The Herring School Workshop

Over three days, scientists, resource managers, and members of First Nation and Native Alaskan communities gathered to share and discuss the cultural, social, ecological and economic roles of herring on the West Coast.  A welcome by Reg Moody of the Gladstone Reconciliation Committee encouraged participants to be open and honest. Emotion infused the room as representatives from Alaska and British Columbia’s indigenous communities shared similar stories of both the cultural importance of herring and the decline, or disappearance of herring stocks from their local waters. Echoed were the impacts of these losses on the intimate relationship once held between people, communities and herring. This intimacy was poignantly expressed by Michelle Washington of the Sliammon First Nation, who shared her sadness that her daughters will never partake in the excitement and community empowerment she felt as a child during the yearly herring fishery. The heartfelt stories of these speakers on Day 1 provided a framework for the remainder of the workshop by confirming that the herring crisis is not simply a local issue, rather, one that influences communities globally.

Day 2 involved presentations by scientists and fisheries managers who reported on current research, management and policy practices, as well as gaps in our knowledge and practice. Examples of working closely with First Nation communities emphasized the power gained by collaboration between western science and traditional knowledge.

The workshop closed on Day 3 by focusing on steps to move forward. Priorities for continued and expanding research efforts were discussed, as were management strategies. The need for trust and the building and rebuilding of relationships became an over arching theme in all disciplines. Better understanding of values, as well as open lines of communication between all parties, were highlighted as requirements in order to facilitate the ability to initiate change.

Stan Dennis of Lax Kw'alaams Band said that he “heard the voice of the herring” at this workshop.  Frank Brown, of the Heiltsuk First Nation, emphasized a call to action: that we are responsible as stewards and need to raise public awareness. These action items ranged from personally sharing workshop stories with home communities, to collaborating on public documents. For example, the Herring School will be facilitating scientists, First Nations and managers in creating a co-authored paper for a high profile journal and in the writing of a “Declaration of Inter-dependence” that outlines our common understanding and concerns about herring. The hope is to bring the world’s attention to the herring crisis by exploring cultural, social, ecological, and economic issues.

Despite the state of herring throughout most of the west coast, there remains an encouraging amount of hope and fight in those who attended the workshop. As Cliff Atleo, President, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, reminded us: ‘the beauty of being a fisher is that we are eternally optimistic’.

Program

Below please find the program for the Herring Workshop or click here to download a pdf version. We have made available presentations and audio recordings for download as they were provided to us.

Acknowledgements

The Herring Workshop is a product of the many people in the "Herring School" --- a group of researchers from diverse communities who are keenly interested in the social and ecological roles of herring on the West Coast. We acknowledge generous financial support from teh Social Science and Humanities Research Council, the Tula Foundation, the SFU VP Academic, and SFU's Faculty of Environment, Department of Archaeology, Melissa Hadley at Cortex. The powerful image of the herring ball on the programme cover is used with permission of the artist, Tony Angell. The image is published in Angell's book, "Puget Sound through an Artist's Eye" (University of Washington Press, 2009). We acknowledge the Coast Salish Nations, on whose traditional lands we are gathering.