I have several years of experience in fisheries and forestry resource management. I also work with the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa on ACCAE and the First Nations Advisory Committee on Species at Risk.
I prefer the term “aboriginal” versus “indigenous” because etymologically, the source of the term “aboriginal” means “from within”, which is more consistent with an aboriginal world view. The term “aboriginal” is also consistently used in Canada's legislation, including in section 35 of the Constitution, where ancestral knowledge systems are protected as aboriginal rights.
Northern and southern resident killer whales are an intrinsic component in aboriginal cultures and continue to be revered as iconic and majestic. They are part of our clans. Gispwudwada and Tsimshian are clans. We have a clan that is entirely killer whale. Our naming system has killer whales within it. It tells us the story of our relationship to killer whales and provides an identity.
They're an indicator of health for the Pacific Ocean ecosystems and provide us with an indication of our future human health.
Resident killer whales and humans rely on the same food sources—chinook and other salmon—and we are witnessing killer whales starve to death. Chinook salmon has special significance to first nations in British Columbia as a food source and as part of the legacy of first nations cultures, including their connection to killer whales.
Ancient aboriginal fishing technology, such as the use of stone tidal salmon traps, captured high volumes of fish. I'm presently working on a project to test these stone traps to see if we can use them to rebuild salmon populations. Our technology has been evidenced by archeology as existing more than 5,000 years ago. Our longevity working with these species is a record that speaks for itself.
We also made sure there was consistency in the size and abundance of resources, which was much different in the past from what it is now. We relied on large salmon, and we actually made sure that those large salmon made it up to the spawning grounds.
Some of the large salmon that killer whales depend on are the Babine stocks of the Skeena River system, the Elwha chinook of the Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Columbia River June hogs. Those are very large salmon. The Elwha stocks are in recovery after the removal of two dams. That's a very large fish that likely was a dominant source of food for southern resident killer whales. The Columbia River June hogs were extirpated because they couldn't get past the hydro power dams on the Columbia River.
In the past, our strategies incorporated allowing the largest fish and female fish to pass through to escapement, facilitating consistent quality of reproductive success for larger fish.
Today, many U.S. tribes are working to restore salmon. First nations in Canada would also like to work to restore salmon populations for a variety of reasons, including providing salmon for the resident killer whales.
I was able to participate in a technical team of scientists and review of status for southern B.C. chinook stocks. We observed that a couple of stocks indicated an unexpected status in forested areas recently disturbed by the mountain pine beetle. In our discussion, we realized that DFO did not have adequate resources to pursue a research investigation on the effects of forestry operations on watersheds.
We are keenly aware that forests are being clear-cut at exorbitant rates in many areas of the province. At present, there is an operation in Tsitika watershed on Vancouver Island that may be causing harm to Robson Bight with increased sedimentation and other impacts. Robson Bight is a belly rub peat for resident killer whales.
We know that there is also tremendous risk of oil spills. Here's an example. There are two ecotypes—those are genetically and behaviourally different groups of killer whales—known in Cook Inlet, Alaska. There is a resident pod, AB, and population of transient killer whales, AT1. Killer whales of both ecotypes died during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. The AB pod is showing slow recovery but is still below their pre-spill number. The AT1 population is functionally extirpated with seven remaining individuals, including two females that are beyond reproductive capacity. That's a concern for us on this coast given the changes we see coming down the road.
When we work with government, we have opportunities to capitalize on some momentum and address those areas where we have capacity shortage. We know we want to help restore salmon, but we also want to do it in a manner that's consistent with our world view.
The government symposium on southern resident killer whales resulted in a report that lists some specific outcomes and recommendations, identifying the Fraser River as a primary source of chinook for southern resident killer whales. We know that we want to engage first nations stewardship and the annual chinook salmon assessment. We need to figure out how to get that. We need to find those mechanisms to actually build the capacity that first nations need in order to participate in a joint effort.