KBTC “State of The Salmon” and “Breaking the Barriers” Screening and Panel Discussion with Steve Miller

The Foss Waterway Seaport is a hidden gem in Tacoma, full of stunning and unique exhibits, touch tanks, and educational materials that will appeal to all ages! - Photo by D. Elora

From Steve Miller:
Last summer (2023), I was contacted by John Lobertini, a KOMO radio news reporter and anchor who also does work for Tacoma’s PBS TV station, KBTC. John said he was working on a segment for KBTC on efforts by local government agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Washington Tribes to help save our salmon by identifying and fixing barriers to the natural migration of our salmon. John was interested in T.U.’s conservation work and our Barrier Assessment training program in particular.

We agreed to: 1) meet for an interview with me about our efforts, and 2) film a culvert being assessed by our Barrier Assessment Team. After completing the interview with John, we focused our assessment efforts on a culvert located on the South Fork of the Stillaquamish River. The assessment itself was done primarily by Berkeley Johnson and Dean Campbell, both graduates of the Barrier Assessment training program. Footage from both the interview and the barrier assessment were included in the final film called “Breaking the Barriers” , which first aired locally last fall. 

The film thoughtfully covers some of the issues around recovering our salmon, and to our great excitement, it’s been nominated for an Emmy award! The film screening was included as part of a larger KBTC event called: ‘State of the Salmon’ and was held in partnership with Tacoma’s ‘Oceanfest’ at the Foss Waterway Seaport. It was hosted by the film’s producer Tom Layson who is the host of KBTC’s signature show “Northwest Now.” I was included as part of a panel of experts on current issues and recovery efforts for salmon in Washington state. The other panelists included: Lukas Hall, Director of Programs, Long Live the Kings; Katie Knight Pruitt, Governor’s Office of Salmon Recovery; and Tom Jameson, WDFW Fish Passage Division.

From left to right, Tom Layson, Lukas Hall, Katie Knight Pruitt, Tom Jameson, and Steve Miller take the stage for a panel on salmon recovery - Photo by D. Elora

Each of us were asked questions regarding our work and the current state of salmon recovery. One question that was directed to me was how optimistic or pessimistic I was regarding salmon recovery. I said I was optimistic, and pointed out that when salmon now return to their natal waters in the Tacoma area, each and every government agency and Tribe whose waters these fish must pass through has a plan and funding to remove barriers to fish passage, many of which have been impeding the migration of aquatic animals for far too long. At every step of their way home - from the saltwater of Puget Sound to the top of the freshwater watersheds inside Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, work is underway to fix as many barriers as funding will allow. I also mentioned T.U.’s work with the Snoquera Project where work is being done on a landscape level basis – roughly 200,00 acres.

The audience had a few members of Trout Unlimited present as well, including Dannon Elora, Carl Bevis, and Andrew Kenefick, all of whom have been actively involved in salmon recovery in some respect or another.

Dannon, the website and social media manager of the Washington Council of Trout Unlimited,  had this to say about the event:
“I was so pleased I made it out to the screening of ‘Breaking the Barriers’ and the following panel discussion. The Foss Waterway Seaport seemed to be the perfect venue to begin discussions surrounding salmon, given its relevant exhibits and location right on the water. The event really covered a lot of ground in current happenings in the world of fish conservation and watershed restoration, and the news piece highlighted the important work TU and other organizations are doing around the state. I felt it helped summarize some of the lesser known but critically important issues our fish are facing, like the threat of 6PPD-quinone and undersized culverts, while giving optimistic and realistic perspectives about the hurdles we face in solving them.It was so encouraging to see the event was well-attended, and the location it was at had several salmon-centric pieces, too!” 

A metal salmon sculpture at the Foss Waterway Seaport - Photo by D. Elora

Carl Bevis, a long-time T.U. member, said:
“The State of the Salmon screening of the KBTC film "Breaking the Barriers" was very insightful given the enormity of the issues. Tom Layson of Northwest Now has a journalistic style that brings the urgency of the salmon situation while keeping a balanced engaging approach. This was clear with the pace and content of the film as well as the panel, questions and their responses. The panel selection, which included our own Steve Miller of Trout Unlimited, showed the strength of the diverse groups addressing the challenges facing salmon and strengthened those relationships. Support for the event by Foss Waterway Seaport and greetings by Brent Mason were very enthusiastic and welcomed. The same can be said for the introduction of Tom by DeAnne of KBCT. “

Andrew Kenefick, the Washington Council of Trout Unlimited’s Advocacy Chair, reflected:
“KBTC’s “State of the Salmon” is an important and accessible account of the urgent need for action to help these iconic fish.  We were so pleased to join others at the Foss Waterway Seaport (a hidden jewel in Tacoma) to see how the state and local volunteers, including Trout Unlimited, are working to remove barriers to salmon migration.  While much work and better coordination is needed, it is heartening to see great energy and optimism toward helping our salmon runs. Thank you KBTC for spreading the word!” 

Breaking the Barriers is the fifth of a planned 6 chapters in a series Tom Layson is doing, and they can be found at: https://www.kbtc.org/northwest-now/saving-the-salmon/

We hope you will follow along on our salmon recovery journey and join us in making certain that these fish not only survive, but thrive for generations to come in clean, abundant water for all!