British Columbia Is Irreplaceable
When the Canadian federal government recently announced a sweeping $500 million reduction in funding to Fisheries and Oceans Canada over the next four years, the implications for wild salmon and the communities that rely on them were immediate and alarming. In the heart of the Skeena River Valley region of British Columbia, monitoring efforts are already strained, escapement numbers are at historic lows, and the foundations of sustainable fisheries management are being undermined. The cuts not only signal a retreat from past political commitments to fisheries science and stewardship but also threaten the livelihoods, cultures, and ecological resilience of First Nations, independent fishers, and conservationists who depend on salmon and steelhead returns.
Canada's Pacific coast is home to some of the last extensive networks of intact, wild steelhead systems on the planet. While the U.S. Pacific Northwest has watched run after run collapse, British Columbia still supports robust wild runs across multiple watersheds. The Skeena alone stands as one of the world's premier wild steelhead strongholds. When you're down to your last functioning examples of healthy steelhead ecosystems, you don't get to treat them as just a Canadian issue. This is a global heritage resource for the species.
Science Cuts = Management Blindness
Without baseline data and ongoing monitoring, managers can't detect problems until it's too late. We've seen this movie before in Washington, Oregon, and California. By the time you notice the declines, recovery becomes exponentially more difficult and expensive. You can't manage what you don't measure.
The Threat of Industrial Acceleration
Canada plans to fast-track major industrial projects while simultaneously cutting the oversight and enforcement capacity to protect fish habitat. This is the exact recipe that devastated West Coast steelhead runs in the U.S., prioritizing short-term economic development over long-term sustainability of fisheries. It's habitat death by a thousand cuts, just with less scrutiny.
Your Fishing Future Depends on These Fish
Many U.S. anglers make pilgrimages to fish British Columbia precisely because their home waters have been compromised. If Canadian systems go the way of the Columbia, Snake, or other coastal rivers, there will be nowhere left to go to experience world-class wild steelhead fishing.
This isn't about Canadian fish; it's about the future of the species and the sport.