In 2017, the Haida Fisheries Program and the West Coast Region of the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development (MFLNRORD), with support from the BC Conservation Foundation (BCCF) and funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, initiated a River Guardian program on the Yakoun River. The Guardian program aims to assess and enhance regulatory compliance as well as describe the nature of the steelhead fishery on the Yakoun River (e.g. spatial/temporal distribution, access points, angler type, effort, etc.). This information supports an improved understanding of how the fishery is implemented and promotes the direct involvement of Haida Nation in the collection of fisheries information in this classified water. The program also serves to exchange information directly with anglers on current management and conservation issues and to collect feedback.