2025 Alpine Juan de Fuca Salmon Derby a Success

For twenty-nine years the Alpine Juan De Fuca Derby has been one of the regions pre-eminent derby events. Derby proceeds support salmon recovery and community outreach activities that assist less fortunate members of society. This year a cooler full of donated derby fish provided 120 meals for the Sooke Food Bank, along with $1,540 to support the food bank’s day to day activities. This derby is currently run by the South Vancouver Island Anglers Association (SVIAC).

2025 Derby awards ceremony

In recent years the Derby has contributed to a unique SVIAC initiative to rear more Chinook in temporary holding pens, where they adapt to saltwater before beginning their life as ocean ranging salmon. Unlike other pen rearing projects the goal is to increase the number of Chinook that will return through JDF Strait as adults, thereby augmenting the forage base for Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) from mid-July to late September.

In addition coded wire tag (CWT) recoveries show SVIAC’s Chinook contribute to fisheries from Sooke along their migration route as far north as Alaska. They also benefit SRKW’s when they feed off the west coast of Vancouver Island, and Northern Resident Killer Whales that depend on Chinook in their foraging range, which extends into SE Alaska.

Murray Head’s derby winning 23.32 lb Chinook earned him $20,000. The next nine contestants shared the remaining $25,000 with Nick Robbins second place 22.88 pounder taking $7,000 down to Shilo Matte’s 19.84 grabbing the $1,000 tenth place prize.

Murray Head – 2025 Derby winner

This year “490 derby participants raised $46,000 in net revenue to be applied to projects on Southern Vancouver Island” according to derby committee chair and SVIAC president Bill Campbell.

Derby committee members from L-R: Lee Garrod, Bill Campbell, Greg Barkes, Wayne Campbell, Rob Ringma, and Montague Lee

In 1986 George Wetherell started the derby with fishing buddy Brad Gordon, and he continued to organize the event until 2011. It was originally called the Westwind Derby in recognition of its first major sponsor, the Westwind Hotel and Pub in Langford BC. In its first year there were 100 participants. Fast forward to 2025 and the old watering hole is gone in name, but the derby lives on.

George Wetherell

After its second year the name changed to the Juan de Fuca Invitational Salmon Championship, and as it gained more recognition and sponsors, it became an extremely popular limited entry event where anglers scrambled to acquire tickets.

Wetherell noted it was also known as the “working man’s derby” which reflected the region’s blue collar history. Today it’s called the Alpine Juan de Fuca Derby in recognition of its primary sponsor, Alpine Group, and its founder and past Langford mayor Stew Young, who is also a strong recreational fishing supporter.

Wetherell credits Blayney Scott, founder of Scotty Manufacturing, with changing this derby’s trajectory towards supporting salmon enhancement, instead of putting all of the proceeds into cash and merchandise prizes. As a result George estimates they’ve raised about $250,000 just for the Pacific Salmon Foundation to assist with salmon recovery. The derby has also been featured on National TV, and is considered the largest salmon derby in western Canada.

Adopting conservation based rules minimized impacts on salmon stocks. These included not entering salmon less than ten pounds, and introducing the limited entry provision to manage fishing effort. The derby also moved its original date from the Father’s Day weekend to early September. This change was necessitated by the Chinook-non-retention regulation that otherwise would have wiped out participation, and killed the derby. The new event dates, whether by design or good fortune, also allowed more weak stock wild Chinook to migrate towards their home rivers before the derby takes place. In additional to entry ticket revenues 50/50 draws and raffles raise money that goes back into the local community.

Organizers are already fleshing out the details for the 2026 derby. The plan so far is to frame it as a ‘30 by 30’ event. (This should not be confused with the Federal government’s 30 by 30 policy to protect 30% of Canada’s marine waters by 3030). Their plan is to raise the first place money to $30,000 in recognition of the derby’s 30th year. Specifics are still being finalized.