BUSINESS

Current Issue

COVER
Metis Artist An Old Soul

BIOGRAPHY
Gino Odjick Looks To Golf As A New Career

BOOKS
Native Teen Coming-of-Age Tale

Historical Pictorial Shows Effects of Commerce on Nation

BUSINESS
Business and First Nations Team up for Green Energy

Nisga'a Nation Manages Salmon With Tradition and Technology

Joint Ventures Key to Haisla Plan for the Future

Westbank Building Self-Government and Strong Relations

CRIME
Cree Family Accuses Judge of Racism

EDUCATION
UWO Native Studies Centre hosts Ward Churchill

HUMOUR
Bee in the Bonnet: Aren't You Special

POLITICS
Robert Nault Will Not Seek Re-Election

Nisga'a Nation Manages Salmon With Tradition and Technology
Story provided with permission by Indian Northen Affairs Canada

"I look for perfection," says Dobi Kovacevic, executive chef at Vancouver's renowned Kettle of Fish restaurant, "and when Nisga'a sockeye salmon is presented on a plate, it is beautiful."

For Kovacevic, the beauty of a salmon fillet is defined not simply by the rich red colour of the flesh but by the flawless quality that results from the way the salmon are caught. Nass River salmon are harvested by a traditional Nisga'a fish wheel, a gentle method that spares the fish the shock of hook or net and leaves the flesh free of bruises and tears.

Since the Nisga'a signed their treaty in 2000, they have quietly been carving a niche in the B.C. salmon market.

"Before treaty, there was no commercial fishing," says Harry Nyce, director of Nisga'a Fisheries. "Today, we fish 13 per cent of the total allowable catch on the Nass River."

The Nisga'a Lisims Government divides its treaty allocations of salmon three ways. One portion is reserved exclusively for domestic consumption and cannot be sold.

The other two portions are both commercial - an individual sale fishery which entitles any Nisga'a citizen who purchases a $25 permit to catch up to 500 sockeye and a communal allocation.

The fish from both the communal and individual sale are purchased by Canfisco which processes and markets the catch under a five-year agreement with the Nisga'a.

"We see this as an extension of our previously long-established relationship with the Nisga'a," says Dave Morris, project manager in Canfisco's production department. "The arrangement is working extremely well and we've seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of the fish since the first year the fishery was set up."

Nass River sockeye is gaining a reputation far and wide. Last summer, Canfisco and the Nisga'a introduced Nass salmon to the public in the Lower Mainland at a promotional salmon festival held at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.

Kosta Zogaris, who manages the Salmon Shop at Lonsdale Quay and helped co-sponsor the festival, was impressed by the product.

"In the years I've been in the fishing industry, I have never seen such immaculate fish," he says. "Customers say it's the best fish they've ever tasted and continue to ask for it even when the season is over."

More than 100 Nisga'a are seasonally employed by the Nisga'a fisheries program. The individual fishery generated more than $1 million this year, supporting business in the Nass Valley and in the region generally.

The Fish Wheel
Underlying the success of the Nisga'a fishery is the fish wheel. Much more than a method of harvesting, the wheel is proving an indispensable tool for providing scientific information on returns of salmon to the Nass River.

The Nisga'a fisheries program operates six fish wheels on the Nass River. Fish gathered by the wheels are counted. Many are released to continue to their spawning grounds. Others are tagged with tracking devices for scientific research. Some are harvested.

"The fish wheel allows us to manage escapement levels much more effectively," says Nyce. "The accuracy of the numbers has given us data that's absolutely phenomenal. Return and escapement data for some river systems were non-existent in 1990. Now, there are virtually no gaps."

The computer modelling tool developed by the Nisga'a accounts for the escapement requirements for the different sockeye stock mix in northern B.C. and Alaska. The results were so impressive that the model is now being used to assist Canada and the U.S . in implementing the Canada/U.S. Salmon Treaty.

The effort involves representatives of Nisga'a Fisheries, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the U.S. government cooperating to develop the model, agree on common data sets and define a future process where this new fisheries management tool would be used.

Another benefit of improved management is doubled run sizes for sockeye and chinook - from 400,000 to 800,000 since 1992. This is good news for all Canadians, including commercial and recreational fishers who also reap the benefits.