08/01/2025
At its peak between 1950 to 1970, Tofino's salmon industry was massive.
With up to 400 boats using the harbour and 8 local processing plants, including canneries and a saltery, offshore and onshore salmon fishing shaped life in Tofino for much of the 20th century. While Cannery Bay, at the mouth of Kennedy River, operated from 1904 to 1931, the major boom in salmon fishing was not until the 50s in Tofino and Clayoquot Sound, with the expansion of the trawling fleet.
The large market for salmon created an economic boom - and a reliable source of income for westcoasters. However, by 1983, this significant chapter in the history of Clayoquot Sound concluded as the last wild salmon plant closed in Tofino. Today, tourism is the leading industry here, providing over 3,000 jobs in 2024, including guiding on sports fishing charters 🎣
Tofino (n̓ačiqs) is situated on the tip of the Esowista Peninsula, within the traditional haḥuułi of the ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) First Nations and their Tribal Parks.
📷 1: TCHM-P: 309: Salmom cooked on tinfoil over a fire in front of a cabin, 1960s-1970s
📷 2: Mirae Campbell for Tofino Ocean Adventures
📷 3: TCHM-P 119: Boat fully loaded with salmon from West Coast Troll Camps, date unknown
📷 4: TCHM-P 384: Men at work mending fishing nets near waterfront, 1927
Tourism Tofino
