Fred Campbell is no stranger to wild places. As the founder of the Quebec-based clothing brand Hooké, he’s spent the last decade documenting fly fishing culture and promoting a deep connection to nature. But recently, his journey has taken a more urgent turn — one that has reshaped his mission, his message, and now, his latest documentary film.
Scale of Change is on tour with three Canadian stops remaining this year including Toronto on May 29 at Left Field Brewery, Ottawa at Patagonia on June 6, and Halifax on June 12, also at Patagonia.
We caught up with Campbell to talk about the origins of the documentary, the emotional weight behind it, and why he believes this story needs to reach far beyond riverbanks.
Take me back to the start of the Scale of Change project — what inspired it, and what were you thinking when it started?
Fred Campbell: It all started when I created my outdoor clothing brand, Hooké, in 2012. I created the company out of love for the great outdoors, but especially the Atlantic salmon and the pristine waters they swim in in the Gaspé. I wanted to show that to people. We ended up doing some films and getting a TV show, and the brand came to life because I wanted to find a way to monetize all my projects.
So I said, if I make some clothes in a unique way, and people want to dress like us, then I’ll be able to pass a message and use the funds from that to share the story. For the past nine or 10 years, I’ve been travelling around the world sharing this story about Atlantic salmon fishing, fly fishing, and protecting nature.
But along the way, I realized I was promoting something without managing the resource. Slowly, I started to see it decline, for a variety of reasons. That’s when I said I want to jump in and make sure my company and myself are doing everything we can to share the importance of these pristine waters and this magical fish.
Q: How did you choose the locations and people featured in the film?
The first part, of course, was going to places where there were major issues. We started in Maine — there used to be amazing Atlantic salmon runs there, and now there’s almost none.
Then we went to New Brunswick, where the Miramichi River used to be one of the best in the world. A million salmon going up, and now, because of a weird success story — the reintroduction of striped bass — those bass ate all the baby salmon. The salmon population is down to 5,000. It’s a crisis.
We also went across Quebec. It’s still one of the best places to fish for Atlantic salmon, but for the past two years, the runs are down — and we don’t know exactly why. If they don’t return again this year, I wouldn’t say it’s the beginning of the end, but it’s very alarming.
We went to Greenland to show the tagging system and efforts there to stop commercial fishing. This is all just part one. There will be a part two — we didn’t even get to Newfoundland yet, where aquaculture is thriving in a way that’s really damaging. It’s based on people we knew, places we’ve filmed before, and guides, artists, and biologists who care about these rivers.
Q: What was the most challenging part of putting Scale of Change together?
It wasn’t really one specific thing, but more about deciding what not to talk about. We didn’t go super deep on any one subject — we showcased a wide range of issues across different regions. There’s so much to say, and we only had limited time. That’s why we want to do another film.
The hardest part, though, was realizing the salmon are slowly disappearing. Through all the interviews and travel, it became real. Somebody once told me, “What if the fish aren’t there anymore?” And I didn’t think it could decline so fast. But we’re in it now.
Q: What’s your hope for people who watch the film?
That they understand what’s happening, and that it makes them want to get involved. We’re trying to connect people emotionally to this. Everyone has something they love out there in the wild, and when it starts to disappear, you realize we need to learn how to work better as a team — humans, wildlife, ecosystems.
I want the film to make people reflect on what they can do in their own lives. Maybe they’ll share it. Maybe they’ll get involved.
Q: Do you find outdoor communities — anglers, snowboarders, for example — more open to this kind of message?
Yeah, exactly. You need to see it to want to protect it. That’s what I’m trying to do — show it to people who might not have the chance to see it themselves.
It’s funny, but hunters and fishermen are often the guardians of the wild, even though they take from it. They don’t want to see it disappear. Most of them are really keen on understanding what’s going on. So the goal isn’t for anglers to hang up their rods — it’s to make sure there’s still fish out there for the next generation.
Are you seeing that kind of generational shift?
Absolutely. I’ve been all over — Vermont, Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Gaspé, Toronto next week — and people are showing up. Twenty-year-olds are watching a conservation documentary and understanding they need to act. That wouldn’t have happened ten years ago.
Through catch and release, we saw the number of anglers actually grow. That’s a good example: if you show people how to give back to the planet instead of just taking, they’ll respond.
What’s next for you and Hooké?
I’m sitting on different boards of conservation organizations. My mission’s becoming bigger — it’s not just about salmon anymore, but about all wildlife habitats in Canada. The salmon is my barometer. If it’s declining, then everything else is too.
We’re also launching more films and a clothing collection, where profits go to conservation. And I’ve got another series coming — about the spiritual connection Indigenous people had with the land and how that’s been lost. It’s a bigger issue, but I think it’s all connected. Back then, there was respect. Now, that’s mostly gone.
The Scale of Change documentary, supported by YETI and created by Hooké, is currently screening across Canada.
To learn more or to support the project, visit Hooké’s official site.
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