“Your time is coming Russ. Just be persistent and keep your focus on the salmon.”

I am of the view that First Nations will be the eventual saviors of this precious heritage.”  

Ron MacLeod One of Canada’s great fish men

Ron MacLeod one of the fathers of Salmon Enhancement. He’s 88 and admits to failing health, but Ron MacLeod’s mind remains as sharp as a well-honed fish hook and his passion for protecting salmon is undiminished. Proof of that lies in a brilliant paper this salmon sage has just written with long-time colleague Al Wood that he hopes will stir a public outcry against government. This is an old warrior who is squaring up for one last fight. And politicians will ignore him at their peril.

His paper, “Epic Fail,” chronicles the decline of Pacific salmon stocks and warns that a total collapse – on the scale of the Atlantic cod catastrophe – is in the making, unless things change. Mr. MacLeod, a former director-general of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, goes beyond doom-saying. He lays out the history of failed government policies that have propelled us to this point, and offers solutions.

In his paper, he urges the public to stop whining about the way things are and start organizing. “It’s going to take an emotional outburst from British Columbians,” Mr. MacLeod said.

As a young boy, Mr. MacLeod went on patrol with his father, a fisheries officer in Tofino. He became a fisheries officer himself in 1956. By the time he retired from the DFO in 1984, he had risen through the ranks to become the director of the department’s operations in the Pacific region – and along with Mr. Wood, he had launched the Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP) a community-based effort that, over 35 years, has breathed life into hundreds of streams and mobilized thousands of volunteers. Though Mr. MacLeod is long retired, he is still actively involved in salmon issues.

Asked if he had ever expected to see salmon stocks fall to the low ebb they are at now, he replied: “Never, never, never.” “Currently … there is no one to speak for the salmon,” Mr. MacLeod writes. “I know there are lots of people in B.C. who feel the way I do,” he said. “They might just rise up.”

But he also knows that B.C. has a profound cultural attachment to salmon. And he is hoping that deep love for nature will translate into massive, determined action.

In a personal e-mail to our Haida Salmon Restoration office he writes to me,

“Your time is coming Russ. Just be persistent and keep your focus on the salmon. I am of the view that First Nations will be the eventual saviours of this precious heritage.”

We promise you Ron we will persist, we will speak for the salmon and more, we will help the salmon return and speak for themselves.

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In Memory of Ron MacLeod: A Life Devoted to Salmon and Stewardship​ Pacific Streamkeepers Federation

Ron MacLeod, a towering figure in Canadian fisheries science, passed away on January 15, 2015, at the age of 90. Born in Tofino, British Columbia, in 1924, Ron’s early life was deeply intertwined with the sea; his father served as a federal Fisheries Inspector, instilling in him a profound respect for marine life. After serving in the Navy during World War II and studying at the University of British Columbia, Ron began his career with the Department of Fisheries in 1956. He rose through the ranks to become Director General of Fisheries Operations for the Pacific Region and Freshwater Fisheries, where he left an indelible mark on Canada’s fisheries management.​Peace Arch News+1Pacific Streamkeepers Federation+1Pacific Streamkeepers Federation+1Peace Arch News+1

Ron was the visionary behind the Pacific Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP), a groundbreaking initiative aimed at bolstering salmon populations through habitat restoration and hatchery support. Recognizing the importance of education in conservation, he also championed the “Salmonids in the Classroom” program, which introduced over a million schoolchildren to salmon ecology and the principles of environmental stewardship.​Peace Arch News+1Pacific Streamkeepers Federation+1

Even after his retirement in 1984, Ron remained an active advocate for salmon conservation, volunteering with various organizations and contributing to policy discussions. His dedication to preserving Canada’s salmon heritage earned him numerous accolades, including being named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002.​Peace Arch News+1Pacific Streamkeepers Federation+1

Ron MacLeod’s legacy is one of unwavering commitment to the natural world. His life’s work serves as a testament to the impact that one individual’s passion and perseverance can have on environmental conservation.​