Salmon Steward

salmon Steward magazine 29 Salmon? WHO CARES ABOUT Murray Ned EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LOWER FRASER FISHERIES ALLIANCE Q Tell us about your personal background with salmon. I have fished salmon in the Sumas First Nation territories since I was a teenager, including the Fraser – or Sto:lo River (River of all Rivers), as our people have historically called it. The Sto:lo was also understood to be the People of the River, and Sumas was one of the tribes who had villages situated along the Fraser River and on the former Sumas Lake. The Sto:lo and salmon have been our identity and a major component of our traditions, culture and livelihood. My work with fisheries began when I was elected councillor at Sumas First Nation and eventually retained the Fisheries portfolio. I have served Sumas First Nation for 24 years and represented Sumas fishery matters at provincial, regional and local engagements. My formal work life in fisheries began in 2010 with Sto:lo Tribal Council and the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance (LFFA). In 2013, I was appointed commissioner to the Pacific Salmon Commission, which was a welcome opportunity but it was a rather steep learning curve to understand how our salmon are managed internationally. Q Tell us about the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance. The 2009 collapse of Sockeye was the "crisis" that triggered Nations in the Lower Fraser to re-establish their commitment to working together for the salmon. In 2010, the initial objective was to build a strong working relationship amongst the Nations and then with the DFO to address salmon in crisis. Eighteen First Nations committed to the Statement of Solidarity in 2010, and in 2014, 22 First Nations executed the LFFA Governance Protocol and Society. Since 2014, LFFA has executed approximately 10 MOUs with First Nation organizations along the Fraser Watershed and Marine Approach regions. Fraser salmon cannot be managed in isolation; there is a need to collaborate with all First Nations, governments, NGOs and stakeholders to ensure the safe passage of salmon during their migration. Sq'eptset Syoyes Sth'o'th'eqwi is Halqemeylem language that our elders translate to "Fishers Working Together" – which is why the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance exists today. Q Both the federal and provincial governments have committed to a renewed Nation-to-Nation relationship with Indigenous peoples based on the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. How do you see that playing out for salmon? From my perspective, chiefs and councils in the Lower Fraser and other areas do not experience government- to-government engagement today and generally DFO delegates authority to DFO resource managers and other sta„ when decisions related to salmon and resource management are required. For 150 years or more, governments have displaced First Nations from their inherent right to manage salmon, resources and habitat. Full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and commitment by the respective governments to true government-to-government, Nation-to- Nation relationships could set the table to renew and restore First Nations' historic obligation to manage salmon and resources within their territories, which we do with a holistic approach to governance and resource management. Q What opportunities do you see for PSF to increase its engagement with First Nations? PSF has amazing capacity and impressive history. Through DFO and other agencies, B.C. First Nations have developed capacity to contribute to science, resource management and habitat restoration initiatives. Over a period of time, DFO has lost capacity and personnel through change in government mandates, programming and resourcing. First Nations want to fill that void as resources permit. B.C. First Nations aspire to renew their inherent obligation to manage resources within their territories. While Nations build their capacity to do this important work, they will need to secure and maintain partnerships with PSF, governments and others to successfully protect salmon for future generations. Murray was elected to the PSF Board in 2019 to help increase engagement with First Nations A UNITED FRONT Murray (third from right) and the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance Executive Committee after meeting with former federal fisheries minister Dominic LeBlanc, to discuss Nation-to-Nation relationships, the Chinook Judicial Review and the Sockeye food security crisis in First Nation communities.

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