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Reconciliation in action: Issue 2022-1

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Investing in Indigenous commercial fisheries enterprises

Representative of First Nations with Minister Murray in front of the St. Jean's Cannery visitor centre.

From left to right: Ian Simpson, SalPac Fisheries; Paul Wyse-Seward, Snuneymuxw; Joyce Murray, DFO; Jordan Point, PICFI; Jennifer Woodland, Nuu-chah-nulth Seafood; Gary Wilson, Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’

Funding for 52 Indigenous commercial fisheries projects in the amount of $11.8 million was announced on February 23, 2022 through the Pacific Integrated Commercial Fisheries Initiative (PICFI). The announcement took place at one of Canada’s last remaining salmon and tuna canneries – St. Jean’s Smokehouse and Cannery in Nanaimo, BC in Snuneymuxw First Nation territory. The 60-year-old local business was acquired by Nuu-chah-nulth Seafood Limited Partnership in 2015 with the support of PICFI funds.

A collaborative initiative with First Nations and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), PICFI supports 31 member Commercial Fisheries Enterprises with support from the PICFI Business Development Management Committee (BDMC). The initiative puts Nations at the centre of a process in which they co-deliver, co-design and co-develop the program with DFO. Since 2007, the initiative has invested more than $150 million in Indigenous fisheries, supported employment for 880 First Nations members annually, and distributed more than $183 million in fisheries access to 20 Indigenous coastal fisheries commercial enterprises.

As one of the first participants in PICFI, Nuu-chah-nulth Seafood is part of a wave of business revitalization for coastal First Nations communities. With PICFI support, the company has created a diversified fisheries portfolio and issued more than 350 marine certificates to community members. It acquired the St. Jeans Smokehouse and Cannery, created its own Gratitude Seafood brand, and used PICFI funds to purchase a new piece of processing equipment that will allow the company to open up a whole new line of retail business. PICFI investments have also benefitted SalPac Fisheries, a company owned and operated by the Snuneymuxw First Nation and Pacheedaht First Nation – supporting the business in acquiring new equipment, vessels and gear, obtaining groundfish access and covering operational expenses.

Supporting genetic science with Nuu-chah-nulth communities

An environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling workshop with 8 Nuu-chah-nulth communities supported Nuu-chah-nulth fisheries managers and technicians with training to answer their own research questions about the health of fish species in their local waters.

The 4-day workshop – designed and lead collaboratively by Cedar Coast Field Station Society, Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society, Ha’oom Fisheries Society, Uu-a-thluk, and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Molecular Genetics lab – was held November 2021 in Tofino, BC. Initiated by Dr Kristi Miller-Saunders, head of Molecular Genetics at DFO, the workshop brought together a group of 41 youth, biologists, Indigenous fisheries technicians, local organizations and DFO representatives to learn and share. 17 coastal youth, aged 18 to 30, registered for the eDNA workshop, including 8 Indigenous participants.

Environmental DNA sampling provides an inexpensive and quick method for Nuu-chah-nulth Nation fisheries technicians and managers to identify fish, plants, mammals and microbial communities in an area. It helps them to understand the presence of invasive species, detect infectious agents and identify hard-to-track predators, such as marine and terrestrial mammals, sharks and birds. This is done through the analysis of free DNA (skin, waste, scales) that fish and other species leave behind as they pass through water and travel on land. Through a combination of in-class learning and field work led by DFO scientists, participants received hands-on experience with new fisheries monitoring techniques and were encouraged to explore their own research questions during sampling exercises in Tofino Inlet.

Nuu-chah-nulth-aht interested in gaining eDNA sampling skills will be able to do so through Uu-a-thluk, the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s fisheries department. Uu-a-thluk has secured funding from DFO’s AAROM Innovation and Collaboration Fund to support the purchase of eDNA sample systems and the development of training videos for Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. This will allow nations to work with Uu-a-thluk to develop eDNA monitoring programs at reduced costs and increase their ability to use eDNA sampling to support the nations’ fishery resource monitoring interests.

This article is based on an story published by Uu-a-thluk, with their permission.

A remarkable journey to a historic agreement

In an announcement August 6, 2021, Minister Jordan and leadership of Coastal First Nations (CFN) announced the signing of the amended Fisheries Resources Reconciliation Agreement (FRRA). The FRRA is the largest reconciliation agreement of its kind in the Pacific, putting in place funding, collaborative fisheries management and a commercial community-based fisheries that will provide jobs in the communities of the eight-member CFN alliance — including the Haida, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Metlakatla, Nuxalk, Wuikinuxv, Gitga’at and Gitxaala Nations.

In her remarks, Minister Jordan acknowledged the many years of hard work that went into the agreement, first signed in July 2019. Chief Marilyn Slett, CFN President, noted that the Nations and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have been “on a remarkable journey to reach this historic agreement”, pointing out that when discussions began in 2016, they represented the first reconciliation table in Canada.

“This agreement is a powerful example of what true reconciliation looks like,” Chief Slett affirmed. “Reconciliation in action in this context means restoring the rights of our community members to fish for a living.” She outlined the FRRA benefits for CFN communities, including: funding to support business planning, training and mentoring; and plans for the nations to work together to create a commercial fishing company and develop a community-based commercial fisheries model. This model will allow established and new fishers to harvest multiple species close to home using mid-size and small vessels.

Through the FRRA, the community-based fisheries developed by the CFN Nations will follow the rules of regular commercial fisheries while remaining flexible to support wider community participation and encourage entry of community members into the commercial sector. The governance model set out in the agreement between the Department and the Nations includes a collaborative engagement process with a wide range of stakeholders in British Columbia and consultation with other First Nations.

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