The Fishers’ Tale: The Impact of Anticipation and Climate Change on Rural Fishing Communities in British Columbia

The salmon fishing industry in Port Hardy, British Columbia is on the brink of change. New policies, the instability of boom-and-bust economic development, and climate change threaten the capture salmon fishing industry and aquaculture industries in rural British Columbia. I used a series of semi-structured interviews to examine the complexities behind the impact of climate change on fishing communities. I found that anticipating new industries, or the revitalization of old industries, leaves rural communities trapped in the cycle of resource dependency.