The "golden years" of unbridled west coast logging were not without consequence. Until the mid 1990’s no protection was afforded to stream ecosystems. As a result, vast amounts of vital freshwater salmonid habitat was destroyed. 

For British Columbia’s timber industry, the forests of Vancouver Island were too rich to resist: giant spruce, Douglas-fir and red cedar trees fetched top dollar on the open market. On the Island’s remote Pacific coast, mechanized logging kicked into high gear in the 1950's and continued through the decades that followed.

"...it makes you a little melancholy to think that these cold green depths will shortly be reduced to ruin by monsters of machinery. The towering logger with the movie-star face, who stands beside us on the flat car admits a pang of remorse at the prospect of denuding this green valley, but what can you do about it? No logging, no work for loggers."
- Bruce Hutchison in the Comox Argus, 1933

Modern day Vancouver Island owes much of its early development to the logging industry; Island timber has been commercially harvested since the 1820’s. The seemingly endless supply of ancient trees and the incredible value they could command in the open market, combined with the proximity to the ocean for transport, earned Vancouver Island the reputation of a “Logger's Eden”. In the 1950’s, mechanized logging replaced traditional methods and the forestry companies were now able to level vast stretches of forest at an unprecedented rate. This unbridled development was not without consequence; up until the mid 1990’s no protection was afforded to stream ecosystems, as a result significant amounts of vital salmonid habitat and was degraded or destroyed. 

For over a century, logging companies were not obligated to mitigate damages to salmon bearing streams and we are now living with a legacy of these practices today. Across Vancouver Island, there are vast stretches of dark, tightly spaced, single-species forests where diverse old-growth once stood. Many creeks and rivers are clogged with waste wood from logging operations that used them as dump sites, preventing fish from accessing upstream spawning grounds. Predictably, the removal of trees from the steep and saturated valley walls of our coastal watersheds resulted in devastating landslides; burying the rivers below in rock and debris. In other cases, streams were mined of their spawning gravel to be used for road construction or the creeks themselves were simply used as roads. 

The only thing more integral to the fabric of coastal B.C. than the ancient forests is the Pacific salmon. Vancouver Island is home to once legendary runs of Chinook, coho, chum, sockeye, pink and steelhead. These coastal rivers and streams are a critical part of the salmon life cycle, and the loss of freshwater spawning and nursery habitat is a major threat to the survival wild salmon populations. Decades of over-fishing, habitat destruction and poor management has resulted in significant declines in wild salmon populations. Redd Fish Restoration Society (Redd Fish) was founded in 1995 by loggers, First Nations, biologists and forestry professionals who recognized the need to address the loss of habitat in order to preserve our wild fish stocks. 

where Redd Fish comes in

Redd Fish Restoration Society was founded in 1995 by loggers, First Nations, biologists and forestry professionals who recognized the need to address the loss of habitat in order to preserve our wild fish stocks

The Society works closely with the 5 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations in our region. These partnerships ensure members from each Nation are provided opportunities to work within their own territory to help rebuild wild salmon habitat

First Nations communities have borne the brunt of resource development and witnessed first hand, the changes to their territories. Any community that is tied socially, economically and culturally to their environment suffers from its loss.

Redd Fish works closely with the 5 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations in our region: ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ (Ahousaht), hiškʷiiʔatḥ (Hesquiaht), tukʷaaʔatḥ (Toquaht Nation Government), ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) and yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet Nation Government), The Nations provide direction and invaluable traditional ecological knowledge. These partnerships help leverage funding and create training, employment and capacity building opportunities. For remote communities, it is an opportunity to work in their own territory  and to help rebuild one of the most culturally significant resources on the coast: wild salmon.  

"It’s the greatest feeling...I would see my grandchildren when I get off the boat (after work) and they'd ask me what I had been doing? and I told them, I'm out there fixing up the creeks so that you can have fish when you grow up."

George Frank-Ahousaht First Nation, Redd Fish field crew

In addition to local First Nations communities Redd Fish also conducts projects in partnerships with both the districts of Tofino and Ucluelet as well as Pacific Rim National Park Reserve; knowing that strong, long term, community relationships are paramount to successful restoration. By building relationships with community members and implementing local outreach activities, the society raises awareness and promotes stewardship.  Education is a critical component to restoration; our community education programs include:  films, interpretive walks, educational workshops, job skills training and support for sustainable community initiatives and other non-profits.

The degradation and destruction of rivers and forests, although extensive , is not irreversible, there are measures that can be taken to improve habitat conditions and bring back wild salmon stocks. Since 1995 Redd Fish has been working to help accelerate the recovery of these damaged ecosystems.  Changes don't happen overnight but there is hope for these watersheds. We can improve health of our local watersheds, in turn, improving  the health and strength of our communities.

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