At the Native Food Summit in November 2002, one of the most prominent topics of concern was the deterioration of traditional fisheries and the rapid expansion of fish farming taking place all across Indian country. The conference workshop on fisheries and aquaculture generated a spirited and wide ranging debate over the pros and cons of various approaches to commercial and subsistence fishing and fish farming.
One thing discovered was that very few individuals who were active in fisheries and aquaculture projects knew each other. Among workshop participants there was a vast range of experience, and no centralized source or baseline information. Based on follow-up conversations with conference participants and with First Nations Development Institute , The Indigenous Aquaculture Network was formed to fulfill this request.
Project Goals: This project has four goals that will be accomplished over the next year so that we can advance this discussion.
- Creating a list serv to share information on Indigenous Fishing and Aquaculture issues.
- Circulating technical, scientific, social, and cultural information on critical fisheries issues on a CD-ROM and in printed form.
- Organizing of quarterly conference calls among individuals working in this area for information sharing and the creation of an information baseline on tribal fisheries and aquaculture.
- The gathering together of key leaders for a two-day seminar on indigenous fisheries and aquaculture issues. There was a strong need expressed for an organized meeting where a network could be developed and some specific issues identified and tackled in a systematic way.
Read Proceedings and Supporting Documents from the first IAN Meeting in Minneapolis here...
Tribal governments/entities were, by treaties, given different levels of control over ancestral hunting/fishing grounds or those in the area where they were relocated during the colonization of North, Central, and South America. Treaty rights over the years have been challenged by a host of other stakeholders or commercial interests. This was especially evident in the Pacific Northwest. In the Pacific Northwest, aquaculture development by non-tribal entities within tribal boundaries has proven to be ecologically detrimental for wild fish and shellfish species. For example, in the Pacific Northwest, the presence of industrial scale salmon farms within close proximity and within tribal fishing areas have contributed in many cases to the degradation of water quality and disease outbreaks, and parasitic infections have been exacerbated threatening wild stocks. The problematic use of intensified cultivation methods and concentrations of waste, medications, and chemicals was also brought up during the course of the convening.
Tribal sovereignty and community stability has also come under pressure when non-tribal entities have wielded enough influence to split councils and members over decisions to establish or support fish farming in their respective areas. Conflicts between fish farmers and fisherman have escalated in some cases with polarizing effects, which the participants and contributors to this conference stressed their desire to avoid by coming to and abiding by consensus with their communities. As was clearly outlined by participants, the protection and conservation of traditional capture fisheries and the revitalization of cultural resources is one major point that all tribes were agreed upon. In sum, aquaculture may play a beneficial role with tribes in the Pacific Northwest, but not at the expense of wild fish and shellfish stocks.
At the present time there are accounts widely reported in the popular media that fish farming projects and operations are spreading rapidly across Indian Country. At this second convening we found that Native peoples view the “water world” in an interlinked manner that greatly diverges from the reductionist tendencies evident in Western thought. As put by one participant, “Indigenous people view the community as the ecological system in the center and all of the tribal activities associated with ecology circling around that center.” In this spirit, discussion and presentations covered a wide range of environmental issues that tribes currently face in the increasingly crowded and over developed Puget Sound area. Fisheries resources are at the center of these environmental issues.
The focus of this summary will reflect upon the presentations as they relate to the Pacific Northwest, Northeast, and Southern territories. It has been established in earlier reports, (http://www.nativeaquaculture.org), that the evolution of the Indigenous Aquaculture Network must take place within the framework of tribal development, adhering to standards established within traditional culture of the individual Nations.
This report summaries the presentations of both the Eagle and Condor delegations, along with the experiences and discussions taking place during the week-long activities and interactions with the various tribal communities, regional educational institutions and support groups.
The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), with support from the Indian Nations program of Heifer International (HI) initiated a collaborative relationship with the USAID-supported Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program (A/CRSP), headquartered at Oregon State University (OSU) and the Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (IIAP) in Iquitos, Peru. This collaboration was envisioned to serve as an emerging link to Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations and communities that work with aquaculture and the broad water world community with strong emphasis on Indigenous culture. It is the intent of this collaboration to create an opportunity for Indigenous individuals representing tribal government projects, Native organizations, tribal community-based groups and Indigenous traditional practitioners of water knowledge, fishing and shell fish cultures, to participate in an exchange program in regards to aquaculture. Many of these participants are members of the Indigenous Aquaculture Network (IAN). Credit is given to the members of IAN for seeking to expand its network to indigenous peoples of other countries. IAN is further mentioned below.
Because this exchange takes place in the Western Hemisphere between the North and South, this project is called the “Eagle-Condor Aquaculture Exchange Project”. A goal of this exchange was to reinforce Indigenous knowledge and the cosmovision of Indigenous Peoples as a foundation towards finding a balance in the new emerging world of the aqua-cultural industry.
Heifer International supported the North American component of the Eagle-Condor Aquaculture Exchange Project through a subcontract with IEN. IEN is based in Bemidji, Minnesota. A/CRSP based at Oregon State University supported in-country Peru activities, in collaboration with Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (IIAP). IEN coordinated all planning efforts, logistical support and travel for the Eagle (Northern – USA) delegates to Lima, Peru. Upon the arrival of the Eagles in Peru, A/CRSP through the IIAP coordinated all logistical support, Peru in-country travel, accommodations and scheduling with the Peruvian indigenous villages of the Shipibo peoples (the Condors).
From the first meeting of the Indigenous Aquaculture Network in Minneapolis, Minnesota to the second convening in Seattle, Washington, participants agreed that aquaculture could be incorporated into tribal development efforts to provide community members with healthier food sources. It was also agreed that any form of fish culture had to be based in whole on indigenous sovereignty and standards.
During these exchanges revitalization of natural resources and traditional culture were one in the same. Taking this into account, it was also evident that aquaculture should be viewed with caution and may not be a viable or an accepted alternative to traditional practices and in some cases to hatchery enhancement for wild stocks. Each community must have total control over the ultimate decisions for implementing any program.
Therefore, it was imperative that Eagle delegates listened carefully to, and observe the individual situations to determine the goals of these indigenous communities. What was found was that indigenous practices in and of the water world are not well known in this area. This trip also crystallized and helped articulate the views and future goals of the Shipibo peoples.
From the first day of exchanges in the village of Tucta, which included a comprehensive tour of the facilities, natural resources and overall challenges of their operations, Condors displayed a remarkable willingness to offer advice, or mentor each other in the issues of land tenure, fish culture, and economic development through environmental tourism. Unlike Peru, there were no regional efforts by individuals or organized groups to foster communication between communities. Most were unaware of any efforts or plans like their own.
Two communities stood out as prime examples of successful integration of economic and cultural revitalization. The representatives from these groups were enthusiastic about collaborative efforts in regard to sharing lessons-learned and future regional exchanges. Collaboration of this kind was facilitated by the opportunity of community members to travel with the Eagles as they visited each village or group. Although the representative communities were, in some cases, an hour by road traffic away from each other, there was no interaction between them before the IAN exchange. This is evidence that cultural exchanges of this type will benefit the expansion of the IAN as a viable intermediary and central organization in the revitalization of cultural, environmental and economic stability for Indigenous peoples.
Strengthening food security, health and community development in a way that reflects Indigenous Sovereignty and Standards as related to the Water World and its interlinked natural resources through education, empowerment and capacity building by Indigenous Peoples .
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