The commercial sector consists of gillnet and seine fleets. These fleets caught over 550,000 sockeye this year, translating into $11 million. Most of the benefit from this fishery is not local; however, there is a significant benefit to B.C. and Canada. Recreational fisheries, according to the 2002 report on the economic benefit of sports fisheries, add $39 million to the economy of the region. Fisheries tourism is a burgeoning industry, generating campsite visits, hotel and motel stops, and restaurant utilization.
Habitat restoration projects not only improve the local ecosystem but also provide employment in a depressed region. This is often forgotten, but it can produce several hundreds of thousands of dollars for local contractors, enabling them to provide longer-term employment for their staff.
West Coast Aquatic is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. For over two decades, we've worked to offer innovative solutions to coastal concerns, seeking to strengthen the understanding and relationships between parties that share a common interest in the health and wealth of aquatic resources. Our hallmark is well-run projects. Our round table processes are unique, innovative, and scalable from coast to coast.
Our society has increased its activity in the last four years and has gone from a modest $30,000 a year to over $500,000 a year. We've received over $1.7 million in direct funds, which we've leveraged to over $4.4 million. Of this, 80% has gone to habitat restoration, 15% to education, and 5% to enhancement. Our society is audited in order to maintain some of our funding, so we're very well known in our region.
Our requests today include, first, annual funding in the amount of $150,000 to support collaborative management in fishing areas 20 to 26 for the next five years. This approach has proven successful. It has reduced costs and conflict. In order to bring this service to other regions, we require support for facilitation time, meeting space, and supplies.
Second, we are asking for annual funding in the amount of $3 million over five years to support much-needed habitat restoration in the Somass Basin watershed. This small investment in one of the largest and most diverse fisheries on the west coast is critical to restore severely degraded habitat, ensure sustainability of runs, and bring economic benefit to the region.
The overall fisheries, including sockeye, chum, coho, and chinook, bring in excess of $50 million to the region each year. While we have undertaken projects to address some of the most pressing issues, it is necessary to have a sustainable source of funding that will allow for proper planning and assessment and ensure the highest-priority projects get the attention they require. We feel this is particularly important with climate change showing us that sockeye are at risk in our system.
We are also making a small request that we be included in consultation processes and perhaps receive some sort of financial help to attend.
In conclusion, our organization has come up with solid solutions to manage harvest, restore habitat, and provide protection of valuable ecosystems. The fisheries in the Barkley Sound are complex and require careful management to ensure that the children of tomorrow are able to enjoy the thrill of watching salmon leap Stamp Falls and continue to benefit from the economic bounty of the region.