Salmon Steward

Winter 2017

Salmon Steward is the official publication of the Pacific Salmon Foundation in British Columbia, Canada

Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/899377

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salmon Steward magazine 11 JIM SLOAN was an avid angler and hunter who bequeathed a donation to the Pacific Salmon Foundation this year. Born in North Vancouver, he absolutely lived for hunting and fishing trips with his father and brother. His widow Debbie Nesbitt recalls a "man with boundless energy" who loved being in the great outdoors. A decade ago, a group of fishing buddies hailing from the United States, Canada and Japan contacted the Pacific Salmon Foundation. They wanted to honour the memory of a beloved friend by supporting the salmon resource that he had cherished in life. And thus the ROB McRAE Memorial Fund was born. Rob was a young father who delighted in fishing with his sons and heading to B.C.'s West Coast to fish for salmon with his colleagues from Cargill. After his death, the group continued the tradition in his memory. Their favourite destination was the "big water" at Englefield Bay with Westcoast Resorts in Haida Gwaii. Ten years later, the fund has raised more than $200,000 for Pacific salmon projects. We tip our cap to these generous gents who turned a terrible loss into a lasting gain for the salmon and West Coast ecosystems that brought them together. THE PACIFIC SALMON FOUNDATION GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE LEGACY GIFTS IN MEMORY OF SANDY MILLER, FAYE SMITH, ROB McRAE AND JIM SLOAN. Rob McRae James (Jim) Cyril Sloan Though he moved to the Interior and worked with Trans Mountain for 33 years, Jim always returned to the coast to fish for salmon and would often go to his favourite fishing lodge in Haida Gwaii. But his most dearly held memories were at HiHium Lake near Kamloops. "He would head there every year as a kid for a family fishing trip," Debbie recalls. "And in the last few years, he would meet his brother Dave there and help open up the lodge and cabins. It's such a special place for their family that his father had his own ashes spread there. And that's where we will also be laying him to rest." Jim died suddenly in October 2016 at his home in Kamloops. Akin to the generosity of spirit that he was known for, he had decided to bequeath a donation to the Pacific Salmon Foundation in his will. "Fishing brought him so much joy and brought him together with family. It doesn't surprise me that he wanted to leave a legacy for future generations," says Debbie. "Fishing was important to him, and family was very important to him. And he saw the two as deeply connected." Members of the Rob McRae Memorial Group visit with Foundation staff for their annual update. Debbie shares a laugh with her late partner Jim.

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