World Trout

Mission
Identify the individuals and groups that protect native fish, tell their story and support their conservation efforts.

Background
Trout in this world are held at human’s mercy due to over fishing and destruction of habitat ranging from logging to war, immense climatic changes to it being a basic food source.

We are fortunate in our world to have special individuals and groups working tirelessly to preserve indigenous trout. Artist/Author James Prosek had illustrated this point with a story about his first trip to the Zeta River in Serbia-Montenegro to search for the rare softmouth trout. After 3 weeks of searching and finding absolutely nothing, they felt the trout was extinct. Reports from locals, including the President of the local fisheries club lamented the loss of the softmouth trout. A tip about a single man protecting these fish in his local, spring fed tributary prompted a scientific team to return. Because of this single man’s passion, the team discovered to their dismay, hundreds of fish. As a side note, with the commitment by the University of Lubjiana that is the recipient of revenues from World Trout, this scientific team has become a viable project with an official name – Balkan Trout Restoration Group.

In 1999, a trip to Yellowstone was arranged to that finally put together James Prosek and Patagonia owner Yvon Chouinard. Hearing the stories of James’ efforts to catch various trout around the world and the dramatic challenges these fish are facing, Yvon was releasing a native fish and simply said, “let’s do something about it.

Since conservation efforts require organization, money and a positive political climate, the decision was to make this initiative simple as Yvon’s statement and place the money into the hands of the actual groups working to protect the fish. By telling a compelling story and providing the angler and interested parties with a call to action, we could make something happen.

World Trout Initiative
Using the stunning artwork that Prosek had documented during his global travels for his books Trout of North America and Trout of the World, these would then be reproduced on t-shirts and sold throughout Patagonia’s global distribution network. Specific grassroots individuals and groups would be chosen each year and $5.00 from the sale of each shirt would be divided equally and donated back to the chosen groups. The average angler now has a simple call to action to purchase great art on a t-shirt knowing his money would go directly to support an important cause.

World Trout is an ongoing program that is not a Patagonia initiative, but everyone’s initiative. It is an avenue that all companies and interested parties should participate to raise funds that directly combat the declining natural resources and populations of trout. As we learned from the story in the Balkans, conservation can be done anywhere in the world by passionate individuals with no resources other than human will. Our call to action can be as simple as buying a t-shirt to support these groups You can step up to joining in the protection of your local waters and their fish. As a company, join us in selling your own version of World Trout t-shirts. Then step up your commitment that will be recognized and applauded by your customers by joining 1% for the Planet. This initiative has concerned businesses giveback 1% of their net sales to their choice of environmental initiatives. This becomes an ideal solution for these grassroots groups who can then rely on long term funding.

Members
In 2006, Patagonia was joined by Abel Reel and created a limited edition etched cutthroat fly reel with proceeds supporting the Yellowstone Park Foundation. Cortland Line Company used the Co Greenback artwork to support the Co Greenback Restoration Project. Filson used salmon t-shirt to support Washing Trout’s efforts in the N.W. If you would like to participate in World Trout, please contact Bill Klyn at bill_klyn@patagonia.com.

Grassroots Recipients – 2005
Our first 3 groups were chosen to represent a global effort in Japan focusing on a small yet important grassroots group, a US regional effort in CO involving the Greenback Trout and a larger US initiative involving a number of groups working together to bring down a dam that increases traditional spawning grounds. This first year we very pleased with our success in raising $65,190 for these 3 groups.

Penobscot River Restoration Project (http://penobscotriver.org)
This group has been working to restore self-sustaining populations of native sea-run fish. Their main tool is to open up more miles of traditional river spawning habitat by negotiating for dam removal while maintaining hydropower resources. Of note, the Penobscot Partners working on this project include broad support by the dam owners, power company, Indian tribe, State of Maine, Trout Unlimited, Atlantic Salmon federation. When successful, this project can serve as a template for other working groups to successfully remove dams and open traditional water to native fish.

Colorado Greenback Restoration Group (http://cotrout.org)
Once thought to be extinct, recovery efforts by a strong interagency partnership with Colorado Trout Unlimited, CO Division of Wildlife, US Forest Service, US Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management to reclaim waters. The plan was to enhance traditional habitats by overcoming degradation, install barriers to prevent non-native fish invading greenback habitats, re-stocking into recovery habitats and provide outreach and education.

Obirame Restoration Group
The se-run huchen (obirame) is a very old, revered fish in Japan. But alarming declines in fish populations has stirred a group of local fishermen and residents to restore the health of the Shiribetsu River. A recent study of the river revealed that there were no sea-run huchen spawning beds or young fish. Efforts are underway to restore habitat, develop a hatchery program that preserves the genetic diversity of the fish and to build alliances with other groups working to restore huchen throughout Hokkaido.

Through this effort, the government of Japan has joined in this effort to review and work with the various Obirame groups around Japan.

Grassroots Recipients – 2006

Yellowstone Park Foundation (www.ypf.org)
Yellowstone National Park is not only our first National Park, it is considered one of the world’s finest fly-fishing destinations. Several factors, including invasive species such as Whirling Disease and New Zealand Mud Snails, introduction of non-native species such as lake trout, are contributing to the sharp decline of Yellowstone’s native cutthroat trout populations. The Yellowstone Park Foundation, a private non-profit organization, who’s main effort involve protection of the Park’s imperiled Westslope and Yellowstone Cutthroat trout by funding genetic research, scientific studies, restoration, raising public awareness and conservation projects. Sales of the Cutthroats t-shirt benefit this group.

Friends of Wild Salmon (www.friendsofwildsalmon.ca)
With open-net fish farms irreparably damaging wild fish stocks and the environment, Friends of the Wild Salmon works to stop the development of these fish farms on rivers in British Columbia’s North Coast for the benefit of steelhead, salmon and other species. Sales of the steelhead t-shirt will benefit this group. Early donations have gone to support the current injunction from operating fish farms within the mouth of these classic rivers in this area.

Balkan Trout Restoration Group (www.balkan-trout.com)
Sales of the Softmouth Trout t-shirt benefit this group. This Softmouth discovery story defines what an individual can do on his own to protect trout. With Patagonia’s commitment for a multi-year donation program, a formal organization was sanctioned through the Department of Animal Science at the University of Ljubljana. This University was instrumental in beginning the recovery effort for Softmouth and Marble Trout. Joining them were the Fisheries Institute of Slovenia, Angling Club of Tolmin, Slovenia, additional scientists, grassroots groups, and concerned collaborators from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, Macedonia and Austria. Although seemingly a large program because of its University associations, it still remains a small, grassroots effort growing through people’s passion.

With the significant decline of these fish populations due to non-native trout introductions, environmental degradation and over fishing, this effort could not be more timely. Main efforts involve genetic research and ecological studies in order to establish fish and environmental protection for of endangered salmonids such as softmouth and marble trout along with building awareness through public education.

Grassroots Recipients – 2007
With our continued successes, we will continue to support some of our first grassroots groups in addition to new ones. Our previous groups that we wish to continue to support:

• Greenback Restoration Project - Greenback Cutthroat Trout T-shirt
• Penobscot River Restoration Group – Atlantic Salmon T-shirt
• Friends of Wild Salmon – Steelhead T-shirt
• Balkan Trout Restoration Group - Marble Trout t-shirt
• Yellowstone Park Foundation – Westslope Cutthroat Trout T-shirt

Our 2 new groups will be:
Trout Unlimited Driftless Area - TUDARE focusing on the Harry and Laura Nohr Chapter of TU (www.tu.org/driftless) (www.nohrtu.org) - Brook Trout t-shirt
The Midwest Driftless Area Restoration is a geographically focused, locally driven, consensus based effort to protect, restore and enhance riparian and aquatic habitat that had been lost due to farming practices in the early 1900’s. (Driftless refers to a lack of residual vegetation, rock and dirt that was not left behind by receding glaciers.) The Midwest Driftless Area Restoration Effort includes 24,000 square miles of southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa western Wisconsin and Northwestern Illinois. This Effort includes a broad partnership of federal, state and local government, local landowners, academic institutions, and conservation groups such as Trout Unlimited and sportsmen’s groups. The goal is to increase watershed restoration by reducing erosion and pollution, benefit fish and their habitat and expands recreational opportunities.

We will be supporting the aggressive efforts of the Harry and Laura Nohr Chapter of TU that is currently working on the Blue River in Wisconsin along with other soon to be targeted regional rivers.

The Golden Project – Golden Trout T-shirt
California’s State fish dazzles anyone with its beauty. But hybridization with rainbow trout and degradation of habitat dramatically has impacted this pure strain of fish to the point of extinction. Enter CA Department of Fish and Game, USFWS, Forest Service and grassroots groups CA Trout, Federation of Fly Fishers and Trout Unlimited have taken on this challenge with a 4 prong approach: locate and identify pure strains of golden trout populations throughout the Sierra; remove non-native and predatory fish from golden waters; restore riparian habitat damaged by cattle grazing; and public education and outreach.

In 2005 we launched World Trout to help raise money for grassroots groups working to save individual trout and salmon species. To date, sales from those shirts have raised almost $42,000.