2025 Larry Rutter Award Ceremony
The Pacific Salmon Commission is proud to announce that Mr. Steve Gotch is the recipient of the 2025 Larry Rutter Award in Pacific Salmon Conservation.
Steve has served the Pacific Salmon Commission in several capacities for many years including Yukon River Panel co-chair, Transboundary River Panel co-chair, and Northern Endowment Fund Committee co-chair.
His thoughtful, diplomatic, and pro-active approaches to sustainable salmon fisheries, food security, and preserving cultures amid a backdrop of salmon population crashes, environmental change, food security issues, and impacts to cultural knowledge are hard to fully describe. These include his work to finalize a seven-year pause and rebuilding agreement for mainstem Yukon Chinook salmon, cross-border efforts to secure salmon enhancement and assessment operations in the transboundary rivers, and thoughtful participation in the Northern Boundary and Transboundary Restoration and Enhancement Fund grant making process.
Steve’s approach to addressing challenges, knowledge of fisheries and the communities that rely on them, work ethic, and unwavering diplomacy have been an asset to the Pacific Salmon Commission and garnered the admiration of his PSC colleagues.
About the Award
Larry Rutter was a fixture in Pacific salmon conservation and management for more than three decades until his untimely death in 2014. He was a leading influence in how the Tribes, the United States, and Canada approached salmon management and research during the turn of the 21st century. The Commission established the Larry Rutter award to help memorialize Larry’s lifetime of work including his legacy in the PSC, the Pacific Northwest Tribes, the Southern Fund Committee, and beyond.
Since 2016, the recipients (in order) preceding Bill have been: Lorraine Loomis, Don Hall, Brian Riddell, Phil Anderson, Jim Scott, Sue Farlinger, Bill Auger, Gary Morishima, Mike Staley, and Steve Gotch.