“If the ownership is stripped out of the community, so are the benefits.”
– Guy Johnston, fisherman from Cowichan Bay, BC
Who we are
We believe that the value of West Coast fisheries should flow to people on the deck, on the dock, and in adjacent communities rather than to big multinational corporations and speculative Wall Street-type investors. We are a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous fish harvesters, small businesses, fishmongers, chefs, restaurateurs, fishing families, and community organizations. We are united by our connection to fisheries and the abundant social, cultural, and economic benefits that come from harvesting and sharing food from the places we call home.
Why does fisheries policy matter?
West Coast fisheries are a critical source of local healthy food, a key contributor to our economy, a job provider, a connector to nature, and for the many communities along the coast in BC, a foundation of our identity.
Our deeply rooted connection to the sea, and the bountiful values we gain from it, are increasingly diminished due to poor government policy. Fisheries policy in BC is not meeting the needs of our fish harvesters, and it’s creating a desperate situation in rural coastal communities.
What is the issue?
Decades ago, fisheries policy changed on the West Coast of BC. The Canadian federal government privatized fishing access rights making fishing licences and quota available to the highest bidder on the open market. This policy change made it harder for BC fish harvesters, First Nations, and coastal communities to compete with big corporate and foreign interests in the fishery. Now, BC’s fisheries are managed through an unregulated market for licences and individual transferrable quotas (ITQs), and small boat fish enterprises are struggling to participant in fisheries. As a result, fishing and processing jobs, and the supporting infrastructure have continuously declined, along with local input to resource management, compromising coastal communities’ long-standing connections to the sea.
Time for action
Harvester livelihoods, local food systems, and sustainable coastal economies need to be prioritized. We are asking that you help us push for federal policy changes that phase out foreign, large corporate, and Wall Street-style investor ownership of fishing licences and quota. The Government of Canada and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada need to create policy that ensures the benefits of West Coast fisheries stay local and support the well-being of fish harvesters, First Nations, and coastal communities.
Standing with Fisheries for Communities
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