“It’s basically fantasy football for fish!” as stated on the Survive the Sound website. Created by the Seattle-based environmental program “Long Live the Kings”, Survive the Sound is a fun, interactive competition that works to raise awareness for declining salmon and steelhead fish populations in the Pacific Northwest.

The program uses real fish tracking data to follow migration patterns of salmon and steelhead. Teams sign up to claim a fish, and over the course of five days, teams can locate their fish and determine if their aquatic friend is in the lead. This year, Survive the Sound will take place from April 28 to May 2.

The event takes place in Puget Sound, an estuary on the northwest coast of the state of Washington. Businesses, environmentalists and even schools participate in this competition, and 4,000 individuals have already registered for the event.

“Our efforts to restore this vital northwest icon will not only help salmon, but all who depend on them including our struggling southern resident killer whales and local communities of Puget Sound,” Long Live the Kings’ Executive Director Jacques White said.

Maintaining salmon and steelhead in an ecosystem has benefits far beyond the scope of simply protecting an endangered species. Fish like salmon and steelhead cycle nutrients from the ocean to freshwater streams, increasing biodiversity and allowing for the regulation of an ecosystem and the organisms that inhabit it.

Contestants can also submit their own designs of fish in the “Design a Fish” contest. Some of the fish created include Brian Mackerel, Utilifish, Seven Fishy Seven, Jaws, Goldie, Chowder, Scien-fish, Swedish and Salmon Ella.

“Salmon recovery is our top priority and drives the development of these sustainable salmon fisheries,” Long Live the Kings’ Director Kelly Susewind said.

Survive the Sound works with sponsors like indigenous tribes, seafood producers, local universities, museums and news networks. Fox 13 News is one of the organization’s most well known sponsors.

Over one million fish have been returned to their natural habitats through this program in the last 30 years of Survive the Sound’s work. That number is expected to increase as the organization gains attention and donations.

If you would like to sign up for Survive the Sound, click here. Registration is free of charge.

If you would like to donate to Long Live the Kings, click here. Donations go directly towards increasing the scale of conservation methods of salmon and steelhead in our oceans.