Fish-WIKS News

In May, Fish-WIKS steering committee members Lucia Fanning and Chris Milley, with community liaison coordinators Terry Dorward and Jade Owen, travelled to NYC to attend the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII.) The group hosted a side event at the Forum, sharing their pan-Canadian research experiences and lessons learned on fisheries management practices, and the challenges and opportunities for consultation, youth and Elder engagement, and autonomous decision-making. Each Fish-WIKS participant spoke to the importance of indigenous knowledge and fisheries governance in four respective regions of Canada: Tla-o-qui-aht, British Columbia; Nipissing, Ontario; Eskasoni, Nova Scotia; and Naujaat, Nunavut. The special theme of the forum was “The Tenth Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): Measures taken to implement the Declaration.” Attendees of the side event included delegates from Japan, Chile, New Zealand and the United States. The presentation concluded with an open discussion on indigenous knowledge systems and decision-making within a global context, and how UNDRIP has informed or supported the intersection of western and indigenous knowledge systems in formal structures of governance. The Fish-WIKS team looks forward to building on the invaluable conversations and connections made at UNPFII 2017.