Fishing, Hunting & Trapping

 

Before the arrival of European settlers in the province, fishing, hunting and trapping were activities that sustained the Aboriginal population. Salmon was an important source of food, which was supplemented by hunting and trapping activities.

In 1670, when Charles II signed the royal charter that created the Hudson's Bay Company (the English-speaking world's oldest corporation), the fur trade was one of the main reasons for establishing the fledgling company.

Hudson's Bay Company traders played an important role in the development of European settlements across North America. Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser, and David Thompson, who worked for the rival Northwest Company (which later merged with the Hudson's Bay Company), explored the interior of BC and established trading posts where furs and salmon were purchased for export to Europe and other destinations. These traders saw the potential for benefiting from BC's rich salmon resource. By 1827, salted salmon was being shipped from Fort Langley to Hawaii, and to places as far away Asia and South America.

Following the development of canning techniques (and the discovery that canned salmon tastes a lot better, and lasts longer, than the salted variety), many salmon canneries were built on the Fraser River and in other areas such as Fort Rupert and Victoria. The canneries were supplied with salmon by the fishing fleet. The salmon canning industry was a big factor in the early development of the province's economy.

This helped shape the view of BC as province that is highly dependent on fishing, hunting and trapping. There's no doubt that these activities played a big role in the early development of the economy. They're still important sources of employment and income in many coastal communities. Canning and fish processing are among the main activities of BC's food processing industry. However, fishing, hunting and trapping is no longer a primary driver in BC's economy. Only 2,100 people worked in this industry in 2005, accounting for about 0.1% of the province's total workforce. The industry's share of total GDP is also about 0.1%.

The role of the commercial salmon fishery, once so important to the province, is also declining. If you follow the news, you've probably heard a lot about salmon stocks and the salmon fishery. A few years ago the federal Department of Fisheries, which manages the salt water fish resource, introduced a system of license buyouts in order to protect the stock of salmon by reducing the salmon fishing effort in BC.

The policy was successful. In 1990, salmon was the major seafood species harvested in the province, accounting for about 55% of the total value of the commercial catch. By 2005, the species made up just 10% of the total value of the catch.

Salmon made up just 10% of the value of the commercial catch in 2005

This represents a significant shift in the nature of the industry. Herring used to be the second most important species, based on landed value. Although it's no longer ranked second, it's still one of the biggest fisheries, accounting for 10% of the total value of landings. The halibut fishery is becoming increasingly important, as is the harvesting of prawns, sablefish and hake.

What's included in the industry?

The fishing, hunting and trapping industry includes establishments that harvest fish and other wild animals from their natural habitat. This includes commercial fishing for both finfish and shellfish species as well as hunting and trapping activities.

What's happened since 1990?

The commercial fishery has gone through some stormy waters

The industry hasn't fared particularly well during the last fifteen years. In 1990, it accounted for just over 0.4% of total employment and just under 0.4% of the province's GDP. At present, less than 0.1% of both GDP and employment originates in the commercial fishery.

BC's fishing, hunting & trapping industry is in a decline

There were some good years in the mid-1990s, when the value of the catch spiked, but generally speaking, the long-run trend in this industry has been downward, both in terms of GDP and employment.

What are the most common occupations?

Most people working in the industry are in jobs specific to fishing, hunting & trapping

 

Almost all of the jobs in this industry are in occupations that are specific to fishing, hunting and trapping. Three out of four people working in the industry are skippers of fishing vessels, while 16% are deckhands. Another 7% are fishing masters, and 3% are trappers and hunters. A relatively small number (3%) of people are employed as bookkeepers, secretaries or in other administrative occupations. Other occupations include truck and delivery drivers and boat operators.

How many people work in fishing, hunting & trapping, and how much do they earn?

In 2005, there were 2,100 people working in the industry. That's about a third as many as there were in 1990, when fishing, hunting and trapping employed 6,900 British Columbians.

We don't have specific data on earnings and hours in this industry, but a rough estimate of employment earnings can be calculated from other sources. These suggest that average hourly earnings in fishing, hunting and trapping were about $16 in 2005.

What are the characteristics of the work force?

Most (95%) of the people employed in fishing, hunting and trapping had full-time jobs in 2005. This represents a change from the past, when substantially more of the people who were working in this industry were employed part-time. On average, 79% of the work force in this industry was employed full-time during the period from 1990 to 2005.

The reduced incidence of part-time employment may well be occurring because with fewer people working in the industry, it's likely that many of those remaining are fish boat owners or skippers. They may have more of their own resources tied up in their vessels and may be doing more of the work themselves, rather than hiring employees to help.

Self-employment is common in commercial fishery. On average, about 60% of the people working in this industry are self-employed.

Relatively few women work in commercial fishery. They make up just 14% of the work force.

Unemployment rates in commercial fishery averaged 17.2% during the period from 1990 to 2005, about twice the rate for the economy as a whole.

Where are the jobs located?

We don't have data on the regional allocation of jobs in BC for the fishery as a whole separate from logging and mining. Those industries are so much larger than fishing that the aggregated figures won't necessarily represent what's happening in BC's fishery.

However, it's possible to get an idea of the regional allocation of the fishing industry by looking at where the catch is landed. In 2005, 62% of the salmon catch was landed in the North Coast region, with most of the remaining landings (36%) occurring in the South Coast. About 2% was landed in the Fraser River. Information on landings of other species isn't readily available.

Fifty-five percent of the value of shellfish landings were made in the South Coast, with 38% landed in North Coast, and 7% in the Fraser River.

Commercial hunting and trapping activities occur primarily in northern regions of the province.

What's the outlook to 2014?

Both GDP and employment in the industry are expected to grow slightly faster than the provincial average

Despite the weak performance of the industry during the last couple of years, it's expected that both GDP and employment in the fishery will hold their own over the next few years. The industry's share of the economy is forecast to increase to 0.2% by 2014.