World Wildlife Fund

Salmon are born in freshwater streams but live in oceans until they head back to the rivers in which they were born to spawn.
© WWF-Canon / Michel ROGGO

Conserving marine and coastal habitats
Shipwrecks and oil spills have jeopardized critical marine, island and coastal habitats. Marine debris and the introduction of nonnative species, such as rats, are also serious threats. We partner with industry, governments and communities to improve safety standards, limit offshore development and protect the most sensitive areas. We advocate for strong legislation in the United States and Russia to permanently protect vital habitats from oil and gas drilling. We support a bilateral monitoring and response plan and increased government funding for cleanups. We are improving the management and conservation of special island ecosystems, including the Aleutian, Commander and Pribilof Islands, and promote protection of Arctic biological resources from destructive oil and gas development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

• Bristol Bay, Alaska - Considered the world's fish basket, Bristol Bay is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. It is home to the largest wild sockeye salmon runs in the world, important nursery grounds for red king crab and Pacific halibut, staging areas and wintering grounds for tens of millions of seabirds, and a feeding ground and migration corridor for marine mammals, including five endangered species. We are on the ground, working to save this important ecosystem from oil and gas drilling and to promote protection of sustainable livelihoods in Bristol Bay by supporting the salmon fishery in favor of destructive oil and gas development. 

Protecting people, places and species from the effects of climate change
Climate change is transforming habitats, altering wildlife migrations and behaviors, and jeopardizing species that depend on the now-diminishing Arctic ice. We work to stabilize populations by identifying and preserving key habitats, increasing protected areas, and reducing threats, such as shipping and offshore oil and gas development. We work with leading scientists to study the impacts of climate change and develop models to forecast possible changes in the marine environment. We develop and implement adaptation and mitigation strategies for both animals and humans.

• Voyage for the Future: In June 2008, 18 students from nine countries around the world joined WWF on the "Voyage for the Future," a 10-day boat trip in the Arctic launching from Svalbard, Norway. During this trip participating students became "Ambassadors of Change" to become effective advocates for climate change action on their campuses and in their communities and countries. While in Norway, participants learned about global climate change from experts in the field, took part in on-shore research activities, and received communications and media training. Now home, students are working with WWF to deliver the message for urgent action on this issue.
• Polar Bear Patrol: We work in the town of Vankarem, Russia to help protect polar bears and people from human-wildlife conflict due to the effects of climate change.

Maintaining sustainable fish populations
In Russia, destructive fishing practices are depleting vital stocks of salmon and other fish, destroying marine habitats, and snaring marine life such as seabirds in fishing gear. We track the illegal trade in marine fish products and engages fishermen to implement sustainable fishing practices. On both Russian and United States coasts, we collaborate with governments, communities and industry to improve management of the shared resources of this international sea.

We work to protect Arctic fisheries resources through an Arctic Fishery Management Plan that prohibits fishing in the Arctic. We are adopting measures to reduce salmon bycatch in the pollock trawl fisheries, establishing permanent protections for sensitive marine habitats in the Bering Sea, advocating for improved monitoring and enforcement measures throughout the domestic fisheries in the Bering Sea, creating better ecosystem-based management in the Bering Sea and improving participation by Alaska Natives in the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council process.

Preserving Fisheries: Our initiative here focuses on protecting habitat, improving law enforcement, developing markets, and strengthening governance.

• WWF's Kamchatka Salmon Conservation Initiative: In 2006, WWF, with support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, launched an ambitious salmon conservation program to address the complex challenges facing the salmon populations along the Kamchatka Peninsula and in the Bering Sea. We will ensure that salmon populations are maintained at levels that support sustainable fisheries. We work to eliminate particularly damaging fishing practices and drilling for oil in critical salmon habitat.  

More than six million seabirds breed in the Bering Sea and hundreds of thousands are killed each year by fishing hooks and nets.
© WWF-Canon / Kevin SCHAFER

Managing habitats and protecting species
Brown bears, snow sheep, reindeer and other terrestrial species are threatened by habitat loss, hunting and wildlife trade. We improve and expand resource management capacity for over 29 million acres of critical habitat. We collaborate with government agencies and the scientific community to increase funding for conservation, institute best practices for wildlife management, and enhance the economic benefits of conservation to local communities.

• Saving the Bering Sea's remarkable birds: Around the world, longline fishing kills hundreds of thousands of seabirds each year when they become entangled in driftnets and ensnared on longline hooks when they dive for bait. In 2004, we achieved major success with its international project aimed at reducing this threat in the western Bering Sea.
• Shipping safety: We are working with government agencies and the shipping industry to support improved tug coverage, towing capacity and satellite tracking along the Great Circle Route in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.
• Strengthening biodiversity conservation through involvement of the indigenous people of Koryakia: Through revival of reindeer herding and related indigenous traditions, we are working to imrpove biodiversity conservation in Koryakia. This includes developing a business plan and marketing strategy for revival of the Korf Reindeer Farm in Khailino, Koryakia, promoting alternative livelihoods in the indigenous village of Khailino, creating an ethno-environmental center in the town of Tilichiki to promote nature conservation and sustainable nature use in an around Koryaksky Strict Nature Reserve, and strengthening management and the ranger service of Koryaksky Strict Nature Reserve.