Tŝilhqot’in chiefs are calling on the Alaskan District 104 Fishery to stop intercepting vulnerable salmon stocks bound for their territory, stating the fishery’s harvesting is infringing on Tŝilhqot’in Aboriginal rights.
“Our people depend on the salmon run every year to ensure that our families do not go hungry,” Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Joe Alphonse said in a Feb. 11 press release issued by the Tŝilhqot’in National Government (TNG).
The chiefs are making their call at the Pacific Salmon Commission’s fortieth annual meeting in Portland, Ore. The commission works to implement the Pacific Salmon Treaty which authorizes the Alaskan Salmon Fishery.
“Year after year we are faced with record low Chilko sockeye returns while the Alaskan 104 Fishery catches these salmon without limit,” said Alphonse.
In 2019, low sockeye returns led to the closure of fisheries in both Canada and the United States.
“The Tŝilhqot’in Nation made the difficult decision to close its own traditional, community-based fishery at tremendous sacrifice to the community’s cultural practices and food security,” writes the nation in its press release.
Meanwhile, the Alaskan fishery continued operations, harvesting 45,000 Chilko River sockeye which the nation calls the foundation of their traditional fishery. The Alaskan fishery also harvested 78,000 Fraser River sockeye while no First Nations on the Fraser River were able to fish.
TNG states the Alaskan fishery’s actions are impacting the nation’s food security and infringing on First Nations’ Aboriginal rights as the salmon stocks bring food and fulfill social and ceremonial needs for First Nations along the Chilko and Fraser rivers.
The Tŝilhqot’in Nation is also still recovering from the impact of the Tŝilhqox (Chilcotin River) landslide which led to record low levels of sockeye salmon runs.
"We call on the Pacific Salmon Commission to stop the Alaskan 104 Fishery until the Chilko sockeye run rebounds and to create a meaningful seat at the decision-making table for the Tŝilhqot’in Nation to manage our own stocks," said Alphonse.
The Tŝilhqot’in National Government is the governing body for the Tŝilhqot’in people. The Tŝilhqot’in Nation is comprised of six communities located throughout the Tŝilhqot’in (Chilcotin) territory and is the only Nation in Canada with a court declaration of Aboriginal title (Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia).
