Skagit Fisheries Enhancement

What Skagit Fisheries Enhancement does

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1990 and headquartered in Mount Vernon, Washington, dedicated to community-based salmon habitat restoration in the Skagit watershed. Operationally, SFEG runs riparian planting projects, livestock fencing installation, fish passage infrastructure (culvert removal and bridge installation), a native plant nursery in Burlington (capacity ~10,000 plants), and longitudinal monitoring programs including spawner surveys and vegetation monitoring. The organization pairs its restoration work with K-12 education programs — notably Salmon in the Schools, which places 200 coho eggs in 55-gallon tanks for student observation and stream release, and the newer River Journey (Recorrido Por el Rio) bilingual program — and engages a substantial volunteer base across planting parties and monitoring activities.

The business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue stack rather than commercial product sales. SFEG receives funding from individual donations, membership programs, corporate sponsorships (e.g., $2,500 per Salmon-in-the-Schools tank), ticketed community events including the Wild & Scenic Film Festival (250 attendees in 2025) and the $25 Annual Meeting, vehicle donations processed through Cars Moving Forward Together, stock and IRA gifts, and presumed government grants supporting habitat restoration projects. Customer and partner concentration is low, with relationships spanning the Samish Tribe, Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation, Skagit Watershed Council, Skagit Land Trust, Skagit Conservation District, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, multiple whale-watching tour operators, and event sponsors HF Sinclair and MacDonald-Miller.

The technical core of SFEG's work is field-based ecological restoration rather than software or AI; the organization's proprietary operational asset is its native plant nursery and its 35-year longitudinal dataset of restoration outcomes and salmon population monitoring. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary software products, or API/sales-software integrations are disclosed. SFEG markets itself through its website, e-newsletter, Facebook, Instagram (@skagitfisheries), and YouTube, with distribution executed via direct community engagement, school partnerships, farmers market presence, and co-hosted events. SFEG has been recognized with a GuideStar/Candid Platinum Transparency Seal and reports cumulative impact of 525,000+ native plants planted along 61+ miles of shoreline, 57,000+ feet of livestock fencing, 105+ miles of salmon and steelhead habitat opened via 77 culvert removals, and 24,600+ children engaged in environmental education.

Name

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement

Legal name

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

Website

https://skagitfisheries.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is a Mount Vernon, Washington-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that restores salmon habitat in the Skagit watershed through riparian planting, culvert removal, native plant nursery operations, and K-12 education programs, funded by donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Salmon Habitat Restoration Services

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stock Enhancement & Restocking / Conservation Aquaculture (AFAEAAAO), Aquatic Ecology & Fisheries Assessments (EUAHAHAB)

Keywords

• Salmon habitat restoration
• Riparian planting
• Fish passage improvement
• Environmental education
• Watershed stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Vernon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Individual donations, membership programs, and general charitable contributions. Tax-deductible via EIN 94-3165939.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for events (Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Salmon in the Schools) and programs. Salmon in the Schools tank sponsorship costs $2,500 per school.
3. Stock and IRA Gifts: Donations of publicly traded securities and IRA/retirement plan distributions. Contact: Alison Studley ([email protected]).
4. Vehicle Donations: Car, truck, motorcycle, RV, or boat donations processed through Cars Moving Forward Together. Free pick-up, tax deductible.
5. Event Fundraising: Wild & Scenic Film Festival (250 attendees in 2025), Annual Meeting ($25/person), and community events generate funds.
6. Government Grants: Presumed grant funding for habitat restoration projects including fish passage, riparian restoration, and monitoring programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that restores wild salmon habitat across the Skagit watershed through riparian planting, native plant nursery operations, fish passage/culvert remediation, spawner surveys, and vegetation monitoring. It also delivers in-school and bilingual community education programs and convenes volunteer planting parties and public events.

Product overview

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is a nonprofit organization that offers a portfolio of salmon habitat restoration programs, environmental education initiatives, and community volunteer opportunities in the Skagit watershed. The organization operates core restoration programs including habitat restoration, a native plant nursery, and fish passage projects, complemented by education programs (Salmon in the Schools, River Journey), monitoring programs (spawner surveys, vegetation monitoring), and community engagement through volunteer planting parties and the annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival. The portfolio works together as an integrated approach to salmon conservation, from hands-on restoration work to education and community involvement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Salmon in the Schools
• River Journey Bilingual (English/Spanish) watershed and salmon education offering for the community.
• Native Plant Nursery Operates a nursery that grows native riparian plants used in habitat restoration planting projects across the Skagit watershed.
• Habitat Restoration Field-based salmon habitat restoration work, including riparian planting, side channel reconnection, and floodplain improvement in the Skagit watershed.
• Fish Passage / Culvert Remediation Removes or upgrades road culverts and other barriers to restore fish passage for salmon and trout.
• Spawner Surveys Field surveys counting returning salmon spawners to track population trends in the Skagit watershed.
• Vegetation Monitoring Post-planting monitoring of survival, growth, and cover of native vegetation installed at restoration sites.
• Planting Parties Organized community volunteer planting days where members of the public install native plants at restoration sites.
• Restoration Construction Internship
• Annual Members Meeting
• Salmon Day
• Wild & Scenic Film Festival
• Earth Day Sponsorship Event

Quantifiable outcome

• Planted over 525,000 native plants along 61+ miles of streams and shorelines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HF SinclairminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Event sponsor for Earth Day Planting Party at Edgewater Park, supporting the celebration and restoration work party.
• MacDonald-Miller Facility SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Event sponsor for Earth Day Planting Party at Edgewater Park, enabling the celebration and restoration activities.
• Samish TribecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Samish Tribe has been a great partner in the native plant nursery endeavor since the nursery moved to its current location in 2012. The partnership supports growing native plants for watershed restoration.
• Maya's LegacyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal whale watching organization contributing to orca recovery by supporting salmon habitat restoration efforts through donations of a portion of every seat sold.
• Island AdventuresminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhale watching company supporting orca recovery through individual donations and portion of ticket sales to salmon habitat restoration.
• Western Prince Whale WatchingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal organization contributing to orca recovery by supporting SFEG salmon habitat restoration efforts.
• San Juan ExcursionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhale watching company supporting orca recovery through donations to SFEG habitat restoration programs.
• Blue Kingdom Whale & Wildlife ToursminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhale and wildlife tour company supporting orca recovery through salmon habitat restoration donations.
• Mount Vernon Parks and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Earth Day Celebration at Edgewater Park with Skagit Fisheries, combining parks enrichment with salmon habitat restoration.
• Skagit Watershed CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Salmon Day at the Market event with SFEG, working together on salmon awareness and watershed conservation.
• Skagit Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization co-exhibiting at Salmon Day at the Market, sharing booth space for watershed awareness.
• Skagit Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment conservation agency co-exhibiting at Salmon Day at the Market event.
• Washington Department of Fish & WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency co-exhibiting at Salmon Day at the Market, providing wildlife and fisheries information alongside SFEG.
• Cascades Job CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelped establish SFEG's native plant nursery in the 1990s at the Northern State Campus where the program is headquartered.
• Highline ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLowest responsible bidder at $67,985.33 for East Fork Silver Creek Fish Passage Project construction.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mid-Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group: Community-based nonprofit performing salmon habitat restoration in the central Puget Sound region (Vashon/Maury Islands). Operates an essentially identical program portfolio - native plant nursery, fish passage culvert removal, spawner surveys, and Salmon in the Schools - making it the closest mission-aligned peer to SFEG.
• Wild Salmon Center: Portland-based nonprofit working to protect and recover wild Pacific salmon and steelhead. Operates across the Pacific Rim on habitat-based restoration, fish passage, and policy advocacy, with comparable scientific monitoring capabilities and similar donor-engagement programming.
• Wild Fish Conservancy: Washington-state nonprofit dedicated to the conservation and recovery of wild salmonids through habitat-based science, advocacy, and on-the-ground restoration. Comparable to SFEG's spawner survey and habitat monitoring work, with a slightly more science/advocacy orientation.
• Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA): Whatcom County, WA-based nonprofit performing salmon habitat restoration in the Nooksack watershed. Mirrors SFEG's model of community engagement, volunteer-driven restoration, fish passage projects, and K-12 salmon education programs at a neighboring Washington watershed.

Broad incumbents

• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater conservation nonprofit with chapters across the country working on salmonid habitat, water quality, and fish passage. Provides a much larger-scale counterpart to SFEG's community-based salmon restoration model and serves as a likely grantmaker and policy advocate for the broader PNW salmon-recovery movement.
• Puget Sound Partnership: Washington-state agency coordinating the regional Puget Sound salmon recovery ecosystem, including salmon habitat, water quality, and orca recovery. Functions as both a funder and strategic convener that supports groups like SFEG through grant programs and shared Action Agenda priorities.
• The Nature Conservancy Washington Chapter: Global conservation nonprofit with a significant Washington chapter working on salmon habitat, floodplain restoration, and large-scale land conservation. Operates at a much larger scale than SFEG but pursues overlapping objectives in the Skagit and broader Puget Sound.

Regional players

• Forterra: Pacific Northwest conservation nonprofit focused on land and water conservation. While broader than SFEG, it works on watershed health, habitat restoration, and community-driven stewardship in the same regional geography and is occasionally a co-funder or partner on restoration projects.
• Skagit Land Trust: Mount Vernon, WA-based land trust focused on conserving fish and wildlife habitat within the Skagit watershed. Co-exhibits and partners with SFEG at Salmon Day at the Market and acquired properties like the Utopia Conservation Area protecting salmon habitat adjacent to SFEG restoration work.

Others

• Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Natural Resources Department: Active salmon habitat restoration and dam removal implementation on the Elwha River in Washington. While tribal rather than nonprofit, it operates analogous habitat programs (fish passage, native plant restoration, monitoring) in the same state and often collaborates with or alongside groups like SFEG through regional salmon recovery networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCEx4J66cSR2G4Pbn5ZXHSQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/skagitfisheries
• Instagraminstagram.com/skagitfisheries
• Xx.com/SkagitFisheries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Skagit Fisheries Enhancement