Tribal council unhappy with federal coho plan

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The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council has come out swinging against the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Indian and Northern Development (DIAND).

On November 19, B.C. Fisheries Minister Dennis Streifel and federal Fisheries Minister Herb Dhaliwal re-announced the $400 million originally announced in 1998 to deal with the coho crisis and industry restructuring. According to NTC fisheries manager Dr. Don Hall, governments are now trying to stretch this "smoke and mirrors" funding to cover a crisis it was never intended to deal with: the devasting collapse of the 1999 Fraser sockeye season.

According to NTC southern region co-chair Richard Watts, the announcement has nothing to do with helping communities; rather it is another scheme designed to buy fishermen out of their industry.

"So far we see little that will help our fishermen and ocean-dependent communities," said Watts. "We need to see real consultation attached to real funds that reach the fishermen directly during these hard times."

According to Watts, Nuu-chah-nulth communities are being told by DFO that their share of the funds will be administered by DIAND. But when inquiries are made at DIAND, Nuu-chah-nulth fishermen are sent back to talk with DFO. As a result, frustrations are mounting amongst fishermen and their communities, as they are forced to play a disaster-aid shell game with federal departments.

"Their own studies recommended funds be provided to the hardest hit communities but these funds ended up being conditional on fishermen giving up their livelihood or leaving their ocean communities," said Watts. "And other than the occasional buy-out package, our fishermen have yet to see one thin dime from DFO."

Only 10 years ago, the Nuu-chah-nulth communities along the West Coast of Vancouver Island were home ports for dozens of commercial trollers and gillnetters. This summer, only three boats remained to fish during the few short openings.

"They're trying to starve us out," said NTC central region co-chair Nelson Keitlah. "Just like what they're trying to do to Dan Edwards, the governments would rather see people starve as opposed to actually dealing with these issues that we have to live with every day."

Edwards, who has been on a hunger strike for more than a month, is trying to convince DFO to sit down at a negotiating table to discuss the problems facing West Coast communities and work towards some solutions. Officials within Minister Herb Dhaliwal's office refuse to comment on Edwards' plight, and DIAND Minister Bob Nault's office did not return our calls.