But since 1997, DFO has ordered our people to not harvest shellfish from the bay, citing sanitary pollution concerns.
Tragically, the shellfish beds have remained closed — with scant government effort to fix the septic pollution and re-open this precious resource. Instead, for a quarter century, Pauquachin community members have been told to halt our traditional harvests — in violation of our treaty rights. In addition, in recent decades Ottawa has slashed budgets for identifying and remediating polluted beaches. Instead, Ottawa has chosen to simply close beaches — with no mandate or real plan for restoration.
Washington State’s “Shellfish Initiative” has enabled Washington Tribes to collaborate with local, state and federal agencies to rehabilitate vast areas of shellfish beds. With government support, the U.S. tribes take the lead in identifying and fixing sources of pollution such as septic leaks, agricultural run-off, boat sewage, and toxic algae blooms.
Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, we urge Canada, British Columbia and local governments to stop ignoring our treaty rights to fish as formerly – and establish a Healthy Shellfish Initiative along the entire B.C. coast, with Coles Bay as the first trial site. The success of a Coles Bay pilot project will serve as a model for what can be accomplished along the entire coastline, where Canadian management currently leaves First Nations behind.