Ocean Wise, global environmental charity that addresses overfishing, ocean pollution and climate change, has received nearly $850,000 (USD$592,000) in funding to help three Canadian Indigenous fishing communities to assess and promote their sustainability.
Small-scale fisheries account for 40% of seafood harvested globally and employ 90% of workers in the seafood sector. But only 8% of global small-scale fisheries have been assessed for sustainability. Many of these fisheries are not evaluated for sustainability because their data and management systems do not align with standardized assessment methods.
Through the project, Advancing Sustainable Development in Fishery-Reliant Coastal Communities, Ocean Wise will work closely with fishers from three First Nation, small-scale fisheries in British Columbia and New Brunswick.
They will:
- Educate and empower fisherfolk, businesses and the public about Canada’s sustainable Indigenous-led fisheries using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Co-create an assessment methodology that incorporates Indigenous Knowledge and assesses sustainability in the three fisheries to facilitate advancing, measuring and reporting on SDG progress.
- Foster collaboration and support SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth and Sustainable Development) and 10 (Reduced Inequality), by connecting three Indigenous-led fisheries with a market for their sustainable seafood.
“Indigenous knowledge has historically been left out of standardized methods to assess sustainability,” said Samantha Renshaw, Ocean Wise Science Lead. “Thanks to this funding, we will be able to work directly with First Nations fisheries to create an improved, more equitable system for eco-labels that includes their knowledge and values. This approach leverages generations of Indigenous stewardship for a more accurate evaluation of the sustainability of fisheries.”
Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals Funding Program, the project seeks to deliver economic benefits to each community while sharing insights with other environmental NGOs, policymakers, seafood buyers and Ocean Wise Market Partners. It also aims to help promote the self-determination of Indigenous-led fisheries and foster tailored markets for their unique fishery products.
This work will build on Ocean Wise’s small-scale fisheries work, which includes the Rapid Seafood Assessment Standard, and the Ocean Wise Salmon Advisory Panel launched last year.
