Fishing Means Business: IWF Reaches out to River Communities

The River State has always felt like a more fitting moniker for Idaho than The Gem State to me. Maybe it works if you think of the Salmon, Clearwater, Lochsa, Selway, and Snake as gems in the state’s crown, priceless and worthy of our close protection. My corny metaphor ends here, because unlike the Queen’s jewels, all Idahoans have the right and privilege to enjoy our awesome rivers. Whether you paddle or fish on them, swim through them, or just stand on the banks admiring their beauty, you have a vested interest in the health of our rivers and the wildlife and fish that depend on them. You also have a vested interest in the health of our river communities, where you most likely stopped to grab gas, buy a sandwich, or get your steelhead permit before you hit the water.

River communities like Salmon, Riggins, and Orofino form the backbone of Idaho’s outdoor recreation industry, which generates $7.8 billion in consumer spending annually. This spending contributes to 78,000 jobs and $2.3 billion in salaries and wages spread across the state, solidifying outdoor recreation as one of Idaho’s most important industries, on par with agricultural exports. But, the foundations of these communities have been shaken by the disappearance of our rivers’ most important asset. Without robust salmon and steelhead runs, river towns have nothing to sustain them when the summer boating and vacation season ends. The steelhead season closure on the Clearwater means businesses in the region are losing an estimated $8.6 million a month. Guides in Riggins have to keep calling reporters and reminding people that there’s still a steelhead season on the Salmon, even though anglers only get to keep one fish a day. It’s not just about fishing guides, but the hotels, restaurants, gas stations, coffee shops, and bars that all rely on dollars from fishermen too. For every $1,000 lost by outfitter and guides on the Clearwater this year, another $700 is lost by other businesses in these small communities.

It’s important to remember that this isn’t just about abstract numbers on a page- this is about the people who need our fish. The people who own the coffee shops, guide the fishing trips, and take your cash at the gas station. IWF has been talking to a lot of these people as we’ve been working with river communities to amplify their voices and advocate for our fish. Over coffee and beers, in drift boats and breakfast joints, we’ve been updating river community residents on the progress of the Governor’s Salmon Workgroup and ways they can be included in the discussion. All of our discussions converge on two truths:  Idaho’s river communities are on life support, and the status quo is not acceptable for our state’s salmon and steelhead.

You can read more about our work in river communities in a recent article from the Clearwater Tribune here.

If you’re in a river community and would like to talk about our salmon and steelhead work, feel free to reach out to Lizzy (Clearwater- lmckeag@idahowildlife.org) or Garret (Salmon- gvisser@idahowildlife.org).

All of this travel is expensive! If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation.