The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group is one of 14 regional salmon enhancement groups in the state of Washington.  The Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group (RFEG) program was legislated in 1990 to include citizens in local salmon recovery efforts.  The 14 non-profit groups were instituted by the Washington State Legislature to work with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in order to improve salmon resources.

Each RFEG works within a specific geographic region based in part on watershed boundaries. Every group is a separate, nonprofit organization led by their own board of directors and supported by their memberships. The state-wide RFEG Advisory Board, made up of citizens appointed by the Director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), advocates for and helps coordinate the efforts of the RFEG Program.

Funding for the RFEG program comes from a portion of commercial and recreational fishing license fees, administered by the WDFW. The independent RFEG entities vie for competitive grants from government and private sources to supplement income provided through the WDFW program.

Individual donations and in-kind contributions from various sources are also essential to the success of each RFEG. The cumulative effect of RFEG activities around the state is impressive.  In recent years, the state-wide RFEG program has utilized $2 million in source funds to leverage an additional $10 million from other sources. 

Volunteers are essential to the success of the RFEG programs.   State-wide, over 9,000 volunteers have donated over 126,000 hours to salmon recovery efforts which range from habitat restoration work, supplementation, research, and education/outreach.

The  accomplishments of the HCSEG program are notable.  The HCSEG has released 2.5 million fish through various Wild Salmon recovery programs.  This includes Coho, Summer Chum, Fall Chum, Chinook and Steelhead.   In addition, over 50 fish passage barriers in the Hood Canal watershed have been removed, repaired or replaced.  These projects have re-established over 80 miles of stream habitat which translates to over 250,000 acres of adult salmon spawning and junvenile salmon rearing habitat.  The HCSEG has distributed over 35,000 salmon carcasses  back into the watersheds. This nutrient supplementation is essential to the sustained health of the aquatic and terrestrial habitat ecosystems. 

State-wide, over 400 projects have been completed, including revegetation, surveys, assessments, estuary restorations, research, monitoring, evaluation,  nutrification evaluation, stewardship and educational programs.  Collectively, the state-wide RFEG program has leveraged nearly $60 million towards restoration funding.  Dedicated and passionate volunteers account for much of the efforts towards Wild Salmon recovery.  Over 50,000 hours have been contributed state-wide towards this effort since 1990.  To learn how you can become proactively involved with the HCSEG's Wild Salmon and ecosystem recovery programs click here!

For more about Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups Click Here!