KAMCHATKA
Founded in 1994, The Kamchatka Steelhead Project (KSP) is currently on hold.
KSP's Model
The initial expedition was launched with funding from the US State Department, NOAA, and individual sponsors. The project was chartered under the US-Russian Agreement on the Environment and marked the beginning of one of the longest-running steelhead studies in the world.
Donation is Made
Anglers donate money to American not-for-profit scientific organizations: The Conservation Angler (2003 to present) and originally Wild Salmon Center (1994 to 2002)
Nonprofit-led Funding & Coordination
These non-profit organizations then fund the expeditions.
Expedition Participation
Donors participated in field activities as volunteers, chartered by the Russian Ministry of the Environment, to collect biological samples by catch-and-release fly fishing.
University Research & Analysis
Moscow State University and participating US universities and steelhead management agencies analyze field samples and publish annual reports as well as specific monographs on various scientific topics arising from the field expeditions.
Due to the war in Ukraine, participation by sponsor is currently paused. However, for the past four years, TCA has sponsored annual field expeditions supplemented by donations from Russian anglers and American donors.
The data and insights gained during KSP’s 30-year+ run established the program as a premier model for angler-driven science worldwide. Coupled with the earlier fieldwork conducted by Professor Ksenya Savvaitova (1974-1993), the program constitutes the longest-running data set of wild steelhead in history.
The data and anti-poaching campaigns were critical to saving and rebuilding populations of wild steelhead. In fact, our KSP work underscores why TCA views harvest as a driving force in the depletion of wild stocks. Kamchatka had pristine, untouched habitat, yet because of overharvest, wild steelhead declined to the point they were listed for protection. Look no further than Alaskan Chinook salmon to understand that intact habitat does not guarantee healthy runs.
In the coming years, TCA hopes to implement this partnership, process, and knowledge in our North American work to gain even more critical information on the wild steelhead and salmon we all cherish.
The data and insights gained during KSP’s 30-year+ run established the program as a premier model for angler-driven science worldwide. Coupled with the earlier fieldwork conducted by Professor Ksenya Savvaitova (1974-1993), the program constitutes the longest-running data set of wild steelhead in history.
The data and anti-poaching campaigns were critical to saving and rebuilding populations of wild steelhead. In fact, our KSP work underscores why TCA views harvest as a driving force in the depletion of wild stocks. Kamchatka had pristine, untouched habitat, yet because of overharvest, wild steelhead declined to the point they were listed for protection. Look no further than Alaskan Chinook salmon to understand that intact habitat does not guarantee healthy runs.
In the coming years, TCA hopes to implement this partnership, process, and knowledge in our North American work to gain even more critical information on the wild steelhead and salmon we all cherish.