There is only one way to gain membership in the hundred-year-old Tyee Club of British Columbia. According to a very specific set of rules, one must catch a Chinook salmon that weighs at least 30 pounds. Current members take a lot of pride in the fact that you can’t buy your way in; in recent years, however, it's become clear that, despite their stalwart efforts, fewer people are catching the elusive Tyee. As a result, the aging membership must reckon with the fact that their club may not last another decade, let alone another century. Overfishing, property development and climate change are some of the challenges facing the salmon population. In tracing the history of this Campbell River institution, what at first glance appears to be a local story about a quirky club gives way to a much deeper understanding of the perils of clinging to tradition when faced with the inevitable facts of a rapidly changing world. Alexander Rogalski
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