People of Knight Inlet BC look forward to aquaculture future

The Pacific Coast Canada has distinct First Nation communities and nations and a growing say in the economic jurisdiction of their lands and waters. This is made evident by the big players in the fish farm industry like Marine Harvest Canada and Grieg Seafoods. These companies and subsidiaries have learned to include First Nation leaders in their plans.   A good example is Marine Harvest Canada's Ian Roberts, a communications manager who spends much of his time in close liaison with First Nations leaders. Roberts learned his ability to communicate from 14 years living and working in Klemtu, B.C., home of the Kitasoo/XaiXais First Nation. Efforts like Ian's are leading to jobs and harmony in economic development of aquaculture on Canada's west cost.   One of the people Ian works with is Fred Glendale who monitors resource development in Knight Inlet, home of the Da'naxda'xw Awaetlatla Nation. Glendale bears responsibility for resource management and it is a big responsibility because Knight Inlet is the longest inlet on the B.C. mainland coast. Glendale admits that a major challenge lies before the Da'naxda'xw Awaetlatla Nation to live entirely within an area so vast and filled with remote corners.   There is a scattering of fishing lodges in Knight Inlet and a few net-pens sites of the Marine Harvest Canada salmon farms. The inlet is accessible by boat and air. "We have a village up the inlet called New Vancouver," said Glendale. "We have our band administration there. It's a beautiful thing, our land. There is a lot of opportunity for economic development and I have a vision to move in there."   Glendale is thinking longterm, "I have no time for people who don't want to cut a tree or grow a fish or shellfish. In all the economic development opportunities that I have been evaluating I value the relationship with Ian Roberts at Marine Harvest Canada above all." He said,"There is a lot of controversy between Salmon farms and various interests. As the stewards of the territory if we're not communicating we're not looking at the situation properly," or responsibly said Glendale.   Glendale's people are in the treaty process as part of the Winalagalis Treaty Group including themselves and three other First Nations: Quatsino, Da'naxda'xw Awaetlatla Gwa'Sala-'Nakwaxda'xw, and Tlatlasikwala Nations. "Our plans are not for today and some are not for the near future. Things are just beginning to develop. We have got village sites that are development oriented but it takes a special breed of person to live in the distant locations of our territory. I love being out there myself but because of responsibilities I am most times in the urban centres."   Knight Inlet contains all the traditional foods including the highly prized oolichan and all the salmon species. The nation is vast and with their affiliated Bands they had jurisdiction that spanned all the way to Cape Scott on Vancouver Island, from shore to height of land on the island. (On the other side of the height lies the northern reaches of the Nuu Chah Nulth nation.) In the Knight Inlet head they had inland routes to take them to Interior nation people.   Glendale said the Da'naxda'xw Awaetlatla people have a treaty office in Alert Bay, B.C., where a large number of members live in Cormorant Island Indian Reserve properties. Glendale's people were largely employed in the commercial fishing industry that thrived in the area, but the fishing has all but disappeared. There work situation of today is dire. Glendale noted, "They tried growing oysters in the 60's in Knight Inlet but it didn't work out. Science might have been able to overcome the issues and probably could today. We are looking at growing sea urchins and blue mussels. Species native to the area might be better. We know we should be cultivating and farming the sea of our waters." The work in shellfish is largely seasonal. Anticipating the challenges, Glendale is pleased with prospects for one of the longest inlets on the Pacific Coast.   The prospects have to involve the Da'naxda'xw Awaetlatla Nation and savvy economic developers know it. Governments are a little slower, he said, "Of course they don't talk to us, they're government. We haven't had a whole lot of discussion with DFO or any other government department. We don't need to talk to them." Everybody knows who it belongs to. As for the prospects in future developments, "We need as many people as we can get. We're not looking only in our tribe  We're going outside the tribe. We're not looking for Native people exclusively. We have got to live together. We can develop something."   Glendale once made a living in the commercial fishing industry. "I never owned a boat but I've done a lot of different types of fishing, trolling gillnetting, cod fishing, halibut. They've been cutting back the halibut quota for the past couple years. Da'naxda'xw Awaetlatla hold a license in that industry."   The tribe takes some food fish out of the waters, but in terms of economy, "We will go the industrial fisheries route." As the resource manager he urges the membership to go into the industry as working partners. It would supply jobs and give them a close hand in the environmental management of developments in the lands of waters of Knight Inlet.   Fred has been to the Stavanger, Norway aquaculture expo on two occasions. "I am looking at various aspects of the industrial seafood operations in Norway. Even without fish farms we could be deep in aquaculture. In fact shellfish and particularly clams are the main interest for us. In the world today science goes into it and they are regulating development for certain areas, but there are some things we could grow, and I feel we should get into it. I made a couple trips to see the industry over there and they grow Atlantic Salmon. That is what Marine Harvest Canada does here."