Skating Toward a Healthier Puget Sound

Salmon are more than a Northwest icon. They’re a keystone species, a barometer of waterway health—and they’re in trouble. Boeing’s work with nonprofits like Stewardship Partners, Long Live the Kings and others aims to help change that.

The scene: On April 12, Climate Pledge Arena transformed into a celebration of marine life and sustainability during Green Night presented by Boeing at the Seattle Kraken game. Boeing had fans face off in a unique salmon toss game, hurling stuffed salmon into tiered boxes simulating a fish ladder.

But it was more than a game. Boeing’s sustainability team engaged fans throughout the night, sharing how the company works with nonprofit partners like Stewardship Partners and Long Live the Kings to protect water quality and support salmon recovery.

The big moment: During a break in play, the ice morphed into a digital Puget Sound. Two Kraken fans navigated a gamified journey upstream, dodging hazards that salmon face every day.

“There is nothing more Northwest than salmon,” said Jacques White, CEO of Long Live the Kings. “Boeing is supporting organizations like Long Live the Kings to reduce stormwater pollution. That’s really important for us to have salmon in the future—for our kids.”

Boeing’s commitment: Since 2015, Boeing has backed Long Live the Kings’ efforts to put local salmon populations on a meaningful path to recovery: launching cross-border research to find solutions to high juvenile salmon mortality in the Salish Sea, convening salmon recovery leaders to address high temperatures and low dissolved oxygen impeding salmon migration in the Lake Washington Ship Canal, and nurturing the next generation of salmon advocates through the innovative Survive the Sound fish race. Our partnership helps drive the evidence-based solutions needed to protect local salmon and the countless communities who depend on these iconic fish.

“We want people to leave events like this with hope—and maybe with an idea of what they can do themselves,” said White.

Go deeper: Click here to learn more about Long Live the Kings and here to learn more about Stewardship Partners.