Shrinking giant: rockfish research tells a story

ByCCIRA
Rockfish montage

There are 36 species of rockfish off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.

Preying on smaller fish, growing, every year: some species of rockfish can live to be 100...: even 200 years old.

The First Nations of the Central Coast have harvested rockfish for many thousands of year.

Through the centuries, Indigenous peoples have engaged in a continuum of sustainable environmental stewardship... something that is now called "Ecosystems-based management" or E.B.M.

The average age of yelloweye rockfish has been falling - by ten months each year, at least since 2003: this means the average fish is getting younger and smaller: decline in yelloweye rockfish size was first noticed by Indigenous Central Coast Fishers in the 1980s: 35 years ago.

This is especially troublesome, because it is the older and larger fish that are more fertile: the older and larger the fish, the higher number of young they have every year!

The decline corresponds with the rapid rise of commercial fishing operations that were taking in huge, indiscriminate catches. From the 1970s to 1990s, rockfish experienced rapid declines in population.

Halibut and sablefish fisheries often caught older, larger rockfish as bycatch... only to be discarded.

It is time that the world heard us. The Heiltsuk, The Wuikinuxv, The Nuxalk, The Kitasoo / Xai'Xais. Together, we are the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance (or CCIRA, for short).

We use traditional knowledge and science to push for sustainable environmental policies that protect our Indigenous Rights. To support CCIRA, click here to like us on Facebook. (And you can invite others to join you by sharing this comic!)

Want to know more about our rockfish research and its ties to our Indigenous rights? Check out our Reports page to see our published scientific papers.

Comic by Nicole Burton.

Similar Posts

Conservation win: herring roe fishery suspended

Conservation win: herring roe fishery suspended

ByCCIRA

After years of difficulties with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), our Nations won a major victory this spring when DFO agreed to suspend the 2018 commercial herring roe fishery across the Central Coast. Central Coast herring populations have seen major declines from industrial fishing practices. The Heiltsuk and Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nations have each taken their own…

Building resilience: Marine Protected Areas network

Building resilience: Marine Protected Areas network

ByCCIRA

Mike Reid remembers when fishing in Heiltsuk territory was easier and far more productive. At age 12, he started commercial fishing with his grandfather and recalls catching their share of halibut, crabs, clams and other local marine staples without much trouble—all fairly close to home. “Now you have to go further, spend more time and burn more fuel,” says Reid…

Local filmmaker highlights need for better oil spill response

Local filmmaker highlights need for better oil spill response

ByCCIRA

2017 was a big year for Heiltsuk’s Zoe Hopkins. Her debut film Kayaking to Klemtu won the Air Canada Audience Choice Award at the 2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. In the film, the primary character, Ella, is on a quest to prevent oil spills in her people’s territory within the Great Bear Rainforest. But…

Measuring progress with MaPP indicator monitoring

Measuring progress with MaPP indicator monitoring

ByCCIRA

Marine environments are vulnerable to human exploitation, and Central Coast ecosystems are no different. Our territories have suffered from the effects of overfishing and other industries, like forestry, for decades. To preserve our Nations’ way of life, long-term conservation planning and monitoring of environmental changes are critical. Just ask Ernie Tallio, who’s seen the cumulative…