The Babine River Foundation is honoured to welcome fishery scientist and lifelong angler John McMillan—and The Conservation Angler (TCA)—as scientific advisors to our Angler Science Project.

John is one of North America’s most respected wild salmon and steelhead scientists, with 25+ years of experience, 30+ peer-reviewed papers and technical reports, and a career spanning work with the U.S. Forest Service, NOAA, the Hoh Tribe, Wild Salmon Center, and Trout Unlimited, where he led the Wild Steelhead Initiative.

With TCA, played a key role in developing an angler science program on Washington’s Elwha River following its dam removal. He now brings that same blend of angler knowledge and rigorous science to the Babine, helping guide our study design, volunteer sampling protocols, and data interpretation so we can better understand and protect the Babine’s legendary wild steelhead.

John’s connection to Canadian steelhead runs deep. Named in tribute to Roderick Haig-Brown, he has been fishing B.C. steelhead since age 11 and co-authored May the Rivers Never Sleep with his father as a homage to Haig-Brown’s legacy. He has snorkelled more than 2,000 km of rivers, witnessing firsthand the decline of iconic salmon and steelhead populations across the Pacific Northwest—a perspective that sharpens our focus on what’s at stake in the Skeena.

As we grow our Angler Science Project and deepen our collaboration with local and provincial fisheries managers, John’s insight will help ensure that decisions in the Skeena watershed are grounded in science—giving wild steelhead the best possible chance at a healthy future.

We’re thrilled to welcome John McMillan to the Babine River Foundation. His involvement is a powerful step toward ensuring Skeena wild steelhead remain a living legacy for generations to come.