Skeena River steelhead fishing restrictions threaten 200 jobs, $23M economy

A new report titled *Renewable Value, Minimal Impact: The Economic Value of Skeena River Steelhead*, prepared by Big River Analytics and funded by the Babine River Foundation, Native Fish Society, The Conservation Angler, Upper Skeena Angling Guides Association and Tourism Smithers, warns that limiting recreational steelhead fishing in the Skeena River watershed could jeopardise more than 200 jobs and $23 million of annual economic activity in British Columbia’s Northwest.

The study finds that up to 80 % of the economic benefits from steelhead angling stay within the North Coast–Nechako region, supporting guides, lodges, restaurants, accommodation, transport providers and retailers, with guided angling accounting for over 60 % of the sector’s revenue. It also notes that improving commercial fishery management and ocean‑ranching practices would deliver greater conservation outcomes than recreational restrictions.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is currently cutting fisheries‑patrol contracts and has temporarily suspended meetings of the North Coast Integrated Fisheries Harvest Planning Committee due to low participation, though it says it intends to resume the forum after the season. The report is the first comprehensive assessment of the economic contribution of Skeena steelhead angling and highlights the species as a renewable economic asset for local communities.