Fisheries Stewardship Project

TSI: Fisheries Department Projects

Fisheries Stewardship Project

The Fisheries Stewardship Project brings Tahltan knowledge, worldview, and science together to ensure that we are taking care of and protecting our fish and their habitat. As First Nations Peoples, we have always honoured, protected, and relied upon our lands and our resources. These resources are vital to the nutritional, social, economic, and cultural well-being of our Nation. As our Ancestors were before us, we are responsible for protecting our land, water, and resources for the purpose of passing on our traditional values and practices to our future generations.

– PROJECT OVERVIEW

To uphold our obligations as fisheries stewards, we must have both knowledge of the status and strength of our fish stocks, as well as the condition of their habitats and any past, existing, or foreseeable threats to the health of that environment. The objective of our field investigations within our Traditional Territory is designed to answer these key questions:

Fish population assessments to ensure fish stocks are sustainable with the harvest rates that they are subject to;

Habitat assessments to identify if their habitat has been impacted by development or natural barriers to assure vital protection; and,

If necessary, rehabilitation of their habitats.

– PROJECT BACKGROUND

We are all connected to our fish as they are integral to our food security, and our spiritual and cultural well-being. They are part of who we were and who we are as Tahltan people. We are fish people of the mighty Stikine River. We defended our territory and our resources, often at the cost of our own blood. We will continue to defend our fish and the habitat they rely on to ensure that our future generations will be able to practice the spiritual and cultural connection to our land and aquatic resources.

Below: Hackett River rainbow trout juvenile.