Salmon Restoration Association

What Salmon Restoration Association does

The Salmon Restoration Association (SRA) is a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit organization founded in 1971 in Fort Bragg, California, dedicated to restoring wild salmon populations in Mendocino County rivers — primarily Central California Coast Coho Salmon — through habitat restoration rather than hatchery propagation. Its portfolio of projects spans the Noyo River (Noyo River Project), Big River (Big River Project, including dam removal on the Little North Fork of Big River and Water Gulch that opened 12 miles of watershed), and the Eel River (supporting the Eel River Recovery Project's volunteer dive counts and kayak-based redd surveys). The organization also funds the SONAR (School of Natural Resources) program at Mendocino High School, generating 15+ years of student-collected salmon and ocean ecology data that feeds into NOAA Fisheries and California Department of Fish and Wildlife studies.

The primary revenue engine is the annual World's Largest Salmon BBQ, held each July 4th at South Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg. The event, in its 55th year as of 2026, has historically served over 2,300 meals and was filed as a Local Legacy project with the Library of Congress by Representative Mike Thompson. Secondary revenue streams include individual donations and a small set of local business sponsorships (notably Harvest Market and North Coast Brewing Company). SRA operates with no paid staff, no physical office (mailing address only at PO Box 1448), and distributes proceeds as grants to partner organizations including the Mendocino Land Trust ($15,000 in 2015 for Noyo River restoration) and the Noyo Watershed Alliance ($30,000 contribution to a $150,000 salmon passage effort).

The go-to-market motion is event-driven and community-based: the annual BBQ serves as the primary mechanism for fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and awareness, supplemented by Facebook organic social, earned media coverage, and word-of-mouth. Strategic partnerships operate as a project-based ecosystem rather than a commercial channel structure, with Trout Unlimited, Mendocino Land Trust, Eel River Recovery Project, Skunk Train, California Conservation Corps, NOAA Fisheries, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife functioning as restoration delivery partners.

Name

Salmon Restoration Association

Legal name

Salmon Restoration Association

Website

https://salmonrestoration.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Salmon Restoration Association is a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit founded in 1971 in Fort Bragg, California, that restores wild salmon habitat in Mendocino County rivers via project-based grants funded primarily through its annual World's Largest Salmon BBQ fundraiser.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511), Remediation Services (56291)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAE

Marine & Freshwater Conservation

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAGAK

Water Resources & Watershed Protection

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYEUAHAHAF

Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Ecology, Biodiversity & Natural Resource Assessments

SECONDARYAFAEAAAO

Stock Enhancement & Restocking / Conservation Aquaculture

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Aquaculture (Fish & Shellfish Farming)

Keywords

• Salmon habitat restoration
• Watershed conservation services
• River restoration projects
• Environmental nonprofit fundraising
• Salmon population monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Bragg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Annual Salmon BBQ Fundraiser: The primary fundraising event - the World's Largest Salmon BBQ held each July 4th. All proceeds support salmon restoration projects in Northern California. Served over 2,300 meals in recent years.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Local business sponsors provide financial support and in-kind donations for the annual BBQ event
3. Individual Donations: Direct charitable contributions from individuals supporting salmon restoration mission

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Salmon Restoration Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and supports habitat restoration projects to restore wild Coho and Chinook salmon populations in Northern California rivers, including the Noyo River, Big River, and Eel River watersheds in Mendocino County. Its core activities include making grants to partner organizations for dam removal and stream restoration, funding volunteer salmon spawning surveys and dive counts, supporting an educational science program at Mendocino High School, and operating the annual World's Largest Salmon BBQ fundraiser that generates proceeds for restoration work.

Product overview

The Salmon Restoration Association operates a portfolio of river restoration projects and educational programs centered on restoring wild salmon populations to Northern California rivers. The primary offering is the annual World's Largest Salmon BBQ fundraiser, which generates proceeds distributed across targeted habitat restoration initiatives including the Noyo River Project, Big River Project, and support for the Eel River Recovery Project. The organization also funds the SONAR (School of Natural Resources) educational program at Mendocino High School, which provides hands-on environmental science training while contributing scientific data on salmon populations to state and federal agencies. This is not a technology platform but rather a nonprofit focused on direct habitat restoration and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World's Largest Salmon BBQ
• Noyo River Project
• Big River Project

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 miles of Big River Watershed opened to endangered coho salmon through dam removal
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trout UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Monies from the 2026 BBQ will go to Trout Unlimited's North Coast Coho Project on Big River. Eleven barriers to salmon migration will be assessed and prioritized for future restoration. Previously partnered on Noyo Watershed Alliance effort to replace blocking salmon passage from Noyo River into Kass Creek.
• Mendocino Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Mendocino Land Trust received $15,000 from SRA to start a salmon stream restoration project on the Noyo River. SRA funding helped open 12 miles of the Big River Watershed to endangered coho salmon through dam removal projects on the Little North Fork of Big River and Water Gulch.
• Eel River Recovery Project (ERRP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRA funds ERRP surveys in Mendocino County for salmon population monitoring. ERRP conducts volunteer dive counts in the lower Eel River, kayak expeditions to count salmon nests, and watershed-wide observation programs.
• Skunk TrainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Noyo River salmon restoration. Plan to restore salmon on streams flowing into Noyo River and reduce sediment at sediment source sites along the railway. SRA contributed $30,000 to a $400,000 proposal for nine high-priority sediment source sites.
• California Conservation CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in dam removal projects including removal of concrete structure on the Little North Fork of Big River using jackhammers to restore salmon habitat access.
• NOAA FisheriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner involved in salmon recovery plans. SRA-funded student data from the SONAR program is incorporated into NOAA studies of marine and estuarial ecology.
• California Department of Fish and WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for salmon monitoring. SRA-funded SONAR program data collected in partnership with this agency for marine and estuarial ecology studies.
• Mendocino High School SONAR ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRA provides grants to support the School of Natural Resources program which prepares students for environmental science careers and collects 15+ years of scientific data on local ecosystems.
• Harvest MarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal sponsor of annual salmon BBQ. Tickets available for purchase at Harvest Market in the Boatyard Shopping Center in Fort Bragg.
• North Coast Brewing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal craft brewery sponsor of the annual BBQ event.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Russian Riverkeeper: Northern California watershed advocacy and restoration nonprofit focused on the Russian River — a comparable riverine conservation organization operating in a different but adjacent Mendocino/Sonoma watershed with similar volunteer-driven and habitat restoration tactics.
• Coastkeeper Alliance (California Coastkeeper): California-wide network of coastal and watershed stewardship organizations. Comparable mission of protecting Northern California waterways and aquatic species, though broader in scope than SRA's salmon-specific focus.

Direct peers

• Wild Salmon Center: Pacific wild salmon conservation nonprofit focused on habitat protection and restoration across key salmon strongholds. Comparable anadromous fish mission and partnership-based restoration model.
• Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations: Northern California fisherman-led organization advocating for sustainable fisheries and salmon habitat protection. Comparable regional focus, fishermen-origin constituency (SRA was founded by fishermen in 1971), and conservation-driven mission.
• Save Our Wild Salmon: Pacific Northwest coalition dedicated to restoring wild salmon and steelhead populations through habitat restoration and dam removal advocacy. Comparable salmonid restoration mission with overlapping tactics (habitat, barrier removal, monitoring).
• Mendocino Land Trust: Regional land trust that received a $15,000 SRA grant for Noyo River salmon stream restoration and co-leads dam removal and habitat restoration in SRA's core watersheds. Similar geographic scope and conservation mission.
• California Trout: California-focused salmonid conservation nonprofit working on wild trout and salmon recovery across Northern California watersheds. Closely aligned mission and geography, and competes for similar state, federal, and foundation grants.
• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater fisheries conservation nonprofit with a North Coast Coho Project on Big River, directly partnering with SRA on salmon barrier assessments. Highly comparable mission, geographic overlap, and funding/donor base.
• Eel River Recovery Project: Mendocino and Humboldt-based nonprofit conducting volunteer salmon dive counts and monitoring on the Eel River — directly funded by SRA. Comparable model of volunteer-driven salmon population monitoring and restoration.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy (California): Largest global conservation nonprofit with active California salmon, river, and watershed programs. Overlaps with SRA on Mendocino-area conservation priorities but operates at vastly greater scale across many geographies and species.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Worlds-Largest-Salmon-BBQSalmon-Restoration-Assn-205454249485592

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Salmon Restoration Association