Vernon historian presents 1964 show featuring salmon fishing off the shores of Vancouver

Heyday of salmon fishing

Today's trip down memory lane is a look at the heydays of salmon fishing in British Columbia.

Vernon historian and videographer Francois Arseneault has converted another episode of the 1960s Tide and Trail TV show into a 4K format.

“It’s a throwback to a different time, when fishing boats crowded the waters of Vancouver Harbour and before the large offshore fishing fleets took over,” Arseneault said. “Sport fishing had grown with the introduction of bigger, more comfortable personal boats, able to handle the waters of Georgia Strait.”

Disposable income made boats and gear easier to acquire, business was booming.

Shows like Tides & Trails introduced many people to the exciting world of salmon fishing.

“The size of the salmon caught seemed quite substantial compared to today,” Arseneault commented/.

The 1960s was also a decade of cultural change and political awareness, it was also a time when people's attitudes towards the ecology and the planet's health was beginning to change.

“It is the beginning of serious conversations about conservation,” he said, adding there seemed to be an awareness that that supply of fish was not limitless.

“That issue could no longer be overlooked. As a result, in this episode, (the show's host) began educating people about fishing and the pressures it was beginning to face.”

Arseneault is always looking for more information on the vintage footage he digs up, and he encourages people to add their input in the comments section on his YouTube page.

Arseneault has an extensive collection of vintage footage, and he is looking for more.

Anyone who may have old 16 mm or 8 mm film footage of the Vernon and Okanagan area is invited to email Arseneault at [email protected].

- with files from Francois Arseneault