It is horrible that the trade of commercial fishing appears to be coming to an end for the general British Columbian population. I feel horrible for anyone affected by this. Many commercial fishers have huge investments in their boats and other equipment, which when coupled with minimal quotas, will cripple many well intentioned tax payers.
The simple fact is however that our fish stocks are in a rapid decline from which it’s very unlikely they are going to recover. We don’t need to make a list of all of the factors that threaten salmon populations as they have all been discussed endlessly, and very little seems to change. We cannot deny that non-indigenous commercial fisheries over the past 100+ years though have a huge role to play in this decline.
This is not the forum to discuss the historical wrongs done to indigenous Canadians either, but we know that they are many. From the Indian Act (which is still Canadian law, albeit somewhat less racist than the original document), to residential schools, to disenfranchisement, to the Sixties Scoop, etc., the history of our nation right up to modern day has been one of systematic racism towards indigenous groups. There are many living indigenous people in Canada who suffered these traumas directly, and many more who are still suffering due to their inter-generational effects. This leads to low education rates, high unemployment, high levels of criminality, addiction, etc. when compared to the general Canadian population.
Part of reconciliation is trying to right some of these wrongs to allow indigenous Canadians to break free from these negative cycles. Commercial fishing may be an opportunity for this. Given the traditional connections to fisheries shared by most BC nations, and the lack of formal education needed to fish commercially, this move may allow many indigenous British Columbians to improve their lives and the lives of future generations. This is reconciliation.
It is horrible that general commercial and recreational fishers (including myself) get bumped down the line and will suffer the consequences, but to not do this would be to continue the legacy of colonial racism.
Although there are bad apples in every group that affect the whole group’s reputation, traditional BC First Nations fishing practices are very conservation-minded. Connectedness with nature, reverence for salmon and multi-generational thinking are common in First Nations spirituality. I hope that with being given a larger piece of this resource salmon will have a better chance of surviving into the future.
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Topic: Commercial FN Fishery Granted (Read 16465 times)