‘Survive the Sound‘ is a free, online fish tracking game that is best described as “fantasy football for fish.” This education and outreach game uses real migration data to track steelhead trout, a salmonid and Washington’s state fish, as they race towards the ocean. Each fish in the game represents an actual steelhead trout that was tagged and tracked during the course of research into their migration, all of which is then repackaged into a fun and engaging game that teaches us the importance of salmon and steelhead. Once the migration begins, players anxiously follow the progress of their chosen fish over 5 days on our online map.

To sign up, simply head to survivethesound.org and choose your favorite fish from a selection of 48 colorful and unique characters. While the game can be played solo, the real fun comes in forming teams with friends, family, coworkers, or classmates. There are even prizes available for the teams with the most surviving fish at the end of the migration, so don’t forget to share the fun and create some friendly competition!

Survive the Sound is freely available for anyone, anywhere, but it is particularly popular with educators! We offer a comprehensive education toolkit complete with lessons, activities, games, and trainings to support teachers who wish to incorporate salmon, ecology, and stewardship into their curriculum. 

This year’s migration will take place from May 6th to May 10th, with players checking in each morning to see whether their fish has survived and how far they’ve traveled. Be sure to sign up and finalize your teams by May 5th, because your choices will be locked in as soon as the event begins! Few fish will survive the journey, but everyone will walk away with a deeper appreciation for these vital species and the growing movement to protect them!