The AFFTA Fisheries Fund is proud to have provided more than $326,000 in support of organizations working to enhance fisheries, restore habitat, and increase awareness. A summary of the organizations and the projects we have supported is provided below. Please visit these organizations’ websites to learn more about their conservation work and how you can help them further their conservation efforts.

2023 Awards

In June 2023, the AFFTA Fisheries Fund (AFF) Board awarded $27,500 to seven non-profits across the country in support of projects aimed at education and training, research and restoration, and assisting underserved communities.

Cast Hope, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Fly Fishing Education (Nevada). Provide equipment and coaching to members of the Paiute Tribe to enjoy and benefit from the aquatic resources of Pyramid Lake.

 Henry’s Fork Foundation, Harriman Ranch Fencing Initiative (Idaho). Address the urgent need for riparian fencing maintenance, upgrades, and innovative solutions to protect the vital fisheries and wildlife habitats of the Harriman Ranch.

 Menikanaehkem, Menominee Medicine Fish Journey (Wisconsin). Support tribal youth to travel from their homelands in northeast Wisconsin to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem visiting tribal buffalo initiatives and tribal lands along the path.

 Montana Trout Unlimited, Next Gen Youth Engagement. Strive to instill a sense of stewardship in young people by teaching them to fly fish and involving them in on-the-ground activities that directly affect our cold water resources.

 Montana Fishing Outfitters Conservation Fund, Guiding for the Future. Provide advanced levels of knowledge and skill development for professional fishing guides and outfitters in Montana to enhance stewardship of aquatic ecosystems while increasing knowledge, professionalism, and ethics of fishing guides, outfitters, and the fly-fishing industry throughout Montana.

 Native Fish Society, Women 4 Wild Fish (Oregon). Develop scientific anglers by training women anglers with stream science equipment and ‘Keep Fish Wet’ best practices to develop confident female river stewards and wild fish advocates.

 Trout Unlimited, Yakutat Forestlands Stream Habitat Mapping (Alaska). Fill critical data gaps by mapping stream habitat characteristics throughout the Situk, Arhnklin, and Lost river systems and their tributaries, providing baseline data to guide future restoration and research efforts.

2022 Awards

June 2022, $31,500 awarded to eight non-profits across the country in support of projects aimed at fisheries restoration, research, education, and assisting underserved communities.

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers - New Mexico Stream Access Stewardship & Education -- Work to enhance the public’s understanding of how to thoughtfully recreate on New Mexico rivers and streams while being good stewards of our riparian and aquatic ecosystems and fisheries.

Bighorn River Alliance - Side Channel Reactivation Project (Montana) — Based on the successful reactivation of two side channels in 2021 (which AFFTA Fisheries Fund provided financial support in 2020), work to reactivate 12 side channels that have become disconnected or are increasingly low functioning, restoring a total of 5.5 miles of critical spawning and juvenile rearing habitat.

Flathead Rivers Alliance - Fisheries Conservation and Stewardship Messaging (Montana). Expand responsible recreation messaging, focusing on fisheries conservation and stewardship, surrounding the 219-mile Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River, targeting visitors and residents alike in northwest Montana.

Menikanaehkem - Menominee Reservation Youth Initiative (Wisconsin). Support for an Indigenous youth leadership initiative providing wellness to at-risk youth through the revitalization of their connection to nature using fly fishing as the "hook" to share the therapeutic experiences of the outdoors.

Mianus Chapter of Trout Unlimited - Downtown Trout (Connecticut). Launch "Downtown Trout" in the heart of Stamford, Connecticut, designed to increase outdoor participation among urban families by offering free, weekly fishing and environmental education opportunities for local youth and families.

Native Fish Coalition - Inter-Stream Movement of Sea-Run Brook Trout in Maine. Research to determine whether wild native sea-run brook trout in a multi-stream estuary system demonstrate inter-stream movement. As sea-run brook trout represent a unique life history strategy, migrating between freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater, this understanding is vital for proper management.

North Umpqua Coalition - Establishing an all-wild steelhead watershed (Oregon). Wild summer and winter steelhead in the North Umpqua River face threats from the climate change impacts of fire and drought. With the destruction of the Rock Creek Hatchery by wildfire, work to designate the river as a wild steelhead-only watershed.

Trout Unlimited -- Alaska Fish Habitat Mapping and Community Science Project. Provide continued support to survey water bodies in southeast Alaska for anadromous fish use and add these data to the Anadromous Waters Catalog (AWC) to ensure prioritized anadromous fish habitats receive basic protections under state law. At present, the AWC is incomplete, and many important species and water bodies are left unprotected.

Past awards

2020-2021

Bighorn River Alliance ($3,630). Restore disconnected or low-functioning side channels on the Bighorn River in Montana to increase rearing habitat for trout.

Bonefish and Tarpon Trust ($2,500). Identify and map pre-spawning aggregation sites and juvenile bonefish habitat in the Florida Keys.

Clean Up the Colorado, Inc ($1,750). Support for the 3rd Annual LoCo Trash Bash, an on-the-water and riverbank cleanup of the Texas Colorado River immediately downstream of Austin, Texas.

Cumberland Valley Chapter TU ($2,000). Supporting the Pennsylvania Rivers Fishing & Conservation Youth Camp to help educate and build future coldwater conservation leaders.

Keep Fish Wet ($2,450). Develop a Catch-and-Release Best Practices Toolkit for Shops, Guides, and Lodges.

Native Fish Society ($2,500). Fund conservation and restoration activities undertaken by the Warm Springs River Steward on the Lower Deschutes River in Oregon.

Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council ($2,520). Host a Watershed Education Course, through the Oregon Coast Community College, providing three environmental science modules along with a field excursion for in-person learning about watershed function, native species, and restoration.

Trout Unlimited ($2,700). Assist hosting the 2nd Annual 5 Rivers Midwest Rendezvous in Wisconsin for TU’s “5 Rivers Program.

Trout Unlimited, Alaska ($3,080). Support for staff, partners, and volunteers to collect and add fish habitat data to a state-wide catalog of waters important for anadromous as part of the Alaska Fish Habitat Mapping and Community Science Project.

Trout Unlimited, Southeast ($2,500). “Helping Wild Trout by Reducing Sedimentation in the Davidson River,” one of western North Carolina’s premier wild trout waters where increased recreational use is causing increased sedimentation and other impacts.

Wild Steelhead Coalition ($6,000). Restore ecosystem function in Washington’s Lyle Creek for migratory and resident trout and salmon.

2018-2019

American Rivers ($3,000). Work to eradicate invasive Russian Olive trees from the banks of Montana’s Yellowstone River and replace them with native riparian vegetation.

Bonefish and Tarpon Trust ($3,300). Track migrating Permit to determine the effectiveness and potential connection of the Special Permit Zone to the Florida Keys fishery.

Keep Fish Wet ($2,500). Promote releasing fish in the best condition possible to reduce the impact sport anglers have on fisheries.

Montana Fishing Outfitters Conservation Fund ($2,500). Develop the “Guiding for the Future” initiative to develop a dedicated stewardship of aquatic ecosystems while increasing knowledge, professionalism, and ethics in fishing guides and the fly fishing industry.

Montana Trout Unlimited ($5,000). Protect the iconic Smith River fishery in Montana from the potential impacts of copper mining.

Stripers Forever ($2,500). Conserve wild striped bass along the Atlantic Coast through a campaign to promote the release of large “breeding size” stripers which are mostly female fish.

Wild Salmon Center ($2,500). Work to recolonize spring-run chinook post-dam removal in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California.

2016-2017

Alaska Conservation Foundation ($4,500). Work to permanently end threats of drilling and mineral extraction in Alaska’s famed Bristol Bay.

Deschutes River Alliance ($10,000). Work to restore cooler, cleaner water to the lower Deschutes River in Oregon.

Freshwater Trust ($4,950). Restore steelhead and salmon habitat in the Big Sandy River Basin of Oregon.

Friends of Fletcher's Cove ($2,500). Protect and enhance access to the Potomac River in the District of Columbia and the historic C&O Canal.

Henry's Fork Foundation ($2,500). Conserve, protect, and restore the unique fisheries of Idaho’s Henry’s Fork River.

Keep Fish Wet ($2,500). Promote releasing fish in the best condition possible to reduce the impact sport anglers have on fisheries.

Montana Trout Unlimited ($10,000). Protect the iconic Smith River fishery in Montana from the potential impacts of copper mining.

Public Land/Water Access Association ($10,000). Protect access to Montana’s public lands and waters.

Snake River Waterkeeper ($7,500). Fight to protect, restore, and sustain the anadromous fisheries of the Snake River Basin in Idaho.

South Florida National Parks Trust ($5,000). Work to support the enhanced management of the region’s national parks.

St. Bernard Parish Government ($7,500). Restore black mangroves to fight coastal erosion and provide valuable habitat in the Gulf of Mexico.

Trout Unlimited ($8,050). Assist TU to develop and grow its “5 Rivers Program,” an active network of over 100 college clubs facilitating a social environment that teaches leadership skills, promotes conservation, and builds community through the sport of fly fishing.

Utah Stream Access Coalition ($10,000). Promote enhanced public access to Utah fisheries.

Special Fundraisers

Bristol Bay Defense Fund ($83,734). Raise money to support the coalition of business, tribal, nonprofit, and community organizations dedicated to protecting Bristol Bay and its people from the ongoing threat of the Pebble Mine. 2019-2021.

Hurricane Dorian Relief ($17,057). In partnership with the Yellow Dog Community and Conservation Foundation, Angling Trade and a diverse coalition of businesses from throughout the fly fishing industry, raised money for our Bahamian angling “family” – the guides, lodge employees and staff families on both Grand Bahama and Abaco that were devastated by Hurricane Dorian. 2019-2020.