Shellfish Initiative
Coastal First Nations recognize that our economic development ambitions need to extend beyond current fisheries activities. Our Shellfish Aquaculture Initiative offers diversification through a new avenue of long-term, conservation-based economic development by active participation in an ecologically sustainable shellfish industry that will help achieve sustainable resource use in our Traditional Territories.
Coastal First Nations, along with the North Coast-Skeena First Nations Stewardship Society, are involved in a number of implementation activities. Work has continued on pilot farms to test species and sites, and we have worked together on business and technical planning for establishing commercial operations.
Background
Much of the developmental work necessary to establish a First Nations shellfish aquaculture industry on the coast is now complete. The focus of the initiative is now on transitioning to commercial operations.
Community Level:
• Nine sites for commercial development were selected by the communities and the tenures are now finalized and awaiting signoff from the provincial minister. Navigable waters permits are in the final stages of advertisement and will be completed shortly;
• 200,000 seed were deployed in 2007 and on average 10,000 seed were deployed in October 2008 to each site and the equipment and anchoring have been upgraded to support grow out of this seed to maturity. Results from the 2007 deployment were generally good with excellent growth rates; however, seed survival was compromised at some locations likely due to the use of small nets and/or seed quality/inventory.
• During 2008 the two full-time shellfish trainees hired in each community graduated from the 12 week training program delivered through Malaspina College. In addition, the crews have been supported every 2 months through visits by a technical advisor.
• Seven of the 9 communities involved identified their willingness to proceed to the final stages of the business development at a meeting in December, 2009.
Corporate Level:
• Progress has been made on a shellfish organizational and governance model through the TPI Board and the shellfish management team. The internal structure of the First Nations shellfish corporation should be completed for ratification by the participating communities in the next few months.
2009 Activities
The key tasks which have been identified to ensure successful and responsible industry development are summarized below:
• Finalize business plans for the shellfish farms and the corporate structure for and between participating Nations;
• Finalize a hatchery partnership arrangement by June 1, 2009, with construction to begin soon after;
• Finalize legal arrangements between the First Nations and between First Nations and other partners;
• Finalize the financing requirements/arrangements with each participating First Nation;
• Initiate human resource/training development plan;
• Order major equipment for farms;
• Construct farms from February – June, 2010; and
• Deploy seed August, 2010.
Carbon Credits
Background
The Great Bear Rainforest (GBR) contains 4.7m hectares of forest and a significant rural population. This initiative builds on work completed in 2008 by UBC and Offsetters Clean Technology to create a framework for monetizing carbon credits within the GBR for the benefit of First Nations communities.
2009 Activities
• Analysis of the volume of carbon credits in Traditional Territories;
• Develop a sales strategy;
• Develop a management structure;
• Create an economic development strategy;
• Complete first sales of carbon credits in GBR.
