Photos: Farlyn Campbell & Tavish Campbell, Moonfish Media
Introducing the 2026/2027 Salmon Conservation Stamp
The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) is proud to announce Farlyn Campbell as the winner of the 2026–2027 Salmon Conservation Stamp Competition. Her piece, Smiley, was selected from 24 entries and will appear on next year’s stamp.
Every year, the Salmon Conservation Stamp is purchased and affixed to the licence of tidal water anglers who wish to retain Pacific salmon. PSF stewards roughly $1.5 million in annual stamp revenue, amplifying those funds with donor support to power more than 150 conservation projects across B.C. and the Yukon.
Meet the artist: Farlyn Campbell
Campbell is a long-time skipper and salmon steward who has spent decades researching and painting fish. She grew up in a fishing family on Sonora Island, north of Campbell River, and still operates a small commercial salmon troller on occasion. Since the early 2000s, she has been sampling smolts for signs of sea lice and disease across the Discovery Islands, testing and refining techniques to monitor these tiny fish with minimal impact.
Smiley is her first entry in the Salmon Conservation Stamp Competition and her first-ever art competition. The anatomical drawing and watercolour painting of a large spring Chinook – “the kind that makes you smile” – reflects her approach to art:
“Taking the time to observe and draw the salmon accurately is my way of honouring them. There is beauty in the details, which highlight how incredible these fish are.”
Campbell’s connection to salmon goes back to her childhood in Owen Bay, where chum, pinks, and Fraser River sockeye migrate through the Okisollo Channel past her family home throughout the year.
“Sleeping down on the dock in the summer, we’d often hear the salmon smolts flipping as they held in the bay, waiting for the tide to turn. I grew up paying attention to the fish passing by.”
With the unexpectedly large return of Fraser River sockeye this year and the accompanying fisheries openings, Campbell was able to take the boat out and share the joy and excitement of salmon with her family, neighbours, and community for the first time in years.
Her hope is that the new stamp offers a moment of optimism in a difficult time for salmon and those who care about them.
“Salmon are a huge part of so many people’s lives across B.C. The declines have been discouraging, but the story of salmon is vast and it’s far from over. The recent large returns are a reminder that salmon are far more resilient than we give them credit for,” Campbell highlights.
The stamp impact at a glance
PSF has stewarded funds from the Salmon Conservation Stamp on behalf of Fisheries and Oceans Canada since 1994. Each year, hundreds of thousands of anglers contribute to salmon conservation by purchasing the $7.19 stamp, which is required to catch and keep Pacific salmon in tidal waters.
Thanks to stamp revenue, PSF has directed $31 million to more than 3,500 community-driven salmon restoration, enhancement, and research projects, representing a total project value of more than $221 million.
An annual Salmon Conservation Stamp, valid between April 1 and March 31, can be purchased online or through an Independent Access Provider.
PSF extends warm thanks to the 24 artists selected to enter this year’s competition. Congratulations to our second- and third-place winners:
Second Place: ‘Hightailing It’ by Kristy Doward
Third Place: ‘Heading Home’ by Mickey Schilling
