Details about the Tongass 77
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14 of the 22 biogeographic provinces in the Tongass are represented in the list of over 70 high-value watersheds. Based on their outstanding fish habitat, the highest and best use for these watersheds should be for the production of salmon and trout.
Many scientists agree the key to maintaining the biodiversity and ecological integrity of the Tongass National Forest is to protect the region’s high-value salmon-producing watersheds – entire drainages that stretch from ridge top to ridge top and from river headwaters to river mouths.
A study commissioned by Trout Unlimited and released in 2011 finds that Southeast Alaska’s healthy salmon and trout populations contributed nearly $1 billion to the regional economy and accounted for close to 11 percent of regional jobs in 2007.