Dave Ryder: First to Complete the Slam!

Dave Ryder has become THE FIRST angler to complete the Pacific Salmon Slam!

Dave submitted 5 chinook for the challenge, making him the first to achieve the KING badge. This is just one of the many badges hidden within the Pacific Salmon Slam.

Dave’s biggest fish was a massive 32-pound tyee salmon caught while trolling in the Strait of Georgia.

Who will be the next angler to complete the Pacific Salmon Slam?

What is the Pacific Salmon Slam?

The Pacific Salmon Slam is a new challenge for recreational anglers across British Columbia. Participants are invited to catch five Pacific salmon native to B.C. waters, submit their catches, and earn a limited-edition challenge coin in recognition of their achievement.

Beyond the physical reward, anglers can also unlock digital badges, track their progress, and share their accomplishments with friends and fellow anglers across social media.

This challenge achieves a few things while creating a fun challenge for recreational anglers:

1. It proves the value of recreational angling in British Columbia
2. It combats the recent changes to the Salmon Allocation Policy
3. It raises funds for conservation work in British Columbia

The Value of Recreational Angling in British Columbia  

According to a 2024 study by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Salmon tidal and freshwater recreational fishing contributes $244M (GDP) to the provincial economy, with a total employment and income contribution of 2,475 and $164M, respectively.

According to a private valuation by BCWF, Licensed angling generates $1.3B in annual revenue, $643M in GDP, and 9,100 jobs 

Regardless of the actual value, we know recreational anglers generate a lot of revenue directly through license and stamp fees and indirectly through support of tackle shops, lodging, travel and tourism. Recreational angling is important to British Columbia and to visitors travelling to participate in the fishery. Salmon represent a resource worth protecting, if for nothing else, economic prosperity.

Raising Funds for Important Salmon Projects in British Columbia

The Pacific Salmon Slam was created to raise funds for salmon conservation and stewardship projects throughout British Columbia while increasing the recreational value of salmon fishing in the province. It demonstrates that recreational anglers are willing to invest a little more when they know their contributions directly support salmon and their habitat, rather than being deposited into a Consolidated Revenue Fund, as is the case with tidal fishing licence fees.

Our target is to direct 80% of all Pacific Salmon Slam authorization revenue back into on-the-ground conservation and stewardship projects across British Columbia. The remaining 20% will be reinvested into growing the program, enhancing the participant experience, and developing future angling challenges.

Beginning after the program’s first year, the Pacific Salmon Slam website will feature an annual report highlighting the conservation projects funded through the program, ensuring participants can see the impact of their contributions.

From One Angler to Another: Thank You.

If you have read this far, you don’t require a financial statement to prove the value of Salmon.

For anglers, salmon are worth more than economic prosperity, and they represent a value that isn’t found on a financial statement. Their intrinsic value is received when the line tightens up, and you find yourself in the remote vastness of BC’s coastal reaches. It’s measured in meals shared, traditions passed from one generation to the next, and the responsibility we all share to leave these fisheries better than we found them.

Every annual fishing licence purchased helps support the future of recreational fishing. By participating in the Pacific Salmon Slam, you’re choosing to do even more. Each Slam authorization helps fund real conservation work: restoring habitat, improving fish passage, supporting research, and giving wild Pacific salmon a better chance to thrive in British Columbia.

Thank you for being part of the tradition. Thank you for helping protect the resource.

We’ll see you on the water.

Tight lines,
Evan Holmgren,
Recreational Angler