BURSTRestricting recreational steelhead fishing in the Skeena River watershed could jeopardize more than 200 jobs and $23 million in annual economic activity in the Northwest, according to a new report.
The study, Renewable Value, Minimal Impact: The Economic Value of Skeena River Steelhead, prepared by Big River Analytics, concludes that improvements to commercial fishery management and ocean ranching practices would do more for conservation than restrictions on the recreational steelhead fishery, which could cause economic harm.
The report was paid for by The Babine River Foundation, Native Fish Society, The Conservation Angler, Upper Skeena Angling Guides Association and Tourism Smithers
“This report comes just as DFO is cutting its fisheries patrol contracts and cancelling in-season meetings with stakeholders,” said Carrie Collingwood of the Babine River Foundation. “Sadly, the fisheries making big economic contributions are also likely to be the most affected by these decisions.”
Through a memorandum of understanding with Canada, B.C. is responsible for administering and managing steelhead in the province.
However, Fisheries and Oceans Canada provides weekly in-season email updates to stakeholders on fisheries management measures intended to protect stocks of conservation concern, including steelhead.
A DFO spokesperson said meetings of the North Coast Integrated Fisheries Harvest Planning Committee, a multi-stakeholder forum, were temporarily suspended this season because of low participation by fishery participants and stakeholder representatives.
DFO is interested in resuming the committee process and will engage with members after the season to determine how best to structure it, the department added.
The report finds that up to 80 per cent of the economic activity generated by Skeena steelhead remains in the North Coast–Nechako region, supporting guides, lodges, restaurants, accommodation providers, transportation providers, retailers and other local businesses. Guided angling in the Upper Skeena watershed accounts for more than 60 per cent of the region’s steelhead-related economic activity.
The report’s authors say it is the first comprehensive assessment of the economic contribution of Skeena steelhead angling and the threats to one of the world’s most valuable wild steelhead fisheries.
“This study demonstrates that healthy steelhead populations are more than a conservation success — they are a renewable economic asset that supports communities across Northern British Columbia,” said Gladys Atrill of Tourism Smithers. “Protecting these fish means protecting local jobs, tourism businesses, and the long-term economic health of the region.”
According to the report, the combined effects of commercial bycatch and ocean pink salmon ranching put approximately $33 million in annual economic output, $16 million in GDP and 291 full-time-equivalent jobs across British Columbia at risk.
“Activities that remove steelhead — such as commercial fishing and ocean ranching — represent an opportunity cost exceeding $100,000 in provincial economic output per steelhead,” Collingwood added. “These figures provide a benchmark for understanding the economic consequences of steelhead losses from ocean bycatch and other external pressures.”
The report states that, on average, each steelhead mortality corresponds to roughly $100,000 in regional gross output, although the economic activity occurs regardless of the actual mortalities.
The report also estimates that thousands of Skeena steelhead are destroyed each year after being caught incidentally in commercial fisheries in Southeast Alaska and Canadian waters.
It also identifies competition associated with the extraordinary biannual abundance of hatchery pink salmon as a significant concern. Since 1990, odd-year pink salmon abundance has exceeded even-year abundance by an average of 136 million fish. During the same period, approximately 14,500 fewer Skeena steelhead returned in odd years than in even years.
By contrast, the report states that Skeena’s catch-and-release fishery is sustainable. It estimates that each steelhead mortality associated with guided recreational angling corresponds to approximately $100,000 in regional economic output and one full-time local job. In the Upper Skeena, those figures rise to approximately $118,000 in economic output and 1.3 full-time jobs.
DFO told The Interior News that measures are in place to avoid or reduce the number of steelhead caught in the commercial Skeena fishery.