SKEENA ESTUARY © BRIAN HUNTINGTON
The Skeena River is one of the last great wild salmon rivers on Earth, a living artery that connects mountains to ocean, nature to cultures, and salmon to communities. Flowing from the interior of British Columbia to the Pacific, it supports some of the strongest wild salmon runs remaining on the planet. In Northwest British Columbia, salmon are the lifeblood of communities: the foundation of the economic and environmental integrity of the region.
Each year, as millions of salmon return to their home streams, they carry not only the next generation of wild salmon but also rich nutrients, feeding forests, wildlife, and people—local and beyond. For thousands of years, Indigenous Nations have depended on the Skeena and coastal waters for sustenance, culture, and identity. Today, people across the region continue to rely on natural, clean, free-flowing waters for food security, commercial and small-scale fisheries, guiding operations, and ecotourism.
Visitors from around the world are drawn here to experience wild coastlines, rivers, abundant wildlife, and landscapes that remain largely untouched by industrial development.
The Skeena is part of a broader, globally significant region that includes B.C.’s Central and North Coast, home to the Great Bear Rainforest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. It is also home to a billion-dollar salmon and tourism economy, riches that have supported communities, cultures, and livelihoods for generations, based on a deeply rooted relationship that respects these wild, natural places.
“Since the consensus based Great Bear Rainforest plan, we’ve agreed to build a conservation-based economy on the coast with tourism as a key pillar,” said Kevin Smith, CEO of Maple Leaf Adventures, who contributed to that historic land use plan.
The recreational, tourism, and salmon economy accounts for billions in GDP, thousands of local jobs in Northwest B.C., and is directly linked to the health and well-being of these natural landscapes and the animals we share them with. The conservation economy alone contributes over $1.7 billion in GDP every year.
Smith explains that “expedition companies like ours create export revenue, jobs, and a great reputation for the coast through exploring and celebrating whales, bears, rugged rainforests, and local cultures while doing no harm. Our sector of adventure tourism generates two to three times the export dollars of conventional tourism. The risk to our businesses is huge if ecosystems and wildlife become compromised through industrial activities that cause major harm. We need to keep that vision strong, and our actions aligned with it.”
A WAY OF LIFE AT RISK
Renewed interest by Alberta to undo legislation that has prevented oil supertankers from travelling through B.C.’s inside coastal waters are ill-conceived and could upend the livelihoods of thousands of people and dozens of communities. An oil spill could have catastrophic and irreversible impacts on local economies and these tightly interconnected ecosystems.
“At SkeenaWild our mission is to ensure that fish continue to return to our rivers now and for future generations to support healthy local jobs, food security, and people’s connection to wild salmon,” said Julia Hill, Executive Director for SkeenaWild.
“To avoid the fate of places that have been dammed, polluted, overfished, or paved over, we need a way to assess cumulative impacts, prioritize responsible development, and protect critical habitat. Doing so means we can preserve both nature and livelihoods for generations to come. We rely on salmon and salmon rely on us.”
This is why the presence of oil supertankers in our waters poses an unacceptable risk. The north coast of B.C. has some of the most dangerous waters in the world; the narrow channels, unpredictable weather, intense gales, remote location, and long hours of darkness during stormy winter months make oil spill response extremely difficult, if not impossible.
A single accident, even a small one, could devastate salmon populations, cripple local economies, and permanently alter one of Canada’s last truly wild coastlines.
In 2012, during federal hearings on Enbridge’s Northern Gateway oil project, the Haisla Nation presented modelling showing a small, 10-million-litre supertanker spill at the north end of Haida Gwaii would spread oil over 40 square kilometres (about the size of Bermuda or 5,600 soccer pitches) in less than 72 hours. Under current federal standards, that’s also how long it could take the spill response contractor to show up on site.
Rough seas are common in this part of the world, and Hecate Strait is considered the most dangerous waterway in Canada. It is common to see between three to 10 metre waves, especially during winter months. Research shows mechanical oil cleanup is hampered in 1.2 metre seas, and is virtually impossible when waves reach 2.4 metres, at which point oil spills over containment booms and ships attending the scene struggle to maintain position.
ONE OF THE LAST TRULY WILD PLACES
Defending the Skeena and the north and central coast of B.C. from oil tankers is not only an environmental imperative, but also a commitment to future generations. These are places where nature still operates on its own terms and where sustainable livelihoods remain possible. As we stare down climate change and habitat loss, the Skeena region remains a stronghold for an otherwise vanishing natural world.
Now is the time to act. Defending the North Coast means upholding the laws that keep oil tankers out of these waters, standing with local leadership, conservationists, fish harvesters, and First Nations. It means recognizing the long-term value of intact ecosystems over short-term profits by corporations whose head offices are thousands of kilometres away. It means celebrating this region not just as a resource, but as a global treasure—one of the last vestiges of wild, rugged landscapes in Canada, with people and communities who are intimately connected to the environment around them.
Safeguarding the Skeena and north and central coasts means that salmon will return to these rivers, whales will swim these waters, wildlife will flourish, communities will continue to thrive, and one of the world’s most extraordinary places will remain whole, for today, and for generations to come.
Help defend the North Coast by signing the North Coast Protection Declaration and telling your MP to uphold the Oil Tanker Moratorium.
Learn more at skeenawild.org
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Founded in 2007, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust is committed to securing a future where the Skeena Watershed and nearby communities are a global example of balance and sustainability. Here, the roots of Indigenous Nations, local communities, and the natural rhythms of wild salmon are intertwined; our job is to ensure that all can flourish together. By collaborating with all communities, we are working to safeguard the stability and long-term health of our local lands and waters.