The Webpage of the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council

g.sterritt@nstq.org

Fisheries pictures Summer 2008

Weytk,

Fish are a very important part of Northern Shuswap culture for food, social and ceremonial purposes. Traditionally, salmon were used by the Northern Shuswap in trading and as an economic commodity. Today, dip net salmon harvesting from the Fraser River is widely practiced by the NSTC community members in the same way as their ancestors and elders fished.

The Northern Shuswap Tribal Council (NSTC) Fisheries Program manages the fisheries resource for the four NSTC communities (Williams Lake Indian Band, Canoe Creek Indian Band, Canim Lake Indian Band and the Soda Creek Indian Band) and is working towards the goal of increasing the communities' capacity for the management and preservation of traditional importance of this resource. We are part of the NSTC Natural Resources Department and fall under the supervision of the Director of Natural Resources.

Conservation of the fisheries resource is the top priority for the Fisheries Program and we are being increasingly pro-active in conservation management for salmon and resident fish populations. To help guide the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the NSTC Chiefs supported the implementation of six Management Principles laid out by the Fraser Watershed First Nations to ensure Sockeye Salmon conservation. First Nations will use these principles to measure DFO effectiveness in post season reviews, and to place the foundation for a fundamental shift in DFO management regimes from a mega-stock management system to a system designed to protect weak salmon stocks. The Management Principles are as follows:

1. Salmon stocks must be managed for ecosystems, not solely human consumption;
2. Harvests should never exceed one-half of a stock in mixed stock fisheries;
3. Harvesting more than one-half of a stock should only be allowed if this extra harvest occurs close to or in the natal stream and, only if it is proven safe to do so; 4. Harvest plans should be set to protect the weakest stock within a timing group;
5. Any conservation and harvest management plan discussed with First Nations is without prejudice to our Aboriginal Rights and responsibilities in relation to the fisheries resource; and
6. Any conservation and harvest management plan discussed with First Nations is without prejudice to Treaty negotiations and any future plans to exercise our rights to the fisheries resource.

The Fisheries Program employs 2 to 30 people throughout the year, 2 of which are year-round and the other 26 are seasonal employees depending on work availability and funding.

The Program works mainly with the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy (AFS) through DFO. Our main focus through AFS has been the Catch Monitor Project, which is run annually and consists of First Nations monitoring the Sockeye, Chinook, and Pink salmon catches by First Nations community members in the area. All projects that are funded through our Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy are related directly with the five salmon species as mentioned above, plus Steelhead (an anadromous, or ocean-running Rainbow Trout). AFS Habitat Restoration projects sometimes involve resident non-anadromous species (such as Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Eastern Brook Trout, Whitefish, Bull Trout and Burbot).

The Fisheries Program identifies fisheries training needed by the four communities' members and tries to secure funding through various funding agencies. To date we have secured funding for Fisheries Field Technician Certification, Backpack Electrofishing Certification, Swift Water Safety and Boat Safety Operations, Catch Monitor Training and training for one Summer Student per year.

Each year we identify projects within our traditional territory and apply for funding through various funding agencies. Projects vary from habitat restoration work, culvert assessments, irrigation ditch assessments, culvert replacements and species stock assessments based on issues identified in the communities' traditional territories.

Currently the Fisheries Program has a Fisheries Technician pool of 12 people certified through Malaspina College in Nanaimo. This year 5 technicians were hired as seasonal employees for DFO and our trained employee capacity was stretched to its maximum.

Our annual Save the Salmon Traditional Pow Wow is held at Horsefly B.C. in the last weekend of August or the first weekend in September. The Pow Wow is held in honour of the returning salmon and focuses attention on the increasing concerns around the salmon. It brings people together from all walks of life and is growing every year.

All the work we undertake in the Fisheries Program has the ultimate goal of continually protecting fish in NSTC's traditional areas and increasing our involvement in the management of those fish.