Salmon Steward

Y ou might say I was bit by the fishing bug quite young. I won my first derby when I was four years old (the trophy now sits in my son's bedroom). Just like me, my father was a passionate fisherman, eager to pass the sport down to his young son. It was a way to connect with dad and the great outdoors that he loved; I grew up fishing with him in the Great Lakes, where we call Chinook salmon "Kings." Salmon have an interesting history over there. Atlantic Salmon were one of the first fish species in the Great Lakes to disappear due to degradation of streams, ecosystem changes in the lake and overfishing. In the 1800s, various species of Pacific salmon were introduced to the Great Lakes; now they support several important sport fisheries. So when I moved to the West Coast at 21, I already had plenty of salmon fights under my belt. Fast forward to today, I now own and operate a guiding and charter operation called Reel Obsession Sportfishing. My company includes a lodge at Zeballos and a charter operation in Victoria. I'm proud to be able to make a living from what I love. But what I'm even prouder of is that I am also able to give back. I first learned about the Pacific Salmon Foundation through Larry Stefanyk, a colleague of mine. Larry is a writer for the sportfishing industry, but also the chair of the Foundation's Campbell River Dinner. After attending a few of their dinners held in my new hometown of Victoria, I decided to get more involved. For the past few years, I have volunteered on the Foundation's South Vancouver Island Dinner Committee; it's an essential pipeline that directs money, public awareness and support from the broader community to the local streams. Sometimes salmon projects happen in remote areas with low visibility; these kinds of dinners provide a platform to make the projects more visible to the community and inspire support. Volunteers are the critical ingredient that make the dinners successful. And what a di¦erence volunteers make! Since 1991, the Foundation has provided grants of $2.5 million to Greater Victoria through its Community Salmon Program. These grants were matched by local businesses and people to the tune of $16.3 million. Because in Victoria, people recognize the importance of salmon and are willing to step up for the health of their watersheds. What's truly inspiring is that these grants are providing essential support to streamkeeping groups who are volunteers themselves. I volunteered for the hatchery in Zeballos, doing in-river fish counts. So I know firsthand how hard these streamkeepers work, and how critical they are to salmon conservation in British Columbia. Salmon support a more than $1-billion economy in British Columbia, including sportfishing and its various spin-o¦s. Now imagine if everyone participating in that economy were willing to give back even just a little. That's one reason I also participated in the Recreational Fishing Conservation Contribution program, which provides fishing lodge customers the option of adding a donation to their bill. Since I started the program, I've only had a couple customers question the fee. To them, donating $25-50 to ensure they can keep enjoying the resource is well worth it. As a father of two and an entrepreneur, life gets pretty busy. But volunteering can be as casual and as often as you want it to be. Every little bit helps. And ensuring salmon have a sustainable future is important to me as a father, and as a businessman who benefits from this remarkable resource. Adrian O'Connor VOLUNTEER, SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND DINNER COMMITTEE & OWNER, REEL OBSESSION SPORTFISHING Above: For Adrian (L) fishing means spending time with family. Below: Adrian has passed the fishing bug on to son Keegan (R). sMAll contributions Add uP to big chAnge for sAlMon Who cares about salmon? Volunteering can be as casual and as often as you want it to be. Every little bit helps. salmon Steward magazine 17 YEars YE YE YE YE YE YE YE YEars ars ars ars ars ars ars ars ars ars ars

• Cover