Harrison Salmon Producers LLP
Harrison Fisheries authority and the Salmon Producers GP
Background
The Sts’ailes and Scowlitz First Nations are engaging their Communities and other co-managers in renewal of their fishery based upon on their historic rights and interests in the fishery, building on their work in stewardship, stock assessment, and management over the last 3 decades. The basis of their fisheries development plan is a joint-governance initiative that was formalized through the creation of the Harrison Fisheries Authority (HFA) in a 2006 co-management agreement between Sts’ailes and Scowlitz. This was extended into a comprehensive fisheries agreement with DFO in 2009.
Their emphasis in this modern salmon co-management agreement is on improving fisheries governance to protect the salmon resource and their fishing rights. The priority has been on managing their Community’s access through the designation of their fishers, coupled with regulation to reduce illicit harvest and trade, while providing for prosperity in their fishers and supporting stewardship of the fishery. It has included both revitalization of local FSC fisheries and ways to improve shared opportunities and benefits from new Community-regulated economic fisheries. The economic opportunity (or EO) fisheries were organized through the Harrison Salmon Producers General Partnership (HSPGP) in 2012. This fishery produces on average 0.5 - 1 million lbs of salmon (sockeye, chum, pink and Chinook as well as some ESSR (trap fisheries) licensed coho) annually, through a membership of more than 200 designated Community fishers. The cooperative landing site and incentives for entrepreneurial growth recruits the fishers into finding solutions around responsible fishing practices (including effective governance), improved prosperity for fishers, and catch accounting.