Initial Programme
Wild salmon are in crisis,
but there is hope.
27 January
Inspiring People
Telling the story of wild salmon and nature to inspire urgent action.
Keynote Addresses:
Fawn Sharp, Quinault Tribal member and former President of the National Congress of American Indians
Professor Sir Dieter Helm, University of Oxford
Thames Salmon School
Wild Salmon in Crisis
The State of Pacific Salmon in Canada
Katrina Connors, Pacific Salmon Foundation
The State of Wild Salmon Populations in the Atlantic
Alan Walker, Chair of ICES Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon
Oceans and Coasts
The Health of our Oceans and Coasts
Louie Porta, Atlantic Salmon Federation
Panel Discussion
River Catchments
The State of Our Rivers
Mark Lloyd, The Rivers Trust
Panel Discussion
The Value of Salmon and their Habitat
A Cultural Perspective from Scotland
Elle Adams, Findhorn Watershed Initiative
The Value of Angling
Stuart Singleton-White, Angling Trust & Robert Otto, Atlantic Salmon Federation
The Value of River Habitats to Industry
Speaker to be confirmed
Hope – Thriving Wild Salmon at the Heart of Healthy Ecosystems
The Recovery of the Tyne – A UK Rural/Urban Watershed
Jack Bloomer, Tyne Rivers Trust
Thriving Wild Salmon and Habitat in Iceland
Speaker to be confirmed
The Urgent Action Needed
Summary and next days.
Wild Salmon Connections Reception
Thames Salmon School; Joseph Rossano, International Environmental Artist &
Scott Schuyler, Skagit Watershed Council
28 January
Environmental Leadership
Enabling positive solutions to accelerate wild salmon recovery.
Keynote Address:
Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment
Addressing Climate Change
Steering Towards Better Outcomes: Salmon Climate Adaptation
Jason Hwang, Pacific Salmon Foundation
Changing Temperature and Impacts Across the Salmon Lifecycle
Valerie Ouellet, Atlantic Salmon Federation
The Whole Catchment Approach in the Face of Climate Change
Dr Lorraine Hawkins, The River Dee
Audience Q&A
Bycatch – A Problem for Wild Salmon?
International Legal Duties in Relation to Bycatch
Penny Gane, Fish Legal
Fisheries Restrictions to Address Bycatch
Sophie Elliott, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
Efforts to Address Bycatch in the Pacific
Speaker to be confirmed
Audience Q&A
Safeguarding our Coastal Waters
Salish Sea Marine Survival Program: A Positive Example of Coastal Restoration
Jacques White, Long Live the Kings
Addressing Interactions Between Inshore Fisheries and Wild Salmon
Hannah Rudd, Angling Trust
Challenges and Opportunities in the Aquaculture Industry
Nils Olav Gjone, Norske Lakseelver
A Future for Salmon Farming
Sondre Eide, CEO of Eide Fjordbruk
Panel Discussion on Salmon Farming
Cold, Clean Water in Free-Flowing Rivers
The Positive Impact of Nature-Based Solutions
Christine Colvin, WWF International
Power Plants, Rivers and Wild Atlantic Salmon in Norway
Torfinn Evensen, Norske Lakseelver
Chalk Streams and Drought Protection
Alison Matthews, The Rivers Trust
Panel Discussion
Leadership for Salmon, People and the Planet
Informing the Future: Supporting Solutions in our Catchments and Coasts
Jon Emery, Atlantic Salmon Trust & Kathryn Berry, BECI and PICES
Enhanced Collaboration to Meet a Shared Goal
Kim Damon-Randall, North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization & Dr Alan Wells, Missing Salmon Alliance
Hope – Thriving Wild Salmon at the Heart of Healthy Ecosystems
Wild Salmon and Habitats in the Western Atlantic
Nathan Wilbur, Atlantic Salmon Federation
29 January
Focussing for the Future
Nature restoration for salmon, people, communities and the Planet.
Keynote Address:
Alastair Fothergill, Director and co-founder of Silverback Films, with productions including Sir David Attenborough’s 'Wild Isles’ and ‘Our Planet' documentaries
Scaling Up River Restoration
Scaling up Through Environmental Farmer Groups
Teresa Dent, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
Salmon and People
Mike Meneer, Pacific Salmon Foundation
Dams and the US Endangered Species Protection Act
Ann Willis, American Rivers
Six Rivers Iceland
Peter Williams, Six Rivers
Panel Discussion
‘Investment Ready’ for Nature Finance
Nature Restoration and the Convention on Biological Diversity
James Dalton, International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Philanthropic Positives and Pitfalls
Allison Collina, Pacific Salmon Foundation
Mobilising Nature Finance for Watershed Restoration
Alex Adam, The Rivers Trust
Close of Wild Salmon Connections
Collaboration: Building on Solid Foundations
Mark Saunders, International Year of the Salmon
Call to Action and Next Steps
Kat Gillbe, Missing Salmon Alliance
Films, project stands, art installations, refreshments and opportunities for connections and conversations will be available throughout Wild Salmon Connections.
This programme is subject to change.
Wild Salmon Connections is generously supported by The Fishmongers’ Company, Newcore Capital and YETI.
