Salmon-Safe Certification in the Pacific Northwest of the United States

Abstract

Salmon-Safe is the place-specific sustainability certification and eco-label program in the Pacific Northwest region of the United Sates. Salmon-Safe’s mission is to transform land management practices so salmon can thrive in West Coast watersheds. Its core strategy is to use an eco-label certification program to inspire and incentivize water quality protection and habitat conservation on working landscapes. What makes Salmon-Safe innovative and different from other eco-label schemes is that Salmon-Safe’s coverage is defined by the watershed of Columbia River basin (state of Oregon, Washington and a part of California and British Columbia in Canada). There have been over 800 agricultural and urban landowners across the Pacific Northwest Region working to eliminate runoff from fields, reduce and alternate harmful pesticide and chemical use, and restore streamside habitat; certified entries include vineyards, hop fields, Nike’s headquarter in Portland and City of Portland’s entire services. Salmon-Safe values the collaboration with other certification and conservation programs and this makes the organization able to reach throughout the Columbia River basin, which is equivalent in size as France, with just one staff member, its Executive Director, from 1996 to 2014.