Why start with salmon?

Wild salmon are a keystone species; they have a huge impact on the whole ecosystem around them. If they disappeared from the planet (and at this rate, they might) the environmental, economic, and cultural impacts would be dramatic.

Their infamous journey from river to ocean isn’t just wanderlust, it’s an essential transfer of nutrients across environments. They absorb many ocean-only minerals and enrich the entire freshwater ecosystem when they return to rivers at the end of their life cycle. 137 species directly benefit from wild salmon, including orca whales, bears, and beavers, to name just a few.

It’s not just our oceans, forests, or favorite animals that salmon keep healthy. It’s us too. Salmon is one of the most nutrient-rich food sources in the world. Everyone deserves access to those health benefits, but right now, delivering on that promise is too much of a burden on their fragile populations.

At Wildtype, we believe that cellular agriculture is an essential tool for climate-proofing our entire food system. That effort doesn’t end with salmon, but for all of the above reasons, we think it’s a pretty good place to start.