthy local waterways so fish can return to a self-sustaining level. Our Watershed Management Programs applies technical expertise along with volunteer help to physically restore habitats such as the Arroyo Grande and Pismo creeks to achieve this same goal.

We need your help. While we have funding through grants and foundations to implement specific projects, these funds often do not cover the cost of planning, cultivating and maintaining these projects. We need your support to ensure that we can continue to offer important restoration and environmental education programs for our community.  Help us to help our local environment through becoming a Salmon Enhancement Member.

Thank you,

Thorv Hessellund

Board President