Member Spotlight: Algonquin Fly Fishing Premium Guide Service
Offering unique, customized and client-centred fly fishing adventures, Algonquin Fly Fishing is Eastern Ontario’s premium guide service. Algonquin Fly Fishing Premium Guide Service is certified Silver with GreenStep Sustainable Tourism. Continue reading to learn more about their journey towards sustainability:
Tell us a bit about your business. What makes you different?
We offer unique, customized, fly fishing adventures in Ontario’s Algonquin region for discerning fly fishing enthusiasts and first timers alike. We offer a niche and novel product in a region built upon outdoor and nature tourism. Our personalized, one on one approach with clients means our quality of product and impact is high, while reducing our environmental footprint to minimal levels.
Why is sustainability important to you/your business?
Sustainability, fly fishing, and outdoor tourism cannot be separated. The health of our tourism offering is reliant on the health of our local ecosystem. Everything we do has some impact on our environment, so it is imperative we minimize our impact at all levels. If our rivers and fish populations suffer, our business suffers. We offer only live-release or catch and release fishing, as a means of experiencing fly fishing and interacting with this magnificent environment, with minimal impact on fish health. Fine details such as barbless hooks, no contact release, and state of the art equipment reduces our impact to the lowest possible level.
Why did you join GreenStep Sustainable Tourism?
Sustainable Tourism certification is a means to show our potential clients our dedication to offering high quality, low footprint guiding services. It sets us apart from the many other options available, and show our commitment to the ecosystem and fish populations. This matters to our expert, world traveler clients as much as to the first-timer city dweller.
What sustainability related projects, policies or initiatives do you most want travelers to know about?
Our trip logistics examine every aspect of what we do and has minimized our carbon footprint and maximized community economic development at every step. A favourite quote of ours is “Show me someone who can’t bother with the little things and I will show you someone who can’t be trusted with the big things”. These are the words we live by! We are leaders in our field for sustainable tourism and among our peers have bumped the needle towards a more sustainable future for our sector.
What are some goals and/or actions you plan to take in the future to further increase the sustainability of your business?
With such a minimal carbon footprint as is, our goals are related to client information and education. Our day of fishing has really become a day-long education session on the landscape, fish habitat, and sustainable living within this recreation economy. I suppose our next goals are pushing this agenda across our sector, and challenging our competitors to up their game too.
To learn more about Algonquin Fly Fishing Premium Guide Service – visit: algonquinflyfishing.com
