Issue # 8, April 2017
We published the eighth issue of The Common Voice in April of 2017…
Rockfish research linked to indigenous rights
Fifty years ago Charlie Mason could hop in a boat, travel a short distance from his home in Klemtu, catch enough rockfish for a meal or two, and then head back to town. “Today it is not that easy,” he says.
Rockfish research: key results and potential management actions
Over the past 50 years the central coast has seen a significant increase in recreational and commercial rockfish fishing. Our Nations are concerned about the impact these fisheries are having on this important food resource. In response CCIRA launched a rockfish research project in 2013. Here, we present a summary of results from a recent rockfish study in our territories.
Bears, salmon and our people.
Bears, salmon, indigenous rights, and local management of resources all converge in this beautiful and moving video.
Nuxalk ancestral governance project
150 years ago western governments imposed a system of governance on our people that does not recognize our values, traditions or laws. Since then, our Nations have effectively been cut out of decisions that affect our people. The Indigenous Law Project has been one way that our Nations have been working to shift the conversation towards one that integrates our culture and makes us decision-makers in our territories.
Nathan E. Stewart not going away
Five months ago the Nathan E. Stewart made headlines when it ran aground in Heiltsuk territory spilling 110, 000 litres of diesel into coastal waters. The news reports may have faded but the impact of the spill has not…
Bringing ooligan home to Bella Coola
After years without any ooligan to render into grease, the Nuxalk Nation are celebrating. For the first time in many years there is a stink box full of ooligan beside the Bella Coola river.
CCIRA’s herring research
This video highlights the herring research being done by CCIRA in collaboration with Simon Fraser University. This work is providing new information to help protect a resource that is a critical part of First Nations’ culture and and coastal ecosystems.
Trust: A fundamental step towards collaborative fisheries management
Last year our Nations had some major challenges with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) with respect to the management of crab and herring. This is nothing new. In our attempts to protect the resources in our territories, our Nations have often gone head-to-head with DFO. We’ve had to.
Progress with DFO on collaborative crab management
After a recent meeting with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), our Nations have some new hope for central coast crab. Working together, we agreed on necessary steps that will take us closer to a collaborative decision-making framework for managing this resource.
