Valuation of the Wild Salmon Economy of the Skeena River Watershed

Executive Summary

  • In November 2005, IBM Business Consulting was commissioned by the Northwest Institute to conduct a valuation of the wild Salmon economy of the Skeena River Watershed.
  • All study numbers are non-multiplicative and represent only direct revenues to the regions. Multipliers and other indirect spin-off values have not been calculated.
  • Based on a comprehensive review of existing data, 22 interviews with subject-matter experts, and a series of assumptions, IBM estimates that the wild Salmon economy of the Skeena River can be valued at approximately $109,987,0001 based on a 2004 base year and 4-year average revenue or revenue-equivalents.
  • This sum consolidates revenue from multiple streams including: recreational tourism, sport-fishing, commercial harvesting, wholesale values, added-value processing, retailing, value to the First-Nations and Alaskan values.
  • Alaskan values only include commercial landed value, wholesale value and added-value processing. Alaskan recreational angling, tourism and First Nations values have not been included.
  • This sum does not include other sources of value arising from wild salmonids of the Skeena including in-migration or retention of residents, feed for wild-life, ecosystem-services and ‘existence value’.

1This figure is also a mid estimate with high and low sensitivity ranging from +/-21%.

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