Lorraine Loomis Memorial Scholarship

The Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) is pleased to announce that it has established a scholarship in memory of Lorraine Loomis.

Lorraine, an elder in the Swinomish Tribe, passed away in August 2021, ending a decades-long career advocating for Indigenous fishing rights at their intersection with salmon conservation.  She served on the PSC Fraser River Panel since its inception in 1985, with several terms as Panel Chair and Vice Chair.

Lorraine was also one of the first women to play an active role in fisheries policy and management, rising to prominence at the tribal, state, national, and international level.

Her achievements and consensus building led to her replacing the esteemed Billy Frank Jr. as chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission upon his passing, receiving the inaugural PSC Larry Rutter Award for Pacific Salmon Conservation, and other accolades.

The new PSC scholarship seeks to honor Lorraine’s legacy and her many contributions to the fisheries community, with a view to inspiring and enabling future leaders like her.

A scholarship of USD$5000 will be awarded annually to a selected American or Canadian student enrolled in a post-secondary program in fisheries, or a related field, with preference given to female and Indigenous candidates.

The United States National Marine Fisheries Service generously provided initial funding for the inaugural scholarship, which was awarded in 2024.

The application period for 2025 is now closed. The Secretariat will be accepting the next round of applications starting in January 2026.

For application opening dates and deadline reminders, sign up for our enews at https://www.psc.org/e-news/

The Secretariat welcomes further donations to perpetuate the Scholarship Fund. To facilitate U.S.-based donations, the PSC has partnered with Salmon Defense to receive contributions for the scholarship through the Salmon Forever Fund and donors will be eligible to receive charitable donation tax receipts.

Canadian contributions will be gratefully accepted but will not be eligible for tax receipts at this time. Interested Canadian donors should contact the PSC Secretariat directly at info@psc.org or 604-684-8081.

For more information, please contact the PSC Secretariat at info@psc.org.