About Trout Unlimited

Our Mission

To bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon.

Our Vision

For communities across America to engage in the work of repairing and renewing the rivers, streams and other waters on which we all depend.

Who We Are

Founded in Michigan in 1959, Trout Unlimited today is a national non-profit organization with 300,000 members and supporters dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Our staff and volunteers work from coast to coast to protect, reconnect, restore and sustain trout and salmon habitat on behalf of today’s anglers and coming generations of sportsmen and women who value the connection between healthy, intact habitat and angling opportunity.

From forested rivers like the Farmington in Connecticut to the pristine waters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay and all points in between, Trout Unlimited’s work spans nearly a million miles of cold water all across America. Trout Unlimited is the most effective coldwater fisheries conservation organization in the country. Donors invest in Trout Unlimited because we get things done on the ground, in statehouses and on Capitol Hill.

Trout Unlimited has a basic approach to its conservation strategy. First, we use the best available science to protect headwater spawning habitat for trout and salmon. We reconnect tributaries with their rivers to ensure resilience, and we restore waters where development has impacted trout and salmon and the opportunity to fish for them. Second, we sustain our work on the ground by:

  • Using the best science to drive conservation priorities
  • Promoting and maintaining a strong legal and regulatory framework to protect fish and fishing opportunity
  • Connecting with passionate anglers who want to give back to the resource they value so much
  • Increasing our ability to engage Trout Unlimited members in conservation by training, educating and building a strong community of angler advocates
  • Connecting with generous donors and helping them give to the fish they cherish and the places they love
  • Helping members connect and communicate with one another via our website, TROUT Magazine and the TU Blog

From the Penobscot in Maine to the South Fork of the Snake in Idaho and west to the Klamath in Oregon and California, Trout Unlimited and its staff and volunteers work on the ground in hundreds of places, protecting, reconnecting and restoring trout and salmon habitat for the benefit of today’s anglers and generations to come.

Sixty years after our founding, no other conservation organization is as well placed as Trout Unlimited to make a difference for the nation’s coldwater fisheries.  To learn more about Trout Unlimited’s ambitious conservation agenda, please visit the conservation section of our website.

If you’re interested in becoming a part of Trout Unlimited and giving back to the fish and the places you value, become a member and help us ‘save the world, one trout at a time.’

Visit the TU Staff Directory

Visit our staff directory to see a list of our conservation professionals.