At 9:30 am, after hours of fishing through the early morning, fishermen start to line up at the dock as three Ecotrust Canada fisheries monitors arrive to start their day. With monitors on site, the fishermen fill blue totes with their morning catch. They watch as the observers count, weigh, and sample as part of the validation process before they can sell to the buyer, who is at the dock, ready to load up his flatbed truck. The monitors unlock the single-axel cargo trailer and pull out all the supplies they’ll need for the day — a scale, totes, sampling tools, clipboards, and data sheets. Then they set up their foldout table, open the first tote, and collect data on the salmon that, with incredible effort, made their way from the Pacific Ocean back to their natal rivers in Nootka Sound on the traditional territory of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht Nation.
During the summer months, this could be a typical day for the crew who monitor fishermen’s catch brought to the mouth of Gold River. But if you’ve ever worked in fisheries, or heard the stories from folks who have, there is no such thing as a typical day. Up in the remote northwest corridor of Vancouver Island, the monitors adapt quickly to the fluctuating nature of fisheries. With three years of experience under her belt, Kirstyn Bruce, our Northern Project Coordinator, works at the docks, coordinates shifts, and reports to the five Nations on the West Coast of Vancouver Island and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). She has also monitored aboard a packer boat that steams to the fishing grounds for catch pick up and, on the beach, when the fishers are allowed to catch salmon using seine nets within the Gold River. Those are long days.
(Photo by Kirstyn Bruce, Northern Project Coordinator, Fisheries Monitor, Ecotrust Canada)
Ecotrust Canada has been developing locally based fisheries monitoring programs in our mission to enhance the economic sustainability of communities and the marine environment since 2011. Our charity is federally certified to provide at-sea and dockside monitoring services to First Nations, DFO, and fish harvester organizations. Starting in 2017, we began providing a monitoring program tailored to the needs of Ha’oom Fisheries Society, which implements the T’aaq-wiihak Fisheries on behalf of the Ahousaht Nation, Hesquiaht, Ehattesaht/Chinehkint, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, collectively known as the five Nations. From Tofino to Gold River and Zeballos, our team monitors the salmon and groundfish caught by the members of these five Nations in their Indigenous right to harvest and sell fish from their traditional territories.
In Gold River, on the traditional territory of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht Nation, we see deliveries of inshore or terminal salmon species sac̓up (chinook) and cuw̓it (coho). Kirstyn sees a variety of fishermen, but most Mowachaht/Muchalaht harvesters fish in groups overnight in 15-16 foot “tinnies” and with lights on either side to illuminate their gill nets. In the morning, they dock at the Ahminaquis Boat Launch just outside Gold River, where Ecotrust Canada’s monitors validate their catch. The offload can draw quite the crowd.
“At the offloads, other Nation members come to see how they can help the fishermen unload. You’ll see families, too. They bring their kids and pass on the knowledge,” Kirstyn said.
As described on the Nation’s website, the people of Mowachaht/Muchalaht Nation have depended on the oceans, rivers, and forests to sustain their way of life for thousands of years. Despite challenges from colonialism and residential schools, the community remains committed to preserving its culture, language, lands, and waters while creating economic opportunities for its members.
Patrick Dick has been working in fisheries for nine years and is a member of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht Nation. Patrick is one of the three experienced monitors in Gold River this summer, alongside August and Kirstyn.
“I like fishers’ work. It’s hands-on, and I like it a lot,” Patrick said with a hint of pride.
The work of a fisheries monitor is messy and constantly changing. Some days, it’s full-on, depending on the amount of fish coming in. During the validation process, monitors collect a set of samples from a portion of the salmon. This year, they’re collecting the otolith, or ear bones, scales, and tissue samples, recording the length and sex of the fish, and scanning for coded wire tags. Every year, approximately 50 million juvenile salmon are tagged in Canada and the US. The tags provide details about the salmon’s origin, age, growth, run timing, and other characteristics. The team submits this information to DFO and the five Nations.
“With this data, we find out how to better manage the fishing areas and grounds to protect those species that are at risk,” Kirstyn said.
But ear bones? Patrick said they make one precise cut to collect the sample without affecting the value of the salmon before it goes to the buyer.
The fishing season winds down in September when our monitors can take a much-deserved break.
[Published on August 27, 2024]