Policy for the management of aboriginal fishing (1993)

We build processes, capacity, and relationships to help First Nations in BC influence the integrated planning and management of Pacific fisheries and aquatic resources at the province-wide level.

Secwepemc Nation community fishery – by Michelle Walsh, Secwepemc Fisheries Commission

Overview

FNFC is supporting a co-designed process with First Nations and DFO to review and update the federal Policy for the Management of Aboriginal Fishing (1993 Policy). Following the Sparrow decision [1990] and the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy (AFS) [1992], the policy was originally designed as an interim operational policy to support the management of Aboriginal fisheries across Canada.

There have been significant advancements in the recognition of First Nations authority and rights since 1993, and the policy must be updated to:

align a patchwork of operational guidelines
improve collaboration between First Nations and DFO
reconcile operational guidelines with the new direction for Indigenous fisheries management
support UNDRIP implementation

FNFC will work with First Nations organizations in BC and Canada to support coherent and cohesive recommendations on changes to the policy.

Images

Events

Resources and publications

First Nations Fisheries and FSC Allocation Regional Workshops Summary Report [2019]

In 2019, the FNFC agreed to work collaboratively with DFO on “Working Together Towards a New Approach to Indigenous Fisheries” and to engage First Nations in dialogue related to their fisheries.

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