COMMERCIAL & COMMUNITY BASED FISHERIES
A Way of Life
Across the North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii, First Nations depend on marine life for sustenance and culture, for economic prosperity and community well-being, and a way of life that has endured for millennia.
That connection goes far beyond the Constitutional right to fish for food, social and ceremonial purposes (FSC fishery) and extends to making a living, through either a commercial or community-based fishery, to support their families and neighbours.
Coastal Nations Fisheries (CNF), an economic enterprise, supports community members as they enter into, or remain active, in coastal fisheries. The goal is to promote a viable livelihood for the community members of the Gitga’at, Gitxaala, Haida, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo Xai’xais, Metlakatla, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv First Nations.
INVESTING IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Fisheries for Future Generations
By ensuring a return on capital invested through the Fisheries Resources Reconciliation Agreement (FRRA), CNF increases local access to fisheries licenses, quotas and vessels. We also leverage profit generated through Coastal Nations Commercial Fisheries (CNC) to further support community-based fisheries, which allow both established and new commercial fishers to fish closer to home in mid-sized and small vessels—from skiffs to 35’ vessels.
This will enable increased access for fishers to purchase vessels, licenses and quota in a variety of ways, which will help create jobs and generate income for the shareholder Nations and their members. This, in turn, could encourage the development of new partnerships amongst fishers and the other Nations and, potentially, with processors and distributors to get the fish caught in these communities to market.
