Aquaculture: First Nations Seek Stronger Government-to-Government Relations

Salmon-farming First Nations are calling on B.C. Premier David Eby to strengthen government-to-government relations to shape the future of aquaculture in the province

By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews

Salmon-farming First Nations are urging B.C. Premier David Eby to strengthen government-to-government relations, ensuring their leadership shapes the future of aquaculture within their traditional territories.

This call highlights the key themes of reconciliation, self-determination, and governance that dominated discussions at the B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering in Vancouver, which concluded yesterday.

Dallas Smith, spokesman for the   Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship (FNFFS) emphasized that government-to-government talks are crucial to moving beyond rhetoric and into actionable commitments that respect Indigenous leadership in fostering sustainable economic opportunities, such as salmon farming.

“The response from Premier Eby’s office has been encouraging, but we also have to get the Federal Government to the table as well,” said Smith, a member of the Tlowitsis First Nation in Campbell River.

“We’re going to keep working on it until both the provincial and federal governments are at the table with us for a process that involves all three parties.”

Smith noted that other coalition members, representing their respective nations, met with several of the new ministers in B.C.’s cabinet during the Vancouver Gathering to discuss the Federal Government’s push to transition the salmon farming sector in the province.

“With the (last provincial) election bringing in new faces, some ministers have yet to fully grasp the complexities of the issues at hand,” Smith said.

“But the general consensus from them is that they have yet to see a responsible or realistic transition plan from the Federal Government. Considering the impact on our communities, any further decision-making regarding the future of the sector must include us, as Rightsholder Nations, at the table.”

Currently, 100 percent of B.C.’s farmed salmon is produced in partnership with First Nations. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) manages aquaculture licensing, while the provincial government oversees tenures for coastal and seabed use, requiring salmon farmers to secure both.

In recent years, the Trudeau administration in Ottawa has disregarded the findings of its own fisheries scientists, who concluded that ocean-based salmon farms pose less than a minimal risk to wild stocks. Despite this, the Federal Government has moved forward with shutting down approximately 40% of B.C.’s salmon farming production.

Now, the Federal Government is advancing a Transition Plan that, according to industry experts, could cause widespread economic devastation in B.C., leaving taxpayers responsible for an estimated $9 billion in compensation to salmon farmers, suppliers, and First Nations.

The activist-driven Transition Plan includes a proposed ban on ocean-based salmon farming by 2029.

Both the BCSFA and the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship have urged the government to adopt their alternative transition plan, which achieves the same goals without devastating impacts on the sector, First Nations’ rights, and coastal communities – all without cost to taxpayers.

According to a statement from the B.C. Government, the Vancouver Gathering provided a platform to collaborate on recognizing, respecting, and advancing government-to-government relationships.

“Our government knows the path to health, wellness, and prosperity for all is through partnership with First Nations,” said Premier Eby, emphasizing that his administration will advance meaningful reconciliation in the province, uphold self-determination, and create opportunities for everyone in B.C.

“We hope to see action that represent his words soon,” added Smith.

(Main image shows Premier David Eby and some of his ministers at the B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering in Vancouver)