The Lost Salmon

About the Film

Of all the Pacific Salmon, the spring run of chinook is the most revered. As the first salmon to arrive home annually, they have been the sacrament and cornerstone for the oldest civilizations in North America and the keystone of northwest ecosystems. Once occupying the most extensive range in the contiguous United States, many genetically unique populations have already been extirpated and what remains is at risk of extinction.  Filmmaker Shane Anderson set out on a two-year journey across Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho to document some of the last genuinely wild “springers,” the historical and ongoing causes of their declining numbers, and their profound relationship to the people and place.  Along the way, he tells the story of a recent scientific breakthrough that provides crucial new insights into salmon genetics. This could offer a path to help save the king of salmon before they are lost forever.

About the Director

Shane Anderson is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and conservationist with a focus on socio-environmental issues in the American West. 

Native to the Pacific Northwest and with a background in fisheries biology he has carved out his niche documenting Pacific salmon and is the owner of Swiftwater Films and North Fork Studios. He has produced 6 award-winning feature-length documentaries and over 70 shorts viewed by millions worldwide. His films have been broadcast nationally on PBS, utilized in education curriculums, and have driven impact campaigns that have led to positive conservation outcomes for rivers, forests, and wild fish. In 2021 Shane began collaborating with BBC’s natural history division for Planet Earth 3 and he’s been on assignment and licensed footage to some of the world's top wildlife programs on Netflix, BBC and International PBS.